About Camp Tracy
YMCA Day Camp Tracy was founded on McGrath Pond in Oakland, Maine in 1960 by Richard Hawkes and the former Executive Director of the Waterville Area YMCA, George Keller & Lester Jolovitz.
History of Camp Tracy
About
In the early 1960’s George Keller, Executive Director of the Waterville YMCA, recruited local businessman Richard Hawkes and Lester Jolovitz to scout a 64-acre parcel of land for sale by Mona Tracy on McGrath Pond as a potential future home for a youth camp. The land was deeded to the Waterville YMCA on March 22, 1968 and Camp Tracy was born!
A few small buildings were erected for changing rooms and stormy day activities, but the core of Camp Tracy was to provide outdoor experiences throughout the summer. With its trails, waterfront and outdoor skills development programs Camp Tracy flourished for decades, and in 1972 Camp Tracy earned the American Camping Association Certification.
In the late 1990’s the Waterville Boys & Girls Clubs merged with the Waterville YMCA under a new organization, the Alfond Youth Center. This merger was the first and only of it’s kind and in 1999 the Alfond Youth Center opened it’s doors to the local community under the direction of CEO Ken Walsh.
In 2003 New Balance owners Jim & Ann Davis, through the New Balance Foundation, offered a 1 Million Dollar matching campaign to renovate existing and build new camp structures at Camp Tracy. Between 2004 and 2007 Camp Tracy was transformed: existing buildings were renovated, access roads added, and we built 3 overnight cabins, a bathhouse, Adirondack Lean-To’s, outdoor theater, archery field, tennis court, outdoor pavilion, high and low ropes course, waterfront lodge and the New Balance Four Season Lodge.
Timeline
This beautiful 32-acre campus is located on McGrath Pond and offers a range of diverse programs. Each year, we create more programming to meet the growing demands of our community!
- 2005 – the Four Season Lodge, a 55-foot climbing tower, and a full ropes course were added.
- 2007 – Cal Ripken, Jr. dedicated Maine’s Fenway, a 2/3rd scale replica of Fenway Park.
- 2008 – enhancements included a multi-use soccer field and three residential cabins.
- 2013 – a parking area added 40 parking spaces.
- 2014 – a fourth residential cabin was added, and Maine’s Fenway field was completely turfed.
- 2016 – the Four Seasons Lodge was completely renovated and upgraded.
- 2018 – the Harold Alfond turf field was built.
- 2019 – a batting cage was added.
- 2021 – a roof was added over the archery shooting stations.
- 2022 – two more overnight cabins were added.
- 2023 – a new zipline was installed.
- 2024 – three new ropes courses were built; a high static course, high dynamic course, and a low ropes course.
