This Friday, Larchmont Will Sleep Outside

Camp enthusiasts in Larchmont are finally going to be able to enjoy a night in the great outdoors, as the first ever Family Camp Night will be taking place at Flint Park on July 16.

Although Mamaroneck residents have taken part in nights like this for more than a decade, up until now, the Village of Larchmont has never offered this opportunity.

"It's about time," said 15-year-old Christopher Karlan. "I have friends at school who have done this but I was never allowed because of where I lived. My dad and I are going to buy some new sleeping bags and camp."

The idea has been floating around the village for some time, but it never came to fruition until this summer.

"We were trying to come up with some recreation activities that would be family-oriented and be relatively inexpensive for residents, and decided a camp out would be the perfect thing," said Joyce Callahan, recreation director for the Village of Larchmont. "We obviously got the idea from the Village of Mamaroneck, and we hope to make ours just as popular."

When the village approved the idea, Mayor Joshua Mandell announced two stipulations for those camping: no tent spikes would be allowed, since they would puncture the irrigation system, and the camp out had to be supervised.

"Parents should come with their kids and stay," Mandell said. "The event isn't offering babysitting, just the facilities."

Also, no fires are allowed in the park, so all food needs to be ready to eat. All trash generated must be removed afterward to set a good example for a repeat event.

Callahan added that in addition to the non-spike tents, participants should bring a picnic dinner and something to sleep on.

"We don't care if it's a sleeping bag or an air mattress; whatever you will be comfortable on," she said. "Flint Park has a lot of room so we are able to accommodate a lot of people."

The size of the park was the reason Flint was chosen.

"We don't have any other big parks in Larchmont," Callahan said. "Flint Park is the ideal location for something like this because there is so much room and we can do a lot."

Programs that are planned for the camp out include games, snacks and good ole fashioned stories before bed time.

"We are going to do a kickball game, maybe the adults vs. the children, and a dodge ball game because everyone can play that," Callahan said. "We will also do story time and a pre-bed snack."

Interested campers can register on the village's Web site or at the recreation department, and with just a few days to go, Callahan said there is still plenty of room for anyone who wants to take part in what she hopes becomes an annual event.

"I think it's a low key evening geared towards families, and people should come out and maybe meet some other village residents," she said. "It's going to be a lot of fun."

Family Camp Night begins at 8 p.m. Unfortunately, if it rains, there is no rain date.