Hi Folks,
NO ANNOUNCEMENTS TODAY!
You shoulda seen it. You couldn’t, of course, but if you did, you would have LOVED it! Tonight was Karaoke Night, and to say it was great is to understate the fact. In all our years here, we have never seen a Karaoke Night that was better. Truly.
Each cabin put on a skit to music, and they worked so hard! The weather yesterday was wet in the morning (at times, anyway) so we devoted an hour of morning programming to practice time for tonight’s Karaoke Night. Clearly most of the cabins took advantage of that, and it showed. The Junior Village was adorable, of course, and they were all pretty tight in their lip syncing and dancing. We were impressed!
Then came the Intermediate Village. It was one great skit after another. The kids were poised on stage, kept it together (in other words, did not just break out in giggles), and each cabin put on a great show!
The Seniors were also fantastic, with a blend of humor and very clever creativity. In the end, judges had to pick one winning cabin in each village, and we didn’t envy that task. Ultimately they did choose 3 cabins, which was really just not enough. So, using my directorly discretion, we awarded a prize to one additional cabin.
Here are the 2 best parts of Karaoke Night:
1) Are there some kids who just have that flare for the dramatic? Yes. And this program is great for them. Often on Karaoke Night, we also see kids whom we had no idea had any sort of dramatic talent or interest, and yet they shine! Tonight was no different. For some kids, this was a break out night!
2) Talk about a venture that brings a group together! Choreographing and performing together is the ultimate group accomplishment, and even the cabins who didn’t “win” the night came off the stage bouncing, smiling, and understanding they did that TOGETHER! It’s really so simple, and can have such a lasting impact. What a night!!
We had a nice day today. It was overcast for most of the day, and warm, but not too hot. We had a typical camp day, and during Rest Period we signed up for the 3rd Series of activities. That is the last series of the session, if you can believe that. We start them on Thursday, so we’ll post the new selections to your Keylog page by Wednesday. Earlier in the day, our UN Day captains and advisers selected their teams, and those were posted for everyone to see. In fact, in the Lodge at lunch, each team started with cheers, and that was cool to see.
On Sunday we awoke to wetness and even some thunder. Fortunately, it was Lazy Breakfast, so we had time for the weather to clear. Often times the 2nd Lazy Breakfast is not anywhere near as busy as the 1st, and when you add in the gloomy weather, we anticipated a slow morning.
Nope. It did start off slow, but before we knew it, we were slinging omelettes at a fever pace. It seems that these boys can pack it away rain or shine. As I mentioned before, the radar was sending us a big blob, so we used some morning time for Karaoke prep, and the plan was to then have an hour of indoor alternative plans to contend with the weather. Well, about 30 minutes before that was to begin, the rain stopped, and a little sunshine peaked through. So, we quickly changed gears and got the word around that we would go into a regular activity period. We’re just so nimble.
Too much so for our own good, apparently. About 5 minutes before that was to start, well…the wetness returned. Sigh. So, we quickly got word out that we were, in fact, going to alternative programming, and that’s what we did. Ya think Mother Nature cooperated?
Nope. It was dry and even a little sunny about 30 minutes later. Sigh.
That afternoon we had some games with a nearby boys’ camp. We played softball, soccer, ultimate frisbee, basketball, tennis, and archery. Anyone who wanted to play was on the team, and they had a fun time. And kids who didn’t want to play had a wide array of clinics to participate in. Our younger kids were here in camp, and our older kids traveled to the other camp for the games. And in case anyone had not had enough with the games, after dinner we had Cabin Challenge games, which was more light hearted fun.
FUTURE TRIP DEPARTURES:
- Northern Highlands, WI – 3 days lake canoeing
- Ontonogan River, MI – 3 days river canoeing
- Tettegouche State Park (North Shore), MN – 4 days rock climbing
By lunch time tomorrow, we will have sent out 14 different trips. And there are still plenty to go. We have heard rave reviews from the boys returning, and we continue to be very proud of the kids who take that leap of faith and get into the wilderness.
We’ll write again soon.
Benches up,
Mike, Leslie & Dustin