LITTLE ROCK — Kids spending time at Fort Rock in Northwest Arkansas are in no danger of missing Mom and Dad, because the whole family goes to camp.
Family togetherness is the point of the 1800stheme camp. A stout rustic fence of tree trunks, with points sharpened like pencils, encloses a re-creation of a small town out of the Wild West, with a diner, a trading post, a bank, a jail and a funeral parlor (which houses the camp library). Activities include horseback riding, riflery, archery, bluegrass concerts, fierce water balloon fights and an anachronistic attraction that proprietor Terry Forsyth is especially proud of — the 1,100-foot zip line.
The what-to-bring list includes trash bags for taking wet clothes home. Electronic devices are discouraged. “We want them to spend time together as a family and leave that stuff at home,” Forsyth says. Besides, “cell phones don’t hardly work out here.”
The camp is in its fourth season, which runs from March through December. Family camps are three or four days long. Fort Rock also hosts father-daughter and father-son retreats, sometimes with camouflage or paintball themes.
The responsibilities of fatherhood provided the catalyst for creating the Christian camp. “Fathers don’t spend enough time with their families,” he says, acknowledging that he had his own realization that his daughter and son weren’t getting enough of his time. He envisioned the family camp after attending a similar camp in New Mexico. He and his family moved from Texarkana, Texas, to land they found near St. Paul, in Madison County, and spent about 10 years building Fort Rock.
Families bunk in log cabins. The remote location is intended to remove people mentally as well as physically from the rush of modern life. “No distractions, no TV, no telephone, no Internet,” he says. “The idea is you’re stepping back in time. We just have a great time of the family spending time together all weekend.”
The camp is 31 miles southeast of Fayetteville, on the Pig Trail. More information is available at fortrock.org or (479) 644-3136.
Family, Pages 35 on 05/30/2012