Bowling Green grandparents Dwight and Anna Vincent tour Dinosaur World on Wednesday with grandchildren (from left) Ben Williams, 7, Emmalynn Rakestraw, 4, and Hannah Williams, 4. The Vincents invite their grandchildren to Bowling Green for a week of what they call Grancamp every year. Photo by Clinton Lewis

Roasted marshmallows and summer camp go hand in hand. Then, there is all of the other fun stuff. There are camp outs, swimming, field trips and crafts time. Most of the time, theres some homesickness. But at Grancamp, just off of Plum Springs Road, theres no crying to go home. The campers know the staff well. Grancamp is run from the home of Dwight and Anna Vincent, for four of their grandchildren Ben Williams, 7, and his sister, Hannah, 4, of Bowling Green, Emmalynn Rakestraw, 4, of Louisville and Allie Thomas, 3, of Crestwood. This is our third, Anna Vincent said of the camp as her grandchildren ran around in purple Grancamp 2003 shirts Wednesday. Anna and Dwight Vincent wore the same shirts after a long day of hanging out with the children at Dinosaur World in Cave City. Outside the home, a Pepsi sign hung on a playhouse and announced, Grancamp Week in black letters. The Vincents go all out to make Grancamp a real camp. The kids dont just hang out and watch television. They have five days of structured activity, and a little free time so they can relax. Last year the children went fishing on a farm, went to the beach at Barren River Lake State Park, had fun at Russell Sims Aquatic Center, built a birdhouse and did many other things. This years camp began on Monday and lasted until Friday. It was centered around the theme Telling the Truth. We have themes for Grancamp, Dwight Vincent said. Each day the theme starts with a Bible story, which is read after playtime and breakfast. Then, other tools are used to drive home the point, between time the children spend having a ball. This morning, I read a book about how a lie grows, Anna Vincent said. And weve got the video of Pinocchio that were going to show them. The children say they love Grancamp. We get to play with squirt bottles, go to the water park, Ben said. But the one thing I didnt know about Grancamp (this year) is that the beach (at Barren River Lake State Park) was flooded. But the water park wasnt flooded, Hanna said, then recalled how they went to the park on Tuesday. I liked going to the water park, Emmalynn said, and going to see (Finding) Nemo, the movie. The children had seen Nemo Tuesday and also had been to a McDonalds. The rest of the week held more such fun. On Monday, they went to the RiverWalk, where they played on the swings and in the sand. Then, they had lunch at the RiverWalk Grill. Later in the week, a trip to Beech Bend Amusement Park had been planned. Also, the children planted flowers in pots that Anna Vincent had someone decorate with each of their names. One day, they washed their grandfathers car. Once, they made concrete stepping stones. They played dress-up, went out for Frosties and had tea parties. On the night they were to camp in the backyard, the children told stories, and Allie got scared. She and Emmalynn then slept in the house, where the children usually camp out in the den. Two of us made it and two of us didnt, Anna Vincent said with a laugh. Another activity was watering the flowers of neighbor Marga Lee Elkin. The children call Elkin Miss Margie. They baked cookies for her Thursday, while wearing matching aprons, which Anna Vincent had made for them. Thats their volunteer work, said Angela Thomas, who had driven down to Grancamp early this week because her daughter, Allie, had gotten sick. Allie wasnt able to go to Dinosaur World on Wednesday. But she had been able to enjoy much of Grancamp. She hung out in the playhouse that stands tall on stilts. She also received a Barbie nightgown like her girl cousins, courtesy of their grandmother. Ben got pajama shorts and a T-shirt, and like the girls got his own camp basket, where he could put all of his things through the week. In the evenings, the children watched videos. Dwight Vincent said he enjoyed that, too. I enjoy seeing them have a good time, he said, because they talk about it all year. The Vincents say Grancamp has helped them become closer to their grandchildren. And it helps us to see their personalities, Anna Vincent said. Angela Thomas said she loves the concept of Grancamp. I think its good for (the children) to get to spend time with their cousins as well as their grandparents, she said. And it gives her and her sisters, Donna Williams and Deborah Rakestraw, a little break from their children in the summer. But Thomas, who has a 6-month-old daughter, Lainey, doesnt get as much a break as her sisters. Theres just one rule for acceptance to Grancamp: tiny campers must be potty trained. I cant wait til I can reap the benefits of Grancamp completely, Thomas said just moments before a minor Grancamp problem struck. Allie vomited in the family room. But none of the campers or staff seemed to mind. Thats just part of Grancamp, Anna Vincent said as she comforted Allie and Dwight Vincent helped clean up.