Never Heard of Deer Creek Recreation Club? You're Probably Not Alone

For the campers at , the North Woods is just a couple of miles outside of Plainfield.

“It’s just like being in Wisconsin but only five minutes away,” said Larry Benson, of Plainfield.

Behind him on this sun-drenched July afternoon, children tossed a beach ball and flew down the waterslide into a lake framed by a flawlessly manicured sand beach.

Grownups congregated over beverages in a shady nearby lodge and lounged in lawn chairs near rows of neatly-sited RV’s, pop-ups and goose necks. Youths cast fishing lines from boats and off docks along the banks.

The private camp on 143^rd Street between Route 126 and Lockport Street has been a local getaway for a half century, volunteer directors said. Originally known as Lily Cache Camp, it changed hands in the late 1980s and became the not-for-profit recreation area it is today.

“What’s our motto?” Steve Gibson, another camp official, asked Benson.

“We’re Plainfield’s best-kept secret,” Benson said.

For an annual membership fee of $525, the 140 families pitch camp at Deer Creek and get use of the beach, walking trails, archery ranges, lodges and fishing holes. The camp sites, many of them more or less permanent, sport yard-like designs with decks, wrought-iron fences and potted flower gardens.

“It’s like our own little community,” Benson said. “We all look forward to seeing our friends here every summer.”

The last weekend in June was the annual pig roast and next weekend is the yearly summer bash with a band and cookout. There are beach parties and dances from spring to fall, and the camp hosts camp-outs for local scouts and veterans groups.

For membership information, check out http://www.deercreekrecclub.com/.