June 14th

Sundays at camp are very special! The rest of the week, our campers have eight activities; four they attend on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and four on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. But Sundays have a totally different schedule. Campers get to sleep in an extra 30 minutes (always a win!), and breakfast is a treat: quiche, cinnamon rolls, and even Lucky Charms! Afterward, the girls have some time to clean their cabins before we all gather in Chapel. We sing, listen to a few readings, and enjoy a skit or performance. Today, one of our ukulele classes performed “I’ll Fly Away,” with everyone singing along. We also had a camper skit acting out a Bible story, complete with sheep costumes and two designated campers playing the part of trees!

At the end of Chapel, counselors announce the Sunday activity options. These rotate each week, alongside some all-time Camp classics we offer every Sunday: the Old Bald hike, Dam Swim, and Slip ’n Slide. This week included “Breeze and Freeze,” where campers sailed for the first half and then came back to make ice cream from scratch in plastic bags. Other options included fairy house building, “grandma hobbies” (mahjong and needlepoint), paddleboard yoga! After sign-ups, lunch, and rest hour, everyone heads off to their chosen Sunday activities!

Once activities wrap up, campers make their way to Lilypad for Sunday dinner: Cookout! We all enjoy hamburgers and hotdogs picnic style on the Waterfall field. On a typical Sunday, we would meet again later in the evening for Campfire. But since this was the last full Sunday of the session, we had Follow the Gleam as our Evening Program! This is a skit about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, acted out by the oldest and youngest campers. It follows Arthur from his childhood, to his time learning with Merlin, to his eventual rise to the throne. Through the knights’ stories of their search for the Holy Grail, campers learn the importance of self-sacrifice and putting others before themselves.

After the performance, we all grab candles and walk down to the lake, where we set them afloat on the lake, representing the spirit of Merrie-Woode that we all carry with us back into the real world. This tradition has been going on for decades, and it’s always such a meaningful night, especially seeing the campers take part in something so special!