Booted from Burton, Porters set up a new music camp

What a difference two months makes.

At the end of August, Burton Music Camp directors Neal and Barbara Porter received word that their contract with Camp Burton on Vashon Island wasn't being renewed — and that Camp Burton planned to run a music camp without them.

Today? The Porters have a new location and a plan for summer 2007 that keeps the couple — who operated Burton Music Camp for 34 years — in the fold of camp directorship, now in the eponymous Porter Music Camp.

The Porters were devastated when they read what amounted to a dismissal letter from the board of Camp Burton Conference Center, which is owned by the Washington Baptist Convention. But camp parents and friends urged them not to give up, even though finding a suitable new site in time to open their own camp next summer was a daunting challenge.

But after two months of searching, they found just the spot for the nearly 600 middle- and high-school musicians who participated in their program at the sleep-away camp each summer. It's a new property located north of Shelton, where rehearsal halls, housing and a performance space are being built. The brand-new site, south of Allyn on state Route 3, is part of Avery Township, a rural retreat and activity center encompassing more than 2 million square feet of park land, farmlands and forests.

Porter Music Camp will open there July 8, 2007.

Avery Township was purchased in 2002 by Gregg Paisley, a Seattle-born, semiretired tech executive, to create "a place where the visitor steps back in time to participate, not just observe, what life was like 200 years ago," Paisley said. He plans to provide visitors with events, activities and cultural/environmental programs.

"An essential ingredient of Avery Township is to provide a long-term venue for groups that are making a significant positive social impact through truly exceptional programs," Paisley said. "I read about the Porters' plight in The Seattle Times and had two reactions. First, what a raw deal! Second, I want these folks at Avery Township — they would be perfect!"

Barbara Porter calls the Avery Township property "idyllic," and said the camp's staff members are "committed to continuing the tradition of excellence for all young musicians which have made our previous 34 years such a success."

Porter also said the new location will allow room for more campers and new programs, including a possible adult music camp often requested by parents.

Following the 2006 summer camps, Burton Music Camp parents received a letter from Camp Burton management stating there would be "changes in the program for 2007," and that registration materials for 2007 would follow. There was no mention that Porters' contract had not been renewed.

One camp parent, Karen Schmidt, called this move "hijacking the Porters' program and calling it their own."

Camp Burton manager Kathleen Hendrickson confirmed that they too are going ahead with two sessions of their own music camp next summer, one week for junior-high and one week for high-school students. The Camp Burton Web site (www.campburton.com) indicates that the music camp is designed for students to "improve their musical skills, learn more about the Arts, and create a camp community in a Christian setting."

The first year at Porter Music Camp will offer two bands, an orchestra, an all-camp choir, beginning-instrument workshops (supported by retailer Kennelly Keys), steel band, guitar, drama, art, conducting, composition, theory, jazz band and improvisation — a lineup similar to what the program had been for decades at Camp Burton, where many campers eventually returned as staff members and music teachers.

Details on the Porters' new endeavor are at www.portermusiccamp.com.

"Some good things happen when you least expect them," Porter said.

Added Paisley: "This outstanding program has been enriching the lives of young musicians for 34 years. Now it has a permanent home where it can continue to expand its mission far into the future."

Melinda Bargreen: mbargreen@seattletimes.com