We have had an AMAZING weekend on Old Forge Mountain! It has been SUPER busy, but oh so much fun!! There was no time to stop and write yesterday, so I decided to fill you in with a weekend update that includes all the best of the last two days. If I had to sum up the past two days in one word it would be JUBILANT! We worked hard to plan an exciting, fun, over the top weekend for our campers, and it was unforgettable!
Yesterday was such a great day! We slept in late and cheered upon entry in the dining hall to see Krispy Kreme waiting on the tables, the first of many joyful moments in our weekend. YUM! We love “Sleep-in Saturday”, especially when it comes with donuts and no cabin inspection. This is the best way to start the day, according to the campers! After breakfast, we headed out for a day full of activities with our cabin for cabin choice day.
While campers were enjoying the sunshine and embracing the fun of their activities, the Gillespie Gymnasium was being transformed into a carnival extravaganza worthy of all the hype. Monte Carlo is the favorite EP tradition of Session B, and last night’s event left us all feeling on top of the world. From food to games, campers enjoyed a joyful night strolling from station to station, enjoying great food, fun games and cool prizes.
Favorite Details of the Day - Saturday
- Meals: It’s sleep in Saturday! You know what that means…Krispy Kreme for breakfast! We enjoyed boxes of freshly glazed donuts, sausage links, scrambled eggs, and fresh fruit for breakfast. For lunch we had copycat Chick-Fil-A sandwiches with waffles fries and salad. For dinner we were served jambalaya, hush puppies, and fresh salads.
- Weather: It was a hot and sunny day here at Camp Highlander!
- EP: The evening program of the night was Monte Carlo! The entire gym and slab were both transformed into magical carnivals with plenty of games, sweet treats, and prizes to win!
Today we celebrated Independence Day, and it was truly a day like no other. We have a tradition at Camp Highlander on the 4th of July called Stars and Stripes each year. Camp is divided into two teams, and they battle to see which part of the flag is more important, the 13 stripes that represent the colonies that founded this country or the 50 stars that represent the states that represent our country today. Competitions ranged from slip & slide, bombardment, canoeing & kayaking, pool relays and more…jubilant fun!
Before we started our afternoon of competition, we had a 5K run/walk event called the Highlander Freedom 5K. Every camper and staff member was given a Stars and Stripes t-shirt before the race. After the race, we danced in a color bomb on our land sports field, and it was AWESOME! Covered in red and blue dust, campers were smiling from ear to ear…what jubilant fun!
The afternoon was filled with sunshine and some water too! Campers and staff were overjoyed with another surprise in their day…today’s apple cart snack was replaced with a watermelon cart! They were SO excited for this little treat that made their day memorable and sweet!
After dinner we all gathered for a wonderful campfire of music, dancing and celebration. We recognized our honor campers and honor cabins for week one of Session B 2021.
This week’s Honor Campers and Cabins:
- Lower Camp Girls: Ivy W. from Cabin 17
- Lower Camp Boys: Keller R. from Cabin 22
- Upper Camp Girls: Isabelle from Cabin 5
- Upper Camp Boys: Tate K. from Cabin 34
- Girls Camp: We had a tie…Cabin 17 and Cabin 3
- Boys Camp: Cabin 33
Following the campfire, we gathered on the land sports field for our annual fireworks show and enjoyed warm chocolate chip cookies, a Sunday night tradition. This was by far the best fireworks show we have ever had at Highlander. The sky was lit for 25 minutes with the most beautiful colors, while patriotic music played over the speakers. As I watched your children ooh and ahh over the display, I was overwhelmed with gratitude to share this moment and so many more with them this session. What a jubilant celebration!
Favorite Details of the Day - Sunday
- Reflect: Today Bryan read us I am the Flag of the United States of America by Howard Schnauber. It was inspiring and moving to think about Old Glory and what its representation of our peace and freedom.
- Meals: For breakfast we enjoyed blueberry muffins, scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit, oatmeal and grits. For lunch we had grilled cheese, tomato soup and green salad. Dinner was a classic American BBQ with pulled pork, pulled chicken, baked beans, cole slaw, mac and cheese and red white and blue popsicles for dessert. We all enjoyed a patriotic playlist in the dining hall with every meal that made today extra fun!
- Weather: We woke up to chilly temperatures, which made our freedom 5K perfect! The sun was out and it warmed up quickly. The evening brought cooler temperatures which made campfire cozy and fireworks magical!
- EP: Campfire and Fireworks…it doesn’t get much better than that!
