Local families gathered at the 2025 Summer Adventures Camp and Activities Fair to talk to a variety of camp representatives and get a jump start on their summer plans.
Chester County students and their families enjoyed an early taste of summer fun at the 2025 Summer Adventures Camp and Activities Fair on Thursday, January 23, 2025, held at the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU).
Organized by the CCIU and sponsored by the Children’s Fund of Chester County (CFCC) and CCRES Educational and Behavioral Health Services, the 13th annual Summer Adventures Camp and Activities Fair brought local families together with nearly 50 vendors, including representatives from traditional summer camps, educational programs, arts and crafts camps, sports organizations, and more.
This free event was open to the public and provided attendees with the opportunity to speak with representatives from local camps. Families were able to explore options that align with their child’s interests and needs and acquire additional information on their offerings. This approach to summer planning helps families skip the traditional process of reaching out to individual vendors and waiting for a response, instead empowering them to explore many camps all in one place and get immediate answers to their questions.
“We were thrilled to see such an incredible turnout as families planned ahead for summer,” said Jay Della Ragione, special events coordinator for the CCIU. “Events like this one strengthen the Chester County community by bringing together families and the organizations that serve them. Parents could explore a variety of different summer programs while meeting face-to-face with the people who would be enriching their children’s lives this summer through arts, sports, and educational activities.”
“This event was just fantastic. I made some really great connections tonight,” said Tara Thistlethwaite, local parent and first-time attendee. “My oldest child and I sat together and picked out the camps that she wanted me to talk to and that’s what I did,” she said, emphasizing that having access to a comprehensive list of participating camps on the CCIU website prior to the event was helpful in planning ahead.
“This is our third year attending and this event is nice for getting a quick overview of a lot of camps in one evening, as opposed to having everything spread out across several websites,” said parent attendee Bradley Bailey. “It’s a great night and the kids love it!”
The event was also beneficial to the participating camps who were able to make connections with local families and other organizations. Derek Rodner, the attending representative for esports organization Uplink, explained that the Summer Adventures Camp and Activities Fair is a “one-stop shop” for him to speak to parents that he might not otherwise see. Other camp representatives agreed.
“My camp has been attending this event for more years than I can remember,” said Maria Tesone of the Brandywine School of Wizardry. “It’s always well organized and a lot of families show up,” she said, explaining that many of the families who attend the camp say they discovered it at this annual event.
“The best part about attending events like this is getting a chance to talk to the parents and see the kids light up when they see all of the different experiences they can have, whether it’s video games or the yoga group that was at the table next to us,” concluded Rodner.
Nearly 200 individuals attended this year’s Summer Adventures Camp and Activities Fair. Attendees enjoyed a reprieve from the cold of winter with upbeat music and a photo booth, in addition to many interactive activities and promotional items offered by the camp vendors to keep the kids in attendance engaged throughout the evening.
The night concluded with fun giveaways: a raffle for vendors including Twin Valley Coffee vouchers and two tickets to Longwood Gardens, and two raffle drawings for attending families including Wawa gift cards.
To learn more about our annual Summer Adventures Camp and Activities Fair or for a list of participating vendors, visit www.cciu.org/summer-adventures.
