Banquet Day
Today is banquet day. A day of great joy at camp, one that is sweet in a way that is quite special. In my normal work year I experience each and every banquet day with similar feelings to the campers. Feelings of deep satisfaction, appreciation, and gratitude. It is a day of long hugs and occasional tears as we anticipate our departure tomorrow. Many of the girls know that this is their last year of camp (Margaret never came to any other session than June Camp… we “get it”, summers are very busy and budgets tight- two factors that make a five week camp an impossible concept for many families). So we savor the time we have left at Greystone and put an exclamation point on the summer with a huge Banquet.
Banquet… what a wonderful word! It is an evocative and exotic word to a camper (most of whom have never attended an actual “banquet”). It is the single most anticipated EP of the summer. The secret theme has been debated since opening day with a little cat and mouse game between the campers (who want to know the theme) and the counselors (who passionately protect the theme). It is a wonderful build up! Of course the reason for the success of the evening has less to do with the funny skit than the fact that this is our last night at camp. It is a mountaintop moment of thrilling success for every camper and every counselor. Such moments deserve a banquet!
Today we enjoyed our last Breakfast Club (The Frog and the Scorpion), our last Morning Assembly (Luke 17, the Ten Lepers), and our last classes (1st to 4th period). It is lightly raining and will continue to rain all day long (the only effect we are seeing from Tropical Storm Cindy). This afternoon we will take good showers during rest hour (everyone is a little “grey”) then have a really fun assembly where we watch some of the video’s Leland has made during this session, see a great slide show, go through lost and found, and tie up a few details while the counselors get changed into their costumes for banquet. It is possible we will face a rainy banquet entry, but that is a detail few will notice!
The dining hall has been completely broken down and reassembled into 8 HUGE tables with a central award space. We will run down the road in cabin groups (the pictures are amazing) then take our places that have been reserved. Each camper and counselor has a place prepared (just like heaven!) and will feast with their cabin friends one last time. Afterwards we give out Banquet awards (a huge honor to be mentioned for these highest honors in the departments) and then have a last tuck in at the cabin.
In years past we considered not making such a big deal of banquet (the preparations take an entire session and add a lot of pressure to the counselors) but in the end we always decide it is worth the effort. Campers and counselors alike LOVE the process. So we will embrace the challenges of this day with delight!
Council Fire and Closing Vespers were wonderful last night. The girls were absolutely silent as we gathered around the flag pole in the dark. The light slowly spread around the circle as the counselors lit their candles, then quickly as the campers lit theirs. The brilliance of so many candles was amazing to see… and image that we hope the girls will remember. We link the light of the candle with the light of God’s love… it is beautiful and resonates in a powerful way.
Your girls continue to delight and amaze us with their great attitudes! Don’t be surprised if they don’t appear really grown up to you tomorrow. We hope that you will note how genuinely thankful they are for all the little things you do for them. We hope they will be genuinely helpful in all the little tasks that make a house a home. They are wonderful girls and have made this a wonderful camp.
Most parents arrive before 9:30 (we suggest you get here no earlier than 8:00 in order to give us time to bring your bags to the track and have everything organized). Be prepared for rain, for even though it does not look like it will be raining when you arrive the ground is very wet and rain boots and rain jacket would be a smart move! Most parents choose to go straight to the cabin after arriving (who can wait another minute?). You will love meeting the other girls in the cabin and having a chat with the counselor. It is fun to get a tour from your daughter, hearing the stories of camp as you walk… but often they most want to get in the car and go to McDonalds! That is great too!
We encourage you to turn off the cell phone, turn off the radio, and give all your attention to the conversation that will naturally occur on the drive home. It is a wonderful transition out of the “bubble” of camp and you will be amazed at how many silly moments have become important in ways that might be hard to understand. Don’t underestimate the growth that has occurred in the past three weeks.
Camp is great. We are honored to have been a part of your family and hope that this summer will bear fruit for years to come. Thank you for supporting the camp and reading the blog. It has been a pleasure.
