Tenth Anniversary of Camp Hippodrome – Young Baltimore Stars on Stage!

The Hippodrome Foundation will present a final performance of Camp Hippodrome on the Hippodrome stage on Friday, July 14 at 2:30pm. The camp is one of the foundation’s free signature programs and is celebrating its 10th anniversary this summer. In 2007, ten members of Disney’s TheLion Kingcast worked with 95 Baltimore students for one day and that was the first day of Camp Hippodrome!

Since then, Camp Hippodrome has expanded each year with the help of sponsorship by The Homer & Martha Gudelsky Family Foundation, the Venable Foundation, Southwest Airlines, the JS Plank and DM Dicarlo Family Foundation and others. Camp Hippodrome 2017 will serve more than 500 students with 2 one-week sessions, 6 one-day sessions and a two-day stage production camp. Sixth and Seventh grade students are enrolled in the one-week sessions and the one-day camps are provided for children from Kennedy Krieger, Maryland School for the Blind and other local organizations. There is even a day camp for senior citizens who will learn a Broadway number right on the Hippodrome stage.

“Camp Hippodrome is all about people working together and having some fun and exposure to the arts. Imagine the life skills needed to meet new people on Monday, work together all week and perform on the Hippodrome stage Friday in front of 400 friends and family. There is a lot of growth that happens this week,” says Olive Waxter, Executive Director of the Hippodrome Foundation. “All of our counselors are previous Camp Hippodrome campers, so there is a lot of comradery…. some have been working for us for more than 9 years.”

“We are so proud to be a part of all of this positive activity, the kids are having fun and learning so much,” said Ron Legler, President of the Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center. “It’s one of our favorite shows – our staff cannot wait to see the performance on Friday!”

The Hippodrome Foundation is the non-profit partner of the Hippodrome Theatre, providing free programs to more than 4000 students each year with the help of the philanthropic community. By sharing the assets of the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, the foundation is “raising the curtain on opportunity.”

For more information, please contact Olive Waxter, Executive Director, Hippodrome Foundation, Inc. at olivew@hippodromefoundation.org or 410-727-7787 ext 104