Raise the Curtain

My father used to get so excited about Opening Day… he was always giddy about every moment of this magnificent day. He loved that moment when the first car drove through the gates. He loved that moment when the men staff would groan with the sight of a hundred trunks and duffle bags to carry. He loved that moment when the campers first walked around camp with their new cabin mates. And he loved that first meal in the dining hall (always spaghetti).

He would turn to me and say “It’s time to raise the curtain and start the show!”.

That is how I feel too. There is a sublime pleasure in seeing our old camp be revived again… to take on the life of a vital community in the blink of an eye. I love seeing the cabin porches full of colorful trunks, hearing the sounds of delight through my open window, smelling the fresh bread baking in the kitchen, and feeling the warmth of the sun on my face with a cool breeze coming off the lake. This place is heaven… a pure delight. THANK YOU FOR MAKING IT POSSIBLE!

Margaret, Katie, and I enjoyed seeing many of you at the reception. The kitchen kept the tables full of hot coffee, warm scones, and cold apples all morning (quite an accomplishment) while we enjoyed a hundred little conversations. We deeply appreciate your friendship and support of camp. We are praying that this year will prove to be the best of our 98 years of camping… and it is looking good so far!

To start with, the rain did not dampen our Opening Day plans. It rains a lot in the mountains but seldom in the morning. Thus, our Opening Day plans do not have a good answer to a big rain storm. We still talk about the HUGE storm that hit camp about 10 years ago on opening day. It rained 3 inches that day… it made me a bit obsessive about following weather.com in the days leading up to our opening. This year a cold front threatened to drop a huge amount of rain on us again. Needless to say, we are thanking God for the nice morning.

The sun came out about 10:00 and the girls had a great time touring the camp, getting their cabin photos, scheduling their classes, and taking their swim tests. Lunch featured our famous fresh baked bread, smoked turkey and ham (we have a huge smoker and cure our own meats), a wonderful pasta salad, lots of great veggies, fruit, Chips, and our famous brownies (a 50 year old recipe). It was a great spread!

Cabins will spend the day getting to know eachother. The first hours are always a bit awkward (how could it not be!), so we make sure to give the girls plenty of time to do fun things together as a cabin group. My girls (I had three daughters go to camp) would enjoy that first day with a particular delight for it was so full of potential. “I might make my best friend for life today!” It rarely disappointed! To meet a best friend at camp is an experience that is never forgotten.

Tonight we will enjoy skits by the counselors for EP (Evening Program). These skits are done by program areas with program themes. It is the very definition of “hoaky humor”… VERY campy! By the end of the night the girls are really into the whole silly thing. They laugh, they cheer, they whisper to the girl sitting next to them, point out favorite counselors, and fully immerse themselves in “the bubble”.

Here we are safe to simply be ourselves; to do silly childlike games; to do silly childlike activities. It is fun… and it is good.

We love your girls and can not wait to see the amazing way God will bless this camp in the days to come. Thank you once again for making it possible! We are honored to once again “Raise the curtain and start the show!”.