MID STATES 2020 HAS BEEN CANCELED

Please read an important update from Colette, our Executive Director 

about  the  status  of  our  new  hotel  search  &  the  2020  conference.

Dear Mid States Friends & Family, 

I regret to share that due to Pheasant Run closing and space not being available in the area for our size and budget, we will be canceling Mid States and the Executive Seminar for 2020. 

This decision was not made lightly and came after several weeks of multiple folks working to find alternative solutions. Unfortunately, due to the timing of the notice of Pheasant Run closing in relation to our event dates - we simply could not find a space that met our needs. 

While we aren’t able to host Mid States this year, we are already working on planning Mid States 2021 and look forward to sharing updates with you in late spring. 

But wait! We have new programming for you and invite you to join us! Once we came to the decision that Mid States 2020 and the Executive Seminar weren’t viable this year, we set on a path to lay the groundwork for alternative programming options. Click here to see our full calendar and read below to discover what we are offering this spring!

I am very excited to share that, while it will be in a smaller space, we will still welcome Lee Cockerell, Amy Gallo, Sunni Brown, and Brad Montague this spring in our new “Fasterclass Series” located in Chicago. Register early because space is extremely limited.

If you have already registered for Mid States or the Executive Seminar, you will receive a phone call from our staff after the New Year to discuss the process for refunds and/or changing your registration to one of our new events.  

Lastly, I want to extend deep appreciation for all the hard work that went into planning Mid States and Executive Seminar 2020. The foundation for planning these events was laid well over a year ago and with each passing month, countless volunteers and staff worked to bring this program to reality.  Our fearless leader and conference chair, Gordie Kaplan, along with the Conference Leadership team including: Gwyneth Emigh, Jackie Folak, Sam Thompson, Shauna Guglielmo, Michael Brandwein, Weston Outlaw, Shena Willbrandt - have already put in many hours of thinking and planning. So many others have stepped up over the last few months and were ready to run with planning programs after the New Year. And our staff… Kim, Allie, and Stacy have poured hours of discussions and planning every detail to get us to this point - without them, I’d still be sitting in my office with a large flip chart, a lot of post it notes, and a dream.  All these people make the camp world better and I am so grateful to work with them. 

I also want to thank you, our cherished community. Thank you for the outpouring support over these last several weeks as we navigated this “problem.” While the outcome is not what I had hoped, I am confident that together we can still learn together, grow together, and change the world together.

With Gratitude,
Colette

Colette M. Marquardt
Executive Director 
American Camp Association, Illinois

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