It is hard to believe how quickly another summer has come and gone!  Camp Hillard’s 90th summer was another successful season, full of fun, friends and more fun!  We had a bit of rain this summer, and Mother Nature decided to kick off the last week of Camp with a rainy day!  Campers and counselors took the rain in stride, enjoying lots of fun indoor activities like games, Trivia and Arts and Crafts.  The Apache and Iroquois boys and girls took advantage of the opportunity to fine tune their dance moves for the Big Show, which was rescheduled due to the weather.

On Tuesday, the Libman family was joined on stage by representatives from the Focus For A Future for the presentation of a generous check of $12,000 to this worthwhile organization.  Thank you to all the campers and counselors who participated in this year’s Charity Event.  We also enjoyed the Counselor Talent Show, which is always an entertaining and spirited display of talent!

On Tuesday night, the Apache-Iroquois Boys and Girls finally took to the stage for the Big Show. Kathleen Libman, who looked stunning in her black evening gown, welcomed everyone to a very special production that she created, a celebration of 90 years of Hillard Theater and Music, particularly the 25 years of Kathleen’s very imaginative and unique productions.  Kathleen then handed the microphone over to Jill Libman, Hillard’s sister, Elaine’s sister-in-law, and Kathleen, Jon and Jim’s Aunt.  It was a touching homage to the Hillard Family as Aunt Jill was the Creative and Performing Arts Director for many years.  The boys and girls took to the stage, where they performed a selection of musical numbers including Everything’s Coming Up Roses, Luck Be a Lady, What the World Needs Now, Mama I’m a Big Girl Now, just to name a few!  It was a truly magical evening, which concluded with a very special surprise; a rendition of Edelweiss, which was Hillard and Elaine’s favorite song.  There was barely a dry eye in the house.

On Wednesday, we gathered at the stage for one last time to give Special Recognition to counselors who really stood out this summer, followed by a very special Camp show where campers performed some popular tunes from their Visiting Day performance.

Final Day Festivities on Thursday 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.  The fun continued with the annual Camp Hillard Carnival, which as rescheduled from Tuesday due to rain.  This year’s Carnival theme was A Trip Through the Decades; every group in Camp was responsible for creating a game booth representing a different decade.  Totally Tubular Tattoos, The Y2K Rubber Duckie Remix, and the I Do Love the 80’s Marriage Booth,  just to name a few!  There were exciting inflatables on the Main Field for campers to enjoy; a Fun House obstacle course, the Knight’s Castle and the Sea Fun House, and an Amusement park Obstacle Course.  We all enjoyed a delicious lunch of Chicken O’s, followed by an Ice Cream Sundae, before hitting the pools for one last free swim.

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 90th 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 2019.  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!