Oh, hey! It’s been a while. I missed talking to y’all but, more than anything, I missed the good kind of chaos that is camp coming alive again! The gravel is shuffling, the cabin doors are opening, and the blue sky can’t help but be brighter in the presence of this community reunion!
For those of you who don’t know me, hi! My name is Tajar and I keep tabs on camp, campers, and the hustle and bustle around here. I give daily updates and share our fun, exciting news. I’ll be the first to tell you about the yummy meal for lunch (quesadillas!) and for the rest hour sun-shower. Long story short, I’m your eyes and ears at camp this summer (and for the past…102 years…wow, we’re getting old).
Empty cabins in the fall, winter, and spring are already sad enough, but I’ve never spent a summer under Old Bald without the campers, so, to say I missed everyone is an understatement. Camp is blooming again and that all began a few days ago when the gates opened and staff rolled down the camp road.
Campers: you’re in for a treat! I have yet to see, in my 102 years bee-bopping around Lake Fairfield, a more dedicated and passionate group of people come together to make this summer happen. Summer 2021 will be nothing short of historic and inspiring. Some things may look different this year, but the lake still shines, Old Bald still beams, and the spirit of Merrie-Woode is on fire like never before.
To ensure the safety and well-being of everyone in the camp community, we’re changing things up for the better this summer. In times of challenge, it is not how far we fall but, how tall we rise together that indicates our strength as a team. 2020 set us back. It set the world back. It caused pain and sadness. It brought us the kind of troubles that only a place like camp can begin to reconcile with. This will be a summer of support, healing, and rejoicing. And we’ll do it all together.
One thing that’s new this year is face masks! While I miss the unmasked smiles, I’ve learned that our faces are expressive beyond our mouths. I can see it in the eyes of everyone: we’re happy to be back. I call it “eye-smiling” and that’s what we’re working with this summer! (And, hey, you’ll never have to worry if there’s something in your teeth!)
We’re also doing temperature checks, some new dining-hall protocols, and various, miscellaneous things here and there to promote an even safer environment. Here’s the secret: no matter what’s changed, so much has stayed the same. We’re ready for middies and ties, songs and dance parties, and tether ball tournaments. We’re excited for water sliding, horseback riding, and BINGO night.
While this may be a summer of change, it’s also a summer like all that came before: a time to retreat to a place of rarest beauty and reunite with our old friends while making new ones, and connect with ourselves on a spiritual level in a place where we can all be our best selves. There is nothing in this world that could change that—not a face mask, a temperature check, or global pandemic. Camp is camp, and we’re so happy to have you back.
Excited to see you,
Tajar
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