Monthly Archives: August 2016

Empty chairs and empty tables

Friday, August 19th, 2016

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Good morning, friends and family! Humming Bird here! Man, camp sure is different without our campers! The swings are sitting quietly, the tetherballs hang limp in the still air, and the torches lay cold in the International House. The campers are gone, and our Valley begins its patient slumber until the beginning of the next season.

On behalf of everyone here at camp, we would like to thank you for sharing your campers with us this summer. They have each contributed their talent, compassion, humor, and light to our community, each member of which is personally responsible for the magic that we all saw and felt this summer. Thank you, folks at home, for allowing your campers to create the experience with us! 

In the coming months of anticipation for next summer, you can expect to find updates about the exciting things happening at camp, so keep checking in with us here on the blog!

And now I must fly off into the sunrise. Until next time!

Humming along,

Humming Bird

Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!!

Thursday, August 18th, 2016

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Good morning, folks!! Humming Bird here, bright and early this morning!

Camp awoke at 5:00– some of us woke up to the sound of music, provided by Taj and Forbidden! Thanks, guys! We ate our breakfasts as the sun rose over the Red Barn, and we did the Funky Chicken as all of our buses took off, full of happy campers!

Last night we feasted on none other but LOBSTER (or chicken parmesan or spanakopita) and BEN AND JERRY’S (or a dairy-free alternative)!!!!!! Then we had a beautiful Pine Grove– of course, there were a few tears. But all of last night’s weeping was merely evidence of the amazing summer we’ve had together! And now our campers are on their way home to you all, ready to tell you about all the amazing experiences they had here in the Valley!

Onward to logistics! Now that all the Funky Chickens have been danced, and second breakfast is in our bellies, our remaining campers are awaiting their parents’ arrival, watching a movie in the Red Barn! Meanwhile, counselors are working hard to pack up the rest of camp! We’re moving in the H-dock at the lake, we’re putting all the picnic tables under the deck of the Dining Hall, we’re cleaning all our facilities, and we’re checking in with all our chaperones, so that we can give you accurate updates on the estimated arrival times of the buses and planes! You’ll be hearing from us if you’re expecting a camper today!

Until then, enjoy these pictures from our LOBSTER BANQUET! And from DEPARTURE DAY!

I’m off to whistle while I work!

Humming along,

Humming Bird

BREAKING NEWS!!!!

Wednesday, August 17th, 2016
Woohoo!

Woohoo!

Humming Bird here! This just in– THERE HAS JUST BEEN A SECOND CANDY DROP! WHAT?!?! YEAH! LITERALLY JUST NOW! I’ve just escaped the wild crowd of campers and staff, who are rioting for candy out on the soccer field! The plane came flying parallel to Camp Road and on, above our all-camp Transportation meeting (BOOOOOOORNING!) As we gathered to hear about our travel plans, preparing to haul our luggage to the front lawn, we heard the engines and turned in confusion to the Great Above, where the metal piñata hung like a beacon! Wow, what a rush! Check out photos!

Other than that, everything seems super boring…. but here we go! We’ve been preparing all day for our departure– we’ve been cleaning and scrubbing and moving things and sitting on stuffed suitcases to make them close! Now, as the shock and excitement is dying down from the second Candy Drop, we’re preparing to move that luggage into the front yard, where it will sleep for the night, until we leave tomorrow.

But let’s not think about leaving quite yet, there’s still so much ahead of us!! Tonight is the LOBSTER BANQUET!! And then it’s PINEGROVE!!! With stuffed bellies, we’ll line up to say our goodbyes up in our beautiful pine grove space. Then we’ll get a good night’s sleep before our 5:00 AM wake up!

We’ve got lots ahead of us, so stay tuned for more tomorrow! By the time I post in the morning, I imagine most of our campers will be safely on the buses home to you folks! We’ll give you updates on the buses’ departures and arrivals, so keep checking in with us here in the Valley!

I’m off now to find my lobster bib!

Humming along,

Humming Bird

A Fair Day in the Valley

Tuesday, August 16th, 2016

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Good afternoon, friends and family! Humming Bird here on this beautiful Fair Day! It has been an incredible day here in the Valley, so let’s check out what we’ve been up to!!

The morning began as most mornings do– with a delicious breakfast! We ate lots of yummy yummy eggs from the egg bar, and gathered for Morning Meeting, where we awaited our campers who ran in the Fun Run, down camp road! Then we went to set up our Fair Day booths! After set-up, we gathered by the horse barn for the Brumby Horse Show! Our five Brumby campers and apprentice have worked tirelessly this session to care for the horses and hone their skills in riding. Their show this morning provided an impressive glimpse into the life of our horsey people! They did a beautiful job, congratulations, Brumby!! Check out photos of their work!

After the show, we were released to the fair! Here’s what everyone was up to:
Forbidden Planet made fried dough
Taj Mahal wrote kiss-o-grams
Fiddler’s Green served ice cream
Camelot DJ’ed
Valhalla ran the marriage booth
Shangri-La gave out drinks
French Quarter manned the chocolate fountain
LCH painted our faces
Wombles facilitated pillow jousting
Loons ran the poop shoot
Chateau Fiasco refereed sumo wrestling
Avalon ran the slip ‘n’ slide
The Burrow managed the Jelly Bean Count
Down Under painted nails
Atlantis ran the moon bounce
Treasure Island ran the name change registration
Paquatahnee told our fortunes
HVA set up a backpacking obstacle course
The AWACs gave out pretzels
Kitchen staff served hot dogs

It was a SUPER fun day, check out photos of the shenanigans!

After all the dough was fried and the chocolate was consumed, we had one MASSIVE clean-up all together! Now our beautiful camp is sparkly clean! It’s almost as if nothing ever happened… except for that we still have all our memories and all these pictures for you to see! So check them out!

We just enjoyed our final slide show of second session, in addition to the presentation of all our video class projects! We sure have had a fantastic month here! Tonight we’re looking forward to a beautiful Fair Day Dance! Stay tuned for pictures tomorrow, when I also tell you about Packing Day!!

Also, enjoy photos of last night’s Alive show! The campers have been working so hard this summer, exploring different media of art, and all their efforts have culminated in this beautiful show! Enjoy the pictures of their work!

That’s all for now, folks! Talk to you tomorrow!

Humming along,

Humming Bird

Slumber-Bowl Monday!!!!

Monday, August 15th, 2016

Bowling time!!!

Hi everyone! Curly Q back again to report last night’s happenings as well as today’s fun!

Last night the final sharing night of the summer took place as campers took the stage to show off what they learned during the last two weeks of classes. Some of the acts included performances by the Rockbandguitar class, contemporary dancehip-hop, guardians of the garden, pump it up, comics class, improve games, ukelele classes, and painting!

In the middle of sharing night campers and staff watched on as Dan C. burned down the sculpture he built for Avalon as their wheel prize!

Today was the last lazy day as younger half took a trip to go GLOW BOWLING and older half stayed on camp to have a SLUMBER PARTY! Glow bowling was a success and our very own PD, Grace, who went on the trip, described it as fantastic and amazing! As for the older half, they enjoyed the beautiful weather and hung out in the backyard enjoying all that the slumber party had to offer. This included card games, nail painting, coloring, and bed time stories to name a few!

A very exciting day all around and a great note to end lazy days for the summer on. Tonight’s evening program is the Alive Show and tomorrow is FAIR DAY! More news to come on both of these events.

Thanks for reading!

Last class blues

Sunday, August 14th, 2016
Great job crew!!!!

Great job crew!!!!

Good morning, folks! Humming Bird here with your daily update on the LAST DAY OF CLASSES!! The sky may be crying for the impending end of the session, but our campers are nothin’ but smiles! And why shouldn’t they be– there’s so much still to come! But before I get to all that, let’s take a look back on last night’s performance…

The cast and crew of the show gave us an INCREDIBLE performance of Wicked– it was unbelievable!! Check out the photos! The ninjas did an amazing job with the set, the actors did a thoroughly convincing job telling the story, and our ropes crew did a safe and spectacular job flying Elphaba above the crowd! We spent our night transported to Broadway, thanks to our talented group of campers and staff!

This morning at Meeting we had a special guest performance from Pete the Conqueror and Prince Daveed II! The two, who have been at odds all summer, found out this morning that they are, in fact, BROTHERS!! Check out photos of their epic fight and emotional reunion!!

Looking forward, tonight is Sharing Night! We have some incredible acts to see, so stay tuned for photos of all the hard work our campers have put into their classes these past two weeks!!

Tomorrow we’re looking forward to our LAST TRIP LAZY DAY! Keep checking in for more updates as camp begins to draw to a close!

I’m off to prepare my Sharing Night act!

Humming along,

Humming Bird

But first…. a message from our sponsors!

Saturday, August 13th, 2016
Thanks crew and cast!!

Thanks crew and cast!!

Good morning, folks! Humming Bird here with your updates! But first…

A message from Peter and Meg…
 
Reading the blog, you are now aware of the tremendous effort that staff put into community activities at HVC.  These events are fabulous and fun, nearly impossible to produce outside the world of camp, and – in the absence of the “color war” activities at more traditional camps – enhance our efforts to create a meaningful, positive group life here. We have long believed that these positive community experiences – taken back in to the “real world” – are an ideal for young people to aspire to in their daily lives.
 
Even more importantly, we see so much individual growth here. Some campers are spending their 6th or 7th summers at HVC and not only are they taller, but these children have truly become themselves, making contributions all over camp, acting as role models and demonstrating that values of love, friendship and mutual support can truly be brought to life. And our brave new campers have shown that they too can make contributions – as together we build “family” life in the cabins, learn skills all over, etc. – while establishing creative independent identities away from home.
 
So, there you have it…  Independence and Interdependence, both at once!  Our thanks go out to counselors and instructors who have set the stage for so much success. And hats off to our campers, a truly generous, comfortable and open-minded group, always thinking outside the box, but not too far!  –  MEG & PETER

Thanks, Meg and Peter! And now, for some updates about our programs! The play last night was BEAUTIFUL! Our cast of four did a spectacular job bringing the vampire bunny’s story to life! Bravo, actors! Check out photos!

And in sports news, our basketball game went perfectly! The campers beat the counselors by a landslide– good job campers! Team X played valiantly, but alas our pro-player campers ultimately took home the W, led to victory by their fearless coaches, Will and Zach! A riveting game, thanks to all our players! Check out photos!

 

Today we’re enjoying some slightly cooler weather, which is just in time for DRESS IN THE DARK DAY! Check out photos of some of our crazy ensembles! Tonight we’re looking forward to the musical, Wicked! Our cast and crew have been working tirelessly on the show for the last few weeks, and we are all so excited to see the outcome of all their efforts! Stay tuned for pictures tomorrow!

The session may be drawing to a close, but the camp spirit is still alive and well here in the Valley! Stay tuned for all the exciting things we have upcoming: the musical and sharing night, one last trip lazy day, and of course Fair Day! Lots of exciting things happening here at camp, so keep checking in right here!

I’m off to find my most clashing wing accessories– you can’t really dress in the dark on dress in the dark day (it takes much more attention than dressing in the light, really!)

Humming along,

Humming Bird

Bowling, and grossness and electives! Oh my!

Friday, August 12th, 2016
Bowl on, Shangri-La!

Bowl on, Shangri-La!

Good afternoon, folks! Humming Bird here on this disgusting day! Why is it so disgusting? Well, because it was Gross Day, of course!! Here we go…

Gross Day is the magical younger half Lazy Day when our campers get to roll around in repulsive goop! We had a Gross Obstacle Course, Condiment Twister, Shaving Cream Hairstyles, a Yucky Slip ‘n’ Slide, Color Balloons, and a Messy Mural! Of course, we also had a Tranquility station for our less-gross campers. Check out photos of the MADNESS!!

While the younger half was embracing their yucky side, the older half took a trip to Sparetime Bowling Alley, for some GLOW BOWLING!! Check out photos of our campers bowlin’ strikes and eatin’ fries!!

Now that we’re all together back on Main Camp, we’re enjoying our pool activities! What a relief it is to take a dip on a hot, hot day like this!!

After the pool and dinner, we’ll gather in the Rec Hall to enjoy the play, Bunnicula!! Our actors have been working very hard on the show, and we’re so excited to see what they’ve prepared for us!

And speaking of evening programs… last night was Electives! Check out photos of the night! We had pizza making, a Mama Mia dance party (which turned into a pool party!), a lake walk, a Nalgene destruction challenge, and more!

For now, I’m off to fly through pool activities and cool my wings a little bit! I’ll be back tomorrow with photos of tonight’s show!

Humming along,

Humming Bird

It’s a beautiful day in the Valley!

Thursday, August 11th, 2016
Stephen gets the ice bucket!

Stephen gets the ice bucket!

Good morning, folks! Humming Bird here with all your updates! Yesterday afternoon we enjoyed a beautiful camper-counselor soccer game! Both teams played valiantly, with campers and counselors working together to try to beat the other campers and counselors! In fact, the teams were so evenly matched, that the game ended in a 3-all draw! Great job, athletes! This afternoon we’ve got more sports-mania with the camper-counselor basketball game at Interest Groups! Stay tuned for photos!

After the game, we gathered for Evening Meeting, where we had some notable events! What events might those be? Why, Wheel Prizes, of course!! Lee and Kev got their legs/chests waxed by Taj Mahal, and Wombles got to pour ketchup and mustard ALL OVER Danielle! Check out photos– it was pretty insane! Stay tuned for more prizes coming up!

Last night’s evening program was Cabin Night– what did your campers do?
LCH decorated T-shirts!
Avalon did a scavenger hunt, ending in s’mores and stickbread!
Loons did tie dye!
Wombles made a woodshop Wombles sign!
Chateau Fiasco did glass blowing!
Atlantis had a night of build-and-burn fun!
Treasure Island recreated the Apocalypse, part 2!
Forbidden planet baked cookies!
The Burrow went up to Tipis for the night!
Down Under made glass beads!
French Quarter did tie dye!
Paquatahnee had an unbirthday party at the lake!
Valhalla did glazing in the pottery studio!
Shangri-La made glass fusing projects with Phillipe!
Halley’s Comet did some bonding in a Big Circle Night!
Camelot made tie dye and banana boats!
Fiddler’s Green did archery with water balloons!
Taj Mahal had a karaoke and s’mores party!

It was a SUPER fun night for everyone– check out the photos!! Also check out photos from this morning’s Meeting! Tanya, who announces our laundry, called up special guests, Peter and Henry, to sing a song about laundry! They lamented about the tragedy of the Lost Article of Clothing (to the tune of Zombie by The Cranberries)! And in full costume, no less! Check out photos of the act that had the whole camp in stitches!

Today we’re looking forward to another fun evening of Electives! All our counselors will line up and explain what they’ll be doing this evening, and campers will run walk carefully to their choice activities! Stay tuned for photos of the mayhem!

Until then, I’m off to clean and fill my water bottle– it’s going to be a HOT one today! Stay hydrated, folks!

Humming along,

Humming Bird

Vowels and pancakes and everything nice!

Wednesday, August 10th, 2016

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Good morning, good morning! Humming Bird here with your inside scoop!

Last night was a blast at the dance! We had vowels here– vowels there– vowels flying everywhere! We had a cabin of eggs, multiple unicorns, an apple, artists, ice cream, a skunk who couldn’t spell, and Alice in Wonderland! Check out photos of the night!

Today we awoke to a lovely breakfast of PANCAKES!! YUMMY! Check out pics of our feast! Also, check out photos of Alive’s trip to the Colby College art museum!!

Tonight we’re looking forward to cabin night! Stay tuned for photos and updates about what all our cabins get up to!

Until then, may your day be filled with pancakes and butterflies!

Humming along,

Humming Bird

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