the Lantern’s Light
the Many Point Staff Alumni Association’s Newsletter
the
Lantern’s Light
the Many Point Staff Alumni Association’s Newsletter
Dear Staff Alumni Member,
Thank you for your continued generosity and support of the Staff Alumni Association. It is important for us to keep records current. If any of your information has changed recently, please be so kind to provide us an update. Your contribution this year will allow Many Point to update the patrol boat fleet at camp. Your contribution is much appreciated.
Contents
Upcoming Events
- March 24th – Lantern Gear Store Opens – Closes April 30th
- April 25th – Spring Fling at the Freight House, Stillwater, MN
- May 29-31 – Work Party, Many Point Scout Camp
- June 19th – Opening Banquet – You’re Invited
- June 21st – First Week of Scouts
- July 18th – Hootenanny – You’re Invited
- August 21-23 – Fall Campout
Summer is Brewing for Success
As we head into spring, plans for the 2026 summer at Many Point are starting to come together. And it will be a special one.
Next summer marks the 80th summer of Many Point Scout Camp. For eight decades, Scouts and staff have come to this place to challenge themselves, build friendships, and experience the kind of moments that stay with you long after the summer ends.
To help celebrate the 80th, we’re introducing something new for Scouts in 2026. Throughout the week, Scouts will be able to carry a Many Point Passport as they explore camp. As they try activities and visit program areas, they can collect stamps along the way. The idea is simple. Try new things, visit new areas, and experience more of what Many Point has to offer.
Scouts who collect enough stamps will earn a special 80th Anniversary validation stamp and commemorative gift from the Trading Post. Current staff will also have their own version of the passport!
We’re also inviting alumni to help kick off the historic season. Alumni are welcome to join us for the Opening Banquet at Many Point on June 19th, 2026. Alumni can arrive Friday afternoon, enjoy Ice Crackin’ with the staff that evening, spend Saturday around camp, and head out Sunday morning as we prepare for the first Scouts of the summer.
Before that, we hope many of you will join us at the Spring Fling at the Freight House in Stillwater on April 25. It’s always a great chance to reconnect with old friends and hear what’s happening at camp.
For many of us, Many Point wasn’t just a summer job. It’s where friendships formed, confidence grew, and stories began that we still tell today. That shared experience is what keeps this alumni community strong.
Thank you to everyone who stays connected and supports camp. Your involvement continues to make a real difference for the staff and Scouts who will call Many Point home in 2026.
We look forward to celebrating 80 summers of Many Point with you.
Yours in Scouting,
Mike Kuklok
Many Point Staff Alumni Association
For contributions of $40 or more, members will receive an MPSAA luggage tag and a waterproof sticker.
Throughout the week, Scouts will be able to carry a Many Point Passport as they explore camp. As they try activities and visit program areas, they can collect stamps along the way.
Spring Fling 2026
An Evening of Stories, Laughter, and Many Point Memories
The Freight House Stillwater, MN
Saturday, April 25th, 2026 5:00 – 11:00PM
Spring Fling Special Event Presentations, Silent Auctions, and More!
Each spring, Many Point alumni gather for a simple reason: to reconnect with the people who helped shape some of the best summers of our lives. This year’s Spring Fling will be held Saturday, April 25, from 5:00–11:00 PM at the Freight House in Stillwater and promises to be another great night.
This year’s event also carries a little extra meaning. The evening will help kick off Many Point’s 80th Anniversary, bringing alumni together as we begin celebrating the legacy of camp and the people who built it. If you’ve been meaning to come back and see some old friends, this is the night to do it.
Throughout the evening, we’ll have a few fun presentations and moments celebrating Many Point, along with some opportunities to support camp in a relaxed way.
Silent Auctions, Rare Items, and Many Point Merch
We’ll be hosting a silent auction featuring some unique and rare Many Point items. There will also be chances to win other items. It’s a fun way to take home a piece of camp history while helping support the work of the alumni association. Included will be tent canvas bags handcrafted by the one and only Megan Hollermann, made from real camp tent canvas. We will also have Many Point merch available.
Join Us at Opening for the 80th
In 2026, Many Point Scout Camp celebrates its 80th summer, and alumni are invited back to help kick off the season in a way only Many Point can.
The Many Point Opening Banquet Alumni Event gives former staff the chance to return to the place that shaped so many summers, reconnect with camp, share stories with current staff, and experience the traditions that begin each season on Many Point Lake.
Alumni will be welcomed to camp on Friday, June 19, beginning around noon. The afternoon will offer time to walk the trails, visit familiar program areas, and reconnect with fellow alumni before the evening program begins.
The evening starts with Vespers at 5:00 PM, followed by the Opening Banquet at approximately 6:00 PM. After the banquet, alumni are invited to join staff for one of Many Point’s classic traditions — the Ice Crackin’ outing, celebrating the start of another summer at camp.
On Saturday, alumni are encouraged to enjoy time around camp, reconnect with areas and traditions, and spend time with both returning staff and fellow alumni.
2026 Opening Banquet Event Details
Arrival: Friday, June 19 (beginning around noon)
Vespers: 5:00 PM
Opening Banquet: Approximately 6:00 PM
Departure: Sunday morning by 9:00 AM
Cost: $20 per person
Registration helps cover:
- Opening Banquet meal
- Basic lodging accommodations
Participants will be responsible for their own meals outside of the Friday banquet supper. Please plan accordingly. Ice will be available but limited.
Lodging Options
Basic lodging will be available for alumni attending the event.
During registration, please indicate if you plan to:
- Stay in indoor lodging
- Bring a camper
- Tent camp
- Stay off-camp
Lodging assignments will be coordinated ahead of the event and shared with participants prior to arrival.
A Weekend to Reconnect
Alumni attending the Opening Banquet will have the opportunity to:
- Enjoy the Opening Banquet with the 2026 staff
- Participate in the Ice Crackin’ tradition
- Revisit familiar areas and trails
- Connect with current staff and fellow alumni
- Celebrate the start of Many Point’s historic 80th summer
To allow staff to complete final preparations for the arrival of the first participants of the 2026 season, alumni will be asked to vacate camp by 9:00 AM on Sunday morning.
Register Today
If Many Point was ever part of your story, this is a special opportunity to return to camp and help launch the 80th summer season.
Staffing Update for Many Point’s 80th Summer
Planning for the 2026 season is well underway, and staffing for Many Point’s 80th Anniversary summer is off to a strong start. More than 90% of our staff positions are already filled, and we’re excited about the group of returning staff and new faces who will help lead camp this summer.
We’re currently working to match a few remaining openings with qualified candidates. As always, the best staff members often come through recommendations from current staff, alumni, and former CITs. Many of us know firsthand how rewarding a summer on staff can be — the friendships, the leadership experience, and the opportunity to make a real impact on Scouts.
If you know someone who would make a great staff member, we’d appreciate your help spreading the word. Interested candidates can apply online at:
https://www.manypoint.org/article/Camp-Staff
A few positions are still open across a variety of program and support areas, including roles such as:
- Family Camp Trading Post Manager
- Huck Finn Director
- Fishing Director
- Program Counselors
- Business Manager
- Office Manager
We’re looking forward to assembling a great team to help make Many Point’s 80th summer one to remember.
Reminder 2026 MPSAA Gift to Camp
In 2026, the Many Point Staff Alumni Association will focus its fundraising efforts on supporting a vital need at camp: patrol boats.
Camp has continued to invest in upgrading waterfront equipment, including the recent purchase of new motors. Patrol boats are essential to safe beach operations, swim safety, and boating programs, and reliable equipment is critical to keeping the waterfront running smoothly.
Each new 14-foot aluminum patrol boat costs approximately $5,000. Through partnership with camp, the MPSAA hopes to help provide three to four new patrol boats, making a direct and meaningful impact on safety and daily operations at the waterfront.
This effort offers alumni a tangible way to support the programs and Scouts that define the Many Point experience, today and into the future.
Many Point Scout Camp – A Great Place to Grow!
Tell Your Story – Celebrating 80 Years of Impacting Others
For 80 years, Many Point has been a place for staff to grow! As a staff member you grow not only in Scouting skills but in the skills and attitudes needed for life. At a recent staff mini-reunion, everyone present explained how what they learned at Many Point helped them to be successful in whatever they did in life as a career path and/or personally.
Many Point wants to find out what you learned and how you learned it at Many Point . Below you will be ask to give your name, the years you worked at Many Point, the position(s) you held and most importantly – what did you learn? Use the back or even use another sheet of paper to respond. Truly, your responses are valued! It is understood that even a mistake can be a learning experience. O.K. – your turn. What did you learn as a staff member at Many Point?
Option 1: Write and Send Your Story
Prefer to write? Share your memories in your own words. Whether it’s a short reflection, a favorite camp moment, or how Many Point influenced your life, we would love to read it. Submit your written story here:
Option 2: Record and Upload Your Story
Take a few minutes to record your Many Point memory on your phone or computer and upload it using the link below. Whether it’s a short reflection, a funny moment, or a meaningful lesson from camp, we want to hear it.
Option 3: Join the Pod Cast
It’s easier than using Zoom. You can do it from your home. Let coordinators Chad Brancamp or Mike Kuklok know if you’re interested.
Join us on an 80th Anniversary Podcast
Heritage Fund Update
Happy New Year and thank you to those of you that gave strongly this year! Our realized fund balance is $270k There were 90 donations totaling just under $40k in 2025. For 2026 we’ve expanded the HF team and created new subcommittees to focus on growth, marketing, activities & events and project planning. More to come in this 80th summer. See you at camp!!
Give to make a positive difference in the life of a kid!
Elections Coming Up
The nomination committee is being led by Jack Hoye, Meghan Grobbel, and Jack Loats. At the last Board Meeting, it was decided to expand the board from 9 seats to 16 seats.
A recommendation for the Board of Directors will be made by the nomination committee. Elections will open one week prior to the Annual Meeting (Spring Fling) on April 18th and will close on April 26th.
To vote, please go to mpalumni.org/news for the link.
The Heritage Fund kicks off its first camp project!
Since its inception in the summer of 2021, the Heritage Fund has been growing steadily. Research shows that funds that reinvest into meaningful projects tend to grow faster, and the Heritage Fund is now preparing to do just that.
In celebration of Many Point’s 80th birthday, the Heritage Fund is launching an exciting new vision: the creation of a Many Point Night Skies Observatory.
The goal is to build a permanent observatory that will allow us to observe, record, and share the incredible night skies above camp like never before. With modern equipment, the observatory will give Scouts the opportunity to explore the universe above them while also allowing programs to be broadcast in real time—connecting alumni and supporters to the experience from wherever they may be.
While the project is still in its early stages, the excitement is already building. We are grateful for the support and expertise of partners from the University of Minnesota, Bethel University, and the Minnesota Astronomical Society as we begin shaping this vision.
And there may be no better place for such a project than Many Point.
A Little Technical Spark
One of the quiet gifts of Many Point is the night sky. Far from city lights, the stars above camp reveal themselves in ways many people rarely experience today. On a clear night along the shores of Boot Lake, the sky fills with thousands of points of light.
Astronomers rank the brightness of stars using a system called magnitude, and interestingly, the scale runs backwards: the smaller the number, the brighter the star.
Under city lights you might only see a handful of stars. But under the dark northern skies of Many Point, hundreds more appear.
For generations of Scouts and staff, those stars have been part of the experience, during quiet walks back to camp, nights on the pontoon, or just sitting on the beach. We’re excited for this new project and can’t wait to see more of the stars.
Lend a Hand at Many Point This Spring – Work Party: May 29-31
Many Point is a big place, and it takes many hands to keep it ready for Scouts each summer. From campsites and trails to buildings and program areas, there’s always work to be done—and volunteers play a huge role in making it happen.
Each spring, volunteers gather for the annual Many Point Work Party, a weekend dedicated to getting Many Point ready for the summer season. It’s a great chance to reconnect with camp, spend time with fellow alumni and friends, and help prepare Many Point for another great summer.
For 2026, Work Party will take place May 29–31. Camp will provide shelter, food, tools, and materials—you provide the helping hands. Both skilled and general labor are welcome.
Can’t make the work party? We can still use your help. If you or your group would like to volunteer at another time, reach out and we’ll help set up a project that fits your skills and schedule.
Dear Staff Alumni Member,
Thank you for your continued generosity and support of the StaffAlumni Association. It is important for us to keep records current. If any of your information has changed recently, please be so kind to provide us an update. Your contribution this year will allow Many Point to update the patrol boat fleet at camp. Your contribution is much appreciated.
Thanks for reading. If you have questions or comments regarding any content or regarding the MPSAA, feel free to email us at news@mpalumni.org