1. Book your hotel room:
              We have reserved a block of 10 rooms at hotels #1 & #2. We are listed under group name "CAMP WAUPACA REUNION".
              We do NOT have a block of rooms at hotel #3. It is a low-budget hotel which may not be to your liking, but their pricing is very good.

              1. Comfort Inn & Suites at Par 4 Resort - (715) 350-2345
              2. Ramada Inn - (715) 256-8744
              3. Econo Lodge - (715) 258-8526

              Unclaimed rooms will be released on July 14, so make your reservations soon!

          2. Update your contact information:
              We will be communicating via email and postal mail. CLICK HERE to send us your current contact info!

We are looking for people who would want to sponsor or underwrite some of our reunion needs. You can provide sponsorship whether or not you plan on attending. These sponsorships will be used towards catering (CYJ kitchen staff will not be available during our event) and a photographer / videographer. This would be a monetary contribution on top of the reunion tuition, which we expect to be very reasonable. With your sponsorship, we can provide delicious meals during our stay, and have a professional photographer and videographer capture 75 years of Camp Waupaca history! If you do sponsor, your name will be mentioned prominently on our website, Facebook page, and mentioned often at the reunion with words of praise and appreciation! Your sponsorship dollars will include high quality disposable dishes and utensils and beverages for our meals, and provide us with a professional photographer / videographer. Here are some suggested donation levels:

I had a great conversation with Mitchell Whitefield (1974-1976) about the reunion later this summer. He asked some GREAT questions, so we created this "Reunion 2026 FAQ" section. We will add to it as questions come pouring in. This is also available on our Facebook page as a pinned post.

1. This is the 75th anniversary of Camp Waupaca. Who founded the Camp and when did Manny Desnet take over? Who runs the camp now?
A. Camp was created by Irving "Skipper" Kuklin and Joe Rosen in 1951. They operated the camp, with great help and advice from their wives, from 1951-1965. In 1961, Joe Rosen sold his shares of camp to Nate Greenberg. In 1966, Manny Desnet and two silent partners, Arnold Gassel and Bernard Cohen, purchased Camp Waupaca and continued its operation through 1988. It continues to operate as Camp Young Judaea but has no affiliation with any previous Camp Waupaca personnel and is not currently open to the public.

2. How is this reunion event being financed?
A. We rely on donations and modest reunion tuition from our members to finance most of our activities. Sadly, we lost a very generous donor a few years ago. Whenever the request for funds was published, he would send us $500, no questions asked. This camper requested to remain anonymous and we continue to honor his wish. Mike Lurie has been our treasurer since 1996, and is extremely frugal with our funds. He often donates his own money to pay for things like website hosting, and paying for postcard mailings. The postcard you received this spring cost over $600 to produce (You didn’t receive a postcard? CLICK HERE to update your postal mailing address.) What we’re trying to say is: we do not have a source of funding outside of charging tuition for attending this event.

If 50 guys each contributed $20, we could easily generate $1000 for the reunion group! If you would like to contribute, call or text Mike Lurie at (763) 464-4872, or email at mike.lurie00@gmail.com.

3. How is the food working this year?
A. If we receive enough donations ahead of time, the CWRG will plan the meals, order, and pay for the food. We are looking for “Meal Chaperones” or sponsors. This means you go into town and pick up food at the designated time. Hopefully we will have enough “chaperones” (volunteers) so you only have to take this responsibility once during the reunion weekend. We are also asking that the sponsor make a monetary contribution of at least $50 for this honor. The reunion group will provide plates, napkins, cutlery, cups and soft drinks. We have donated a Keurig coffee maker with plenty of flavored and plain coffee and tea pods. If you are interested in supporting one (or more) of the meals financially, please let us know!

4. Where do we stay during the reunion?
A. There are options here. At our first reunion at camp back in 1996, most people opted to stay in the cabins. It created a festive environment reminiscent of when camp was in session! 30 years later, most people choose to stay in local hotels. That info can be found above. Feel free to pitch a tent somewhere in camp too, like the Ken and Ralph Saunders brothers and Steve Shyman and his wife.

REMINDER NOTE: We have a block of rooms at two area hotels. Any unclaimed rooms as of July 14 will be released. You can find this info above.

5. Is this only for campers, or will there be counselors there too?
A. EVERYONE is included in our reunions! We are lucky to have quite a few staff members attend each off-rental year, and I'm sure that they will be well represented this year for the BIG 75th anniversary celebration. We are counting on Dick Garb to serve as our relay official (see next question).

6. What will we be doing while we're at camp? Is the itinerary the same “old boring rehash” of the past reunions?
A. NO!!! We sent an anonymous survey to everyone this spring, and 72 people replied. We heard a common theme in the comments: more activities, less sitting around. The itinerary includes the following new activities: Scavenger Hunt, self-guided or “subject matter expert” (SME) guided tours, trail walks, softball, volleyball / Newcombe, and archery to the list of activities, in addition to swimming and boating. Sorry, water-skiing will not be available. We will also hold a ceremony remembering all the alumni we have lost.

The signature event will be the Super-Duper Relay event on Saturday afternoon. The more people who participate, the better! We are counting on Dick Garb to be our official once again this year! We will finish the relay with the traditional water boil event, and the Big Chief of the team that boils their water first will ring the bell signifying victory!!

On both Friday and Saturday nights, we will hold campfires at the Horseshoe. This is where we share stories and feelings about our time at camp.

7. Can we consume adult beverages at the reunion?
A. Alcohol must be consumed subtly and with discretion. Anyone displaying excessive drunkenness may be asked to leave the reunion. Please take all beverage containers with you.

8. Can I smoke while at camp?
A. Smoking is not allowed in any buildings. CYJ will assign a designated smoking area. Please “field strip” your cigarettes. Take cigarette and cigar butts with you when possible. DO NOT LITTER WHILE AT CAMP!

9. Do we have to participate in all activities?
A. No, but for the Super-Duper Relay on Saturday afternoon, we would like to have “all-hands on deck” so it is more fun. It will only be a two-hour commitment ending with the famous “Boil water, boil!” event, including the ringing of the bell by the winning Big Chief!

10. The itinerary mentions a "tour of camp". What is a “tour of camp”?
A. This is a new feature for campers who want to show the camp to their families. It is also a chance to reminisce. The tour can either be self-guided, or you can request a docent to take you on a tour and show you the esoteric aspects of camp! This will entail a lot of walking, so wear appropriate footwear.

11. What is the “Brave Ceremonial?”
A. This is also a new event! For many former campers this was a semi-serious ceremony where campers were honored for their contributions to camp and its program. Big Chief Paul Warshauer will lead the event. For existing braves, feathers and headbands will be installed. There is an honor system for old braves as records do not go back too far. New Braves will be honored for their contributions or accomplishments during the past two days.

12. What the heck does this mean (located at the top of the itinerary): “Events and times subject to major or minor changes, with or without notice”?
A. Over the years, we learned that a fixed itinerary does not always meet the needs of everyone in the group. After changing the itinerary so many times each day for so many years, we put in this disclaimer to avoid arguments. Now we decide the itinerary as we go by group acclamation, subject to Paul & Mike’s final say-so. To verify our current location at any time, you can call or text Mike (763) 464-4872, or Paul (312) 550-7868.

13. Is this really the last organized reunion at camp? You said that in 2021, and 2016, and maybe even 2011.
A. What better way to go out on top than with a gala 75th diamond jubilee anniversary reunion celebration of Camp Waupaca for Boys!! Yes, this is the end of the line for Paul Warshauer and Mike Lurie. If some of the younger guys want to take over, we will support them in every way we can. Though this will be the last organized rental reunion, we will continue to go back to Waupaca every summer, as we have since 1996. We always try to get a day visit into camp when we come to Waupaca. Sometimes we can, other times we cannot. If/when we DO get the privilege of visiting camp, we always take up a collection so we can make a donation to CYJ for their generosity.

14. What will we be doing while we're at camp?
A. Some program areas will be open, like tennis, archery, land sport areas, etc. The waterfront will be a "use-at-your-own-risk" situation, as there will be no lifeguards on duty. You can swim and boat/canoe. There will not be any powerboats for water-skiing.

On Saturday afternoon, we will recreate the Blue & White War Super-Duper Relay! The attendees will be divided into the 2 teams, and we will select Big and Little Chiefs for each team. There will be authentic Blue & White War cheers! The teams will assign the relay race roles to the participants, and each team will have some time to practice their events. At about 3:30, the teams will square off on the basketball court to start the relay! We are counting on Dick Garb to be our official once again this year! We will finish the relay with the traditional water boil event, and the Big Chief of the team that boils their water first will ring the bell signifying victory!

On both Friday and Saturday nights, we will hold campfires at the Horseshoe. This is where we share stories and feeling about our time at camp.

15. What will we be eating while at the reunion?
A. The Camp Young Judaea kitchen staff will not be at camp while we are there, so we plan on bringing in food from local establishments, like Wheelhouse, Chef Chu's, Subway, Klinger's Real Barbeque, and possibly Simpson's Restaurant. We are still working out these details.

16. How much will it cost to attend?
A. Great question! Next question, please . . . Seriously though, in order to cover our 3 biggest reunion expenses (rental fee, meal service, insurance), we are pricing attendance as follows:

Full weekend: $150 per person
Saturday only: $100 per person

We are not making any money here, and we could really use some donations.