Locals looking for a family-friendly New Year’s Eve bash need look no further than Camp Helen. From 7–10 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 31, the Limestone Baptist Association will host a night of fireworks, food, fellowship and games.

The 32-acre camp at 14477 Baptist Camp Road in Harvest has recently undergone a major facelift. They have added a commercial kitchen to the dining hall, a 24-foot-by-28-foot outdoor pavilion, a fishing pond, a new sports pool and 100-foot backyard water slide. The camp also features dorms with heating and plumbing and accommodations for up to 60 guests.

The Rev. Kevin Ward, who serves as director of missions, said they are trying to “get the place back on the map” as a great place that can be rented for community events.

In recent years, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts groups have used the camping facilities. Camp Hope, a hospice camp, met at the site last summer, and Lindsay Lane Christian Academy has used the facilities for the school’s field day.

“We are trying to find ways throughout the year that are just for the community,” Ward said. “A no-strings-attached kind of thing.”

The New Year’s celebration is one of the ways Ward hopes to re-familiarize the community with Camp Helen.

Ward encourages those who plan to come to bring a finger food to share and to bundle up. Most of the night’s events will take place in the dining hall, but folks will have to go outside to view the fireworks.

“It won’t be a huge show, but we’ll have enough to have some fun,” he said.