Camp Hazen YMCA will celebrate its 100th anniversary with events scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Sept. 10 and 11 this year. But with a new, interactive website, the festivities have already begun.

The site, hazenhistory.org, is divided into five different sections, with several opportunities for those associated with the camp, whether it be overnight or day campers, staff, counselors, volunteers, donors, or friends, to participate.

One way is for people to enter their names and the years they attended, or worked, at Camp Hazen to a “Hazen People” timeline under “History”. Another is by uploading content to “Hazen Stories.”

“That section allows people to tell their own experiences or a fun time that they had,” said Camp Hazen Development Coordinator Carolyn Learned. “So, they can either record a video [or] submit a written story, or they can do just the audio as well.”

The section titled “Places” is the spot where people can identify their favorite locations on the Camp Hazen YMCA property, and say why. The multiple pinpoints are displayed on a Google Map for this section.

“The last one is photos, which we’ve categorized by decades,” said Learned. “You can submit your own, but we started off with a few, to get the ball rolling.”

The site was created by Glenn Hendler, who was a staff member between 1977 and 1986, with support from Jen Martley, who was a staff member in 1989, and Learned, who has been a staff member since 2009.

The website’s events timeline offers visitors an opportunity to see how Camp Hazen has developed in the last century, from when it was founded in March 1920 by Senator Edward W. Hazen.

Among the major milestones is the start of a counselor-in-training or LEA program in 1956, restoration and expansion of its on-site facilities, especially after a fire in 1967 destroyed a dining hall, going fully co-ed in 1979, after starting as an all-boys camp, and then becoming independent from the State of Connecticut YMCA in 1971.

In 2020, Camp Hazen YMCA adapted its operations based on the state’s restrictions for camps, including a ban on overnight camping, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Connecticut.

The camp is re-energized with the return of overnight campers this year, however.

“What I think that has brought and returned to us is so much of that energy,” said Learned. “You walk onto our property, and you get that feel of the buzz, where I think we were missing that a little bit last year.

“It’s so great to see so many returning campers,” she adds.

Camp Hazen YMCA’s centennial celebration on Sept. 10 will include a gala-style event in the evening for socializing and dancing.

The next day, Sept. 11, will feature some of the time-honored traditions of camp and is geared toward families.

“We’re going to open up camp to be able to offer the activities that people remember from their childhood, like archery and climbing and kayaking, and then offer some additional events,” said Learned.

These events include the opening of a 25-year-old time capsule, and the planting of two different time capsules to be opened in 25 and 100 years.

The camp also plans to unveil a new alumni hall, which will be housed in a building that is now used as meeting space, for the display of memorabilia and old photos.

“It’s really meant to be a place that is welcoming and allows people to reminisce about their times at camp,” said Learned.

To register and purchase tickets for the Centennial Celebration, visit hazenhistory.org and click on Centennial Celebration.