In the mid forties, a group of grey-haired men left Searcy to look at a piece of property north of town.  John Lee Dykes was at the wheel of the car, and as he looked through the rising dust, the landscape must’ve stirred in him memories of the gentle hills of his native Oklahoma .  It was the beginning of many trips on the dirt road for the men and their families because the tract they bought became much more than a mere 80 acres.

The men, including Dykes, mortgaged their homes to pay for the land, and it became Camp Wyldewood , a place not confined to the property lines on the county map, but as large and free as the tens of thousands who’ve come from places like Hawaii and Alaska and Mexico to attend camp.  But they didn’t stop there.  The property grew from 80 acres in 1948 to almost four times that today—as did the area around camp.  Soon, drivers found pavement when there was once dust, houses set in the hills, and now, neighborhoods.  Nearly gone are the prairies and barbed wire, which have been replaced with driveways and Bartlett pear trees and Searcy sprawl.

Times have changed.

“The dream still lives, though,” says Dr. Jared Cox, a Searcy dentist who serves as president of the Board of Directors.  “If you look at the original mission statement, you’ll see that our goals haven’t changed.  We’re still committed to reaching as many young people with the message of Jesus as possible.  The goals are still valid, probably more so now than ever.  The world has sped up and become more urban.  We offer an alternative to actually return to nature.  That probably wasn’t as important in 1948.”

Though the camp has retained the original mission, time has forced changes in personnel.  Dykes served as the camp’s first director until 1968.  He was followed by Coach Hugh Groover from 1969-1995.  Coach was replaced by Michael Lincoln until Lincoln became county judge in 2007.  Robert Powell was then hired in August of 2007 to be the camp’s fourth director in 60 years.

“One of the things that made Robert appealing was his connection to Wyldewood,” says board treasurer Al Fowler.  “He worked for Coach Groover and Michael and as a camper went to John Dykes’ living room and sang.”

“I always looked forward to camp, coming with my friends from Sherwood,” says Powell.  “We talked about it year-round.  I wouldn’t be who I am today without this ministry, without Mr. Dykes or Michael or Coach Groover.”

In 1970, Groover added retreats to Wyldewood’s programs.  Some ten years later, he added day camp, a day care-type program that serves the Searcy area.  This fall, Wyldewood will add an after school program.

“We’re excited about the possibilities of our after school camp,” says Powell.  “Our numbers have been off-the-charts in day camp the last four or five summers.  It seems this progression will be natural for us.  We’ll always stay true to the ministry, though, to Wyldewood’s mission.”

As Camp Wyldewood entered its sixtieth year, a birthday party was planned to commemorate the event and rededicate the camp to its mission.  Former board members, counselors, and campers came together in late January to celebrate the past and remember the future.