Five Things Every Counselor Knows

Hello All!

Long time no see!  Our summer season is officially over, but we've been delightfully busy with school groups, weddings, and our G3 environmental program.  It was very sad to see our summer staff go but we are excited to get started with promoting our upcoming programs!

In honor of our excellent summer staff, I thought I would write down five things that every counselor knows by the end of the summer.

1) Camp food is your friend - and boy does your body let you know if you miss a meal!  Counselors have to keep their energy up to take on those waterfront stairs and trails every day.  After camp your belly knows the meal schedule down the the minute, and complains very loudly if you don't feed it on time.

2) They know what goes bump in the night - and it's usually just acorns and frogs.  Having a flashlight handy is always a good idea, but by the end of the summer counselors can navigate all the way back to their unit in the dark - and sometimes with no moon.  What was that sound?  Oh, probably just Bambi hanging out in the woods.  No big deal.

3) They know at least five "waiting games" to play during camp outs and between times.  Whether it's mafia, chi-master, slaps or ninja, they've always got something in their back pocket for those times when the fire needs their co's undivided attention or when everyone's waiting for the next activity.

4) Parents can get just as homesick for their kids as kids do for their parents.  Some kids may be away from home for the first time, and a week can be a long time for a parent not to see their child.  Counselors know that the best way to combat that empty-nest syndrome is to be as up-front and friendly as possible on check-in day to assure the parent that their child is in good hands for the week.

5) Very few people outside of camp understand just how awesome and crazy it is.  So many counselors I've talked to say their friends "just don't get" the weird hours, the song singing, or the crazy desire to go tromping through the woods ("what if there's poison ivy?  Or a raccoon!?") and set up camp in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of campers.  But once you've gone through it, it's easy to see why we all come back again the next summer - the hours may be long, and the weather may not cooperate all the time, but man is it a good feeling to know that what you do makes an impact on someone else in the world.

Happy Camping!

TIMBERRRRRR...

Hello All!

Trees, trees everywhere!  We are a camp so this would make sense I suppose, but this week we are splitting lots of downed logs and getting rid of a few dead trees which makes it look like a storm has come through.  Actually I can hear the chainsaw as I type this.  It smells wonderful though - freshly cut wood, rain, leaves and soil.  So refreshing!

Tracy Lunquist is here lending her expertise on a brand new butterfly garden between the lodge and Cabin 1.   Here's a before photo and I will post the finished product next week!

The shovel in the foreground is for scale I guess.

 

Happy Camping!

Wedding bells and short swords

Hello All!

What a gorgeous weekend at Camp Newaygo!  Friday was a bit chilly, but Saturday was perfect for our first outdoor wedding of the season.  And this one had a theme!  The wedding party was dressed in medieval formalwear.  They looked amazing.  I even got into the spirit...

The sleeves were a bit unruly.

 

One of the decorations

 

My favorite part was when they were able to skype the groom's family in England for the cake cutting.  And the orchestra dressed as hobbits.  And the fairy lights.  Okay so all of it was my favorite.

 

The dock is going in this Friday, and then it's Memorial Day Weekend.  May has gone by so fast!

 

Happy Camping!

Cicadas...tasty, tasty cicadas

Hello All!

As I was reading the news this morning, I came across a very interesting article - warning, it isn't for the faint of stomach.

Cicadas are set to swarm certain areas of the U.S. this summer, and so some chefs are coming up with creative recipes for cicada appetizers.  According to the article, "cicadas are apparently a surprisingly good source of protein, according to nutritionists - if you are brave enough to eat them."

Female cicadas are meatier than the males, and should be grabbed early in the day when the temperature is cooler.  You can saute them in lemon and butter for a crispy outside and juicy inside.  Make sure the remove the legs and wings, which can be sharp, and you shouldn't eat them if you are allergic to shellfish (they are both in the arthropod family).

...delicious?

 

Happy Camping!

Prom!

Hello All!

Quite a bit has been going on around camp the past two weeks.  Jalisa rocked out the Speak Up! programs for White Cloud, Newaygo, Fremont, Grant and Pine River.  We had some VASTLY different weather for the ropes course those days - thirty degrees and snowing to a balmy sixty-five.  Everyone did a spectacular job despite the crazy weather.

White Cloud High School hosted their senior prom at Camp last weekend.  Gary Strong, our new head of Ridge Specialties Catering, created a fantastic dessert to go along with their Hollywood theme.  You can check it out on our facebook page.

Hopefully no one spilled chocolate on their dress.

 

 

Happy Camping!

 

 

Buckeye!

Quick (and very belated) update on BLW 2013:

It was amazing!  We had so much fun.  The people there were friendly and we made lots of friends.  It was great to hang out with Maggie and Jacke, two of our summer counselors!

 

Song Circle! ....and I just noticed the bear on the wall.

 

Jalisa in her bubble costume for "Go Fish" night - adorable!

 

 

We ended the trip with dinner at Cracker Barrel with our new friends from Canada - they were so nice!  Jalisa is going to visit their camp next month.

 

I guess no one told Michigan that winter is over - there was STILL a pile of snow in our parking lot on Monday.  Dad and Me was a great time last weekend despite the cold though.  And it is now warming up just in time for our concert Saturday and all of our May events!

 

Happy Camping!

Oh, Hi, Oh!

Congrats to Jalisa for an awesome job teambuilding with 150 students at Coopersville last week - it was AMAZING!

Tomorrow we will be leaving for the Buckeye Leadership Workshop in Ohio, and Jalisa and I are SO EXCITED!  There are quite a few of us attending this year, inluding some new and returning counselors.  I can't wait to see them again - it's been too long since last summer.

Say Cheese!

I'm looking forward to the themed events, because I have some great costumes planned:
Go Go Gadget- I found an old trench coat in my parent's coat closet.
Go Fish- Ariel Wig and a big purple starfish barrette.
Go Back in Time-  Recycling my Back to the Future Halloween costume.
Go Team-  I'm going Harry Potter for this one.  Go Gryffindor!

We're going to learn a lot, see old friends, make new ones, sing songs...I feel like a camper!

Happy Camping,

March Madness!

Long time no see, fellow Campers!

February just RUSHED past us here at Camp.  We had a lot of stuff going on, and the good times keep on comin'.

Jalisa kicked off her busy recruiting and conference season with trips to Chicago, Texas, Grand Rapids and Detroit.  She has been constantly on the move, promoting camp and getting scholarship applications out to schools.  She is now a pro at mass mailings.

A great time was had by all at the Daddy Daughter Dance, and this weekend is the chance for Moms and Sons to bust a move in green.  I can't wait to drink some green punch.

Swing your partner, 'round and 'round...

Happy Camping!

Lights! Camera! MAYHEM!

I just spent the morning decorating for Saturday night's mystery dinner and I am getting so excited!  The room looks very glamourous.  Roles have been assigned, bribery money divvied out, trophies polished, and the red carpet rolled out.  Now all we need is the glitzy guests!  Here's a great picture of some guests from last year's carribean theme:

Next up on the calendar is Camp Newaygo in da Moonlight at the Watermark in Grand Rapids.  This is our second annual da Moonlight fundraiser, and once again we have raffle tickets for your chance to win a cool grand.  I still have some available to sell so let me know.

Happy Camping!

Let's make NIA the new Zumba

For the past year Camp has been hosting an exercise class once a week for local women.  NIA, which stands for neuromuscular integrative action (or non-impact aerobics, as it was previously known), is a great fitness program that combines nine different movement forms including yoga, t'ai chi, Tae Kwon Do, and jazz.  The program focuses on whole-body conditioning and the connection between body-mind-spirit.

NIA instructor Kathy Streng makes the one-hour class so much fun.  The music ranges from earthy instrumentals to cyberbeats.  It makes you want to get up and move!  The class is tons of fun and leaves you with more energy than when you started.  It's also a great way to beat the winter blahs.

And you can do it anywhere.  And barefoot.

This year the class runs from 5:30pm to 6:30pm every Monday.  Each class is $6.  Come check it out.

Happy Camping!

You'll have to speak UP a little louder

Hello All!

We've finally slowed down a bit at Camp this month, but that doesn't mean there isn't anything going on.  Speak UP! is this weekend and next weekend followed by our MLK Day "Day On" celebration and our mystery dinner theater event on the 26th.

What is Speak UP! you ask?  It's an amazing program designed to get kids involved in their communities and learn about philanthropy.  We show kids that giving back can be big or small and comes in all forms.  Last year we had a guest speaker that gave break dancing lessons to underpriveledged youth, and a man who helped bring fresh water to rural villages in South America. During the two day retreat the students test themselves and their leadership abilities, learn to work as a team, pick a project, and go back to their schools with a new outlook on the value of philanthropic service.

And the knowledge that philanthropy is super fun, too.

We currently have five school districts involved and we would love to cater the program to other schools.  Community service is one of Camp's core values and we love sharing that with kids all over Michigan.  It's a fun and rewarding program for students and for us as well.

Happy Camping!

Happy New Year!

We're back!  We all had a refreshing holiday and now we are all pumped up for tomorrow's Camper Reunion.  Jalisa is planning an EPIC giant game of Candyland, plus the annual gingerbread and wrapping paper fashion show contests.  Hopefully this year there will be enough snow to sled and make snow angels.

After this week we are gearing up for the annual Speak UP! retreat for middle school and high school students.  It's really rewarding to see these kids learn all about philanthropy and creating a project to give back to their community.  Then we are having our annual mystery dinner theater.  We get to dress up for the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.  I'm so excited!

Happy Camping!