It is hard to believe how quickly another summer has come and gone!  Camp Hillard’s 89^th summer was another successful season, full of fun, friends and really fabulous weather.  This last week of Camp kicked off with a bang on Monday, with the Apache and Iroquois Visiting Evening performance.  The boys and girls took to the stage in their production of Hairspray.  They could not stop the beat, and what a production it was!

The fun continued on Tuesday, with the annual Camp Hillard Carnival.  This year’s Carnival theme was everything Disney; every group in Camp was responsible for creating a game booth with a Disney theme.  Moana’s Maui Tattoos, Star Wars Shootout, and Pin the Tail on the Minion,  just to name a few!  There were exciting inflatables on the Main Field for campers to enjoy; a Candy Land obstacle course, the Goofy Gator and the Sea Fun House, and an Amusement park Obstacle Course.  As an extra special sweet treat, every camper and counselor enjoyed one of the most popular refreshments of the summer; a sour, Lick-a-Color ice pop.  It was a truly spectacular day from start to finish.

On Wednesday, the Libman family was joined on stage by representatives from the Westchester Children’s Musuem for the presentation of a generous check of $14,583 to this worthwhile organization.  Thank you to all the campers and counselors who participated in this year’s Charity Event.  We also enjoyed a very special Camp show; where campers performed some popular tunes from their Visiting Day performance.

Thursday was Camp Hillard’s 89^th Birthday.  Every camper and Counselor got to enjoy cake and punch, after lunch, in honor of this special day.  August 17^th was also Hillard Libman’s actual birthday; he would have turned 87 years old this year!

Final Day Festivities on Friday included the traditional Moving Up Ceremony, where campers and counselors moved over or up to a different Tribal Assembly area.  This is always an exciting event for the Huron boys and Girls, who will be moving out of Junior Camp, and the Comanche boys and girls, both moving up to Senior Camp.  We enjoyed a delicious lunch of Chicken O’s, followed by an Ice Cream Sundae, before we gathered at the stage for one last time to give Special Recognition to counselors who really stood out this summer, followed by the ever-popular Counselor Talent Show.  The Cheyenne Boys taught the crowd how to Wobble, Jessie from the Creative Arts Staff led the Leadership Team in an energetic Zumba workout, and the Theater Staff delivered a touching performance of Waving Through a Window from Dear Evan Hansen. It was a very entertaining and spirited display of talent!

Jim Libman continued his father’s tradition of jumping into the pool in his clothing, much to the delight of campers and staff alike!  The day seemed to fly by, and before we knew it, Tribes were meeting for their Final Afternoon Assembly and refreshments, this time with lots of goodbye hugs and some tears.  When Lenny gave the word, campers took one last walk with their counselors to their buses, buckled up and rolled down Elizabeth Street for the last time, as The Libman Family and the Leadership Team waved goodbye.  The end of yet another successful Summer!

The 89th Summer was truly terrific. Camp Hillard is a special place, and a big part of what makes it so special is due in large part to that very special group of people, the Hillard Counselors.  What they did this summer was very special.  Our campers truly benefited from all of the care and attention they received from these dedicated and enthusiastic people.

We will shortly begin the cycle again and start getting ready for Summer 2018.  In the meantime, we wish all of you the very best for the rest of the summer and on into the school year.

Thank you again for a great summer!

Week 7 was another fun and exciting week at Camp, highlighted by a variety of fun events. Campers continue to put their talents on display, showcasing their singing, dancing, boxball, basketball, break dancing, beat-box, piano, and “armpit-tooting” skills in talent show performances worthy of America’s Got Talent.

Spirit Week Opening Ceremonies took place on Monday morning.  Campers and counselors filed onto the Main Field, all of them broken out into Green and White Teams, to witness the raising of the Green and White flags as Jon Libman declared, “Let the games begin!”  Green and White counselor representatives from every tribe participated into a spirited water balloon toss, as well as a Leap Frog competition!

Competitions continued in earnest throughout the entire week; groups came together and broke out into their respective Green and White Teams for Track and Field events including the javelin throw, the broad jump and the shot put, as well as the 40 yard dash.  Other Spirit Week events included running bases for time, dribbling and shooting competitions at basketball punt and pass competitions at football, mini-golf and tennis tournaments, the  Thunderdome, as well as an intense Olympic Soccer tournament and water polo matches at the Pool.

Campers continued to work on their American Red Cross swimming skills and are making great progress.  In addition to our regular swim program, Junior Campers participated in Green and White Swim Fun, complete with Medal Hunts, swim races and “silly’ jumps!

On Friday afternoon, the CIT’s took a short jaunt down to the Candlelight Inn for the Annual CIT Luncheon.  CIT’s or Counselors in Training, are the eldest campers at Hillard; all are rising 7^th-10^th graders who work side by side with General Staff in Group or Specialty Assignments. As a special thank you for all of their hard work, they were treated to a lunch that included the Candlelight Inn’s World-famous chicken wings, a messy and thoroughly delicious reward for a successful summer!

On Friday afternoon, the entire Camp assembled once again on the Main Field for our Spirit Week Ceremonies, which included an intense Leadership Team Relay that included a human wheelbarrow race, a piggy back sprint, and dizzy spins!  vents, Campers cheered for their Divisional Head Counselors and their Divisional Swim and Sports Directors, all of whom were randomly selected for either the Green or White team, while enjoying their afternoon refreshments. When all of the events concluded and the scores were tallied, The Green Team was declared the Victors with 2,848 points.  The scores couldn’t have been much closer; the White Team finished with 2,819 points!  Regardless of the point totals, every camper was filled with a sense of Camp Spirit, pride, and accomplishment for their intense participation, great sportsmanship and Green and White pride!

The eighth and final week of Camp is sure to be an exceptional four days of fun. The Big Show is on tap for Monday evening; the Apache and Iroquois Boys and Girls are ready to cut loose in their production of Hairspray.  Final rehearsals have been in full gear, and the show is sure to be a fantastic one.

Tuesday, the long awaited Hillard Carnival will commence. It’s also our final Tribal Color Day and an All Camp Picnic. The Special Camp Show and Charity Presentation are on Wednesday; campers are gearing up to take the stage to perform some of the most notable songs from their Visiting Day performances. The counselors have been furiously preparing for the Annual Counselor Talent Show on Friday, which is sure to be a lot of fun.    On Friday, we will also have a Moving Up ceremony for all the campers as they step into the shoes of their future tribe; Pawnees to Chickasaws, Hurons to Cheyennes, and so forth!  It is sure to be an exciting and memorable week.

Week 6, Week 6!!? It’s hard to believe just how quickly the summer is flying by.  The week was highlighted by the Swim Festivals; Senior Camp on Monday, Junior Camp on Tuesday and Middle Camp on Friday.  There was music at the pools, treasure hunts, swim races, musical water buckets and more!

S’mores Roasts and Ice Cream Parties are in full swing.  This week, the Pawnees, the Huron boys and girls, the Comanche boys and the Cherokee girls all enjoyed their ooey, gooey, sticky-delicious S’mores Roast, while the Cheyenne and Comanche girls, the Cherokee and INA boys and the INA girls enjoyed their Tribal Ice Cream Party.  Nothing beats a Camp Hillard Ice Cream Party; campers build their very own Ice Cream Sundae, choosing two scoops of ice cream, chocolate or vanilla (or both), assorted tasty toppings like rainbow and chocolate sprinkles, caramel sauce or chocolate syrup and maraschino cherries.  An Ice Cream Float is another option; two scoops of ice cream, swimming in fizzy, bubbly Coca Cola.  A refreshingly tasty treat on a hot summer day!

The week’s Lunch offerings were varied and delicious, as usual.  We started the week with a Mexican Monday, Mexi-Beef Tacos with Cheese, salsa and sour cream. A Make Your Own Sandwich meal of assorted cold cuts, cheeses and french fries was on the Menu for Tuesday.  Wednesday featured Hillard’s insanely popular Chicken O’s; most campers and counselors will admit to saying, “I’m just going to have one more.”  But everyone knows you can never just eat one more Chicken O! Thursday featured Pasta Primavera with fresh veggies, and we rounded out the week with a Topsy Turvy Breakfast for lunch: French Toast Strips, Turkey Sausage Tater Tots and Chocolate Milk!

Tribal Talent Shows are in full swing.  Tribes assemble during their Rest Periods, and campers show off their skills; the acts ran the gamut from karate chops and arm farts to hula hooping and rope jumping, to singing and acting and joke telling!  Hillard campers are a pretty talented bunch!

This week, we also saw several nail-biting Sports League Playoff and Championship games.  In the Comanche Boys Hudson River League, the Meatball Superheroes played the Golden Cheeseburgers while the Mac ‘n Cheese Smackers took on the Feisty Nuggets.  The Meatball Superheroes and the Mac ‘n Cheese Smackers were victorious in the first round and played each other in the Hudson River League finals with The Meatball Superheroes claiming the title.

The East River League saw the Lightning Os play the Alpha Dogs and the Oreos ‘n Milk take on the Thunder Nuggets.  The Lightning Os and the Thunder Nuggets won their respective first round games and had an epic East River League finals matchup with the Lightning Os coming out on top.

Additionally, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday saw real exciting and competitive play during the Cherokee Boys Sports League championship games; with the Cherokee Champs, Army Force 7, the Lunchtime Lays, and the Spaceouts placing 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th respectively in their American Division Championship Games.  While the Lightspeed Champions and Flaming Tigers placing 1^st and 2^nd in their National Division Championships.  The INA Boys Sports League Playoffs began on Monday, with the championships held on Friday. The 2017 INA Boys Sports league Champions are Trilogy, followed by the Rippers, finishing in second and The Killer Moths in third place.  Congratulations to all of the Sports League participants, who all demonstrated good sportsmanship and great Camp spirit.

As we near the end of the sixth week of camp, almost every Tribe in Camp has experienced either a Visiting Day or a Visiting Evening.  Campers look forward to these very special days when moms and dads, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, grandmas and grandpas come to watch them swim, play sports and perform songs or put on a show at theater, while also finally getting to meet the counselors who have been essential in making every camper’s summer fun and successful.

The Pawnees and the Chickasaw Boys and Girls had their Visiting Mornings early in the summer; for many of our youngest campers, Camp may be their first full-day group experience, and moms and dads are eager to meet the counselors and see their little ones in action!  This year, the Pawnees and the Chickasaws showcased their developing athletic skills at a Sports Skills Showcase on the Main Field, participating in a mini-obstacle course which included shooting hoops, kicking a soccer ball and scoring a goal at field hockey.  On the musical side of things, they performed a few special songs that they had been perfecting for the first few weeks of the summer, including Put On a Happy Face, You Are My Sunshine and the Camp Hillard song.

The Visiting Day programs for Hurons and older are a little more intense; in addition to participating in sports and swimming, campers perform a Broadway style show on the big stage.  This summer, the Huron Boys and Girls hit the stage for the very first time, performing The Lion King and Annie!

Visiting Day for the Cheyenne Boys and Girls included baseball and softball and swimming at South Campus Pool Complex, which always includes a ride down The Great Green River!  The Boys traveled travelled to Pride Rock to work on their roars in their production The Lion King and the Girls enjoyed performing in the well-loved, iconic musical, Annie.

Comanches and older are always excited by the prospect of a Visiting Evening.  These Tribes get to remain at Camp after every other camper has gotten on their bus and headed home!  Dinner is served at South Campus and campers and counselors gear up for an exciting evening!  The Comanche Boys and Girls showed off their athletic prowess during games of basketball and soccer, respectively, after which the boys hit the stage to perform All Shook Up, while the Girls entered a world full of adventure, in Disney’s classic, Beauty & the Beast.

Visiting Evenings for Senior Camp take place towards the end of the summer; campers spend six to seven weeks rehearsing for some very exciting shows; the Cherokee and Navajo girls in Beautiful and Pitch Perfect and The Really Big Show during the final week of Camp.  This year, the A-I Boys and Girls are welcoming in the 60’s in the Broadway hit, Hairspray!

Next week, the fun continues!  The excitement is building for the Opening Ceremonies of the first ever Green and White Spirit Week competition.  The Opening ceremonies will include a Top Secret Counselor Event; the event is so secret that Directors Jon and Jim Libman are still not privy to the details.  It is certain to be memorable!