A beloved lakeside camp that shaped generations of campers will shut down after more than 75 years, according to The Citizen.
Leaders of the United Methodist Church decided to close Casowasco Camp & Retreat Center in Scipio after reviewing a reopening effort that failed to show enough progress. The site paused programming in 2025 during what church officials called a “sabbath.”
The camp struggled with a $1.2 million deficit over four years, more than $2 million in needed repairs, and steeply declining attendance. Camp enrollment fell from 1,120 in 2015 to just 158 in 2024. Church leaders haven’t decided the property’s future.
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