Bittersweet Saturdays

It is hard to believe it is the second day of August already! It seems like just yesterday we were finishing school and starting to get camp ready. This week certainly turned out to be another amazing week! With plenty of sunshine and some warmer weather, our campers sure had a blast on the water and in the land (and some in the air!). Wednesday night was a bit of a surprise for campers, and certainly something that would only happen at Camp Daggett. While introducing “Slug Fest 2014” (a celebration of all things slug related), our assistant program director Nathan was kidnapped by none other than the Joker and Loki, and thus began superhero night! After some superhero training, all of our campers went around and honed their skills. Everything ended well as Nathan was rescued by some of the avengers at the conclusion of the night.
Thursday was another fantastic day with some more great weather. Campers certainly loved going out to the raft, and yak boarding is always a hit. But it was Thursday night that took the stage as Medieval Night came to town. Campers always love it when dinner is a little special, and Medieval Night is certainly one not to be missed. Our night cook Dennis prepared some amazing roast beef, and then sliced it up right in front of campers. Of course, this was all under the direction of our King and Queen (Brandon and Sara). After dinner, campers got a chance to practice their archery, get a fortune told, and even practice their jousting skills. The biggest hit may have been the stockades, where campers got a chance to soak our staff with some wet sponges.

As always, Fridays never see a dull moment. Rest hour is certainly appreciated after a long morning of parties and games in every area. Friday evening is also when we hold our weekly Initiation ceremony. This night starts with some awards, recognizing campers who have helped to make the week extra special. The night ends with our special ceremony, which is truly something unique. Almost every camper can recall their veryfirst initiation, and everyone helps to contribute to the magic that is Friday night. If you haven’t already, please take a moment to complete our Parent/Camper evaluation survey by clicking here.

Campers enjoy some face paint during Medieval night

Scotty, the Chippewa cabin counselor, is buried while playing Nuke ‘Em on Friday,

Advertisement

One last day

Today is Friday, and we couldn’t have asked for a better day to end out week on. It certainly seems like it has been more than a week though; it seems that we have done so much! Wednesday saw so many new things. In our canoeing area, campers learned some canoeing safety when they had to flip their canoes over, and then flip them back. This is a very important skill, especially for our oldest and 2nd oldest cabins (Crow and Huron, and Blackfeet and Ojibwe, respectively). These cabins canoed to their campouts on Wednesday or Thursday night. Crow and Huron went on Wednesday while Blackfeet and Ojibwe went last night. Wednesday also saw our famous “Mud Walk,” put on during free land by our nature staff. In this activity, campers wore their bathing suits to nature and went for a quick dip in our mud puddle. Then, everyone got  a chance to take a dip in the lake. Wednesday morning also saw our lake swim. At 6:30 in the morning, 20 campers and some staff were boated across to the other side of the lake, and then got a chance to swim back. With lifeguards swimming, yak boarders, and power boats, everyone was safe as the group swam the 3/4 mile swim back to camp. At breakfast, those who participated got some hot chocolate and donuts.

Wednesday night was a bit of  a surprise, as we told all the campers that is was going to be “Sarah” night, in honor of the many Sarahs that we have on staff. However, while they were explaining the activity, a van driven by some supervillans abducted our assistant program director Nathan, as well as hit pet rock Herbert! With the help of some good superheroes, campers went through various stations and followed many clues to help rescue Nathan and Herbie. In the end, campers witnessed an epic battle between the superheros and villans on our raft. Eventually, the good guys won (don’t they always?), and saved Herbie and freed Nathan from clutches of evil.

Thursday was also an exciting day. A big hit always on Thursdays is yak boarding. Yak boards are like small open kayaks that campers get to go on in canoeing, and everyone seems to love it! Thursday night also saw some interesting games in swimming, including a newer hit “Where’s my tugboat?” Using teamwork and cooperation, campers had to steal a tugboat and swim through the water without getting caught, in the style of red light-green light. Our basketball court also got covered in some wonderful sidewalk chalk art thanks to arts and craft. A classic activity that never gets old was nature’s trips to our frog pond, where campers used nets to catch (and release) some wild frogs.

Thursday night ended with our “Medieval Night.” During a fancy dinner of roast beef carved fresh by our night cook Dennis and our canoeing director Alex, campers were split into “houses.” During the night activity, campers pledged their support to these houses. In this free for all activity, campers practiced jousting, got knighted, and even had their fortunes told by our ominous fortune-teller. A battle concluded the night, with staff members fighting for control of our throne. In the end, everyone had a blast.

Today, Friday, marks a bittersweet time. While this is the last day of camp for this week, there are still many things to be done. Parties are being held in areas, with music, dancing, and of course lots of laughter. Tonight will end with our initiation ceremony, which is always a special time. After some awards, new campers, with the help of some staff,  will get to show off some of their skills while doing some silly tricks, many of which resemble things from the show “Minute to win it.”  Our ceremony will end the night, and will see some long-held traditions being used to welcome our new camp members into the spirit of Daggett.

What a Week!

Well, week 6 has come and gone. While the weather wasn’t always the best this session, everyone sure did make the best of it. Our staff can be so amazing at making the best out of bad situations. Luckily, the weather was great for our version of the Olympic games on Thursday. After rest hour, campers did not have their afternoon classes or free water and land; instead they had Olympics. After some flag making and cheer creating, the teams of Ireland, Australia, Germany and…Chad had an opening parade up to the rec field to watch Leroy carry the Olympic torch to our very own Olympic flame. The water events would be first, with campers racing canoes and sailboats, carrying wet towels, and even sinking canoes! After the water events, the team sports began first with some water polo, Nuke ‘Em, Dodgeball and Ultimate frisbee. After these sports, the teams all got together for some Tug Of War! Going into dinner, it was a close contest with the teams only separated by 4 points! Dinner was special, as all teams sat together under their own flags. The second round of games began after dinner, with Volleyball, Hockey, Soccer, and a water balloon toss. The evening concluded with our super relay which saw some campers running, arching, swimming, canoeing and even a potato sack race. In the end, Char won the gold for the day, although it was close and all our Olympians had a blast.

Friday once again saw some easy going activities, as parties were held in many of the areas. With lots of music, dancing, and even some grass skirts, campers had a blast as they celebrated their final day at camp. In the evening we held our weekly initiation. After a short award ceremony, cabins got a chance to act out the skits they had been practicing all week! Topics covered by the skits ranged all the way from “Where’d John Guirey’s hair go?” to “How did all the animals get in mac hall?” The staff also found out that many of our campers are great actors and actresses! At the end of the evening, our initiation ceremony was special and memorable for all the new campers, as well as the old.

As campers leave on Saturday, it is always good to hear them telling many stories about the week that they were here. However, as it is week 6, it is important to recognize a group of individuals that will also be leaving us. This group is our 15 year old Program aides and Service aides. During their two-week stay at camp, these former campers helped out so much- from cleaning bathrooms and packing for campouts, to walking around with cabins and participating in night activities. Camp would not run as smoothly as it does without the dedication and services provided by this valuable group of people. They will surely be missed.

With that, it is time to prepare for the final two weeks of camp. Feel free to follow along as we begin this final stretch of camp to read about many more of the things that will be happening. Also feel free to post comments and share memories about camp on these blog posts. Today, we will also try something new! Use the poll below to cast your vote with your camper (s) as to which night activity was liked the best, or which sounded the most fun!

Week Five is in the Books

Fridays at camp are always bittersweet. While the days are full of smiles, parties, and laughing, there is also the lingering fact that Saturday all must go home. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun on Friday! Whether it was making sand castles and swimming during a beach party, catching tennis balls in yak boards, or going out to the frog pond, almost everyone had a smile on their face as they celebrated their last day at camp. Our area directors played lots of music so campers could sing and dance while participating in our many activities. Campers from the oldest cabins, Chippewa and Blackfeet, were even singing on their canoe trip back from the pines.

Campers also got a treat Friday night when dinner was a cookout. Our maintenance director Leroy, along with the kitchen staff, helped to grill up some hot dogs and hamburgers for the meal. Once they got their food, everyone ate outside and had a big picnic! Of course, Friday night saw our initiation ceremony. While not much can be divulged (your campers will surely fill you in), everyone had a blast as we welcomed our new campers into the spirit of Daggett. After a meaningful and fun ceremony, their were lots of hugs and goodbyes before bed. In the morning, we had breakfast and sang our “Top Three” songs of the week, as well as recognized our campers who have been here for 5, 6, 7, or 8 years. We also had a special treat, as campers took a photo sending off our adventure director on the “Kayak for a Cause” tour of Walloon Lake. Click here to learn more about it!

We hope you have enjoyed some of the updates we have made with this blog. Again, it is new to us so we appreciate feedback, as well as the sharing of your and your camper’s memories and experiences at camp.  Even though your camper may have left us, feel free to continue to follow along to see some of the many things that are going on this summer at camp. Thank You!