Register before December first to take advantage of early bird pricing!

Each evening, we gather together to enjoy a mix of activities design for all ages: games. dancing, music-making, informal dramatics, sing-alongs, and good conversation. This year, our activities will be inspired by a theme—the letters E, C, R, & S! The letter ‘C’ will be celebrated with a Cabaret, where we get to share our special talents with lots of audience participation. After a late snack, there are a variety of “late night activities.” Not a fan of typical New Year’s Eve parties? Celebrate the uniquely ECRS way, with enough warmth, light, and fun to last through next year

About ECRS

We are intergenerational – with members from children and teens to elders – and everything in between. Our mission is to build an intergenerational community with fun and engaging activities that all can enjoy and that develop leadership skills.

History
Founded more than 75 years ago in the tradition of recreation therapy, a combination of compassionate mentoring and evaluations encourage the participants of today to become the leaders of tomorrow. Whether working with groups or individuals, paid staff and volunteers alike will benefit from our humanistic leadership training. Based on respect for all people, it incorporates group dynamics, facilitation strategies, and hands-on practice, empowering our members to make vital contributions to ECRS and their communities.

Leadership forum with Kim Neubauer

Our own Kim Neubauer will again lead the popular Leadership Forum this year during free time on the first day.

What is the Leadership Forum?
The Leadership Forums offer space for leaders to learn from each other. Although targeted to the interests of ECRS Staff, they are open to anyone who leads groups of any kind.

Light facilitation will help to catalyze sharing ideas and experiences. This year’s topic is “Choosing Your Leadership Approach”. We may discuss what leadership means to you or what are  your preferred roles (teacher, performer, facilitator, lecturer, trainer, manager or leading from within).

Children’s Program with Tim Siftar

Elementary ages

Why should the grown ups have all the fun? ECRS offers a completely integrated program for children ages 5-11 during the first morning, and afternoon class periods. Many activities mirror the cooperative play that ECRS is built on. Children may learn new games, create new crafts, sing silly songs, or even get the chance to share activities they have fun doing at home. Depending on age and interest, they may take a field trip to experience the more kid-friendly adult classes!

Note: Children are expected to stay for the entire program, and are the responsibility of their guardians at all other times. To help finalize staffing, this program will be offered only if children are registered by December first.

Preschool age

Site

Watson Homestead is a conference center on 600 beautiful acres near Corning, NY. We’re ideally situated for winter sports and local attractions, including sledding, hiking, and the nearby Corning Museum of Glass. NOTE: Watson Homestead is wheelchair accessible.

New housing this year – Retreat Center

This year you’ll have the option of staying in Watson’s newly renovated Retreat Center, an attractive, (slightly) less expensive option than the main building located a short way down the road (less than a 5-10 minute walk from the Main Lodge).

The Retreat Center has eight 8×10 foot bedrooms, each with two bunk beds. Each room has a dresser and window, and the building has two shared bathrooms and its own thermostat for heating. A fireplace, living room and refrigerator complete the experience. Cost $160 per room.

They’re great for people who want to economize by sharing a room with others and don’t mind being a bit away from the hubbub in the main building (it’s also quieter – but note that although the area is somewhat lit up at night, you’ll need a flashlight). Using the Retreat Center will also help make room for more people to join in the Winter Adventure fun!

For pictures of the Retreat Center, click here. 

 New room and board pricing model

• Separate pricing for room and meals
  

• Transparent, per-room pricing

We’ve adjusted the fees for room and board to give a better sense of what you are paying for. Rooms are priced per room, no matter whether there are two, three or four sharing the room. Each attendee will pay for their portion of the total. Note that there is a premium minimum pricing for singles.

Meals are $195 per person for the event, or less than $40/day. 

Retreat Center

$160/room

We are experimenting with pay-what-you-can pricing!

We feel this reflects the cooperative nature of ECRS – from each according to their abilities, to each according to their needs. The pricing shown in the registration field is the “break-even cost” – how much we pay to Watson (including costs like insurance, gratuity, PayPal fees, etc.) or to staff to cover the event. If everyone paid this amount for every line item, the event would neither gain nor lose money. If you can pay more, you’ll be supporting others who might not be able to afford to come.

How does “pay-what-you-can” work?

The amount you see on the registration form gives you a sense of the cost to ECRS, but it is not fixed. You can adjust the amount you pay for room, meals, and programming – which covers the costs of putting on a fabulous WA above room and board. Note that for premium single rooms, there is a minimum fee for room.

How to choose how much to pay?

If you can afford to pay more to help someone who might not otherwise be able to attend, please pay above the WA cost listed in the price field.

If break-even pricing will strain your budget, pay what you are able.