As 1st Session comes to an end, we were able to go out with a bang with our Fourth of July Independence Day Celebration and Banquet last night! It was a whole afternoon of festivities and I’m excited to recap it all with you!
First, the morning consisted of packing and prepping for the afternoon. Free swim was open for Family Camp families as the Youth campers were able to make sure they had every little thing packed away in their bags before having to depart this morning.
Once lunch and packing were complete, the banquet committee kicked everything into full gear. We started with a parade put on by the stables and the equestrian campers for the session. The Youth campers paraded up and down the camp road outside of Alford Hall in red, white, and blue and waved to the crowd as we clapped and watched.
Following the parade, everyone changed into their active wear and we had a Fun Run! Starting outside the Lodge, both Youth Camp and Family Camp lined up to run to the gate and back. Counsellors were set up at stations throughout the road to keep cheering people on, and once our participants got to the top they found water waiting for them as well as water balloons.
Though the water balloons were initially more for fun than anything else, they quickly turned into a lifesaver in the heat as everyone who made it to the gate ended up simply popping the balloons over their head and enjoying the cool water before heading back down.
Once the Fun Run was over and every was once again dressed in their Independence Day outfits, we all met on the Game Field where the banquet committee had set up the Fourth of July CLC Fair! There were multiple stands available to partake in throughout the afternoon – a dunk tank with our waterfront director Lucas, corn hole, tug of war, face painting, a donut eating contest, and an obstacle course.
Margie, our Arts & Crafts Director, did an A+ job with the decorations and even included a photo booth with Lady Liberty for everyone to get their photo taken in. Tug of war was quite a success and at one point the whole camp ended up running in to aid everyone struggling against the other side. It was pretty comical to see people running from across the game field to quickly grasp onto the rope and help tugging in their direction.
We had some people participate in their first ever donut-eating contest, which was hysterical, as one camper said, “I’ve been eating donuts all my life! I didn’t know I could do it for sport!”
The things you learn at camp.
The highlight of the fair was definitely the cotton candy machine, which produced tons of sticky blue cotton candy that had
both campers and counsellors excited. All our teeth and tongues were blue by the end of the night. Counsellor Gabe manned the cotton candy machine the entire night, and he twirled countless cotton candy tubes by the end of the night, for sure.
Dinner was an array of hot dogs and hamburgers in a buffet line that each table went up one at a time to help themselves. The hamburgers were so good that people were waiting in their seats, prepped and ready to jump up, when the seconds were called. We all definitely left dinner full and happy – especially considering how hungry we all were after the Fun Run. Michelle, head of our kitchen, most definitely treated us right!
Alford Hall was decked out in red, white, and blue with fun decorations on the table and little flags flying in the wind. As we all went through the kitchen and made our custom ice cream sundaes (with a side of apple pie), the slideshow played of some of the best photos from the session for the families and campers to enjoy while eating their dessert. It’s always fun to call back to all the great memories and smiles we’ve all shared throughout the session. Especially when it’s set to some fun and upbeat music and mixed in with some hilarious videos of camp shenanigans.
The evening rounded out with some sparklers, and a fun fireworks show. We all huddled together under a misty rain as we waved the sparklers around, enjoyed a large bonfire, and watched as the fireworks went off over the lake and reflected in the water.
We had to say goodbye to our 1st Session campers today, but we are so grateful for the time we were able to all share together over the past one to two weeks! It has been a wonderful session and we are looking forward to seeing you all again next summer! The slideshow from 1st Session, as well as a video of the Independence Day Banquet will be available to view on YouTube, and all the photos from the session can be found in the Session 1 2019 album on SmugMug!
Thank you for a great first session for the summer! We’re looking forward to continuing to spread the love as we prep for 2nd Session!
– Zoë
Social Media Director/Camp Photographer
zoe@crystallakecamps.org
Share this Post