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 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th respectively in their American Division Championship Games. While the Lightspeed Champions and Flaming Tigers placing 1st and 2nd 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!