Many locals unaware of scenic camp near county line
All Saints Camp along the banks of the Allegheny River in Scrubgrass Township, Venango County, is about the same distance from downtown Butler as Cranberry Township, timewise.
But few are aware of the 90-acre camp just outside of Emlenton, where weddings, family reunions, seminars and any other function can be held in the spring, fall or winter.
The former Girl Scout camp was purchased in 1978 by the Ukrainian Orthodox League’s Western Pennsylvania Region in an ambitious move that required raising $25,000 in one year.
The league already had most of the $120,000 for the purchase in a campground fund that had been opened years earlier.
The league had been renting various facilities to host weekend retreats for the Junior Ukrainian Orthodox League and weeklong Teenage Conference encampments to accommodate the high number of Ukrainian Orthodox families that once lived in Western Pennsylvania.
The camp initially had 15 buildings, but the league later added the Millennium Building, which is a large, multipurpose building with classrooms, bedrooms and a large meeting hall; a swimming pool; basketball and tennis courts; a pavilion; and three new cabins.
St. Thomas Chapel, which was built and decorated in the traditional Ukrainian Orthodox manner, was built in 2008. The construction contains such intricate woodworking that no nails or screws were needed, and the church was outfitted with the artwork and iconography inherent in the religion.
Various camps are held all summer at All Saints, but the facility is available to rent during the offseason.
Still, the Ukrainian Orthodox origins of the camp are evident throughout the campus.
On Saturday, Oct. 19, the camp will host renowned Ukrainian artist and humanitarian, Tetiana Mialkovska, who will discuss the use of art therapy to help those impacted by the ongoing war in Ukraine. All are invited to attend the free event at the camp, 110 All Saints Road.
