As snow melts, mud emerges, and daylight savings time offers kids more outdoor playtime, families are beginning to think of summer. So are Maine’s hundreds of youth camps, which offer scores of opportunities for youngsters of all ages and interests.

On Sunday, March 24, from 1 to 3:30 p.m., Maine Summer Camps, a nonprofit organization supporting youth camps throughout the state, will hold its annual Maine Camp Fair at East End Community School in Portland. Representatives from 60 Maine youth camps will gather at the school, located at 195 North Street in Portland’s East End, to share information, enthusiasm, and expertise about their programs. The variety will be broad: from golf camp to aviation camp to music to science to sports camps – plus traditional day and residential camps – families will have the chance to speak with camp professionals about that just-right summer experience.

Camps in attendance are located both in Greater Portland and throughout the state. Day camps include Scarborough’s Camp Ketcha, which offers transportation, plus a vast range of programming for kids of all ages. Another day camp, Center Day Camp, transports children to its campus on Sebago Lake, where kids aged 5-15 enjoy woods, water, and camp activities for all tastes. Girl Scouts of Maine, which operates both Camp Pondicherry in Bridgton and Camp Natarswi at the foot of Mt. Katahdin, will also be in attendance, promoting their week-long programming in Maine’s natural beauty.  Other residential camps represented include Camp Bishopswood in Hope, Camp Nashoba North in Raymond, Netop Summer Camp in Casco, Friends Camp in China, Camp O-AT-KA in Sebago, Camp Wigwam in Waterford, and dozens of others.

Sports, arts, kayaking, sailing, climbing, theater, even circus arts. The 60 camps geared up for the Camp Fair aim to show children and families the nearly limitless range of summertime activities available in Maine.

For more information, check out www.mainecamps.org or call Maine Summer Camps at 207-518-9557. In addition, families can research camps that offer the best fit for their children by using the Maine Summer Camps Find-A-Camp Tool, https://mainecamps.org/find-a-camp. This tool matches your preferences with a list of Maine Summer Camps.

Summer will come! Camp fairs help children get ready for fun and friendships and play, close to home or far afield. Maine camps are ready to create memorable, creative, and active summers for kids of all ages.