Camp Manitowa, former Baptist camp, region's newest attraction
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Dan Grabel, owner and co-director of Camp Manitowa, located north of Benton on Benton Camp Road near Lake Hamilton, on Tuesday talked about changes at the old Baptist camp he and a partner now own.
Grabel, who partners with Andy Brown, both life-long St. Louisans, said he has been working at non-profit camps for the last 15 years and added, "I have always wanted to own my own camp."
And the duo is making the most of it, he told West Frankfort Rotarians.
After purchasing the old 40-acre Baptist Church Camp in 2010, the pair dished out $700,000 in renovations, including such things as a kitchen which can help feed up to 250 people. Also added were 700-foot 'cabins' called yurts, which Grabel described as a circular dwelling. The yurts provide shelter for 25 or 26 campers and are separated into boys and girls units. A 375-foot zipline and a softball field along with a swimming pool are just a few of the new features at the camp.
"We offer an 8-week camp but also have options which include campers staying from one-to-four weeks," Grabel said. "We had 188 kids sign up this summer. Most were from the St. Louis area but we also had kids from Indianapolis, Kansas City, and all throughout the Southern Illinois area."