NCRD Youth Programs

NCRD Youth Programs include activities such as Futsal, Basketball, Baseball/T-Ball, Spring Soccer, Fall Soccer, Summer Camps, Summer field trips, Summer Open Swim, Missoula Theatre Camp, Mudd Nick Art Camps, Outdoor Adventurer Camps, Cooking Camp, a School Swim Program, and Swimfinity Community Swim Lessons. Each Youth Center program and camp provides morning and afternoon snacks and lunches, and NCRD staff pick up pre-packed lunches from Munch A Lunch daily. Summer Play Care attendees, Forest to Sea camp attendees, and Cooking & Gardening camp attendees have the option to attend open swim every day at no additional cost, while swimming is not included in the cost of Art Camp.

• Ages: 6–17 years old
• Schedule: Seasonal programs and camps with one-week sessions for Missoula Theatre Camp, Mudd Nick Art Camps, Outdoor Adventurer Camps, and Cooking Camp, plus a four-week Swimfinity Community Swim Lessons session with two lessons per week
• Price: $10 for each Mudd Nick Art Camp for children going into Grades 1–5, and $35 for Cooking Camp

Missoula Theatre Camp runs June 15–20, 2026, Monday–Saturday, 10:00 AM to 2:30 PM, with performances on Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 2:00 PM, and is free because of donations from the Mudd Nick Foundation. Mudd Nick Art Camp 1 runs June 22–25, 2026, 9:00 AM–3:00 PM, and Mudd Nick Art Camp 2 runs June 29–July 2, 2026, 9:00 AM–3:00 PM, and both include instruction, free art supplies, and free lunch for full-time residents of North Tillamook County, with non-full-time residents placed on a waitlist and enrollment filled on a first come first served basis. Outdoor Adventurer Camp #1 runs July 20–24, 2026, 9:00 AM–3:00 PM, and Outdoor Adventurer Camp #2 runs August 10–14, 2026, 9:00 AM–3:00 PM, and each camp has 20 spots for children in 2nd–6th grade and includes daily field trips to nearby rivers, bay, and ocean with a focus on local marine and forest wildlife. Cooking Camp runs July 27–31, 2026. Swimfinity Community Swim Lessons run as a four-week session from April 28–May 21 with two lessons per week and are tailored to a child’s swim level with the goal of continual improvement. Every summer, NCRD offers a series of eight summer field trips, field trip lunches are provided by Munch A Lunch at no cost, and the Youth Room is closed on Wednesdays when the field trip series begins.

For field trips, children are asked to dress for the weather and bring a backpack with a water bottle, sunscreen, and closed-toed shoes, and children with specific dietary restrictions or allergies are asked to bring their own lunches and snacks. NCRD has a scholarship program that can help families with limited financial resources access programs. NCRD provides every child in the community the opportunity to learn how to swim as part of their basic education, including through the School Swim Program and Swimfinity Community Swim Lessons.

North County Recreation District began operations in 1997 after being created by a vote of the people in November 1996, and it was formed to preserve and support the historic 1930 swimming pool at the former Nehalem Lower Elementary School following a tragic drowning incident involving two local boys. The building used by NCRD was originally a school built in 1920 and is historically significant, having been designed by Portland architect A.E. Doyle. NCRD has invested in accessibility features including a wheelchair ramp, ADA accessible restrooms, a converted freight elevator for pool access, ADA accessible pickleball courts, smoke and fire alarm systems with strobe lights, and is transitioning to a new 100% accessible swimming pool.

NCRD Youth Programs are led by Justin Smith, Executive Director of North County Recreation District and a Certified Park and Recreation Professional, and Youth Director Angela (Angie) Terry. The North County Recreation District’s mission is to promote the educational, social, and physical well-being of the north Tillamook County community, and NCRD Youth Programs offer affordable indoor and outdoor opportunities for the children of North Tillamook County to learn and grow in a safe environment.

NCRD Youth Camps are supported by the MuddNick Foundation, Eugene Schmuck Foundation, Munch A Lunch, Herbert A Templeton Foundation, and Trust Management Services, and Outdoor Adventurer Camps are offered in partnership with Lower Nehalem Community Trust. Friends of NCRD’s mission is to support NCRD by promoting it and raising funds for its programs and projects, and in 2022 Friends of NCRD raised more than $27,000 for Youth, Aquatics, and Fitness scholarships, together with NCRD programs and projects. The Plastic Project Committee encouraged community recycling and gifted three outdoor benches to NCRD, and Friends of NCRD collaborated with the Fitness Center on “Pop Goes the Heart,” a February fundraiser for new fitness equipment. The District serves residents and visitors to the Nehalem Bay community on the northern Oregon Coast, including residents of Nehalem, Wheeler, Manzanita, and many surrounding communities.

Last updated June 12, 2026.