June 18th

With the end of the session getting closer, there are a ton of special traditions that happen in the last week of camp! This morning was the Bum’s Prank. The oldest cabin, Bum’s Rest, plans a prank for one of the last breakfasts of camp, complete with a theme, costumes, music, and more!

This year, the theme was America, more specifically “God Bless Bum’s Rest,” in celebration of the upcoming 250th Fourth of July. They focused on the Hamilton/Founding Fathers/1776 aspect of American history, complete with powdered wigs for all involved! Instead of the wake-up bell, we were awoken by Reveille, followed by “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Party in the USA.” Bum’s decked out the Dining Hall, complete with the “Declaration of Bum's Rest” (with Dammie’s signature bigger than John Hancock’s), the infamous fake horse, and a canoe right in the middle of everything.

At one point, we said the Pledge of Allegiance, then the Bum's campers piled into the boat and started throwing tea bags at everyone à la the Boston Tea Party. From there, it turned into a full-on Hamilton moment, with sing-alongs and acted-out performances featuring everyone from the Schuyler sisters to Ben Franklin and George Washington. At one point, Paul Revere even ran through, warning us that “the British are coming!”. Somewhere in the chaos, the horse made its way back into the Dining Hall after a year-long hiatus, which only added to the energy and excitement of the whole thing.

They led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and right after, they all piled into the boat and started throwing tea bags at everyone à la the Boston Tea Party. From there, it turned into full-on Hamilton, with sing-alongs and theatrical performances featuring everyone from the Schuyler sisters to Ben Franklin and George Washington. At one point, Paul Revere even ran through the Dining Hall, warning us that “the British are coming!”.

The older girls look forward to getting to do this tradition for years, and all in all, it’s one of our most entertaining traditions and special way to close out the session with lots of fun and silliness.