Opequon Quaker Camp
Ages 9-14
Harpers Ferry, WV
Opequon Quaker Camp is a cabin-based, sleepaway camp designed to unleash your camper’s creative spirit. By exposing campers to many different art forms in a fun and physical way, Opequon strives to highlight the connections between creation, nature, self-expression, and spirituality.
A camper’s time at Opequon is structured around our morning Art Workshops. At the beginning of each workshop cycle, campers choose from an array of different options – from life-size mural painting to movie making – that they’ll focus on for a three day period. Each cycle culminates in a camp-wide Art Walk, a celebration of community and creativity where every workshop gets to share their creations with the entire camp. Afternoons and evenings are very busy, as the campers choose from a variety of games, crafts, or environmental activities. Each session also includes one age and ability-appropriate trip away from camp, where campers spend one to two days living in the wilderness and strengthening their bonds with the members of their cabin.
2026 Session Information
As with the other cabin-based, sleepaway camps, Opequon operates in three different two-week sessions:
Saturday, June 27 – Saturday, July 11
Sunday, July 12 – Saturday, July 25
OATS Sunday, July 26 – Sunday, August 9 (two weeks)
OATS Week A, July 26 – Auguat 2 (one week)
OATS Week B, August 2 – August 9 (one week)
Drop Off: 2-4pm of the first day of each session
Pick Up: 10am-12pm of the last day of each session.
You may come at the start of pick up to join campers at the Fire Circle for singing and Meeting.
Please take note of whether you have a Saturday or Sunday drop off/pick up as each session is different.
2026 Registration Changes
At Opequon, we are also offering one-week sessions, but they will NOT be limited to the youngest campers. Campers of any age (9-14) who want a one-week option can register for our OATS Weeks A or B.
What’s OATS?
In a cheeky nod to the most famous Quaker in the United States, we are very excited to offer our new OATS Weeks at Opequon during our Third Session! OATS is Opequon Arts Third Session. This is a way for campers of all ages to:
- come to Opequon for a one-week Session OR a two-week Session
- focus on the magic of Workshops and Arts at Opequon; Each week will have a three-day workshop block
- there will be no required trips during OATS sessions
- enjoy a week in the woods of Rolling Ridge singing, making new art and new friends!
For Returning Opequon Campers
What’s staying the same?
- Sessions 1 and 2 will be the same: a week of CIs and a week of workshops
- Campers can still come to Opequon for 2 or 4 weeks during Sessions 1, 2 and 3
What’s changing?
- During OATS Third Session, Opequon will have workshops each week, and no mandatory trips. Instead, a “trip workshop” will be offered as part of a workshop block….and only campers who pick it as one of their choices will go!
Life at Camp
Opequon Quaker Camp is located on a beautiful mountainside where campers play and explore during the day, and bunk together at night in screened-in cabins. And each day is designed to give your camper the freedom to find themselves and be themselves. As mentioned, campers will usually go on a one or two night overnight trip during their session, but their in-camp days look like this…
Morning:
After the wake-up bell is struck at 7:45am, campers gather for an all-camp breakfast. Once campers have helped clean up after breakfast, the camp community comes together for silence and stillness at the Fire Circle. The rest of the morning is spent in whichever three-day Art Workshop each camper is currently signed up for, diving into anything from dance to woodworking.
Afternoon:
The full camp comes back together for lunch, after which campers get an hour-long rest period to read, relax, and play quiet games. During Afternoon Activity, campers move freely around the camp, joining one of the many artsy, physical, or nature-oriented activities being led by counselors and staff.
Night:
Following dinner and dinner cleanup, the whole camp comes together again for Evening Activities such as Jugs, paper bag skits, or scavenger hunts. Then, tired from a long day of exercising their minds and bodies, our campers retire to their cabins for their 9:30pm bedtime.
Opequon Staples
Trips
Each cabin goes out on a one to two night trip either away from camp or in our woods or by the Creek. Designed to be accessible for all, these overnights build community, promote healthy risk taking, and push campers within their abilities.
Art Workshops
Workshop options vary from session to session, but campers always enjoy a wide range of options, such as songwriting, theater, puppet making, creative writing, dance, building structures, bread making, and so much more.
Physical Activities
After a morning of focusing on their art, campers can get physical by joining games ranging from soccer and volleyball, to zanier camp offerings like Frazleeram, Ga-ga-ga, and running charades.
Water Activities
Whether it’s splashing around in the pool or taking a swim in Opequon Creek, campers have no shortage of ways to beat the afternoon heat, with certified lifeguards always present.
Artsy Activities
Campers have further options to get crafty in the afternoon through activities like tie-dye, friendship bracelets, knitting/crochet, face-painting, baking, etc.
Environmental Activities
Campers can also spend their afternoons exploring the outdoors through counselor-led day hikes, bird-watching, stream-wading, etc.
Peter Abrikian, Director, Opequon (he/him)
Peter has spent over 25 years creating transformative summer camp experiences that foster creativity, connection, and personal growth. His camping journey started in Jamaica when he was 9 years old, and it hasn’t stopped yet! Through camps, he developed a deep passion for youth development. A lifelong educator and dramatist, his work spans acting in Jamaica’s vibrant theater scene, directing youth and professional productions, and teaching drama internationally from Kindergarten through 12th grade. His multi-racial identity and global teaching experiences inform his commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. At Opequon, he is excited to continue his personal mission of helping young people discover their authentic selves through joyful community, creative expression, and outdoor adventure. While not currently a member of a Quaker meeting, Peter was raised in the Worthington Monthly Meeting in Kingston, Jamaica. He holds a deep respect and affection for Quaker SPICES, which continue to influence his life and work. Also, almost no one calls him Peter. Almost everyone calls him Brick.
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