SMART kids spin tales at Camp Caldera

When advertising magnate Dan Wieden bought Blue Lake Resort in the spring of 1996, his vision was to use the camp as a place where young people could come to have new experiences, particularly in the performing and visual arts.

This summer, Wieden, his wife Bonnie, and three

daughters, are hosting three camps at the newly christened "Camp Caldera."

The most recent was a week-long day camp for 15 Sisters elementary students who had been involved with the SMART program in the past year.

SMART (Start Making a Reader Today) is a program designed to enhance reading skills in young people by matching them with volunteers who spend time throughout the year with individual students.

The Wiedens were looking for ways to serve some local students since the first two camps of the summer included only kids from Portland. They set up the latest camp after contacting Christine Curry, regional SMART coordinator.

Laura Wieden, Dan's youngest daughter, directed the camp, which included story making, artwork, movement, cooperative games, and puppetry.

The week culminated with a final production on Friday evening at the lakefront in which students acted out stories they had written, read aloud, and performed puppet shows for their parents.

Cassie Wieden directed the first two camps, which served over 70 kids from Portland, many of which who had spent little or no time outside of the city.

"It was eye-opening for the kids since everything was so new," she said. "Many of these kids had never ridden a horse or been out in the forest, so it was like being in another world for them."

Tami Wiedensmith, another of the Wieden clan, also worked at the camp, so it has been a true family affair.

The Wieden family is active in supporting the SMART program in a number of ways. The advertising agency Wieden and Kennedy, has sponsored SMART programs at elementary schools in Portland, and Laura has spent the past two years as a SMART coordinator at Whitman and Sunnyside elementary schools, also in Portland.

"SMART is a great program for getting the community involved in something meaningful," said Laura. "It is as much about relationships as it is about reading."

Dan Wieden addressed the parents at the outset of Friday's performance, complimenting them on their children and offer a bit of his philosophy and his goals for the camp.

"It has been a great week with your kids," he said. "I think we must have had the best kids in Sisters here. After doing a week like this I'm not sure who learned more; me or the kids."

He emphasized his desire to use Camp Caldera to provide opportunities for children to spend time with professional artists, musicians, and naturalists, as well as his hope to connect people from both sides of the mountains.

The performances, all of which were written by the children, ranged from acting out the "Legend of Bright Eyes" to a story about "Joe Skywalker Coyote and the Grass People."

Matt Bryan and Andrew Thresher read aloud a story they had written together, while another group concluded the evening with a puppet show.

According to Wieden, plans for the camp continue to evolve.

"Buying the resort was originally a retirement idea, but now we are looking for ways to share this place so we can be an asset to the local community," he said.