Bugle Call – Week 6 – 2009
Our sixth week of camp was kicked off by one of Kohahna’s all-time favorite activities-the County Fair. Kohahna and Leelanau campers joined each other on the soccer field Sunday afternoon to enjoy fair-inspired stands like funnel cakes, face painting, dunk tank, obstacle courses, and a bucking bronco ride. It was an afternoon filled with laughter and playfulness as everyone meandered from one stand to the next. That evening’s Council Fire brought a more thoughtful tone to the week’s beginning. The theme for the evening was the K-Quality of Orderliness, and we heard about Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize recipient, as an example of an orderly, principled thought having the ripple effect to bless the world on a large scale.
Monday successfully launched the week’s morning activities, and for evening activity, cabins came together to play Kohahna’s rendition of The Newlywed Game. The range of trivia that campers learn about each other is very impressive! Back by popular demand, Tuesday’s evening was spent playing the second game of Pazdog this session. During this beachfront, Capture-the-Flag-inspired game, the Pines and Sands were very joyful, driven, and sportsmanlike as they tromped through sand and water to snatch their opponent’s football.
Several campers ventured out on trips throughout the week. Many older girls journeyed up to Michigan’s upper peninsula for either a hiking trip on Grand Island or a rock-climbing trip. Juniper girls took an overnight to the Sand Lake Quiet Area. And, three advanced horseback riders earned the privilege to take a riding overnight trip. The riders returned raving about their gorgeous 2-hour long evening trail ride.
For Wednesday’s Cabin Day with the girls still on camp, Kohahna loaded the big blue bus and headed off camp. Gulls Nest and Driftwood stayed cool while shooting the culverts, Birchview and Clifftop enjoyed time at Empire Beach, Breezeway water-skied on Glen Lake, and the rest of camp explored the shops and sites in Glen Arbor. That evening’s church service was especially touching, with the readings on the topic of worthiness. Campers shared many heartfelt testimonies about experiences they’ve had in the past year and at camp this summer. The atmosphere of support and healing felt very tangible as testifiers expressed their gratitude for the blessings they’ve felt from their camp community.
On Thursday morning, several campers set sail in a tall-ship sailboat for a morning of the Inland Seas program. They lent a hand with the sails and then learned about Lake Michigan creatures and water quality. We’re grateful for the opportunity to send campers to this local program, which was partially subsidized by The Principia. That evening another bunch of campers also went off camp for a musical at Interlochen. Back at camp, campers spent the evening learning and practicing how to build fires. When we asked for highlights from the week, some campers listed their newly developed fire-building skills!
Friday evening brought the reintroduction of an old game, Kohahna Superlatives. The Pines and Sands competed in categories such as longest tongue, furthest distance between home and camp, best joke, and best sound effect. What a way to learn rather obscure facts about each other! The categories of best tennis player and best basketball player also brought the activity into a short tennis match and a game of Knockout.
On Saturday, the Pines devoted their afternoon to preparations for their evening presentation of the Pine Show. Their creative variety show featured several Disney princesses working together to solve the mystery of who kidnapped Princess Kohahna.
Of course, the show climaxed with a favored tradition, a kick line for the finale.
It’s hard to believe that there is only one week remaining in the session, but knowing how full camp weeks are, we know that much more good is yet to come!
