In a state known for its cornfields and winding rural roads, there’s a different kind of energy buzzing every summer.

Camp Kilowatt, sponsored by electric cooperatives across Indiana, offers incoming seventh graders a unique setting where the traditional summer camp experience collides with the science of electricity.

For example, instead of telling ghost stories around a campfire, they create skits about how to safely escape a car accident, where a car hits a utility pole.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Sasha Guinn, 12, who was sponsored by Boone Power to attend this past summer, as she recalled the skit she and her team put on for the other campers. “We were four people pretending to be in a car when poles came crushing down on the car.”

“To escape, the people in the car had to bunny hop,” Guinn explained. Bunny hopping helps minimize the risk of a lethal electrical current flowing through a person’s body.

The science and safety of electricity is taught by employees of electric cooperatives throughout the state, who serve as the camp’s counselors. Amelia Oswalt, 13, a 2025 Camp Kilowatt attendee also sponsored by Boone Power, recalled one particularly memorable lesson. “We learned the wire can fry a hot dog,” she said excitedly about her experience last June.

In addition to all the electrical thrills, campers also enjoy traditional activities, including canoeing, archery, zip lining, rock climbing, swimming, and more.

Camp Kilowatt is a three-night, four-day experience focused on energy education and building new friendships. In 2026, Camp Kilowatt will be held at Happy Hollow Children’s Camp in Nashville, Indiana, July 26-29. In 2027, the Camp Kilowatt experience is expected to return to Camp Tecumseh in Brookston, its original location. 

Applications are open for current sixth graders whose household receives electricity from Boone Power! 

Learn more and apply online at campkilowatt.org by May 1.

Both Guinn and Oswalt recommend the camp to others. And they had advice for future campers.

“When they tell you to sleep, go to sleep, because you have to wake up at 7 a.m.,” Oswalt said.

Guinn added campers should also bring bug spray and water shoes.

By Rasha Aly