I caught wind of this last week, and had it further confirmed today.
The 2024 Teenage Republican Summer Camp which (except for COVID) has been convening in the Black Hills every summer for decades to help train our state’s future leaders isn’t meeting this year. Going back well over 30 years I’ve gone to it as a party employee, or speaking. Or even more importantly I’ve had six of my seven kids attend at one point, with my #4 daughter being a counselor many years.
Literally, this has been a Republican institution and one of the Republican Party’s greatest success stories over decades for getting the next generation of young people involved and participating the political process.
It was supposed to start today. Now you can’t help but wonder if it’s forever gone.
With it not being held for lack of interest, effort, or organization, or whatever, it’s kind of shocking. They had a registration page, and Republican Women had been promoting it, but the effort seemed to end there. The SDGOP didn’t really talk about it. Nothing from most county groups, including the Minnehaha & Pennington GOP.
This is yet another symptom of the malaise that has infected the South Dakota Republican Party. Too many people are concerned with using the Republican Party organization to make pronouncements, and not enough are concerned with making sure there’s a functioning GOP organization in 5 years.
At this rate, it may dissolve into dysfunction sooner than that.
That is sad. Some of the best days of my entire life (and worst moments… Thanks, Mehlhaff, hahaha) were spent at TAR camp. They let me in early at age 12, and somehow I still went once or twice even after I was 18. The GOP isn’t even my home anymore, but I certainly hope this is just a momentary setback and not, as Pat wonders, the end of an era.
During the Alice Kundert/Vern Larson days in the 70’s and 80’s, there was a waiting list which ended up being a list to have to sleep on the floor.
“may dissolve into dysfunction?” May? It already has.
This is so heartbreaking. I echo my friend Gid’s sentiments about the best week of every summer we all spent together in the Black Hills. Actually my first TAR camp is where I met Gideon Oakes, 20+ years ago, along with countless other lifelong friends over my time involved in the TARs.
Hopefully this is a momentary lapse and not a permanent cancelation. I’m sad for future generations.
Is Dusty still the camp councilor?
I thought the cost of the camp was prohibitive. Scholarships in the future could increase ability for students to attend.
If the “revolutionaries” now in charge of the GOP cannot raise funds or organize a TAR Summer Camp, how in the world are they going to fund and organize a “Get Out the Vote” campaign and elect our candidates. Maybe, they don’t intend to.
I attended several in the early/mid seventies when Alice Kundert and Vern Larson were advisors. I am certain that Alice is rolling over in her grave. They made it fun as well as educational for future party leaders. Hopefully it can be revived. A large group of us went to the National TAR leadership camp one year.
It’s a very sad turn of events.
The loons who are taking over the party don’t want to build it up, they want to tear it down because it’s not “conservative” enough. It won’t be conservative enough for them until it is an insolvent pile of ashes.
I sadly agree with anonymous 7:24. The newest batch of “republicans” that were elected profess to hate the establishment, for whatever that means to them. I fear they think camps and educational events like these are simply relics or promotional aspects of that hated establishment. They would see our institutions burned to the ground in their shortsighted zealotry.
Where are the Russian spies going to speak now?