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Reunited and it Feels So Good

For the past 11 months we’ve been waiting and counting down the days, hours, minutes and seconds. And yesterday, it was here!  What a fantastic Arrival Day we had! With each car, bus and van that pulled into camp, our summer family was reunited. We were giddy with excitement as we met at Evening Cove and Roger officially kicked off the summer with his trademark, “What a beautiful day in the state of Maine today!!”  After a wonderful cookout dinner, each campus spent the evening playing games and bonding before heading back to cabins for some quality time before getting a well-deserved good night’s sleep.

Today is our Moose Stomp Day, a mixture of photos combined with super fun activities like making s’mores at the outpost and bumper tubing on Crescent Lake. Tonight, schedules will be set, and we can’t wait to jump right into first period program tomorrow! This evening is our Opening Ceremony Council Fire, celebrating fun and friendship. We may have just arrived, but we are jumping in right from the start. We’ll make every day count as we look forward to: Moose Bowl…”S” Days…Rocket Launches…Theater Shows…Saco/Kineo IC periods…Intercamp games and Tournaments…Spirit Days…the list goes on and on! We’ll keep you updated in future blogs. Until then, rest assured it’s always a beautiful day in the state of Maine!!

The “Home” Stretch…

Where did the time go?  It seems like just yesterday we were welcoming everyone to their summer home, and yet here we are preparing for our Final “A” and “B” Days of the session.

We’ve had quite a few days. Moose Bowl was another instant classic with the Black Bears taking an early lead and holding of the Rattle Snakes’ late push. Wednesday night was our Laurel South production of “Peter Pan”.  Everyone involved in the show had an awesome time, and the audience showed their appreciation for the efforts. Yesterday, the entire camp ventured to Funtown USA for a day filled with rides, games, food and laughter. Tonight is the production of “High School Musical.” Our activity areas are all preparing for culminating activities.  Tomorrow night is Final Banquet, with Closing Ceremonies on Sunday night.

To all of the parents who will be joining us on Departure Day, we can’t wait to see you as you reunite with your campers! To all of our parents, thank you so much for the faith you’ve placed in us. We understand how much trust you put in us each summer to take care of your children for a month, and we don’t take that lightly! We may only have three days left, but we plan on making it the best three days yet!!!

One Week to Go

As we enter our final week of the session, we can’t help but look back on all the amazing moments we’ve shared at camp. Spirit Days was once again one for the ages!  We had a blast at our annual Laurel South Carnival: singing, dancing, playing games, dunking our favorite Campus Leaders, eating at the cookout and enjoying cotton candy and snow cones. Our 8th Graders had a ball on their trip to North Conway, while our 6th Grade girls were excited to go on their overnight camping trip as well! 

One might think that we’re now coasting down the home-stretch, but nothing could be further from the truth! Tonight is our Moose Bowl, pitting the Black Bears vs. The Rattle Snakes. After our Tailgate cookout, we’ll sing the National Anthem, concluding with campers launching their rockets high into the night sky. And our talented Dance class campers have worked so hard for the halftime show. We can’t wait.! We’ll also have the Slingshot Shirt Give-Aways, S’mores for some lucky cabins and a night to celebrate Laurel South Spirit!

Looking ahead, we still have: two phenomenal Theater Shows…Funtown…Final Banquet…Closing Ceremonies…the list goes on and on! So, while one week doesn’t seem like much time, we’ll keep packing in those activities and embracing those chances to make new friends and create memories that will last a lifetime!

The Days of Spirit!

There was a rumbling heard this week that could be heard from all over camp. We thought that each campus’s morning cove must have been extraordinarily enthusiastic. We stepped outside to see what all of the commotion was about, only to find our CITs breaking Spirit Days!

For the next two days and nights, the Blue Sharks and Green Gators took to the fields to compete in the friendliest of competitions. For their entire camp careers, campers look forward to the day their CIT group has the opportunity to break and run Spirit Days, compete in KAOS (BTW, one of the closest ever) and pass on this passion and set the standard for future CIT groups. It was truly a Spirit Days for the ages, and in the end the winning team was…Laurel South! We had a great time testing our skills in competition, and we were so excited to finally reunite as one camp family.

As Spirit Days closed on July 4th, we ended with the best fireworks show anywhere! The next day, we fell right into regular program, well-rested from a one-hour sleep-in, and tackled the day. Our 5-Year Club had an amazing time on their morning excursion!

Our 7th Graders headed to their day trip to Ogunquit Beach today where they get to see some of Maine’s most beautiful waterfront. Inter-camp games and tournaments are resuming, and we have a lot left to look forward to:  Moose Bowl…Theater Shows…Rocket Launches…Funtown…Carnival…the list seems endless!

 

Until next time, we hope your day is as beautiful as it always is in the state of Maine!!

The Half Way Point

 

As we reach the half way point of the session, the fun, friendships and memories continue to grow each day!  The Ball Fields, Equestrian Center, Theater, Culinary Studio and Crescent Lake are all filled with the sounds of cheering, singing and laughter.

Yesterday was our first In-Camp “S” Day, and Brad did an incredible job putting together our now annual Resort Day.  After a delicious continental breakfast and elective morning (including those awesome Bumper Tube rides on the lake) our campers had the opportunity to compete in the Tough Moose Obstacle Race (similar to a Tough Mudder competion), and everyone who participated had a blast!  The afternoon was filled with Saco/Kineo Olmpics, a Baxter/Allagash Waterfont Party and special events for Rangeley and Katahdin.  Our CIT’s spent the day on their Magical Mystery Bs tour, where they went to many sites around Portland and even saw a Portland Seadogs baseball game (Tim Tebow was playing for the visiting team and gave the campers a wave!)

We always look at the positives at Laurel South, so we choose to not look at the session as being half over; we look at it as being half full of amazing experiences: Spirit Days…Theater Shows…Funtown…Carnival…etc. We’ve got so many things still to look forward to, especially making new friends and building memories that will last a lifetime!!!

What a Week!

Wow, the summer moves quickly! We may have just finished our first week, but you’d never know it by the amount of fun we’ve already had! We were so glad to welcome back our 8th Graders and CITs last night. The 8th Graders had a great time camping at Acadia National Park and visiting Bar Harbor, while the CITs had a blast white water rafting on the Kennebec River! We love that our campers have a chance to see some of the most beautiful spots in Maine. Our first “S Day” was amazing, as each campus had a unique trip throughout Maine. Saco and Kineo conquered Spashtown, USA…Baxter and Allagash spent the day at Aquaboggan…and our 7th Graders toured Old Orchard Beach. Everyone had an amazing time!

Roger and Dagni truly enjoyed dinner last night with our 7-Year Club. Dinner was great, but sharing memories, laughing and telling stories was the best part of the night! There is so much more coming…4th of July, 7th Grade’s Camden State Park excursion, Spirit Days, Moose Bowl, Theater Shows, Rocket Launches…the list goes on and on! As you can see, each day at camp is jam packed with fun, and we’ll keep you updated in future blogs. Until then, it’s always a beautiful day in the state of Maine!

An Amazing Beginning

An Amazing Beginning…

Can it really be that we are still in the first week? You would never guess that by walking around camp and seeing all the action!

With schedules set, we’ve completed our first “A” Day and “B” Day rotation. How wonderful it is to witness all the action at the Waterfront, in the Theater, on the Ballfields and Courts, at the EquestrianCenter, in the Arts Studio…and did we mention the delicious aroma coming from the Culinary Center?

Intercamp Games and Tournaments have begun. And our 6th grade boys set the tone for our overnight trips, venturing to Mt. Blue. Today our CITs and 8th graders departed on their exciting trips: CITs on their way to conquer the rapids as they raft the Kennebec River. The 8th graders headed to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor!  Wednesday is our first “S” Day!  After our special S Day breakfast, each group will set off on their own amazing trips!

Each day is packed with fun and excitement at Laurel South, and we can’t wait to keep you updated in future blogs.  Until then, rest assured that it will always be a beautiful day in the state of Maine!!

What a beautiful day in the state of Maine today!

We’ve heard it so many times before…at every cove in fact. Roger beginning the evening with his catchphrase, “What a beautiful day in the state of Maine today!” And as Roger explains it, the statement has nothing to do with the weather, and everything to do with our attitude. But when we are given a gorgeous, 72 degree, sunny day; when we welcome our amazing campers to Laurel South; when we are reunited as a camp family; when we enjoy a cookout dinner followed by fun filled programs with friends (old and brand new alike), all you can really say is, “What a beautiful day in the state of Maine today!”

Today is our annual Moose Stomp Day. Programs are being created, S’mores being eaten, pictures taken for the end-of-year face books, bumper tubes ridden, and so much more. By tomorrow, our campers will be in their first “A” Day, schedules in hand, heading down to the Crescent Lake, out to the ballfields, into the theater and up to the stables.

We may have just arrived yesterday, but we’re already having a blast!  We’re so happy to be home.

 

We Can’t Wait…..

When we say our goodbyes at the end of each summer, it seems like an eternity before the next camp season rolls around.  But as we settle into school or work, the momentum picks up.  Thanksgiving and the winter holidays fly by…the calendar changes to 2018…the weather begins to warm. Before you know it, our Pre-Camp Crew arrives and camp starts taking shape: The staff arrives for Orientation and in just a matter of hours, we will be reunited as Roger welcomes us all with his trademark: “What a beautiful day in the state of Maine!”

We’ve had an incredible Orientation.  The staff, whether in year one or 20, bonded and learned what it takes to be a Laurel South counselor.

One thing we all agree on  — we can’t wait to welcome our campers tomorrow.  So whether it’s your first season or ninth, get ready for an incredible summer full of friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.  We can’t wait to see you!!

Special Trainings before Staff Orientation

Our full staff arrive tomorrow, but our summer has been well underway with several Pre-Orientation programs. Laurel South’s administrative staff is made up of an almost entirely veteran crew, and this week is a great time to re-connect with colleagues and greet new staff for the first time.

The week leading up to Staff Orientation is also a special time for everyone to focus on what’s ahead and dive deep into what makes Laurel South so special. We’ve already welcomed our incredible group of Campus Leaders, waterski, riding and adventure counselors.

 

These groups of incoming staff are always happy and excited to arrive at Laurel South, and ready to learn about the summer ahead. Our waterski staff get some extra time on the water to familiarize themselves with our boats. The Adventure counselors go through specialized training focused on safety within their specific programs — outdoor tripping, climbing and challenge course. And the Campus Leaders go through their own training about how to lead incoming counselors and staff.

Everyone is smiling and loving the beautiful weather Maine has provided. We’re thrilled to welcome the staff and even more excited for camper arrival!