The summer fun begins at Barrett Park

There are many signs that summer is finally here — the hot temperatures, the crowds at the local pool and the long lines for ice cream. One sign that may go unnoticed is the daily activity at Barrett Park, tucked away in the southern tip of Valley Stream.

The village’s summer camp at Barrett opened on June 26. About 220 children, along with their counselors, will be spending six and a half weeks together there every weekday morning. The kids can play sports, run through the sprinklers, do arts and crafts, spend time on the playground and make new friends.

There are also a variety of field trips including a Mets game, miniature golf, bowling, Hot Skates, Adventureland and Splish Splash water park. Special events for the summer include Color Wars on July 17, a series of field days competitions, and Carnival Day on Aug. 2, which features a dunk tank, games and bounce castle.

Camp Director Nicole Winter said she is looking forward to a fun summer. “It’s exciting to see so many new faces,” she said, “and so many long-time returners.”

Walter Hwang, 10, is attending camp for the first time this year. “I had nothing to do in the summer,” he said, adding that many of his fellow campers are also classmates from the Robert W. Carbonaro School.

Hwang said he enjoys playing sports, so he expects to have a lot of fun this summer. So does 11-year-old Julian Quezada, who just graduated from Carbonaro. “Usually I stay home and I maybe watch TV,” he said of his typical summers. “It’s not as much fun as to be with my friends.”

Guiding the campers through the various activities are their counselors, most local high school and college students. Aaron Podgorsky, 16, who will be a junior at South High School, is a new counselor. Last year he was a volunteer junior counselor, and was able to get a paid staff position this year.

“I took the opportunity to have a summer job and keep myself busy,” he said. “I had a lot of fun last year.”

It will be nice getting a paycheck this year, Podgorsky said, but the main reason he came back is because he likes working with the children. He and two other counselors are supervising a group of third- and fourth-grade boys.

Kayla Neske and Brianna Ortiz are supervising Learning Corner. They ensure that children stay sharp this summer with a variety of fun but educational activities. Ortiz said that the lessons are geared toward each age group.

The program is for children entering kindergarten to those who have just completed sixth grade. Camp runs through Aug. 9.