Blue Bell Camp has been owned and operated by three generations of the Harris Family since 1946. The four current directors, Tom and Joyce, and their daughters, Katherine and Lisa, live, eat, and breathe camp. Each of our houses border the camp property, and we prepare ten months of the year so your child will have the most rewarding two months of his or her life. We are outside at camp all day long during the summer and are involved in every aspect from a homerun to a scraped knee to a new obstacle course record.

It is important for us to get to know each of our campers and to develop a personal relationship with their families. Therefore, when you call us on the telephone, it will always be a member of the Harris family who answers, except during the camp day when we are with the children. We are typically available by phone from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. in the off-season. Many camp directors have a background in phys ed, while our areas of expertise are child development and education. We frequently make visits to observe children in school to help parents determine if Blue Bell is the best place for their child and how we can help them reach their individual goals.
Tom's parents, Bob and Edna Harris, founded Blue Bell Camp in 1946. Bob and Edna's vision of a productive day camp was unique: It had the picturesque atmosphere of a New England overnight camp with an educational philosophy similar to a Montessori school. They wanted to teach a multitude of sports and activities with a focus on instruction rather than competition.




Tom became the Director after his parents "hung up the whistle" in 1978. He and his wife, Joyce, had two daughters, and although BBC had been an all-boys camp, they began taking girls in 1990 when Katherine and Lisa were old enough to attend. Over the years, Tom and Joyce expanded the camp property, built new facilities, and added events and activities, including the Leadership Program in 2006.


Having grown up at camp, Katherine and Lisa have always been passionate about helping children and knew from a young age that they wanted to continue the family tradition. They joined BBC year-round when they graduated from college in 2007 and 2010, respectively. They, too, have incorporated their own ideas into the camp program and are excited about the possibilities for the future. The camp Bob and Edna began with approximately 35 campers on 8 acres has grown over the past 75-plus summers and three generations to 15 acres and 200 campers, but their recipe for in-depth instruction and vision of a camp where children can build a strong foundation of character, knowledge, and physical abilities has been carried on as part of the Harris family legacy.