Have you heard about Camporee 2024? If not, you definitely should. From August 5-11th this immense youth camping event will be held at the Camplex in Gillette for the first time, expecting a staggering 60,000 attendees from around the globe.
Camporee will turn the Camplex into a pop-up city populated by young Seventh-Day Adventist Pathfinders aged 10 to 15. Held every five years, Camporee serves as a pivotal experience in the church’s Pathfinder program, which parallels scouting with a religious dimension. These Pathfinders will be setting up camp and purchasing all their necessities locally.
What about the wider impact? It’s not only Gillette that will feel the effects. Surrounding areas, including Buffalo, are also set to experience an influx of Camporee visitors, and Gillette locals seeking a retreat from the influx.
There are both potential benefits and undeniable challenges that come with the event. Organizers have been preparing for three years from previous Camporees, especially those held in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Consider the logistics needed to support a population more than twice the size of Gillette’s usual 38,000 residents.
Regional Emergency Management Coordinators are bracing for significant local impact. For local businesses, this could mean a surge in customers; however, this could also put a strain on services and infrastructure.
The timing compounds the impact. Camporee lands right after Johnson County Fair & Rodeo, coincides with the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, and all amidst WYDOT’s construction projects on roads north and south into Buffalo.
Emergency Management Coordinators at the forefront of preparing our region discuss how this could impact work and play in Johnson County and point to issues that local businesses and service providers should be preparing.
For more information:
Camporee 2024 https://www.camporee.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maasaimaracamporee2022
Jimmy Cataline
JC Emergency Management Coordinator
26 N DeSmet Ave
Buffalo, WY 82834
Office: (307) 684-2761
Cell: (307) 620-0837
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnsonCoWYEMC
