Camp Hillard’s 91st Summer is Now Underway!

Camp Hillard’s 91st Summer Season kicked off on Tuesday, June 25th.  After a long, cold winter, and a fairly rainy Spring, campers and counselors and parents were thrilled that Opening Day was finally upon us!

On Opening Day, campers and counselors got to know one another.  As groups got off the bus, they were brought to their respective Tribal meeting areas where camper and counselor introductions were made. Tribes got to know each other’s names by playing all different types of Getting to Know You games. After putting things away in our bunks, we had a great first day of activities, including our first swim.  Campers enjoyed Hillard’s Famous Cheese Pizza for lunch and the end of day refreshment, a Philly-Swirl Pop, was truly delicious! 

There are some exciting new additions to the Hillard Menu this summer.  Our new Snack line-up includes a wide variety of fruit, cheese and crackers and crowd pleasers like Pop Corners and Pirate Booty!  The new convection ovens give us the capability to bake rather than fry many of our popular dishes, and we are excited to be able to offer new healthy, kid-friendly faves like grilled cheese and quesadillas!

The rest of Week 1 was also highlighted by:

  • Campers being assigned to their swim instruction groups.
  • Exciting sports instruction and games, including Sports Leagues
  • Many groups had their first arts and/or other specialty activities.  This included the first Arts Choice periods: Comanches and older have the opportunity to choose from a wide variety of exciting creative and performing arts including HillArt, Breakdancing with Bruce, Karaoke, Drumming and much, much more.
  • Marshmallow Roasts began on Thursday.  Every group can look forward to one Marshmallow and one S’mores Roast over the summer, in addition to an Ice Cream Party. 
  • Friday was our first Tribal Color Day.  Camp was awash in a sea of colors as campers and counselors alike were decked out in their special colored t-shirt.

This coming week will be another fun filled week of excitement.  In addition to all the fun of the regular schedule, we will also have the following special events:

  • The Annual Camp Lollipop Hunt will take place on Monday.
  • Campers can look forward to our Independence Day celebration on Wednesday, highlighted by an exciting Independence Day parade, an all-camp cookout, special refreshments, a visit from the Fire Department, and other special activities throughout the day. 
  • Camp is closed on Thursday, July 4th.  Happy Birthday, America!
  • Camp will be open on Friday, July 5th for Wacky Friday and Favorite Sock Day.  Campers can look forward to a fun-filled day which will include Wacky Tribal Activities, Breakfast for Lunch, and extended swim periods, along with other special surprises.

For more details specific to your child’s group, please read our Weekly Tribal Newsletters which are found in the Enrolled Camp Families section of our website.