When I went to camp growing up, meals at my all-girls camp were a production. We wore uniforms with team ties. Manners were strictly enforced, and corrected out loud, right at the table. We sang songs every meal (fun fact: I ended up being a song leader on staff one summer). And there was one rule that has stayed with me longer than any song ever did — the three-bite rule. Every camper had to eat at least three bites of everything on their plate, and your counselor watched you do it to be sure. I once sat at that table for an entire hour, arms crossed, refusing to stomach three bites of collard greens, while the rest of my cabin went on to evening activities. It was, without exaggeration, one of the longest hours of my childhood.
But there was one meal a week I never dreaded, and I counted down to it every single time: cookout. We called it slide supper. It was casual and relaxed, the menu was full of everything a kid actually wanted to eat, and — best of all — nobody was watching my plate. For one meal a week, I was completely free.
That feeling of being free is something we try to create intentionally at Highlander. Tonight was one of my favorite ways we do that — Cookout on the Field. As I stood watching our campers soak up every minute of it, I saw that gift of freedom embraced by every single one of them. Meals here look nothing like the ones I had at my summer camp. Our campers choose their own food. They eat what they want, with no one counting bites or correcting elbows. There are no uniforms, no assigned seats, no song required before you’re excused. We see mealtime as a time for fellowship, laughter, and joy. We crack jokes, call out cabins to “show me how to get down,” and enjoy the gift of simply being together. Meals here are fun yet structured, organized yet comfortable. And still, Cookout is a different animal entirely — just as it was back at my camp.
We announced Cookout in the dining hall earlier today, and the cheer that went up was loud enough to reach the top of Old Forge Mountain. Cookout might be the most beloved meal on our whole calendar, and I understand why. It was never really about the hamburgers and hot dogs, although they were very good. It’s about everything that comes with them — a change of scenery, a relaxed environment, and the freedom to play before you eat, while you eat, and after you eat. It just doesn’t get better than that.
After a full day of activities, off-camp hikes, and more adventure than I could keep track of, we gathered on the Athletic Field for dinner in the beautiful evening sun. Crazy creeks scattered the grass. Music carried across the field. The smell of burgers and hot dogs drifted off the grill, mixed with the simple feeling of being surrounded by all my favorite people.
I watched frisbees and footballs sail overhead, a tetherball match drawing a small crowd of cheering onlookers, a circle of girls braiding each other’s hair and trading the highlights of their day a camper tucked into a book in the grass, girls practicing cheering stunts and a cluster of kids dancing to whatever song came on next. No agenda. Nowhere else to be.
There’s a lesson tucked inside all of that unstructured play, even if none of these campers would ever call it that. Nobody handed them a schedule tonight. Nobody blew a whistle to move them from one activity to the next. Left completely to their own devices, they built exactly what camp is supposed to be built on: friendship, on their own terms, at their own pace. That’s not something you can program into an evening. You can only clear enough space for it to happen, and then get out of the way.
EP tonight carried that same relaxed feeling of freedom. Division Night was all about being with campers your own age, socializing, and just having fun playing games and making memories. No winners or losers tonight. No pressure to perform. Just kids being kids, having fun with their friends.
I’m grateful for nights like this one — for a staff that understands some of the best growth at camp happens with no structure at all, and for the leadership team members who make space for that growth to happen.
That’s the thing about Cookout that my younger self, stubborn and hungry in front of a plate of collard greens, would have understood instantly. It was never really about the food. It’s about a meal without pressure — just a field, good friends, and an evening that’s yours alone to spend.
At Camp Highlander, we believe in meeting campers right where they are. No pressure to perform. No ties. No sing-along. No three bites required. Just love, compassion, understanding, grace, and plenty of space to be yourself. Tonight reminded me how much we all need a little room — to sing, dance, play, and explore. Cookout is a small picture of the things that matter most to us at Highlander: good friends, good food, flexibility, and music you can dance to.
Favorite Details of The Day
- Reflect at the Rock: Today Spencer talked to us about being resilient. He used the illustration of an orange traffic cone. He encouraged us to have the flexibility and resilience of a traffic cone. We use traffic cones everywhere on Opening and Closing Days. They provide boundaries, give direction and help people feel safe. Traffic cones often get hit, swiped or even run over. And somehow, they pop back up into their original shape. The same thing goes for resilience. Each time we fail, struggle or lose, we have the opportunity to be like a traffic cone and pop back up into shape to try again. Resilience is measured in how we respond and move through tough situations. Like a traffic cone, we can’t always avoid the problem, but we can pop back up and keep going.
- Weather: Sunny skies ALL DAY!!! The weather was amazing on Old Forge today. Some people complained about it being hot, but I was so happy the sun was shining and everyone was enjoying their activities in cabin groups.
- Meals: Breakfast was bagels and cream cheese, scrambled eggs and sausage patties. We enjoyed fresh fruit, yogurt and granola. Lunch was Mediterranean pasta with chicken with hummus and pita bread. Dinner was Cookout - hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, pasta salad, potato chips, cold watermelon and chocolate chip cookies.
- Evening Program: Tonight’s EP was Division Night. Divisions went to different areas of camp to enjoy games, friendly competition and socializing with their friends. Campers love this laid back EP that doesn’t have an official winner, but is all about having fun.
About Melissa Fitzgerald
