Epic EP Fails
If you’ve ever been to camp before, I bet you have some very memorable stories about a specific Greystone Evening Program. From that time your cabin stayed up super late on your Overnight to seeing the fireworks show at the 100th Celebration to hearing a Senior give her speech at Five Year, we all have those special moments we remember from our years at camp.
Right along with that, I bet anyone who has been to camp can remember something that didn’t quite go as planned. Today, we’re looking at some of our Evening Program Fails, but like many things at camp, when things don’t quite go the way we planned, they can often turn out better than expected!
Spam Gameshow
There’s nothing campers like more than a good Gameshow, and when Gameshows were reinvented in the late 2000s, we picked a theme and went ALL IN. While many campers enjoyed the days of Chick-fil-A and Krispy Kreme themes (especially with the treats passed out during the night), the year of Spam was one for the books. Just the looks on all of those girls’ faces as the smell of Spam wafted down into the Pit as the cans on stage were opened…one for the books!
Candy Drop
Back in the 1990s, Jimboy and his brother Stuart took a small prop plane and dropped peanuts all over camp as girls then searched for the “golden peanut,” which by finding it, would win you a prize. It was fun (well, except for those girls who probably had peanut allergies), so in the 2000s the event was repeated again with candy. However, when you’re dropping hard candy from a high distance, it gets some serious speed to it, making it feel like you are dodging rocks…you’ve never seen girls take cover so fast!
Would Your Rather
We always love coming up with new Evening Programs every year, and during Main Camp, we hosted a Would You Rather event that had cabins start by receiving a would you rather style clue (would you rather take a dip in Lake Edith or swim in spaghetti?). After reading the clue, cabins would make their pick, head to that location to complete the task, receive their next clue, and so on. About 5 minutes into the night, it started pouring rain and Thor went off, meaning all girls had to go to the Pavilion. We tried some challenge games on stage, but very hard to replicate swimming in the lake when you’re in the Pavilion.
Pet Show
Now this is throwing it back! How many of you remember participating in the Pet Show? Bring your stuffed animal on stage and parade it around for all to see. If you never participated and you think that sounds boring, you’d be hitting the nail on the head. In some of the more lucky years, we’d get someone like Bill Taylor to emcee the event, and then things definitely took a turn for the better.
Highland Games
Some of you reading this may remember this as being the highlight of your time at camp, but for others…not so much. This Scottish themed event had girls carrying bags of flour in a she-man strength carry (that then busted all over the girls) and then digging into “haggis” to find something with their feet. At the end of the night, the power went out in camp. No power…no water…no showers. Nothing like the smell of camp-made “haggis” to put you to sleep!
Seasons
Back in the early 1990s when I was a young camper, I remember having to endure the Four Seasons EP. What is this? Well, it’s what happens when it rains and you have to come up with a spur of the moment plan to entertain all campers inside. So what did we do? All of camp was divided into the four corners of the Pavilion based on when you were born (winter, spring, summer, fall), and then the host would call out a question, “who was born on the 15th?” and if that applied to you, you’d stand up or walk to the middle. Yep, that was it. While this may sound like many get-to-know-you games you may have played before, this 2 hour long event couldn’t quite hold the appeal.
Hillbilly Hoopla
Now, I can’t qualify this as a bust, as it was pretty epic, but certain parts didn’t quite go as planned. At one of the stations, girls filled a cup with buttermilk, put it on their heads, and carried it to a different location to pour out. Well, who knew buttermilk could sting your eyes so bad? Nothing gets you in the mood for a great Evening Program like campers crying because their eyes were stinging!
Do Nothing Day Backwards Bash
After having a great Do Nothing morning (a break from classes), we hosted a Backwards Bash picnic down at the blob dock. Picture it: toilet paper toss, baloney sandwiches, cheese puffs, Mountain Dew, and more. Did our sweet campers want to eat baloney? Well no, they surely did not. A good example of a well intentioned theme that didn’t quite fit the clientele.
Which Epic EP Fails did we leave out? Despite the EPIC FAIL status of some of these events, they are memorable…and for good reason. Sometimes the best intentioned plans don’t quite turn out as planned, but often, that is what gives them that #campclassic status in the record books!