Concerts, Crafts, & DMC's

“I have been coming to camp for 8 years and this was the best EP EVER!”

That is what one of the “fans” told me after the show. The pictures probably give you a good overview… but let me fill in the details.

1. Surprise… Everyone was expecting EP to be Opening Vespers. It was on the calendar for Thursday night but we surprised them with the Senior Hunt, Friday night was blank on the calendar and everyone knows that tonight is Team Fires (can’t move that one). Deductive reasoning doesn’t even hesitate… get those whites out (we wear white clothes for the tradition EP’s like Opening Vespers). Often I give an overview of the benefit of valuing the quiet traditions of camp, how beautiful the moments are, how it is good to not be ramped up for every event of life. Old timers were expecting the speech, so no surprise when I had an announcement after lunch:
“AT Greystone, we value times that are absolutely quiet and contemplative; tonight is not one of those times… We’re having a concert!”.
It is rare to catch this group completely off guard, this did it. When the counselors heard that Mockingbird Sun was coming, a genuine roar of delight went up… the campers immediately figured out that this would be a big deal. Announcing, off the cuff, to enjoy their Izzies and Ben and Jerries just topped it off— they were Very Excited.
2. The ice cream was perfect… it was a hot day, 90 degrees is perfect ice cream weather. The Izzies were served with “bendy” straws, don’t “bendy” straws make any party more fun?
3. The band was good; very good. They have their first song hitting the Country Music radio networks this week and have been busy touring and promoting their group. It is a Four person band, each playing multiple instruments (the guy with the hat can play almost anything), three of the four sing (harmonize beautifully). The music is perfect “country”: witty lyrics, snappy beat, very melodic at points, always with a jaunty edge. Most of your girls are now fans.
4. The girls were crazy. They screamed and cheered and danced for one hour straight (concert started at 7:45, the final loud number was an hour later).
5. The band ended quiet. I LOVE this… it is surprising. The girls had to get absolutely quiet, the band turned off the amps and the drummer left the stage as the three singers and one guitar played an absolutely lovely song. It was dark outside by that point, the girls who were playing outside (yes, some played outside during the concert… not real fans I guess) came in; they could tell that something was going on that they didn’t want to miss.
6. We then sang a Praise Song! This was not a Christian band, but a band who is Christian! What a great example to the girls… you can be in the world but not of the world. The girls sang so nicely… it was a really great way to end the day.

Breakfast Club continued the theme of “Social” growth… this time encouraging the girls to eventually work toward the DMC (Deep Meaningful Conversation). Camp is a place of transparency and significance, the perfect place to have friendships that are not just surface in their content. As the weeks pass, there will be MANY of these connections in EVERY age group. Precious. The Joke was compliments of an old camper, Mary Katherine Bradley… a blonde joke that I amended to be a “Clemson Professor” joke. Got big laughs from my “Russian” accent (sounded German).

Well… now it is the Fourth of July weekend. Traditions of celebration are deeply held by most of us, and Independence Day is one of the best. The mountains of NC will provide lots of sun, fluffy clouds, warm temperatures, and scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. This forecast will not change for a long time (looks to be about a week at least). We are going to kick off the weekend with a perfect day of camp! The girls settled into their schedule yesterday (we let them change classes for the first few days of camp then cement the schedules so they can learn enjoy the fruit of four weeks activity). I intend on going out this morning to the FAC and cooking.

The FAC (Fine Arts Center) is remarkable… an old shower house that was expanded in every direction to become the ultimate crafts facility. It houses 7 activity areas and each one of them is very good. About 125 girls are in the building at any point in the day (about 20% of the camp), many girls are in it for multiple classes every day. The counselors are talented and fun, many of the departments are run by professional artists. It is a knock out place to hang out.

Crafts at camp are always fun, but if they are just fun they are not interesting to teenagers. How many days does it take to master the lanyard? Put a girl on the ceramics wheel… and her eyes are opened. Give her a rod of silver that she turns into a ring of intricate design… her spirit soars. Even sewing and knitting… this stuff is amazingly interesting and not taught many places any more. The girls try it out (remember that they are filling 14 activity spaces) and get hooked. The counselors are cool and are fanatics about their craft. Good music playing, upbeat leadership, compelling content, LOTS of friends around… this is a great place to be.

Cooking is also amazing, held in White Hall Lodge (the coolest building in camp… it has AC). We renovated this old camp building about 10 years ago, hit it again this year replacing the commercial kitchen and putting in a new heart pine floor (the wood came from the Tuxedo Mill that was torn down this winter… it is lovely). Our kitchen is set up to have multiple cooking stations, prep stations, baking stations, and cleaning stations… run by a camp mom who has catering skills, it is an inspiration! Very popular program; I can’t wait to visit for the first time this session.

I will also take pictures of the library, located in a side room of Whitehall. This is a much used resource of the girls, one of Laura’s pet projects that really paid off. Reading books at camp is a passion of mine (that I can no longer enjoy… who has the time?). When I retire, I will hang out in White Hall and the FAC, getting fat and happy reading every book that is in that library.

The spirit of camp is good. The girls are engaged with each other, the dining hall is loud at mealtimes (lots of whimsy at the tables, many are doing theme meals now… always a good sign). There is no better place to be on this Saturday than here. Thank you for making it possible.

Jimboy