Maintenance Connection is the annual gathering of site managers, facility directors, maintenance staff and volunteers within Camp, Conference & Retreat Centers.
Holmes Camp & Retreat Center is excited to be the host of the 2026 Maintenance Connection Retreat.
Holmes is located a short drive north of New York City. We have 500+ acre set among forests, lakes, trails and wetlands in the hills of northern Putnam County/southern Dutchess County in the lower Hudson River Valley (click here for map).
LODGING
Holmes offers comfortable motel style lodging with linens and private bathrooms (single or double occupancy available. See our Agape Center and Vinik Hilltop. You may also choose to stay in our cabin bunk lodging at Hayden. Commuter pricing is available. Families are welcome. To learn more about family lodging options and prices, call 845.878.6383 ext. 1.
Prices include 4 nights lodging, meals and snacks by our dining hall, and all programming at Holmes.
Our Wednesday Field trip may have additional costs based on your choices for the day. Guests will be on their own for lunch and dinner on that day.
Private Rooms – $600
Shared Rooms w/Your Selected Guest – $830
Shared Rooms w/Holmes Assigned Roommate – $415
Hayden Bunk/Shared Rooms – $325
Commuter/No Lodging – $225
Questions? Call 845.878.6383 ext. 1 or email Holmes@HolmesCamp.org.
SCHEDULE AND ACTIVITIES
Wednesday Field Trip to NYC will include a guided tour of Grand Central Station. (Groups size may be limited. The first 20 attendees to register and complete payment will have priority.) We will also have Volunteer led activities to other NYC Landmarks or you may choose to explore the city on your own. Holmes will arrange for multiple shuttles in the evening to retrieve NYC explorers from our local train station.
We are excited to have Elise Bates Russel, Executive Director of Johnsonburg Camp & Retreat Center joining us as our Keynote Speaker!
Full Schedule Coming Soon! But you don’t want to miss programs like these:
– Cooking & Camp Kitchens: This interactive session features a live demonstration of fresh cheese and pasta made from scratch, paired with an open Q&A on camp kitchens and food service. Facilitator is Mark Ainsworth, award winning chef, cookbook author, and a professor at the Culinary Institute of America.
– Where Fun Has No Boundaries: Accessibility at your camp is great for guests and campers with physical challenges, but it also makes sense for those without those challenges. Transform your hospitality by learning some simple, inexpensive and impactful ways to make your camp more accessible for all your guests. Facilitator is Pat Rossiter, with more than 35 years of camp and conference leadership. Formerly of Lions Camp Pride in New Hampshire, Pat is Holmes New Executive Director.
– Ask an Electrician: This session provides an interactive overview of electrical fundamentals through open Q&A and hands-on scenarios. Let’s read wiring diagrams, chat best materials and tools, and master ballast-bypass LED installations. Facilitator Paul Verdesi, is Holmes’ Maintenance Specialist, and has worked at Holmes Camp & Retreat Center since 1975!
Programming also expected to include:
– Tour of Holmes Camp & Retreat Center – See our newest building, Vinik Hilltop!
– Ask an Expert Excavator w/JP Nilsen
– Trees and Grounds w/Steve Cornelio
– Welding 101 w/Steve Silvernail
– Farm Tour w/David Frost
GETTING HERE
Transportation from designated airports and Metro North (Southeast Train Station) will be available.
See our Travel Guide here. If you don’t see an option that works for you, please contact our office at 845.878.6383 ext. 1 or holmes@holmescamp.org and we can try to assist.
