Weekend Update: Saturday Session A

I made a resolution this year that I need to tell you about.

This is Byran and I’s 25th summer at Highlander and upon reflection I’ve realized that the thing I value most is time with campers and staff. That time holds my fondest memories over the last 25 years and make up the best part of my day. So this summer, I made a commitment to spend more time with my camp family, which meant I needed to let a few things go.

One of those things I determined would be my weekend blogs. To honor my commitment, Saturdays and Sundays will look a little different Instead of a longer post, you’ll get a Weekend Update featuring my Favorite Details of the Day—the facts and highlights that made me smile.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to spend my days with your amazing children. Trading a little writing time for a little more camp time is a trade I’ll gratefully make every single weekend of the summer, and I appreciate your grace!

Favorite Details of the Day:

• Sleep In Saturday: The dining hall erupted last night when I announced Sleep In Saturday. Who knew 30 minutes of extra sleep would be such a gift to our campers, but they were SO excited! When we sleep in, we do not have Reflect at the Rock or Assembly. We have an efficient morning and head straight to activities after breakfast to keep us on schedule. And another perk besides sleeping in…NO CABIN INSPECTION! I was very popular today!
• Weather: Sunny skies all day. The weather this week has been such a tremendous blessing. I love seeing our campers have fun in the sun, and today was Camper’s Choice day so they were having SO MUCH FUN!!
• Meals: For breakfast we had DONUTS, scrambled eggs, bacon, grits, oatmeal and a fresh fruit bar. I have to tell you about these donuts. They are from a local shop in Asheville called Ava’s, and they are just the best. The campers went crazy for them, and it was so fun to see their faces and hear their cheers when they walked in to this sweet surprise.For lunch we had Philly cheesesteaks, tater tots, a salad bar and a sandwich bar. Dinner was a CH tradition…Mac’s BBQ. Smoked overnight in our smoker and seasoned to perfection, we enjoyed pulled pork, pulled chicken.macaroni and cheese, vinegar coleslaw, baked beans and slider buns. The campers had a busy day, and they were HUNGRY! They devoured the food and gave a standing ovation to the kitchen. It was fantastic!
• EP: COUNTRY FAIR! This is our Session A big EP, and one of my favorites. The Gillespie Gymnasium was converted into an old fair with games, prizes, fair food and more. There was watermelon wrestling, a dunk tank, hillbilly bowling, a bull ride and a lot more games for campers to win tickets and prizes. The tickets were used to either play more games, buy snacks (caramel apple dippers, hot french fries, pretzel bites, cotton candy and popcorn) or bid on a camp Director. There were buckets set up for campers to put their name on a ticket and select the Director that they wanted to pie in the face at the end of the night. There were six buckets and three pies that would eventually end up smashed in someone’s face. I spent the night recruiting campers to bid on other directors, hoping that this year I would be spared. No such luck. Mac, Riley and I were the lucky three directors to take a pie to the face. We drew names out of the bucket of bids, and three campers got to come and take their shot. The campers loved it, and if I am being honest, it was really fun!
• Honoring My Commitment: Today, I had the chance to do two things that reminded me why I committed to spending more time with campers and staff this summer. First, I led a staff-only pool Zumba class at 8:00 a.m., before the rest of camp was awake, and it was such a fun way to start the day. Then during fifth period, Amy, one of our photographers, and I taught Camp Highlander’s very first Mahjong class. Ten campers joined us, and they absolutely loved it! I was so impressed by how quickly they picked up such a challenging game, and by the end of class they were already asking to play again. The best part? We’re bringing Mahjong back on Wednesday—with a Camp Highlander twist—in the pool!