Top o’ the mornin’, folks!
Olive Oyl here with your departure Day dish! We were up bright and early this morning, woken up by the beautiful singing of Taj and Forbidden. We headed over to breakfast and warmed up with some hot chocolate before saying goodbye to our friends on the Newton and New York buses and those traveling to the airport. We had campers and counselors from around the world- England, France, Australia, Venezuela, and Mexico, just to name a few. These special folks have begun to make their way back to their respective corners of the globe, but despite this geographic difference, we all have one thing in common– being a part of the amazing family here at Hidden Valley. We bid everyone adieu with the HVC classic funky chicken, which also included the funky lobster, moose, gnome, and llama. Campers who are leaving by car are currently watching a movie or hanging out before they’re swooped away by family and say see ya later to Hidden Valley.
Last night’s Closing Pine Grove ceremony was serene and magical. Walking up to the campfire, we All cabins shared something special with the group, like Shangri-La’s original song, “Tasty Cookie,” and Forbidden’s improv storytelling. Halley’s Comet sang “Lean On Me,” Fiddler’s Green sang “I’m Yours” and Taj Mahal sang “The Rainbow Connection.” Alive led us in a rain circle, Atlantis did the HVCclassic Princess Pat, and Down Under did Boom-Chicka-Boom. Some former- campers-now-counselors revived an old singalong, “Because I came to HVC…” and two of our international counselors shared a day in the life of a British/Australian counselor, complete with slang and vocabulary discrepancies. Camelot sang “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” and French Quarter sang “When I’m Gone,” while Paquatahnee had us doing the jellyfish. Treasure Island sang the “FUN” song from Spongebob and on a more serious note, Meg and the AWAC ladies led us in “The Farthest Field.” And of course, Tom and his dulcimer class played and sang for us. It was a night of music, laughter, and memories. After all of our acts, we started the candle-lighting ceremony, where we filled in the path down Tipi Hill, getting the chance to say goodbye to our friends with a candle touch or a hug. Pine Grove gave us a chance to reflect on the friendships we made this summer, all we’ve accomplished in our classes, and prepared us for heading home and having a successful year.
Be sure to check on the Facebook page for updates on the buses as your campers make their way home! We’d also like to apologize for some technical difficulties, but not to fret, photos from yesterday and the day before are up and ready to view!
Sadly, this is our final post of the summer. Reporting the news is our favorite part of the day, and it has been an absolute pleasure to share all the HVC gossip with you! Hopefully we’ll be in touch in future summers!
Up Up And Away,
Olive and Alleycat