June 30, 2012

Cousins, sirrahs and mistresses, tis pure Medieval Mayhem in the Abbey of Bernie! Children shall runneth to prove their knighthood. Participants are thus challenged on said quest to show truth, honor, bravery, daring, swiftness in pursuit of knighthood and celebration at the Renaissance Fair.

Shifting back to modern English :)

The first All Camp Day of summer 2012 is underway. Campers and staff have been divided into teams such as Bad Knights and Merlins and are being challenged by the King through a number of stations. Last night, the weekend began with the teams making flags and cheers, at least 3, as well as a "call and response".

For those worried about the heat, we have plenty of water available all day and are constantly reminding everyone to apply sunscreen. We will seek shade whenever possible as well.

There will not be a blog entry tomorrow, but I'll have the full weekend scoop on Monday.

Jamie

June 29, 2012

We sent our first Delaware River trip off yesterday, Chippewa, Lopatcong and Winema put in at Dingman's Ferry and will be picked up today at Smithfield Beach. I personally was there to see them launch and was quite impressed with how the campers were helping to load the canoes and get packed.

Back at camp, we held cookout and unit nights. The Nation and Shawnee units held their mutual campfire in the Nation, a great final night for the one week kids to hang out with their unit mates. The Pioneers did an Ice Cream Social followed by a sports themed relay race around camp. The Iroquois unit played a Frisbee game that also toured them around most of main camp.

June 28, 2012

Hi everyone,

The hype for Medieval Mayhem is underway. We had a special banquet last night at dinner time, with the dining hall blacked out and lit with candles, Gregorian chant on the sound system, crowns and decorations on the table and sword fighting battles in the aisle. The kids and staff alike were quite amazed by the display, and it all builds up to a great event this Saturday.

Afterwards, we held our first "MTV night" of the summer. Sequoia and Owasa performed a skit, "Real Life: YMCA Camp Bernie" including impersonations of each unit, highlighted by Owasa's Aritro playing an Iroquois. Lopatcong was the winning cabin with a commercial called "Shawnee Off" to cure and prevent the spread of "cooties". Very funny!

June 27, 2012

Free choice started yesterday, with campers heading out to their activities as selected on Sunday afternoon. This includes specialty programs like mini-biking and horseback riding. Also, we launched two brand new programs: "Cooking with Chef Michael" in which the campers learned about how to make homemade smoothies and "Disc Golf", as campers used our brand new 9 hole course which wraps around the athletics field, out to the nation and back down the pond trail to the center of camp.

Evening program was "Counselor Hunt", some of the craziest hiding spots were J.C. under the pond bridge, Bini in a wood pile, Deacon in a closet with a snake and Maya inside of a canoe. Congrats to Chippewa and Lahanna who tied for the win!

Session A June 26, 2012

Yesterday was Monday Fun Day at Session A, as each Unit spent the morning together enjoying specially planned programs prepared by their Unit Leaders. Melissa and the Iroquois enjoyed some bracelet making and took a trip to "Wonderland", playing croquet on the hill and painting cat whiskers on their faces. Ru and the Pioneers played some sports and did a Pioneer favorite, an egg drop. Rumor has it that one of the eggs wouldn't break even after having a bench dropped onto it!

The Shawnees did some fun challenges, like who could fit the most Marshmallows in their mouth, while the Nation boys played Capture the Flag in the Nation. The CITs did some icebreakers and spent the afternoon learning their "true colors" using the true colors personality assessment. 

Last night was opening campfire, and we had quite the selection of performances. Among the songs were: "Breaking Free", "Mercedes Benz", "60s Party", "Singing in the Rain", "Hello, My Name is Joe", "Boom Chicka Boom" and "Out Loud". The skits were "Lawnmower", "The Submarine Skit", "Johnny Got Hit by a Bus" and "Bubblegum". Also, we presented Ambassador gifts to Kristina M., Emily P. and Emma P. Nice job ladies!

-Jamie

Session A: Day One 6/25/12

Good morning from YMCA Camp Bernie.

We are thrilled that our Overnight Camp Season is officially underway. We ran a smooth check-in yesterday, getting campers safely settled from all over the Tri-State area and beyond. We even welcomed two CITs from Spain and one CIT from Germany!

All of the campers signed up for their free choice activities, checked in with the nurse and watched as our Unit Leaders reviewed important camp rules through some funny skits. Following that orientation process, the campers enjoyed community time on the courts, playing sports and socializing. Dinner was Chicken Parm, Chef Michael's Opening Night specialty, and then it was back to the cabins for Unit Nights.

You will see a photo gallery posted with cabin pictures and a "cheer off" that took place on the Athletics Field after dark. Stu explained to everyone at dinner that the Spirit Points competition and Unit Award race was on; let the games begin!

Jamie