This is my 25th July 4th at camp, and I honestly do not know what regular people do to celebrate this day, or what I did before I came to Camp Highlander. I think maybe there was a family barbeque and we watched fireworks somewhere, maybe my driveway. It never felt like a holiday. But now, after experiencing the Highlander magic, July 4th is one of my favorite days of the entire year and it is definitely a holiday. I love the change of schedule on the 4th, the relaxed feeling of just celebrating with friends and the simple summer joys that this day holds for all of us.
The morning began with the 8:00 wakeup bell, followed by fireworks and patriotic music playing from speakers, while the whole mountain seemed to carry a little extra brightness. At Reflect at the Rock, I read “I Am the Flag of the United States” by Howard Schnauber. The crowd grew still as the words carried us through the story of our flag and all it has witnessed. I felt goosebumps rise as I looked out over all the faces gathered there and saw pride taking shape in every expression. When I reached the final lines, my throat tightened. “My name is ‘Old Glory.’ Long may I wave. Dear God in Heaven, Long may I wave.”
That feeling of pride stayed with us all day. It seemed to show up everywhere we turned. At breakfast, the dining hall became a huge birthday party for America. Flag tablecloths covered every table. Red, white, and blue pennants, balloons, and more filled the room, and patriotic songs played on repeat—from Bruce Springsteen to John Denver—the soundtrack for freedom. Campers and staff were dressed up in red, white, and blue, and even our international staff joined in the spirit, wearing their own versions of the holiday colors with pride.
The morning itself felt full of movement and joy. We had the Freedom 5K and the Color Bomb. There was a happy energy in the air that made every part of the day feel special. After rest hour, we spread out in different locations on camp, each division finding its own version of summer fun. Upper camp gathered at the slab for basketball and the pool for pool volleyball, football toss, and diving competitions. Intermediate camp spent the afternoon at the lake and Crow’s Nest. From the blob, wet, willie, kayaks, canoes, ziplines…everyone was having a blast. Lower camp took over the field with the inflatable obstacle course, inflatable waterslide, and a slip n’ slide. Every area had a lemonade stand and pretzels for snack, and I made my rounds with a watermelon cart instead of the usual apple cart. The campers loved the change, and there was something especially sweet about seeing their face as I handed out cold, juicy watermelon on a hot summer day.
After dinner, we enjoyed a good ole American square dance on the field, followed by a fantastic fireworks show. As darkness fell and the first burst of light exploded across the mountain sky, I watched our campers’ faces light up with wonder. For a moment, everything was quiet. Everyone was just there — together, watching beauty unfold above us. And I thought about what it means to be at Camp Highlander on a day like this. To be surrounded by people from different places, different backgrounds — all of us gathered under the same sky, celebrating the freedom to be here, to be ourselves, to be together.
That’s what today was really about. Not just fireworks and color bombs and patriotic decorations. It was about the freedom to run together, to laugh together, to dance together, to watch the night sky light up together, to sing together.
It was the singing that I will remember the most today. Just as lunch was winding down and announcements had not started, two cabins stood up and began singing the Star-Spangled Banner. They turned toward the back windows of the dining hall, where our American flag was hanging outside at the Assembly Court. With hands over their hearts and hats removed, they sang at the top of their lungs. One by one, more cabins joined in, then activity staff, and then everyone. We sang together, hearts full, as the words “O’er the land of the FREE and the home of the BRAVE” rang through the room. Clapping, cheering, whistles, and chanting of “USA! USA! USA!” followed. Tears flooded my eyes.
All day we kept singing. For the fireworks finale tonight, Miley Cyrus came on and everyone sang along with their hands up…they were playing our song. Today was just that…A Party in the USA!
Favorite Details of the Day
- Reflect at the Rock: “I Am the Flag of the United States”
- Weather: Hot and sunny!! We are expecting some rain in the next few days, and we really do need it. But I am so grateful for the sunshine today! We have been truly blessed with beautiful sunny days this session!
- Meals: For breakfast we had chocolate croissants, scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit, yogurt and granola bar. For lunch, everyone’s favorite, chicken fingers and french fries with a salad bar and sandwich bar. Because it was a holiday, we had dessert at lunch today…red, white and blue BOMB POPS! Such a delicious treat on a hot day. Dinner we all enjoyed Mac’s smoked BBQ - pulled port, pulled chicken, baked beans, vinegar cole slaw, macaroni and cheese and slider buns. We had our salad bar and sandwich bar available too. Then…we got dessert! Two desserts in one day was AMAZING. Nothing says American quite like Mrs. Kaye’s homemade apple crisp with vanilla bean ice cream!
- Freedom 5K Winners: Male Camper-Nico Adler Male Staff - Eric Nord Female Camper - Alexis Fuhr Female Staff - Maddy Polin
- Evening Program: Square dance on the field, followed by a fantastic fireworks show. Thank you Highlander fireworks team!
- Something We’re Still Laughing About: This morning at breakfast, cabins walked in to find their 250th Celebration t-shirts waiting for them. The tradition is to print red and blue ink on white shirts so everyone can wear them for the color bomb. We were SO excited about creating a shirt that would be remembered forever, as one of those…”Wow! You were there in 2026 for the 250th?” because you had the shirt. We wanted the shirts to be UNFORGETTABLE…well, we got what we wished for. Just as we saw the first cabin pulling the pile apart to sport their new Highlander tee, we saw it…UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 250th Anniversary at Camp Higlander. Did you get that? HIGLANDER. The t-shirts were misprinted. All we could do was laugh and say…well, this is a July 4th t-shirt that we will ALL remember!
About Melissa Fitzgerald
