July 3, 2024 by Henley Shumadine
The first week of Camp’s 98th season culminated in one of our most cherished traditions: the dance with Camp Maxwelton! Campers and staff took turns singing songs, camp-related or otherwise, on the 40-minute ride to the camp, followed by two rounds of snowballing. For anyone new around here, snowballing is when campers from both camps are randomly paired together to dance in front of everybody else. It was a good night for all, ending in another special tradition from both camps: goodnight songs to the opposite camp, and as an extra fun fact, Maxwelton’s song, “Goodnight Ladies”, has been in existence for around 50 years!
The first team competition of the summer, Playday, took place the following day, but with an Olympic twist. Instead of wearing their usual team colors, the Buffs wore red and the Greens wore blue, plus there was a special ceremony beforehand. Isabell Barnes, being the camper who traveled the farthest to get to camp (Azerbaijan!) had the honor of carrying the Olympic torch to Vesper Hill; there, our wonderful program director, Jess, read an opening statement about the history of the Olympics, our team leaders and counselors took oaths, and everyone sang patriotic songs. Staff members dressed up for the occasion with ivy crowns and even a couple of togas! Ultimately, the Green team walked away with the day’s victory.
The Olympic energy continued into the afternoon, where the US gymnastic Olympic trials were screened in West Lodge for girls to watch. All of the performances were jaw-dropping, with, of course, Simone Biles standing out as the most incredible. And most of us here can’t even do a backflip…
Because the past 24 hours had been so active, we opted for a more chill evening activity on the night of the 29th: the auction! Counselors had fun putting on skits to present each of the thirty prizes, and campers were happy to receive… most of them. They ranged from cookies with Ann and rest hour at the waterfront to sweeping West Lodge – a wide variety!
Sunday morning began rainy, but the sun soon came out both literally and at church, where the music classes, directed by counselor Hannah Bonbright, sang “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles. Two Up and Three Up treated the rest of camp to a church themed around respect; all 25 campers and five counselors involved did a fantastic job explaining the meaning behind one of camp’s most valued virtues. The day concluded with bunkmate games, the annual competition to decide which pair of camp bunkmates really knows the most about each other. Does their bunkmate prefer strawberry or grape jelly? Which stuffed animals sleep on their bed? Would they rather spend the afternoon with Harry Potter, Harry Styles, or Taylor Swift? Congratulations to Summerset’s Clare Morrell and Brynne Hill on taking the coveted prize! (Bragging rights)
Camp’s first full week brought all of the energy, but now we’re feeling refreshed and ready for the second one (featuring the Fourth of July)!
