Twin Cities YMCA opens new day camp near Lakeville

The Twin Cities YMCA is opening a new day camp for youths and teens south of Lakeville.

The YMCA of the North, which operates facilities and sites across Minnesota and western Wisconsin, on Saturday will officially open Gathering Pines, a 225-acre site in New Market Township that will host Day Camp Kici Yapi.

The south metro camp replaces an 80-acre Prior Lake site where the Y operated Kici Yapi for more than 50 years. The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community bought that property in 2008.

Gathering Pines will start welcoming youths and teens for day camp programs starting Monday. The camp — which has five ponds, a community pool and a climbing wall — will offer horseback riding lessons, outdoor education field trips, conferences and other events.

Funding for the camp comes largely from the YMCA of the North's five-year $225 million fundraising campaign, a record amount raised by a YMCA in the United States.

An open house for the new camp, 23701 Zane Av., will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The camp is a short distance north of Elko New Market.