As soon as the weather starts turning warm, Kim Friel’s thoughts start turning to summer camp. From late spring to early summer, the question on the middle aged woman’s lips is “when am I going to Camp Friendship.” Her parents Bernard and Demaris Friel can really tell she’s got the bug when she begins to sing the Camp Friendship song. Kim is one of the few perennial campers who has made the trek out to the northern shores of Clearwater Lake since the very beginning 40 years ago. “It would be devastating for Kim not to go to Camp Friendship,” said Bernard, who lives in Mendota Heights with his family. ”We sign her up every year because she just adores it.” Since 1964, when Friendship Ventures was first established, it has built a reputation as a place where mentally disabled children and adults can find new friends and adventures, and as a place where parents can find respite from the tremendous job of caring for a handicapped child. On Sunday, Sept. 19, from 1 to 3 p.m., the camp will celebrate that history with its 40th Anniversary Celebration and Volunteer Recognition program. Some of the founders will speak and one of the parents put together a slide show that will feature a record of memories from the last four decades, said coordinator Dianne Graphenteen. Camp Friendship’s history is an interesting one. It was started by an organization called Arc of Minnesota during a time when advocates of the mentally disabled were working on legislation to improve institutions, and there were very few recreational opportunities available to them. The land it was built on has its own history that can be traced back to the time of Abraham Lincoln. Octavius Longworth was the first owner of the property. The section of wilderness was deeded to him by Abraham Lincoln himself, camp president Georgann Rumsey said. Longworth built a big log cabin and became known for his generosity in welcoming passing trappers, hunters and fishermen into his home. Years later, the Tuelles resort opened in that same location, creating a vacation spot for the elite on the beautiful shores of Clearwater Lake. During the Great Depression, the property once again changed hands and names, though the purpose remained the same. Beecher’s Resort opened its cabin doors at a more affordable price, becoming a retreat for the common man as well as the elite. When Art Beecher left the resort business, he made it clear that he wanted the land to be used to benefit those with mental disabilities. Arc, of which Beecher was a member, bought the land and Camp Friendship was born. In those early years the cabins were not as nice, but the activities were very similar to today. “We had a waterfront program,” said Jerry Walsh, one of the camp’s founders; “row boats, canoes, the island – we’d stay overnight there.” In 1966, United States Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey visited the camp for its dedication ceremony. Humphrey had been a friend and visitor of the Beechers when they owned the resort. “In the days before, we had helicopters doing practice landings and people scoping things out because the Vice President of the United States was coming,” said Walsh. “There was no flagpole at camp before the dedication so we had to make one. I think we used a tree and put a croquet ball painted white on the top.” Today the camp touches nearly 3,000 children, teenagers and adults each year with its educational, recreational and social programs. It serves people with mental retardation and various other disabilities including hearing or vision impairments, physical challenges, autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, brain injury, diabetes or any of an array of syndromes. Because it is a nonprofit organization, it depends upon the dedication of its well-trained staff and the more than 75,000 hours donated annually by more than 1,500 volunteers from around the world. “For a disabled child, Camp Friendship provides some of the most significant experiences of their life,” said Bernard. “Kim experienced things there she never otherwise would have. It has helped her have a more normal existance.”