camp laurel south Archives - Page 7 of 24

Way Too Quiet

August 16th, 2016

It seems like just yesterday we arrived in Maine, waiting for our Pre-Camp group to arrive and to start setting up for the summer. In the blink of an eye, we have said our goodbyes to the greatest campers and finest staff anywhere.

We had such an amazing summer! To our staff: Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication. To our families: Thank you for allowing us to spend 3 1/2 weeks with your wonderful children. Please know that we recognize the tremendous leap of faith on your part and strive every day to earn the your trust. And to our Campers: You are the reason we do what we do. Seeing your smiling faces and listening to your laughter all summer fills our hearts with joy that we can’t sufficiently describe. To our amazing CIT’s: Watching you grow through the years and become the fine young men and women who set the tone for all of our campers is incredible. You were a wonderful group, and you will truly be missed. Please keep in touch, and we can’t wait to have many of you join our staff in the years to come.

And while we are sad the summer of 2016 has come to an end, the memories we made will last a lifetime. We are pumped the countdown to Summer 2017 is now on! Oh, what a beautiful day in the state of Maine!!!

Down the Stretch They Come

August 12th, 2016

Just a precious few days remain in the summer of 2016 and we’re taking full advantage of every opportunity.

Yesterday we had an amazing time at Funtown! Between the rides, games, food, fun and friendship, our Final “S” Day was awesome. Today and tomorrow are our last two program days of the season. All of the culminating activities will cap off another incredible summer. We’re so excited for tonight’s performance of Shrek, the Musical. The campers and staff have been working so hard, and we can’t wait to see these all camp productions. Tomorrow is Final Banquet, when we will feast on steak, lobster or vegetarian lasagna. The banquet is followed by our Final Social. Sunday night is our Closing Ceremonies, when songs will be sung, laughter will ring and a tear or two will be shed.

Monday is Departure Day. We can’t wait to see and hear the stories as families are reunited. While it always saddens us to say goodbye, we’re excited that the countdown to the summer of 2017 will officially begin!

One Week Left

August 9th, 2016

It’s hard to believe that we’re down to the final week of the 2016 camp season. A lot has happened since our last post. The 8th Graders had an incredible trip to North Conway, the 6th Grade girls had their own amazing overnight camping trip, Roger had a fabulous time at dinner in Naples with the 7 Year Club, and the 5 Year Club enjoyed their movie morning!

There may be little time left, but there is no shortage of excitement on the horizon! We’re eagerly anticipating Moose Bowl tonight. The idea to take a simple flag football game for our Rangeley boys and turn it into an all camp spectacle has grown every year. From the tailgate cook-out dinner, to the campers singing the National Anthem (ending with campers firing rockets into the air), the halftime show performed by our amazing camper dances, the tee-shirt slingshot, the cheering…it has truly become a Laurel South favorite! Our thespians have been working hard for Friday’s performance of Shrek, the Musical. And we still await Funtown, Final Banquet and all of our culminating activities.

The fun, friendship and excitement will carry on!

At the Midway Point

August 2nd, 2016

It seems like just yesterday we were greeting all of our campers. Today, we have hit the midway point of the session. We’ve had so many great times and still so much to look forward to.

We had a wonderful Arrival Day and Opening Ceremony…The 6th Grade Boys, Seventh & Eighth Graders had amazing overnight camping trips…The CIT’s had a blast White Water Rafting…Intercamp games and tournaments have been humming…Counselor Hunt remains an Evening Program favorite…Culinary Classes have satisfied our palates…Carnival was awesome…And we’re just getting started!

We have so much to look forward to in the two weeks to come. When Spirit Days will break is anyone’s guess…Moosebowl is coming up…Sixth Grade girls are going camping…our Eighth Graders will venture to North Conway…our incredible production of Shrek, the Musical is coming up…Funtown…the list goes on and on!

We’ve already had a great summer, and the best is yet to come!

One Week In

July 29th, 2016

How quickly a week at camp can fly by! Our first “S” Day was a smash. Saco, Kineo, Baxter and Allagash beat the summer heat with trips to water parks. Saco and Kineo had the run of Splashtown and had an incredible time. Baxter and Allagash has an awesome trip to Aquaboggan. Seventh Grade Nation spent the day cruising around Old Orchard Beach. While all of this was going on, our 8th Graders saw some of the most beautiful sights Maine has to offer during their trip to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor. And, of course, the CIT summer was officially kicked off with the White Water Rafting trip on the Kennebec River.

Everyone had an amazing time on their trips, but we love to have the entire Laurel South family back together. Our intercamp games and tournaments are in full swing, and the cast of this summer’s theater production is going to a local performance tonight. Not to mention, our first Fly Fishing expedition of the season is taking off as we write.

As you can see, it may have only been seven days on the calendar, but we pack as much fun into each day and every moment as possible!

Let the Good Times Roll!

July 26th, 2016

What an amazing beginning to the 2016 season we’ve had! After an awesome Arrival and Moose Stomp Day, we began our normal “A” and “B” Program Days on Saturday. All around camp – from the Ballfields to the Waterfront, the Culinary Center to the Riding Arenas…the sounds of campers cheering, singing and laughing fills the air!

This morning, our 8th Grade campers took off for Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor. At the same time, our outstanding group of CIT’s head out to white-water raft on the Kennebec River. These 3 day, 2 night trips offer our campers a chance to see some of Maine’s (and our nation’s) most beautiful destinations. While we will miss them greatly, we can’t wait to hear the stories about all of the good times they had!

Everyone’s excited for their first “S” Day of the session tomorrow! Each group has their own thrilling trip planned — a perfect day for a break as we complete our first week together.

We may have just begun, but the good times are already rolling in Casco!!!

And So It Begins…Arrival Day 2016!

July 22nd, 2016

Yesterday was a time for rekindling old friendships and forging new ones, high-fiving returning counselors and introducing ourselves to new staff members. We had our traditional Opening Night Cook Out before each campus broke off for their Evening Programs. Once back in the cabin, campers and counselors became better acquainted and began building the cabin family dynamic.

Today is Moose Stomp: a combination of administrative tasks (Health Checks, Pictures, Theater Auditions, etc.) along with fun Laurel South favorites (S’mores at the Outpost, Bumper Tubing on Crescent Lake, Snow Cones at the Downeast, etc.) By this time tomorrow, camp will be in full swing with programming, boats and skiers out on the lake, cheers from the ballfields, creativity in the Arts, the list goes on!

We say at camp the days are long because of all the fun we have, and the weeks are short because of how quickly it flies by. But one thing is for certain, we never take for granted the fun times we have, the memories we make or the understanding of how lucky we are to be here with each other!

What a beautiful day in the state of Maine!!!