Lots of Important Info Re: Wisconsin Pathfinder Fair 2026
- PZ
- 4 days ago
- 10 min read
TLDR; The Pathfinder Fair is a camping-only event. Pathfinder Clubs in attendance will need to bring tent-camping gear and plan on making their own meals. The cost for the weekend is $12/person.
[NOTE: Yes, it is April 1st; however, this should not be mistaken for an April Fool’s joke]
Premise
Tent camping is one of the hallmarks of Pathfinders. It goes back to the beginnings of Club Ministries and part of their original intention: addressing a rapidly urbanizing world by bringing city kids into the woods to teach them the lost art of outdoor appreciation and survival. In fact, did you know that even Summer Camp ministry began as an initiative of Club Ministry? So camping is in our DNA as Pathfinders, and it ought to be a core component of what we do together when we meet as clubs.
Over the past five years, however, something I’ve noticed about Pathfinders in Wisconsin is that we have a beautiful campground, and a specific area set aside for Pathfinder camping events…but we don’t use it very often. Consider this: though I began as Youth Director in 2021, we didn’t use that area for a Pathfinder camping event until 2023, and since then we’ve only had one other such event in that area. That’s only twice that we’ve had Pathfinder camping events in our Pathfinder camping area in the past five years.
Granted, we’ve had several Adventurer Family Camp Outs there, and Pathfinders have camped at Camp Wakonda, but over by the cabins. But the point still stands: we have an excellent spot for camping that our Pathfinders don’t use very often.
Last November, our Club Ministry Coordinators team met to discuss planning for the upcoming year, and this topic came up. When we talked about this concept, there was a consensus that we all desired to see our Pathfinders camping more, and that we wanted to utilize the space that was designated for camping more frequently.
Infrastructure
A major part of this desire is that if we have more people camping in this area more frequently, we will receive more feedback on how we can improve the area for camping in the years to come. Consider this: in 2022, we gave club directors the opportunity to pick out the spots that they wanted for their clubs to camp in the upcoming 2023 Wisconsin Pathfinder Camporee. Many directors did so. Some took great initiative to clean up their areas and get them ready for their Pathfinders to enjoy the event. The Camporee went well, praise God, but two years passed from that time until Pathfinders camped there again.
In that time, we had turnover in Pathfinders, turnover in club staff, turnover in club directors, and lots of growth of foliage, fallen trees and limbs, and so on. By the time we got to the 2025 Wisconsin Pathfinder Camporee, some directors didn’t know where to go because they were brand new, some clubs didn’t exist anymore, and other clubs existed that hadn’t previously. So there was some friction as some clubs arrived first and set up in spots that had been claimed previously. There was some confusion as some clubs set up camp in areas that were not meant to be camp sites. There was also some confusion about some of the rules of the camping area that we could have explained better, but we didn’t realize how much turnover had changed the makeup of our clubs in two years.
Improvements
I believe our two Wisconsin Pathfinder Camporees in my time (and also our Adventurer Family Camp Outs) have already helped us to improve on the camping experience significantly. We now have a flagpole out by the camping area, so that we can more easily do flag raisings and lowerings as a part of the daily schedule of events. We have designated a parking area so that people can come and go as they please, while also keeping kids safe in the camping area. We have started using the Pioneer Pavilion for evening meetings, so that even though we’re camping, we can still have a reliable indoor space for worship and activities.
As I’ve talked with our Camp Ranger, there are plans to put in more lighting in the area, as well as plans to open up more areas for camping, so that more clubs can fit without having to camp further away. We have also worked it out with our Camp Ranger that we’ll have access to more radios and golf carts for our coordinators in the future, which will mean better communication for medical concerns, and more help with things like transportation for people who are injured or in need of moving large items.
Just from a custodial standpoint, more camping events means those events are on our radar more often, and it means we’re better at anticipating needs: more trash cans with trash bags, more restocking of toilet paper, more frequently checking for and removing wasp nests, etc. These improvements are all the result of the few camping experiences we’ve led in that area in the past five years, and we believe that with more camping, even more improvements will come, at a more rapid pace. That is good for Camp Wakonda and for our Pathfinder Clubs.
Ticks
The one BIG concern that has been brought up in the past has been regarding ticks. Even when we decided to make the Pathfinder Fair a camping event last year, there was hesitancy to camp in the main Pathfinder camping area, due to the fact that ticks are more of a problem in our area in the Spring. We don’t doubt that this is true. However, what we’re asking is to give it a try a couple of times to see if we can mitigate that issue. We didn’t hear about very many tick issues last year, when we camped by the cabins, because the grass is shorter on that side. If we can clean up the camping area and even spray tick deterrent there prior to the arrival of clubs, we believe we will see the same results that we had camping on the other side. If we try it a couple of times, and the ticks truly are confirmed to be a deal breaker, we will no longer try camping in that area in May, and can utilize other spaces for camping at Camp Wakonda for Spring events.
Food
Finally, the big reason for this article. We’ve actually talked a lot about this plan, both with our coordinators and with our club directors. However, there have still been many questions about the plan for Pathfinder Fair when it comes to food. We are not planning on having the cafeteria open for this event. It will be a camping-only event like our camporees, and so clubs will have to plan on providing food. Don’t miss this detail: you will have a sad weekend if you do not make a plan for this. We have worked to streamline the schedule of our fair, so that the pacing isn’t too intense for clubs that are also preparing, serving, and cleaning up after meals in their camping areas. Here is the schedule for our upcoming Pathfinder Fair.
Schedule
(based on last year and feedback, subject to some minor changes)
Friday, May 1
3:00 pm Arrive/Setup (you may arrive early, but please let us know ahead of time)
7:30 pm Year-in-Review Videos
7:50 pm Songs
8:00 pm Evening Program
9:30 pm Prepare for Bed
10:00 pm Quiet Time
Saturday, May 2
6:45 am Flag Raising
7:00 am Breakfast
9:00 am Parade/Inspection (Class A)
10:00 am Year-in-Review Videos
10:20 am Sabbath School
11:00 am Break
11:10 am Church
12:00 pm Group Picture/Change
12:10 pm Lunch
3:00 pm Year-in-Review Videos
3:20 pm Activities
5:00 pm Supper
7:00 pm Flag Lowering
7:15 pm Year-in-Review Videos
7:35 pm Evening Program
8:30 pm March & Drill Competition
10:00 pm Prepare for Bed
11:00 pm Quiet Time
Sunday, May 3
7:00 am Directors Meeting (at the flag pole)
7:30 am Breakfast
9:30 am Flag Raising
9:40 am Fair Events (Meet at Pavilion)
11:00 am Closing Ceremonies (Pavilion)
12:00 pm Clean Up/Head Home
More Information to Help You Prepare
If you’ve never been to a Camp Wakonda camping event, we want to give you some helpful bullet points so that you can better wrap your head around preparing your club for the weekend. We are actually aiming to—as we improve the infrastructure of the camping area, and as we camp more regularly—develop a booklet for directors that explains all of the expectations of the camping events.
The Camping Area: While many events at Camp Wakonda are located at the main entrance, tent camping takes place on the other side of the road, past the Camp Director’s House. If you input the address “W8319 County Road E, Oxford, Wisconsin,” rather than the main camp address, it will take you to the Camp Director’s House, and from there, you’ll be greeted and sent down a dirt road with arrows that will show you where to go from there.
The Parking Area: Starting first thing Sabbath morning, driving will be prohibited in the camping area. This means: gates will be locked from Sabbath morning to Sunday morning. If you want the ability to get your car off campus after that point, we have a separate parking area, which is located just off the main entrance. Otherwise, you may park at your campsite, but you will not be able to drive your car or take it off campus once Sabbath morning rolls around. From the parking area, if you choose to park there, you may walk through the tunnel that goes beneath County Road E, and you can get to your campsite on foot that way. On Sunday morning, once the fair games have begun, the gates will be opened back up. If your club is bringing a food or equipment trailer that has to stay at your campsite, you are more than welcome to do so, again with the understanding that it cannot be moved between Sabbath morning and Sunday morning.
Bathrooms: We are planning to rent Bathroom #2 during the weekend, so flushing toilets and showers will be available; however, these are a bit of a hike from the camping area. If showering during the weekend is a priority for you, that is possible, but you’ll want to build into your schedule a plan to go do that. Otherwise, there are pit toilets near the flag pole and fire ring, and a couple of porta potties further down for clubs that aren’t as close to the central part of camp. We do work to keep all of these more primitive toilets stocked well with toilet paper and hand sanitizer. If they run out, please let someone in leadership know, so we can address that need.
Water Spigot: There is one source of clean water for cooking and drinking in the camping area, and that’s at the water spigot, right next to the flagpole. We recommend either filling up some containers with water to bring to your campsite on Friday, before you lose the use of your vehicles, or bringing a wagon that you could pull full water containers throughout the weekend, rather than trying to carry them from the spigot to your campsite.
Campsites: Based on registration, we will assign campsites to clubs. Some clubs have longstanding sites that they’ve used year after year, some clubs are not active and therefore have vacated their spots, and we want to help you know ahead of time where you’ll be ahead of time.
Fires: In the Pathfinder camping area, fires are allowed, and many campsites already have rings made to contain fires. If you don’t have a ring where you end up camping, you may make one, as long as it’s a reasonable size. We do require that each site have either a bucket of water next to the fire, and a fire extinguisher on-site. If a fire is lit, there needs to be someone in your site to watch the fire. If you are done with a fire, dump water on it, stir the mud around, and call it a day.
Non-Staff Adults: Most of the adults you'll be bringing with you are club staff, and as such, they have been properly vetted, background checked, and otherwise approved by your local church. One of the benefits of camping events is that there is plenty of room, so if some parents or other family of Pathfinders want to come, let them. If you need non-club-staff adults to play the role of chaperones, or to cook for the weekend, go for it. We just ask, in the interest of helping our Pathfinder families feel safe, that if you bring adults who aren't staff: please have them go through the process of our typical child safety training and background check. It doesn't take too long. You can easily send them the instructions found at www.wakonda.org/leadership-resources.
Other: Many details concerning the Wisconsin Pathfinder Fair are addressed in the 2025-2026 Leaders Packet, which you received at the most recent LeaderShop weekend. If you did not receive this packet, or you lost your copy, you can download and print a copy from www.wakonda.org/leadership-resources. From marching and drilling, to the parade, to uniform standards, to campsite inspection forms: much of the information you need is in this important resource.
Videos: Finally, don’t forget to turn in your Year-in-Review Videos! They are due by or before April 24 in order to receive a blue ribbon. Other standards regarding the video can be found on page 26 of the 2025-2026 Leaders Packet, at www.wakonda.org/leadership-resources.
Fair Games: While this year's Fair Games are explained in the Leaders Packet, some updates have been made based on questions our staff have brought to Jonathan Garrett, our coordinator for Fair Games.
There was a question about compasses for the compass relay: "Can compass apps be used on a phone?" Our team ruled that Pathfinders participating must use actual, physical compasses.
There was a question about helmets and bikes for the Paper Route Relay. The ruling has been made that each Pathfinder participating can bring their own helmet. But the team must share one bike that works for everyone.
This was announced in the past, but just a reminder: hula hoops will be used instead of 5-gallon buckets for the Paper Route Relay.
It was asked that we provide a practice route for the compass relay. Here is that example route:
If you have further questions, please reach out to Jonathan (jmgarrett2@hotmail.com) so he can clarify ahead of the Fair.
200 Club: As per usual, if you'd like an audit of your 200 Club scores, you can ask Allison (apayne@wi.adventist.org) to let you know where you're at and what you need to do to attain 200 Club this year.
Theme: The theme this year is "Trending With Jesus," and we will be learning about internet safety and social media evangelism. We recognize that many of our Pathfinders aren't allowed to be on social media, or don't have phones or Internet access at all. However, we thought this would be an interesting subject that is newer and not everyone has gotten the chance to earn the honors on these subjects. We also want to help Pathfinders understand some of the modern techniques for communication and how to stay safe while doing so. That's the underlying reason for focusing on this subject. We are not encouraging cell phone use when it is not wanted during this event, and ultimately, it is a camping event where we're (in general) focused on being in God's nature and unplugging from things like screens and social media.