June 11 2025
The highlight of Council Fire was the “Passing of the Pennants” ceremony. This is a new tradition for campers who have been attending for three years or more. The ceremony was unexpected (kicking off the awards section of the evening with a bagpipe processional of staff carrying hundreds of felt pennants for the campers who were about to be recognized). Each group (the three-year all the way to the seven-year group) was asked to walk to the front of the council fire arena and receive their award. The girls were obviously very excited to get their pennants (which are lovely, large, “old school” pennants with the felt sewn together). The program staff helped them attach the awards given later that night. When they return home, they will want to attach the items from previous years, so the pennants reflect their unique camp experience. We will continue to give these pennants to campers in the years to come and are confident that the girls will treasure having a place to display their camp swag. Thus, a tradition is born! The S’mores by the lake provided the perfect ending to a perfect evening!
Today is going to be a blast! We awoke to party music being played on the PA, and the girls had dance parties as they dressed for “Wacky Wednesday”. I wasn’t very wacky in my blue shirt and khaki shorts, but the campers shared accessories, and by the end of Breakfast Club, I was as wacky as anyone. Our excitement culminates with tonight’s Carnival EP. Carnival is always keenly anticipated. Campers spend a fair bit of time discussing the shirts (one year we didn’t give special shirts and the camper response was brutal!), the food, the rides, and, of course, the big dance contest. Anticipating Carnival is perhaps better than Carnival itself!
We wait 10 days to do the Carnival EP, giving the girls time to acclimate to camp fully. It takes 10 days to settle in (a fact noticed by Dr. Sevier 100 years ago that has remained consistent ever since), making this the perfect time for a celebration. Our hearts are soft; friends and familiar faces surround us. Camp feels like home. In such a community, a blowout carnival becomes a memorable moment! We wander about with big smiles, chatting with friends as we graze on a wide variety of carnival food. We sample all of the many rides spread out on both the softball and soccer fields. And we dance like banshees with the hope of being recognized as the Dance Queen of 2025. I will be doing Funnel Cakes with Gervais, a decades-long tradition we both enjoy (laughing about our mistakes over the years)…
You have likely not attended a Carnival in a very long time… Disney, Six Flags, and Wild Adventures don’t count (think State Fair, not theme parks). It is more like one of those janky little traveling Carnivals that frequent small towns in the fall. If the chance arises, take the kids and see if you don’t have a blast. The memories of these simple places are worth the considerable cost (in terms of time, money, and indigestion). Embrace your inner child and don’t hold back; you will not be sorry… all of us are Greystone Girls at heart!
Menu:
- Weather SUPER nice, sunny, 80 degrees, low humidity
- Breakfast French Toast Sticks and big sausage links plus pizza and chocolate chip cookies for Wacky Wednesday!
- Four-Fold Theme Physical Growth (eat well and exercise)
- Joke “Hare Spray”
- Lunch Pesto Pasta (a camper submitted this award-winning recipe, no pine nuts!)
- Picnic Dinner BBQ, fried pickles, grilled cheese, chicken and waffles, french fries, mini fresh hot pretzels, funnel cakes, ice cream sandwiches, cotton candy, cookies, etc.
