108th California Men's Gathering

Friday August 30 - Monday Sept 2

If you've never been to Camp Newman, you might be wondering what all the fuss is about. If you've been, you might be worried it won't live up to expectations. After spending 15 Summer Gatherings at Camp Newman and being absent since the Tubbs fire [except for LAST YEAR!], they have done a COMPLETE REBUILD for our return. Take a look at this multimedia show at how Camp Newman has been reimagined, rebuilt and revived in a $40 million multiphase construction project that elevated a really nice summer camp facility into a top-notch conference center in nature.

You might be wondering how Camp Newman looks "after the fire". The landscape NEVER looked charred, only the buildings. Go here to see what it looks like!

Registration is now open

Early Reg until 8/6, Late until 8/15

Waiting list after that!

This email contains ALL the info you need to know how to register, what rooming options you have any get started to spend a marvelous weekend "Over the Rainbow" in a land that you heard of, once in a lullaby! Read all the way through as there is LESS information than you might be used to in the registration system....come back here if you're confused there.

"Over the Rainbow"

Join us for a journey into a magical realm,

a world of hope and vibrant colors, 

symbolizing our dream of equality, acceptance and unity.

Experience more than just a melody;

visualize a welcoming world and realize your own magical gifts.

The theme of the Summer 2024 CMG, “Over the Rainbow” reminds many of us of the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz" and its message of hope for a better future. Thus, we celebrate the symbol of the rainbow and its many colors: 

red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet ~~ our symbol for a world of equality. 

“Over the Rainbow” speaks to our longing for a life that is free of the difficulties of the everyday… where bluebirds fly to a place where dreams really do come true. Through Community Assemblies, Small Groups, Workshops of many and wondrous kinds, and special "Camp" Gatherings, we will share our personal journeys and hopes for the future.

We will also celebrate the vibrant and fantastical world of Oz. Our Saturday night Video Request Dance, Sunday afternoon Pool Party/Fashion Show and Sunday night Variety Show "should" feature colorful costumes, dramatic characters, and memorable music. This isn't just about escape; it is about finding our inner strength and empowerment. Like Dorothy’s diverse friends, we will celebrate our quirks and differences, showing that we have the Courage, Heart, Brains and Spirit to be ourselves, despite the world around us.

Come journey with us “Over the Rainbow” as we create a truly welcoming and inclusive community where troubles melt away, like lemon drops. A place “way up high” where, for a weekend at least, dreams of Equality, Acceptance and Belonging really do come true.....

“Over the Rainbow” about all of this? Then let's figure out the details! Click your heels to go to Registration and come back here if you need to.

The Facility:

All Accommodations come with: Eight meals in total are served from Friday Dinner to Monday Breakfast, with vegetarian and vegan options available [please let us know how Chef Danny can keep you well fed during registration]. The camp also serves an evening "snack" and will provide a s’mores kit! In addition, snacks [fruit usually] are available 24/7 in the Dining Hall and "less healthy ones" in our "Cafe" which is in The Lodge. Want to add to the snack table with your own delights? We’d love that! Regardless, you will not go hungry! ;-) We're also trying to arrange a "leftovers lunch" on MONDAY and to keep the POOL open until THREE PM for those who can't bear to leave camp until the very last grain of sand has trickled out of the hourglass!

The part of camp we'll be using is basically all on the SAME LEVEL, even though it is on a hillside! There are no elevators, but there is always a ramp to use rather than stairs. The POOL and the PLAY CABIN are up a slope with the Play Cabin being the furthest. Somehow we think you'll get to those places if you want to go. Pick up a scarecrow, a tin man and a cowardly lion and make a thing of it! Additionally, there are gas fired pits spread around camp with cozy seating, an 18-hole Disc Golf Course that weaves through camp and lots of outdoor spaces to explore or get cozy in!

Besides the Dining Hall and Conference Center [main camp area], in The Lodge, there is the cozy room called Manny's Living Room, that's where Check-In will be and it's where the Cafe is too so that's where guys tend to go to "just hang out". Directly ABOVE that room is the Massage Room [again, there is a sloped pathway if you cannot do ONE flight of stairs]. The Pool is another place to hang out generally [while our professional lifeguard is on duty]. It is Olympic-size AND there's a Water Slide! It's also SOLAR HEATED to basically BATHWATER temperatures! No shrinkage! So, let's talk ROOMS!

Standard Accommodations: [the camp calls this housing Village ONE so we will too!] includes dormitory housing with 8 TWIN BED bunk beds per dorm. There are TWO rooms with FOUR bunk beds in each and they SHARE the same bathroom suite. We've contracted for 70 [or at minimum 63]. The "early" price is $469 for the entire weekend, nothing else to buy! Last year, the equivalent stay cost $530! It isn't like any prices have gone DOWN either! Nope, we had two wonderful men DONATE specifically so that we could LOWER THE PRICE for EVERYONE [the first 100 guys at least] and so this price is $61 LESS than 2023! They were anonymous so you can think that anyone you meet at camp might be one of them.

Most guys will only take a top bunk if they HAVE to, so you'll usually be sharing your room with at most 3 or 4 other guys with a dedicated shared bathroom [and you’ll be sharing the bathroom with at most 7-9 total guys but they’re designed for 16 so it works well]. If this doesn't suit you, you may be able to grab one of the housing upgrades [in Village TWO below]. 

No beds in Village ONE come with linens [just a mattress]. Bring your own or rent them from the camp during registration for just $30 more! That's two sheets, a pillow, blanket and towel! Dormitory rooms are situated around a beautiful grass field and are 100 ft from the Dining Hall and 200 ft from the Event Center and 300' from The Lodge [Cafe and Massage spaces].

The cabins are mostly two levels so there are stairs from the lower or upper ones but there are also RAMPS. If you cannot do one flight of stairs, pick a bunk you can get to without them when you get to camp. These are BRAND NEW, POSH "cabins". They are NOT in the LEAST "rustic"! The old Camp Newman dated as far back as the 40's! Everything here now is NEW since 2017. Only one cabin "survived" but it was brand new then and nobody can remember which one it was now!

Upgrade Accommodations: Village TWO which is also called "The Lodge" is two stories [there IS a sloped path to get to the 2nd floor] and about 200' beyond the Dining Hall [a guess, it isn't as far as OZ!] It looks like it belongs in a National Park. This is also where the "Cafe" and the Massage Room are. If you see a housing upgrade option that you like, it is best to complete registration NOW, as these upgrades go fast. The camp calls this Village TWO & s0 we will too. All of these rooms COME WITH LINENS [two sheets, pillows, blankets and towels ~ just like a hotel]. However, if you book a Semi-Private room as a PRIVATE room [only book ONE man into it], the camp will only make up ONE bed. Asking for another set of linens means you have MORE than one in there, and they should PAY TO UPGRADE. Sorry, the camp contract is VERY sticky on this point! The prices you see in Registration INCLUDE the basic fee for the Gathering. The prices listed in this section are the price that's for the upgrade.

Semiprivate rooms have 2 Queen-sized beds and are shared with at least one other man who also paid for that upgrade. If you wish to designate your roommate there is a place on the info part of the registration form to indicate who that is OR we will pair you up [this includes when you say “Brad Pitt” and he doesn’t register, pay to upgrade AND/OR name you as his roomie! But maybe a Flying Monkey? I've heard they can be nice.]. You can put FOUR guys into a Double Queen [there's a dirty joke in there somewhere] if BOTH 0f the first two men who have booked it AGREE. The other two should also pay for the upgrade room [again, camp contract]. There are TWENTY-FOUR of these rooms so 48 to 96 guys could be housed in them. We charge $250 per man, minimum TWO. The camp will charge us 30% MORE for ANY room where there's only one guy registered, so we won't let that happen unless you're paying for.....

A Private room: which only have 1 Queen-sized bed and a private bath. The guys who pay for a Private do not need to designate a roommate; no one will be checking on whom is occupying your room but you CAN book two into it @ the SP price. There were FOUR only of these [and they're GONE]! However, it is in all of our best interest to FILL UP The Lodge or get as close as possible. Otherwise, the camp can rent it out to "another group". We don't want that, and we think you won't either. We need to book THIRTY men into The Lodge per the contract [we can adjust that down to 27]. So, we WILL sell you a SP room [two Queen beds] as a PRIVATE, for the Private Price of $350. This will be on the honor system. You "CAN" register TWO guys into this room [whether a SP or a P] and sleep in the SAME BED and we'll charge you $500 rather than $700. You can use the 2nd bed for luggage or seating or even sleeping if TWO guys are registered into it. We hope this seems fair. It is different than what we stated in the opening announcement on 7/2 and the way it was last year [I assume the camp has realized they were "giving it away"].

Please note: FIRST TIME ATTENDEES and guys receiving Financial Aid [their first CMG Gathering at ANY camp or getting a reduced price to attend] CAN book into Village TWO by paying for the upgrade. FINANCIAL AID RECIPIENTS CANNOT upgrade to Village TWO and ALSO get financial aid. Choose wisely!

Special for First Time Attendees: Consider being in a "Buddy picture"!

First, consider watching our 14.5 minute First Timer Intro Video. It's a great way to "see" what a Gathering "feels" like! Note: there are TWO things in this video that are not applicable to Camp Newman and NONE of the images are of there because we made it just before we went BACK there. Go see the Camp Newman. But NO SMOKING at Camp Newman. Heck, they've just rebuilt after burning up in 2017, so yah. And No "tents and RV's" at Newman either. Both of those things happen at Pathfinder Ranch, our Spring/Summer home [and there IS a specific smoking area too]!

If you're feeling a little like Dorothy just after her house has landed on the Witch of the East, READ ON. We know you'll want to Follow the Yellow Brick Road to find if your heart's own true desire is still in your own backyard....if you only start at the very beginning and meeting a Buddy happened for her right away! Go away, crows!

Really DO consider asking for a Buddy! Just like Dot, having a "native" friend or three is a BIG help. They might not be "perfect": perhaps lacking a bit of Brain, Heart or Courage. But they've been to a Gathering before and they really can answer your questions and be a friendly face that you might find you "miss most of all" when it comes time to go home.

In most cases, they'll MEET with you before you go to camp, either in person or at least talk with you on the phone, Zoom or Facetime. And they'll be LOOKING for You on Friday afternoon. That's a pretty nice feeling all by itself! Even if you are "partnered" or are coming with a friend, you STILL can have a Buddy. This isn't a blind date. They're a resource to help you have the BEST POSSIBLE GATHERING. That's all. How close you become depends on the two of you.

MORE DETAILS about what happens at CAMP!

Or, just go to Registration and come back here if you need to.

• Meeting spaces have state of the art audiovisual video walls or 85" screens viewable in full sunlight. [Just think how The Wizard of Oz would look with 85 inches!]

• Most spaces have adjoining outdoor patios and walls or doors that open to that space.

• All bathrooms are "all gender" bathrooms with separate stall rooms for toilets. We have exclusive use of our section of the camp.

• Gas Fire Pits are located throughout the property with adjoining seating and available to anyone anytime.

• New recreation opportunities including a campus wide 18 hole disc golf course. I plan to take on the Munchkins!

• Community Assemblies, besides the Opening and the Closing, these are were we all come together to explore the theme. That can be in any of a variety of ways, sometimes all together listening, sometimes as a two or a four or an eight in a talking circle. You don't HAVE to go, of course. There's no tornado that sweeps you there. It is your weekend and you can spend it any way you want to! But you'll often make connections with guys here that will go on an deepen into lasting friendships.



• Workshops, we don't know what those ARE yet, because all of YOU haven't told us! You can offer a workshop about ANYTHING! There will be a link in the Confirmation Letter.

• Variety Show, "Sing out, Louise!" This is the friendliest stage on the PLANET. You get FIVE minutes to do whatever you want. We appreciate your performance. NO SHADE! Sign ups at Camp.

• Pool Party Fashion Show, is even MORE impromptu. Why some people decide to do it only FIVE minutes before they're on the catwalk! Just long enough to write a brief bio for your humble MC. Wear what you have or what you can beg, borrow or "steal" as in "She wore the dress, and I stayed home!" So, bring stuff! What stuff? How could we possibly tell you what you'll need, require, desire or be able to help you or another look their best? EMPTY THE CLOSET!

Need MORE information, okay, send an email to Registration@TheCMG.org and I'll try and answer your questions. OR

GO TO REGISTRATION!