Major components of a successful Ybee event
Who should be a Ybee? I have this concern that if we simply tell the public that Ycamp is open for the Labor Day weekend; that the cabins are air conditioned; that the pool is open; that the food is lavish & free, that we will see a line of cars stretching back to Springfield waiting to get in.
So, in communicating with people, keep this in mind: The YMCA lets us use their facility for free all weekend as long as we earn our keep by making important improvements to camp.
In other words, everyone has to understand that folks are welcome, but they need to be willing to work.
Someday, we will bump the limit of housing at camp so we will have to limit the number of participants to the places they can stay.
Cabin reservations are a hassle, so I’ve asked the camp director to manage this reservation service.
Communications: So, to keep the Ybee list manageable, I just use old fashioned email to reach key people and typically, they know the drill.
Photography: I’ve done this since the beginning and it seems important. The challenge is this: projects may occur all over camp and someone needs to be moving all weekend to record the work.
So, that means you will probably need to bring a side by side 4 wheeler vehicle to use to move the photographer around and to deliver people and supplies to the remote locations. This is a valuable service and it keeps the projects working.
First Aid: Try to identify Ybees with medical/first aid experience and ask them to stand by to help if needed. The first aid room in the dining hall is well equipped with first aid supplies.
The Ybee website: I’m the manager of the Ybee website: www.ybees.org. This needs to be updated to announce the coming year with as many details about projects as possible. Then, we need to load the photos from the event on the site for everyone to enjoy. I need to share the password for the site so it can be updated by someone who can edit the site in Weebly, which is the site builder.
Find three Ybee banners in 137. New ones can be ordered from Jim Meinsen at TCI Graphics in Springfield. his number is (417) 865-6805
Two banners go in the dining hall and one goes on the front of the TP.
Order hats from Morris Brothers. Chelsea is the owner and usually answers the phone. They will sell hats or you can buy them somewhere and she will embroider them with the Ybee logo she has on hand. Her number is (417) 994-2220. Their office is Walnut Grove, MO. I usually order hats a month or two in advance just to be sure. I try to vary the colors each year for variety. I recommend you sign each hat before handing them out. I do this because people lose their expensive hats and you can’t do much with dirty hats that you will find all over camp with no names.
The swimming pool. This is really popular amenity at camp and be sure to lobby the camp administration to make sure the pool is clean and ready for Labor Day. If money is available ask the camp director to hire staff to work the whole weekend. They can stay at the Tupelo house and we agree to feed them all weekend.
The Ybee fund at CFO. This is our working account. The current managers are me and Mark McNay, YbeeOne. Typically, we find someone willing to pay for all the supplies and materials. These invoices are totaled and the CFO cuts a check to the Ozarks Regional YMCA. Then the YMCA cuts a check to the entity that made the original purchases.
Find a food manager. Currently, we are lucky to have PalVal Simpson and Beau manage the food selection, buying and preparing along with volunteers. Our guests expect great food, so don’t scrimp. Typically, we schedule a fish boil on Friday night, brisket & ribs on Saturday and Chicken (with leftovers) on Sunday. Remember to remind people to bring sides: especially vegetables, salads and desserts.
Don’t for get to bring recycling containers to camp. These are currently not available in the dining hall, and they are available from SMC Packaging.
Remember the playing cards and poker chips. You need fresh cards if possible and lots of heavy chips
Sound system: Everyone likes music so there are big speakers and an amp that needs to be carted to camp and set up in the dining hall. Don’t forget cell phone adapters that let people plug in their phone to access their favorite tunes.
Tables: you need 2 tables to support the speakers and amp in the dining hall. For carpentry work projects, bring at least 6 heavy tables that can serve as working and tool surfaces. This keeps people from having to bend over and it keeps the work and tools out of the dirt.
Design and select projects. This process takes place in early summer and continues right up to Labor Day. The camp administration decides the kind of projects they need and then we decide if we can do them and if we want to do them. We also contribute our own suggestions based on what we can do over the weekend.
Visualizing is key: I’ve learned that designing the more important projects with a 3D modeling program like Sketchup really helps people visualize the projects.
Stick to the master plan if possible. Use the Camp Master Plan as a guide so you don’t put something in the wrong place and for inspiration for projects.
Pick variety of projects so everyone can participate. These include:
Painting: Right now we get a good deal on paint from Sherwin Williams. I deal with Matt Goddard at [email protected]. We can always slap quality stain on previous Ybee treated wood projects.
Carpentry: There’s always benches to build and lots of other treated wood projects the camp needs. When you have an order list in hand, find a Ybee with an account at a local lumber supplier and have it delivered with plenty of time to spare. Be prepared to call them back after camp to pick up lumber we couldn’t use.
Plumbing: There’s always something to be done with plumbing.
Electrical: Typically, we don’t have a licensed electrician, so we stay away from projects that require one, but there are always DIY projects that need attention.
Rock work: Camp is blessed with an abundance of large sandstone rocks that look great when arranged at camp on trails and entrances. You’ll need hard working people and they will need steel bars, picks, gloves and access to a tractor to haul the rocks they find.
Arrange for a tractor or several: There’s a real need for a track skid steer at camp. We use one for grading roads, moving and placing large rocks, hauling debris, moving downed trees & limbs, moving gravel and in general doing a lot of heavy work. To move a Cat, call J&L Heavy Haul: (417) 862-0138. These are nice people and they will haul equipment reasonably.
Great supporters of camp: Here’s a short and incomplete list of people who are essential supporters of the Ybees: The Chiles family, Mark McNay, Kent Childs, Steve Schweitzer, Brian Sothern, PalVal Simpson, Beau Simpson and others. They will know what local companies have been great to support the ybees...
Updated Sunday, September 28, 2025.
* * *
So, in communicating with people, keep this in mind: The YMCA lets us use their facility for free all weekend as long as we earn our keep by making important improvements to camp.
In other words, everyone has to understand that folks are welcome, but they need to be willing to work.
Someday, we will bump the limit of housing at camp so we will have to limit the number of participants to the places they can stay.
Cabin reservations are a hassle, so I’ve asked the camp director to manage this reservation service.
Communications: So, to keep the Ybee list manageable, I just use old fashioned email to reach key people and typically, they know the drill.
Photography: I’ve done this since the beginning and it seems important. The challenge is this: projects may occur all over camp and someone needs to be moving all weekend to record the work.
So, that means you will probably need to bring a side by side 4 wheeler vehicle to use to move the photographer around and to deliver people and supplies to the remote locations. This is a valuable service and it keeps the projects working.
First Aid: Try to identify Ybees with medical/first aid experience and ask them to stand by to help if needed. The first aid room in the dining hall is well equipped with first aid supplies.
The Ybee website: I’m the manager of the Ybee website: www.ybees.org. This needs to be updated to announce the coming year with as many details about projects as possible. Then, we need to load the photos from the event on the site for everyone to enjoy. I need to share the password for the site so it can be updated by someone who can edit the site in Weebly, which is the site builder.
Find three Ybee banners in 137. New ones can be ordered from Jim Meinsen at TCI Graphics in Springfield. his number is (417) 865-6805
Two banners go in the dining hall and one goes on the front of the TP.
Order hats from Morris Brothers. Chelsea is the owner and usually answers the phone. They will sell hats or you can buy them somewhere and she will embroider them with the Ybee logo she has on hand. Her number is (417) 994-2220. Their office is Walnut Grove, MO. I usually order hats a month or two in advance just to be sure. I try to vary the colors each year for variety. I recommend you sign each hat before handing them out. I do this because people lose their expensive hats and you can’t do much with dirty hats that you will find all over camp with no names.
The swimming pool. This is really popular amenity at camp and be sure to lobby the camp administration to make sure the pool is clean and ready for Labor Day. If money is available ask the camp director to hire staff to work the whole weekend. They can stay at the Tupelo house and we agree to feed them all weekend.
The Ybee fund at CFO. This is our working account. The current managers are me and Mark McNay, YbeeOne. Typically, we find someone willing to pay for all the supplies and materials. These invoices are totaled and the CFO cuts a check to the Ozarks Regional YMCA. Then the YMCA cuts a check to the entity that made the original purchases.
Find a food manager. Currently, we are lucky to have PalVal Simpson and Beau manage the food selection, buying and preparing along with volunteers. Our guests expect great food, so don’t scrimp. Typically, we schedule a fish boil on Friday night, brisket & ribs on Saturday and Chicken (with leftovers) on Sunday. Remember to remind people to bring sides: especially vegetables, salads and desserts.
Don’t for get to bring recycling containers to camp. These are currently not available in the dining hall, and they are available from SMC Packaging.
Remember the playing cards and poker chips. You need fresh cards if possible and lots of heavy chips
Sound system: Everyone likes music so there are big speakers and an amp that needs to be carted to camp and set up in the dining hall. Don’t forget cell phone adapters that let people plug in their phone to access their favorite tunes.
Tables: you need 2 tables to support the speakers and amp in the dining hall. For carpentry work projects, bring at least 6 heavy tables that can serve as working and tool surfaces. This keeps people from having to bend over and it keeps the work and tools out of the dirt.
Design and select projects. This process takes place in early summer and continues right up to Labor Day. The camp administration decides the kind of projects they need and then we decide if we can do them and if we want to do them. We also contribute our own suggestions based on what we can do over the weekend.
Visualizing is key: I’ve learned that designing the more important projects with a 3D modeling program like Sketchup really helps people visualize the projects.
Stick to the master plan if possible. Use the Camp Master Plan as a guide so you don’t put something in the wrong place and for inspiration for projects.
Pick variety of projects so everyone can participate. These include:
Painting: Right now we get a good deal on paint from Sherwin Williams. I deal with Matt Goddard at [email protected]. We can always slap quality stain on previous Ybee treated wood projects.
Carpentry: There’s always benches to build and lots of other treated wood projects the camp needs. When you have an order list in hand, find a Ybee with an account at a local lumber supplier and have it delivered with plenty of time to spare. Be prepared to call them back after camp to pick up lumber we couldn’t use.
Plumbing: There’s always something to be done with plumbing.
Electrical: Typically, we don’t have a licensed electrician, so we stay away from projects that require one, but there are always DIY projects that need attention.
Rock work: Camp is blessed with an abundance of large sandstone rocks that look great when arranged at camp on trails and entrances. You’ll need hard working people and they will need steel bars, picks, gloves and access to a tractor to haul the rocks they find.
Arrange for a tractor or several: There’s a real need for a track skid steer at camp. We use one for grading roads, moving and placing large rocks, hauling debris, moving downed trees & limbs, moving gravel and in general doing a lot of heavy work. To move a Cat, call J&L Heavy Haul: (417) 862-0138. These are nice people and they will haul equipment reasonably.
Great supporters of camp: Here’s a short and incomplete list of people who are essential supporters of the Ybees: The Chiles family, Mark McNay, Kent Childs, Steve Schweitzer, Brian Sothern, PalVal Simpson, Beau Simpson and others. They will know what local companies have been great to support the ybees...
Updated Sunday, September 28, 2025.
* * *