Freedom Camp
July 4, 2014 by Don Gentle
Today started with a bang, or should I say a guitar. Jimmy Hendrix belted out the Star Spangled Banner for wake-up. It was perfect timing for our young Starter I boys as they were hiking in fresh from their cabin overnight. When I say fresh, it is sort of a marshmallow and pizza sauce mixed with campfire ash sort of fresh :). Anyhow, all of these guys assisted me with the usual “GOOD MORNING HIGH ROCKS” shout after ringing the bell. They were very proud of their moment to shine. I can’t believe they are going home tomorrow already.
It was great to see so many of the guys who brought festive items for the Independence Day celebration. The dining hall was covered with red, white, and blue. We brought up our own basket of “flair” the the guys to use as well. Our freedom breakfast was fantastic! Grilled ham, Cream of Wheat, scratch made biscuits (really! I watched Nathan cut every one!),and sausage gravy. This was sided by our usual cereals fresh fruit, and orange juice to make a very nice freedom event. We had patriotic songs playing in the background all through breakfast.
Our freedom activities continued throughout the day. My favorite was the historic battles that played out each hour at canoeing. The staff came up with a theme each hour that depicted an historic naval event complete with epic music and water balloon launchers. We had several counselors volunteer for “freedom painting” later in the day. It was a very brave group and the kids did a great job making them look the part.
Tonight we have a series of “freedom games” for evening program. Those pictures will not make it up until tomorrow so that we can properly setup for our fireworks show tonight. It will surely be a treat tonight when they come down after showers. I’m pretty excited!
Have a great night!
Don