100th Alumnae Reunion: The Details
We’re a few months out, but our 100th Anniversary Alumnae Reunion still feels as magical as the day we all hugged goodbye. Nothing compares to having over 600 Greystone Girls of all ages together once again to play and worship and celebrate God’s goodness through the generations.
We’ve recapped the weekend through pictures and videos, and we’ve reflected on why it felt so special to be back in this place, but there’s a few more details we haven’t highlighted yet.
Planning the weekend was a monumental task - we wanted to recreate the feelings of an entire camp session, all in a couple of days! That meant that every layer of the experience needed to be just right. Many hands went into the smallest of details for the Reunion, so come see the foundation for the best weekend ever!
Arrival
Pulling into the gates as a camper is such a visceral memory, so we knew we had to recreate it for these alums one more time. Alumnae pulled in through the front gates of camp, where they were greeted by smiling counselors and told their cabin assignment. The best part was seeing old friends everywhere you looked - you could hear the squeals all the way down the lower road!
Every attendee then got a nametag and a welcome bag with a t-shirt, waterbottle, and all the information she needed for the weekened, including a bunk list to find all of her friends later. All that was left was to choose her bunk (and find her name on the door poster!) and settle in for a weekend in the bubble.
The Archives
100 years of camp memorabilia contains so many treasures our alums just had to see, but how to display it all in a way that was interactive and fun? Enter Margaret Miller and her team!
They turned our entire campus into a canvas to showcase the archives, and set up displays and interactive exhibits in White Hall, the Gym, the Fine Arts Center, and more. Alums could flip through scrapbooks, sit in front of a replica of Council Fire (really!), and peruse giveaway tables to take their own piece of Greystone history home. Read more about how these archives came together in our 2019 Alumnae Sparks.
The Food
It wouldn’t be camp without good food, right? Narrowing down kitchen favorites to just a weekend’s worth of meals was a challenge, but a delicious one! We feasted on classics like ham and apples and biscuits, Corn Roast corn, both lemon AND chocolate stacks, and of course, the famous scones. Apple Cart even made an appearance!
But ask any attendee what her most memorable food moment was, and we bet it might be the nightly cocktail parties at the new Shepherd’s Gazebo. Solveig’s team put on a show with incredible appetizers and kept it stocked all night long as we watched the sunset and caught up with old friends. You can find some of the recipes she used here!
The Moments
Knowing that the feeling of camp is made in memories, not things, we put a priority on carving out meaningful moments for our alums to enjoy.
Together we experienced Flag, roasting marshmallows, a surprise Fireworks show, and singing camp songs once again. We had Breakfast Club, Morning Assembly, activities, Rest Hour, and a raucous Talent Show. Saturday night was one special moment after another, with Banquet and Vespers. We sang all of our director songs, toasted to the past and the future, and cheered when the ultimate winner of 100 years of Even and Odd competition was announced. At Vespers we got the chance to raise our candles high once again and float them out on the lake. There was not a dry eye on the Pageant Court!
The Laughter
Of course, you can’t get this many old friends in one place without some hilarity ensuing, and even though there were some happy tears over the weekend, there was even more laughter!
While we planned so much for this weekend, some of the best parts we couldn’t have planned if we tried. The Pavilion being packed to the gills when it was time for Greystone Groove. Pranks…all the pranks! Including a still unnamed person who strung up some very large underwear on the flag pole Saturday morning…you know who you are! Almost every person showing up for the optional Talent Show Saturday night. And of course, the biggest, craziest dance party afterwards, that you had to see to believe!
After all, the weekend was really just about the people, and more than that, about the God who binds us all together, and who has chosen to bless this little place for over 100 years. That was what made the Reunion so spectacular, and one we’ll hold in our hearts for the next 100.
