Enjoying some friend time before class!

Gooood morning sunshines! I can’t wait to update you all on all the excitement in store the next couple days. Let’s start with a re-re-re-re-rewind to last night!

You have probably all been on the edge of your seats, eagerly waiting for the title of the movie. Can I have a drum roll please? ….CHICKEN RUN!…one of my all time favorite movies, a heartwarming story of team work and community building. AND PIE! We laughed, we cried, we cheered, and we all got a great night’s sleep afterwards!

We awoke this morning to a beautiful breakfast of coffee cake and eggs, and gathered for morning meeting, where we heard a preview of some of the exciting things coming up in this last week of camp, like Fair Day, the Brumby Fun Show, Lobster Banquet and more!! We can’t wait to update you soon on all of it! We also noticed at morning meeting that we were missing some campers and counselors, who are currently running the Montville Road Race AS I TYPE!! The Montville Road Race is a two mile down-hill race that is a staple of second session, and a super fun way for campers and counselors alike to reach out and get involved in the greater Montville community. Those campers and counselors will be back in time for second period, and all of us here at camp can’t wait to welcome them back and congratulate them on a job well run!

We’re looking forward to the camper-counselor basketball game this afternoon, where our camper basketball team will take on the infamous Team X as the rest of camp watches and decorates white books! We can’t wait to show you pictures from the game tomorrow!

In the meantime, soak up the sun and enjoy this beautiful second-to-last day of classes!! Photos are posted below of the movie and some fun class group photos!

Get it done, Chicken Run,
Mama Iguana

Loons up at Tipis!

Howdy folks! Cara B. here with an update.

Last night after a delicious dinner of spaghetti, Caesar salad, garlic bread, and strawberry rhubarb crumble (my all time favorite HVC dessert!), we went our separate ways for Cabin Night! Cabin Night is a super awesome evening program where each cabin does a special activity with just their cabin group. Here’s what everyone got up to:

Loons camped out at Tipis and made s’mores

Down Under played in the sprinkler and played drip drip drop at Meg’s Planet

Gimme Shelter worked on projects at the pottery studio

French 1/4 had a spa night in the yurt

Avalon made glass beads and played frisbee

Paquatahnee had a silly photoshoot and decorated picture frames

LCH had a movie night

Shangri-La designed cabin t-shirts and played with the animals in the animal barn

Wombles made pizza and buttons

Camelot went for a hike and made terrariums

Wabanaki did some glass fusing projects

Valhalla had a spa night in the Hilton

Chateau Fiasco played soccer and made ice cream sundaes at the tree house

Fiddler’s Green made shrinky dinks and had some tea time

Bermuda Triangle swam at the lake

Taj Mahal also swam at the lake

Forbidden Planet went offsite to see the new Mission Impossible movie

Sweet! Everyone had a blast chilling with their cabin mates before gearing up for today’s lazy day. This morning after sleeping in a bit, we headed the dining hall for breakfast sandwiches before going our separate ways for the day. The older half went off camp for a morning of glow bowling! There were disco lights, music and dancing, french fries, and well, bowling of course! Meanwhile, the younger half stayed on camp for a biiiiggg cabin clean before gathering on the Rec Hall field for Gross Day!

Gross Day is a day of activities designed for campers to get absolutely, positively gross! There were shaving cream hair-dos, an obstacle course with a mud and maple syrup pit, a chocolate syrup slip n’ slide, Kool-Aid drip drip drop, mentos and diet coke science, condiment twister, and disgusting mystery boxes with spaghetti, jello, and peeled grapes- yuck! Those who did not wish to be gross hung out at Meg’s Planet making friendship bracelets and playing board games and cards. Once everyone was thoroughly gross, we determined just who was the gross-est by a round of applause from the non-gross campers.

After gross campers were hosed off at the counselor carwash, we enjoyed lunch and a looonnngg rest period. Next, both halves headed to the pool for mega pool activities! There was swimming, friendship bracelet making, cards, corn hole, guitar jams, and lots of slipping on the slip n’ slide. Right now, everyone is gathering in the Backyard for evening meeting before our Mexican style feast.

Tonight is movie night! Mama Iguana and I are dying to know what the movie will be…we’ll just have to head over to the Rec Hall and see! For now, enjoy photos from Cabin Night and Gross Day!

Peace out!

Cara B. Ner

Peter and Meg in their new 30 year vests with long time HVC nurse, Michelle!

Greetings, bloggers! Cara here with all the latest on the sixth day of classes.

Yesterday during interest groups we had the long awaited soccer game! Each session, the soccer team plays a big match, putting all their hard work over the past few weeks to the ultimate test. We grabbed our special snack of hot dogs with all the fix-ins and hung out on the hill, cheering on our friends and doing the wave!

Afterwards, the celebration of Peter and Meg’s 30th year at Hidden Valley continued at evening meeting. Elise and Rachel created amazing 30 year vests (quite the upgrade from the typical 5 year)! Peter’s said “hey you guys!” with a picture of the green pig, and Meg’s said “always orbiting!” with a picture of a planet. Long time HVC-ers and awesome pro staff Dan, Luke, and Carmi said some special words to honor the Kassens, as did nurse Michelle. The useless facts of the day given by our Gurus weren’t so useless- they were facts about Peter and Meg! The weather report provided by Weather Gal (and Pal!) predicted 30 degrees across the board, Fahrenheit and Celsius!

After dinner, there were three huge 30th anniversary cakes for everyone to enjoy before heading back over to the soccer field for Electives! Electives is a super awesome evening program where campers can choose their evening program out of a number of activities offered by staff. There were the classics, of course, like Peter’s secret tour, making s’mores, glass beads, a dance party, and a huge game of capture the flag. There were also some new electives like tile making with Dan and Phillipe, wood shop projects, and hiking with dogs with Phillie and Aileen! Some extra special electives worked on decorating the Rec Hall and baking a giant cookie cake for one last 30th anniversary surprise. When we gathered to debrief at the end of the night, the Rec Hall had been transformed with streamers, 3’s and 0’s, and happy anniversary signs. We watched an amazing slide show full of photos of the past 30 years at camp which left everyone feeling warm and fuzzy. Afterwards, Meg, Georgia, and Elise led us in singing “The Farthest Field,” as per Electives tradition, as well as “If I Had a Hammer” before sending us off to bed. It was the perfect way to end the evening after an exciting day full of so much celebration and love for our community.

Today is the sixth day of classes! After a delicious egg bar breakfast, we had a fun-filled morning meeting which included a sprit animal/thought de jour swap- Forbidden Planet said the thought of the day and Taj Mahal performed a hilarious spirit animal! Right now, everyone is off glazing projects in the pottery studio, polishing dance moves in the Foothills, strumming ukuleles in the backyard, and swimming at the lake and the pool. Soon, campers will be putting the finishing touches on their art projects and preparing performances for Sharing Night. While the session is drawing to a close, there is still so much in store for our final week together- Mama Iguana and I can hardly contain our excitement!

That’s all for now! Enjoy photos from the soccer game, Electives, and the 30th anniversary celebration!

Climbing away,

Cara B. Ner

Peter and Meg back in the day!

Hey there, everyone! Cara B. here back again with an extra special news report.

Today we are celebrating Peter and Meg’s 30th year as camp directors at Hidden Valley! When we walked into breakfast, the dining hall had been decorated with a huge happy anniversary banner and tons of old photographs from camp throughout the years. It was so cool for everyone to see this blast from the past, including old photos of PK and MK and photos of pro staff when they were campers! At Peter and Meg’s table outside, we hung special notes written by campers which included their hand print and their favorite thing about Hidden Valley.

During morning meeting, all of the usual announcements had been transformed to honor Peter and Meg on their special day. We started off with a big round of “Oh How Lovely is the Evening,” a song that Peter and Meg have led us in singing up at Pine Grove for years. Hannah and Hope rode in on horses carrying huge “30” flags, and the ropes list this morning included the names of all the past ropes directors. The birthday announcement was in celebration of their 30th anniversary and Peter and Meg got to hear the birthday organ! In the interest groups lineup, all of the activities were themed for the anniversary, including tetherball and ping-pong games that will be played first to 30 points, portraits of HVC llamas past and present, song writing for Peter and Meg, and learning dance moves from 1988- Peter and Meg’s first year at Hidden Valley! The morning was full of love and celebration for our amazing directors who make HVC so incredible.

And now, a special note from Peter and Meg:

…So, as you now know, it turns out that the entire camp CAN keep a secret from us and what an inspired and touching bit of scheming this was. We have been so overwhelmed by the generosity of spirit that went into this surprise celebration.

As we told the camp at morning meeting, these 30 years have been a labor of love. A few thoughts…
…We are so proud of campers and adults who continue to work together in so many areas of camp, from horse riding to the arts. The wonder of learning has been a gift to all of us.
…One of the messages we received today was from a camper who said they like HVC because, “It’s easier to make friends here.” We have found our people here too and know that camp provides connections that are harder to make in the real world which can be less considerate or more competitive.
…And we talked with the camp about the place itself, an amazing corner of the world that has provided space, natural beauty and comfort to so many for so long. Stewarding the land here has been an honor.

More reflections will follow. In the meantime, thanks to all for shedding light on the magic of HVC.
Love,
Peter and Meg

Here’s to 30 years! Enjoy some photos from today and some of the old photos hung in the dining hall!

Forever and always,

Cara B. Ner

Donuts on Junk Food Day!

Gooooooood morning! Cara B. here with all the latest on another warm, sunny day at camp.

Last night after a successful Junk Food Day filled with hot dogs, Oreos, marshmallow fluff, and ice cream sundaes, our evening program was the Bug and B(ee) Dance! Campers and counselors dressed up as butterflies, bees, and other insects, as well as boys, barbies, and even bananas! One counselor hung a list of costume ideas around her neck and when asked about her outfit, she replied “I’m brain storming!” We headed to the Rec Hall area for some awesome bug and “B” related activities, and lots of “boogie-ing” and dancing the “jitterbug,” of course. There was butterfly making, bubble blowing, a snail race (the slowest person wins!), a bug hunt, bug house making, banana grams, button making, beach volleyball, and lots of basketball on the court. We had a blast doing all the awesome activities and dancing to some fantastic music by artists starting with “B,” including The Beatles, Beyonce, and The B-52s. We ended the night with a big group dance in the Rec Hall before heading off to bed.

Today was Dress in the Dark Day! On Dress in the Dark Day, well, we dress in the dark! Everyone is encouraged to throw on the whackiest outfit they can muster to celebrate silliness and the freedom of expression we feel here at camp. We headed into breakfast to show off our inside-out t-shirts, layered shorts over leggings, and bathing suits on top of clothes, over waffles with strawberry sauce and whipped cream.

Right now, everyone is off enjoying the 5th day of classes. Today marks the beginning of our new minis! Mini classes are offered for just four days instead of eight, so that campers can have the opportunity to try out even more amazing classes! Tonight is Electives, where campers will have the opportunity to choose from a number of fabulous activities offered by staff. Mama Iguana will tell you all about it tomorrow!

That’s all for today! Enjoy photos from Junk Food Day yesterday, the Bug and B(ee) Dance, and Dress in the Dark Day.

Buh-Bye!

Cara B. Ner

Valhalla hanging at the playground at Lake St. George!

Hey there, It’s Mama Iguana! Hope everyone is staying in the shade and hydrated, we definitely are here! It’s been super warm the past two days so campers are getting in the sprinklers, classes are going to the lake and pool, everyone is staying super dooper hydrated, and of course, sunscreen has been applied! I know I promised you all that I’d explain more about the lazy day yesterday so let’s take a step back before I tell you all about today and the special surprise everyone was waiting for…

The younger half stayed on camp for Mario Party day! We had some great activities planned featuring some of our counselors dressed up as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Toad, Bowser, and Wario. The activities were as follows: a cart race, an egg and spoon race, bowser “bomb” explosion sorting, a build and destroy, and a mushroom bounce! Sadly, we ended up pausing the games so that we could all cool off and start playing some water games! There was a slip ‘n slide, people were playing water balloon toss, the sprinkler was running its own game of This or That, there was a huge game of drip drip drop, and everyone was drinking water! Although we didn’t finish Mario day, we definitely made the morning a cool, wet success!

While the younger half was all splashing around on camp, the older half took a bus to Lake St. George to chill by the lake and go swimming! People were hanging out on the playground, making friendship bracelets, playing cards, and chilling in the shade with friends! The lake time ended with a lovely picnic before packing up the buses and heading back to camp!

There was also another special trip happening while this was all going on. Brumby, our horse program, went to Seahorse Stables for special lessons from staff there and more practice for the Brumby show on Fair Day! Stay tuned for more information on the show in the next few days!

After a wonderful lazy day, campers gathered by the gazebo for Valleyfest! There were so many talented acts throughout the night. There was dancing, singing, magic tricks, acting, animal noises, and more! It was so amazing to see the talent that each camper brings to camp in their own, unique ways. Peter always says this is his favorite evening program and I 100% agree with him! In the photos below, there will be a description of what each act was.

Everyone got a good nights sleep for today’s special surprise… JUNK FOOD DAY! Everyone flooded into the dining hall (in a calm manner, of course) to eat donuts, pop tarts, and cereal. Don’t worry, there’s always healthy options like eggs and fruit and spinach for those of us who don’t enjoy starting our day with loads of sugar. Cara B. will talk more tomorrow what is to come during lunch and dinner!

That’s all for now! Make sure to check the blog tomorrow for more details on Junk Food Day and tonight’s evening program, the Bug and B(ee) Dance!!!!

Byeeeeee,

Mama Iguana

You said the magic word!

Good afternoon my lovely friends! It’s Mama Iguana here and I have a super awesome post awaiting because last night was… The Wheel of Misfortune!!! Let’s get started on my hopefully not-so-lengthy explanation of what the wheel is all about.

Every session, one of the shifts of counselors puts in a lot of hard work and time to create a wacky, gross but fun night for all of camp. Half of it is a performance put on by some of staff and the other half is full of crazy activities for campers. There is always a theme and this session’s theme was …(drum roll please)… a hospital with an evil doctor who runs human experiments on patients!  The rec hall was transformed into a sterile-looking waiting room, surgery room, and even labor delivery area! I’ll probably say this more than once, but make sure you check out the photos at the end of the post to see what all the excitement is about.

Before the show even started, campers gathered outside the rec hall and patiently waited while we had some amazing outside acts. Natalie was throwing pinto beans from the roof, Jacob was passing out fake medicine envelopes, Charlotte was sitting in a kiddy pool of red dyed water blood, Eliana and Julia were wandering around with fake amputated limbs, and there were guards standing outside the door to make sure no one snuck in before the show began.

Once everyone found their seats in the rec hall, the show commenced. Haley Dr. Otis came in with her friendly(?) nurse to introduce their hospital. There was a counselor giving birth to a lobster, intestines coming out of a patient, heads being shaved, a burn victim, and so much more crazy things happening. In between each act, there were some really awesome activities. Gruesome, our lovely friend (check out a photo of him below), chose volunteers victims to the stage to participate. There was a game of spit, using a straw to transfer juice blood into blood bags, eating chocolate pudding out of a diaper, searching for hot dogs organs in a gross bucket, bobbing for eyeballs, and so much more!

As the show came to an end, Luke quietly sneaked up behind Peter and poured a pitcher of water on his head… It was hilarious! At the end of the show, everyone moved to the rec hall deck for the firing, literally and figuratively, of Dr. Otis! Thanks to Carla, one of our pottery pro staff, there was a beautiful clay lobster on a hat made and put safely on the head of Dr. Otis. No people or animals were harmed in the making of this awesome evening program!

Anyways, as exciting as last night was, there was even more excitement today! Today’s lazy day for the younger half got changed mid way through from Mario Party day to a water games day! It’s been a very warm, sunny day and it made sense to keep everyone in the shade and cooled off with water balloon games, drip drip drop, and lots more! The older half went to Lake St. George to go for a nice swim and chill by the lake. I’ll tell you all about that tomorrow, along with an update on tonight’s Valleyfest, Hidden Valley Camp’s very own talent show!

I can’t wait to tell you more about the lazy day and to watch the incredible talent all of the campers have but for now, take a look at photos below!

See ya sunshine!

Mama Iguana

Candy Crush oompa loompas!

Hello hello hello! It’s me, Cara B., back again with the latest HVC news.

Last night at evening meeting after our usual announcements, there was still more in store- BABY FOOD!! Peter called up the victims volunteers to adorn blindfolds, taste a selection of super yucky-disgusting baby food, and try and guess the flavor. When it came time for the big spoon, sibling rivalry took hold when Mitchell and Aaron fed each other the gross goop airplane style. The hilarious and silly spectacle was the perfect appetizer both for our dinner that evening and for tonight’s evening program- The Wheel of Misfortune!

After a yummy dinner of chicken burgers, fries, and blondies for dessert, cabins went their separate ways for several different evening programs. Loons, Down Under, French 1/4, Paquatahnee, and Gimme Shelter headed to the backyard for Candy Crush! Threatened by the success of Grandma Nut’s independent candy franchise, the evil Willy Wonka and his team of AWAC oompa loompas hid her candy all across camp to try and run her out of business. Grandma Nut needed campers help collecting the candy in order to save her small company. Campers traveled in cabin groups searching for candy around camp and earning it by completing challenges like untangling a human knot and saying the alphabet backwards, all while avoiding the mischievous oompa loompas, of course. When the candy was counted, the campers had succeeded- they saved Grandma Nut’s candy business!

Meanwhile, Avalon and Chateau Fiasco were over in Deer Meadow’s field having a huuuggeee game of man hunt! The game was intense and involved face paint and masterful hiding and seeking. Over on the soccer field, LCH, Shangri-La, Wombles, Camelot, and Wabanaki played a giant quidditch tournament! Campers were split into houses and then painted their faces with their house colors. Campers ran with a pool noodle between their legs to represent a broom and tried to throw the “quaffle” (a soccer ball) through hoola hoops that were hung in the soccer goals to represent the pitch in order to score points for their team. On each team, there were beaters who carried “bludgers,” who tried to tag players of the opposing team. If tagged, players had to sit down for 10 seconds. Seekers on each team had the special job of trying to catch the golden snitch, who ran in and out of the boundaries of the game and would earn a team 150 points if caught. The matches were close and the tournament thrilling to watch, but in the end, Ravenclaw emerged victorious!

Finally, Valhalla, Bermuda Triangle, Fiddler’s Green, Forbidden Planet, and Taj Mahal trekked down camp road to Blodgett House for a Teen Party! There was ice cream, frisbee, and lots of chilling in the grass. These oldest cabins also got to hear about all the teen amazing programs offered at HVC for them to consider for next summer. All around, it was quite the evening!

This morning, we enjoyed our bagel Sunday breakfast and dulcimer music played by Tom, Meg, and Rachel. At morning meeting, campers and staff who have been coming to camp for five years now received their five year vests! Right now, everyone is getting settled in to this round of classes on day three. As I mentioned before, tonight is the Wheel of Misfortune, a whacky and wild game show style evening program that is long awaited each session- Mama Iguana and I can hardly wait!

That’s all for today! Enjoy photos from Baby Food, Last Night’s evening programs, and five year vests!

Toodle-loo!

Cara B. Ner

Newspaper fashion show with Eliana!

Hello and good morning! It’s Mama Iguana here and I have SO much to update you on! Camp has been bursting with energy. There was a second candy drop yesterday!!! Not only that, but we had a wonderful night of electives and a special morning meeting today with a few surprises. Let’s rewind to last night’s candy drop!

A second candy drop?!? Who would’ve thought! Rachel, one of our office pro staff, and Karen, one of the nurses, were taken to the airport to fly over camp during evening meeting! People sprinted to the soccer field and were running back and forth as the plane flew over head, with candy of all types falling from the sky. There were Kit Kats, sour straws, M&Ms, Starbursts, and more! Every cabin combined their candy so they can share their treats during rest period. New campers had a candy drop on their first full day of camp and our four week campers had a second one. What a sweet treat for everyone!

After a successful drop, thanks to our lovely bombardiers, we had a great night of electives! There were so many fun activities including classics like baking cookies and friendship bracelets, as well as some new activities like the newspaper fashion show, a pottery build and burn, and llama drawings! At the end of the night, we gathered back in the rec hall to get a recap on capture the flag as well as see our newspaper models strut on the rec hall stage. Meg then passed out lyrics to my absolute favorite song, “The Farthest Field”. The rec hall was echoing throughout camp with everyone’s beautiful voices belting out a camp classic.

This morning, there was a lot going on at meeting. We had a special guest and former counselor, A.V. Crofts, read a chapter from her book, Meet Me at the Bamboo Table: Everyday Meals, all about her time at HVC eating meals in the red barn by our lovely cook, Lillian. Lillian sat front and center at meeting while A.V. Crofts read aloud to camp. She talked about the community aspects of eating together, that we can all relate to today, as well as a silly story about a food fight that occurred when the campers left for the summer. It sounds like she had a wonderful experience with camp and Lillian, as well as Peter and Meg, who were incredibly honored to be a part of her book.

During our daily interest groups announcements at camp meeting, Meg put on a special surprise for camp. She split camp up into three groups, all making different sounds, to announce her annual… cucumber sacrifice! The Meg’s Planet usuals knew exactly what was coming but for some of us, it was a complete surprise! Everyone was cheering and screaming as Meg pulled off the cover for the fresh cucumbers to official announce the beginning of the sacrifice! I’m sure we’ll hear more about how it went after interest groups today.

Today is the second day of our new set of classes! Campers are eager for tonight’s evening programs: candy crush, quidditch, and the teen party! Cara B. will update you more on tonight’s activities tomorrow! Make sure to check out photos from the candy drop and electives!

Bye bye!

Mama Iguana

Camp enjoying Kim and Reggie!

Good morning, sunshines! Cara B. here with all the latest on the first day of our second set of classes.

Last night, we had a super fun and chill evening with guest performers, Kim and Reggie! We sang lots of songs about peace, love, and community like “We Come From The Mountains,” “Rainbow Race,” and “Trampin’.” We also sang a song about the legendary baseball player Leroy Satchel Paige, a song about inexpensive energy called “Solar Power,” and one of everyone’s all time favorite Kim and Reggie songs “I Knows It Knows It” with help from Paquatahnee! We talked about how special it is at Hidden Valley Camp, where campers and staff come from all over to create a super special community here in Maine. We ended the evening by signing “This Little Light of Mine” as we were sent off to bed.

This morning, we woke up to the perfect breakfast to help gear us up for new classes- EGG BAR!! (With cheesy grits, hash browns, and lots of fresh fruit.) We headed over for camp meeting in the Front Yard to stay in the shade on this warm and sunny day. Kim and Reggie said goodbye by singing “Wade in the Water,” and leading us through some morning stretches. After hearing our usual announcements of thought de jour, birthdays, interest groups, and spirit animal of the day, we headed off for classes! Right now, everyone is enjoying classes at the glass studios, down at the lake, out hiking in the woods, on the soccer field, in the art buildings, at the archery range, at the horse barn, and allllllll around camp!

Tonight is Electives, where campers will get to choose their evening program out of a bunch of activities being offered by counselors and pro staff. It should be a fantastic evening! Stay tuned for all the details from Mama Iguana tomorrow. For now, enjoy photos from yesterday’s cabin activities and Kim and Reggie!

Peace out, dudes!

Cara B. Ner