Today is the last full day of First Session, and our campers’ attention has turned to packing their trunks and saying their goodbyes. Tonight we’ll enjoy a farewell dinner in the Lodge and time for dancing, singing, and reflecting on the past four weeks we’ve spent together. The end of the session always seems to arrive suddenly, but that’s only because the past few days have been filled with so many special and memorable events that have helped all of us bring closure to what has been a wonderful month at camp.
On Thursday and Friday, Olympic Games took center stage as the whole camp participated in our exuberant color-themed closing ceremonies. Olympic Games competitions give our campers the chance to band together by color teams and to participate in unique challenges together. Campers from every unit were divided into Blue and Red teams, complete with team captains, team mascots, team cheers, and more.
The Red Team met as a group to develop their team cheers and practice their team songs.
Throughout the games, special events filled our evenings. On the first night, the traditional Nor’wester salmon bake brought everyone down to the bluffs above the waterfront to enjoy a delicious salmon dinner. Some campers brought their cook kits – and some gathered driftwood from the beach to use as plates and serving platters. A few intrepid campers and staff even found extra long pieces of wood that they used to serve multiple people!
The Blue Team performed their team cheer as part of Olympic Games competitions.
After we’d eaten our fill of salmon, everyone headed up to the Lodge for Art Night, a special event hosted by the Craft Shop staff. This year’s Art Night theme was “A Night on the Moon” (in honor of the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing), and campers and staff attended dressed in black and white – or in alien costumes! Games, performance art, and a fashion show gave us many opportunities to appreciate the many talents that our campers have put to good use in the Craft Shop this session.
At the Waterfront, campers participated in the “Shake N Bake” challenge, which involves covering one another with sand!
Olympic Games culminated on Friday evening with Banquet, Musicale, team captains’ speeches, team songs, and skits. Campers and staff donned their fanciest clothes and congregated in the Lodge for a delicious meal. Campers from the Islander and Wayfarer units served everyone, and they also facilitated the tradition of note passing that followed the meal.
The victorious “Shake N Bake” challengers!
Once the plates were cleared, everyone took part in rearranging the tables and benches for the evening’s Musicale performances, where we once again marveled at our community’s amazing talents. Following the musical showcase, staff members took the stage to perform the final installment of the multi-series “Les Miserables” parody skits that, over the course of both days of Olympics, narrated the progress of both color teams.
At the end of the skit, the Blue Team was announced as this year’s Olympic Games winner. But as we joined arms and sang together “The Golden Day is Dying” one last time, we were reminded of the ties we have to one another, special ties that endure beyond competition – and beyond the end of camp. It’s hard to believe that our First Session campers will be leaving tomorrow morning, but all of us are confident that this summer will live on in our hearts well beyond the goodbyes we exchange for now.
