Camp Is Just Around The Corner

May 13, 2026

Summer is quickly approaching

Boo-Whoop! Camp is just around the corner! With summer quickly approaching, we are so excited to kick off Merrie-Woode’s 108th season and welcome our campers to our Place of Rarest Beauty. As campers experience new challenges and adventures at Merrie-Woode, we will keep families connected with daily photographs and frequent posts on the Tajar Blog, sharing more about the “Why” behind our many activities and traditions.


We are intentionally starting this year’s blog posts with Merrie-Woode’s Mission and Values. They are at the heart of who we are and why we do what we do at Camp. Everything we do at Merrie-Woode relates back to the Mission in some way. It is so important that our entire community knows the fundamentals of the Mission Statement. 


Merrie-Woode is a sanctuary of rarest beauty which inspires a lasting awareness of God’s presence. The Mission of Camp Merrie-Woode is to use that setting to nurture the physical, intellectual and spiritual growth of girls and young women through traditional camp activities and outdoor adventures. In this friendly, non-competitive community of simplified living, each individual is valued for who she is and who she will become.

While camp days are full of challenges, new friendships, learning new skills, and reaching higher levels of proficiency, the campers’ spiritual growth is often the most impactful part of the Merrie-Woode experience. On the final Sunday of each session, the entire Camp comes together to watch our oldest campers perform Follow the Gleam, a play about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table as they embark on their quest in search of the Holy Grail. Each knight returns and reports to King Arthur about the outcome of his search. Through their stories, the campers learn that the Holy Grail is only revealed to those who live lives of unselfish service. Each camper and counselor processes out of Chapel carrying a single candle that she then floats out onto Lake Fairfield, signifying the Spirit of Merrie-Woode that she will carry back into the world. 


This idea of carrying the Merrie-Woode spirit back into the world is further emphasized at the end of our Closing Campfire. On our final evening together, as we stand around the swim dock before singing Taps, we listen to the words of Dammie’s Prayer: 

God of the Hills, grant me Thy strength to go back into the cities without faltering, strength to help my neighbor who has no hills to remember. 


God of the Lake, grant me Thy peace and Thy restfulness. Restfulness to carry the tired one whom I shall meet everyday; content to do small things with a freedom of littleness, self-control for the unexpected emergency, and patience for the wearisome task; with the deep depths within my soul to bear me through the crowded places, and the laughter of the sunny waves to brighten cheerless spots in a long winter. 


God of the Stars, may I take back the gift of friendship and love for all. Fill me with a great tenderness for the needy person at every turning. Grant that in all my perplexities and everyday decisions I may keep an open mind. 


God of the Wilderness, with Thy pure winds blow away my pettiness; with the harsher winds of winter drive away my selfishness and hypocrisy, fill me with the breaths and depths and the height of Thy wilderness. 


May I live out the truths which Thou has taught me in every thought and word and deed. Amen. 



These words are committed to our hearts each summer, carried with us as inspiration and a reminder that the gift we receive of our time at Merrie-Woode should be used in the service of others.


We look forward to sharing more Camp traditions, songs, stories, and memories with you during the upcoming weeks. As we count down to Opening Day, we will highlight all of Merrie-Woode’s eleven Values: Wilderness and the Outdoors, Simplified Living, Challenge, Play, Spirituality, Integrity, Community, the Individual, Friendship, Our History, and Service. We will take a look into how these Values show up in daily life at Camp. 


We are counting down the days until summer begins! 


Chug-a-wump and see you soon,

Robin and Frost

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July 12

July 12, 2026
Happy Sunday! We are always looking forward to Sundays at Camp, and it’s easy to see why... they’re so much fun! Between 30 extra minutes of sleep, Chapel, and plenty of time spent with friends, Sundays always feel extra special. We kicked off our Sunday with an exciting Chapel, complete with visitors, a speaker, and even a musical performance! Longtime camper and counselor Susan Edwards Lewis joined us once again, and we are always so happy when she comes to Camp. Susan spoke about the importance of grounding and helped us better understand why Merrie-Woode feels like such a grounding place to so many of us. Drawing from the scripture readings and Dammie’s Prayer, she reflected on the idea of the "freedom of littleness." In the "real world", we can sometimes feel like it is too risky to try new things when we may not have the knowledge or experience to succeed. Susan encouraged us to see the encouragement and sense of belonging that surrounds us at Camp as a gift. Because of that support, we can challenge ourselves to do hard things. There is something incredibly grounding about recognizing that you are one small part of something much bigger than yourself. Whether it's being a member of your cabin, your activity group, or the Merrie-Woode community as a whole, that sense of belonging helps us feel connected, supported, and rooted. It was such a thoughtful message and a wonderful way to begin our Sunday together. Following Susan’s message, we enjoyed a special performance from one of our Guitar classes! The group played and sang Noah Kahan's "Everywhere, Everything," and it was such a fun addition to Chapel. One of our favorite things is getting to watch campers share what they've been working on in their activities, and they did a wonderful job.

The Merrie-Woode Values: Community

July 10, 2026
Community: Living in a friendly, inclusive, and mutually supportive community makes it possible for girls and young women to grow into their best selves.

July 8th

July 8, 2026
Our Main Session feels like it's flying by! We're nearing the halfway point, but our campers are making sure to soak up every second under Old Bald. With activities, table assignments, and so much of Camp life mixing girls from different cabins and age groups, it's always fun when campers get a chance to spend some time with others in their own age group. That's where PYSK comes in! PYSK stands for Page, Yeoman, Squire, and Knight, our four age groups here at Camp. For this Evening Program, campers split up by age group and head off to enjoy activities planned just for them. For this PYSK, our Pages and Yeomen teamed up and gathered around the campfire with BadHair. He shared Jack Tales and Appalachian oral tradition stories, keeping campers entertained from start to finish. We always love when BadHair comes to Camp, and this year was no exception!  Our Squires were treated to a much-anticipated Dock Party! Between the music, floaties, water guns, and plenty of time in the lake, there was no shortage of laughter and fun down at the waterfront.
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