See You Next Summer, June Campers!
Parents, if you’re reading this you’re likely on your way to pick up your boys from a whirlwind three weeks here at camp! While they might be too worn out from all the excitement to give you a detailed recap of the final day, we thought this might help!
On Wednesday night, we celebrated the outstanding efforts of the campers with an awards banquet. Nuckles was the host, wearing a suit for the occasion! It was a “black tie event”, with clip-on bowties for all the campers and staff to wear, as well as a red carpet that boys receiving their awards walked down. Each activity recognized up to three boys for going above and beyond this session, and it was great to see all the encouragement, recognition, and celebration the campers gave each other.
We also recognized all the Rangers and Warriors in each activity, which are the highest and second highest levels in the activity progression system. Every boy who earned these progressions or received an award will be noted in the upcoming issue of our annual Grow & Behold magazine! For the “banquet” part of the awards banquet, we returned to the Dining Hall to enjoy a delicious meal of roast beef, garlic bread, cheesy scalloped potatoes, and an ice cold can of Coke for each person!
Yesterday, the final day had the same excitement as any other morning at camp. We woke up, met at Morning Watch for a quick message, and enjoyed a hearty breakfast of scrambled egg & hashbrown casserole, sausage, fruit, yogurt, and granola. After breakfast was Morning Assembly, one more high-energy time for skits, songs, and announcements. Boys were able to enjoy their final three activities around camp in the morning, plus a free choice period before lunch.
Steve Longenecker also brought his snakes for a special educational program during the morning. Steve (known at camp as SFL) has been a long time outdoor educator, nature enthusiast, falconer, rock climber, and “lump chef” at Falling Creek since 1975. The boys loved getting to learn about rattlesnakes and copperheads, gaining a greater appreciation for the wildlife native to this area.
Another classic camp activity that SFL started was “Longenecker Lumps,” which are lumps of fried dough rolled in cinnamon sugar. They originated on a mountaineering trip of his in the 70s, and were brought back as an instant hit. Yesterday during Free Choice time at “Esefel,” the camp library named for SFL, all the supplies were gathered to make the tasty treats. Carson and Nemo enlisted the help of campers to make them and share, so everyone could have a taste of the tradition. You can make them at home with the recipe here in this blog
Lunch was chicken tender ranch wraps, with carrots and celery, and fudge bars for dessert. After a long rest hour to make sure everyone was packed up and ready to take their trunks home, we enjoyed an afternoon of special signups! During the first half, boys could choose to play “touch the fence” at tennis, finish woodworking projects, slackline on the grassy knoll, join the jam session at the library, read at the overlook, listen in on a history lesson at Morning Watch with Mace, play Go under the Dining Hall, join the fishing tournament, follow Rucker (the camp dog), play basketball, wiffleball, football, warrior ball, ping pong, foosball, or hang out in hammocks.
If that wasn’t enough, during the second half of special signups, boys could choose from even more. They could practice the skits for Campfire, continue working on woodworking projects, work on paddling progressions, play tennis at the courts, join the 3v3 and 4v4 basketball tournament in the gym, learn kickboxing in the lodge, play “ford” square with Ford, play mountain biking games, join the chess tournament, play football or wiffleball, and play ping pong and foosball under the Dining Hall. It was a great chance for one more afternoon of free choice at camp. After working up an appetite, everyone enjoyed meatball subs with mac & cheese for dinner! We had one final Evening Program with an exciting Tug-of-War competition, and then it was time for Campfire.
At last night’s Candlelight Campfire, we enjoyed a final chance to reflect on a great session. The campfire area is the soul of camp, and is a special place for many. Before walking across Bain Bridge and becoming silent, everyone brings a rock to add to the growing Ebenezer Wall that leads to campfire. Every Ebenezer rock serves as a physical reminder for each camper and staff member of the contributions, memories, and experiences they have had during the session. This meandering stone wall reminds us, too, of the spirits of all those who have been part of the Falling Creek Camp community – past and present.
During this time, we have our Candlelight Campfire, where each person is given a candle. This ceremony is a favorite among campers and counselors, who look forward to it at the end of every session. The first candle is lit from the central campfire, and spreads from there, person to person. Each boy lights his candle from another, symbolizing the light we share, costing us nothing to spread our light to others. It gives the boys a thoughtful reflection into their Falling Creek experience.
Once all the candles were lit last night, the entire campfire area was flickering with a bright, warm, glow. Cabins were then dismissed one at a time to began walking out and encircling the lake. As the campers and counselors walked around the shore of the lake, their candle flames were reflected back off the surface of the water. It’s a beautiful sight once everyone has walked out, and is standing in a line around the lake’s edge. To finish the ceremony, we sang “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” followed by the first verse of Taps: “Day is done, gone the sun, from the lakes, from the hills, from the skies. All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.”
As we dismissed from Campfire to the cabins, there were many hugs, fist bumps, and laughs between friends. The boys returned to their cabins to share one last Evening Embers together and reflect on a great three weeks. We are so thankful for the individual light that each of these boys brought to this session, and are grateful that you chose to share your sons with us. We look forward to seeing you this morning as you pick up your boys, and we can’t wait to tell you all about the fun we had!