Today it hit me how much your children have grown! It’s been almost two years since I’ve seen them, and I am awe of how much they have changed. The past year has forced most of our children to grow up through hard conversations, difficult circumstances and great disappointment. As parents, our hearts broke as we watched our children face these challenges, but as camp directors our eyes stayed focused on the summer of 2021 and the gift of camp. With all of the change, one of our top goals has been to make sure that camp is a place that will always stay the same! Our desire is for Camp Highlander to be a constant in the lives of your children. I am grateful that our campers and staff were able to return home to Highlander, where the friendships are “in person”, the fun isn’t virtual and the education is hands-on. This has been our reality since 1957, and in 2021 it feels so good to know that camp is still the same, and we are loving every single minute of it!
Favorite Details of the Day
- Reflect: This morning at reflect, Mac shared the inspiring story of the echo on Old Forge. Here at Highlander, the energy that you put into the mountain comes right back to you. Focus on the joy and beauty of camp and camp will send that joy and beauty right back to you!
- Meals: Campers started their day with a delicious breakfast of biscuits and gravy,eggs, sausage, fresh fruit, oatmeal and grits. Lunch was super sloppy joes, tater tots and green salad. To go along with our evening program tonight, we enjoyed BBQ glazed chicken, mac & cheese, kale salad and hushpuppies. YUM!
- EP: Gimme a hooooowdy! Evening program tonight was square dance! Campers learned how to promenade, do-si-do and do the Carolina shooting star. We had face painting, hair braiding, cornhole, pin the tail on the donkey and tractor rides too!
- Weather: We had another day of beautiful weather on camp. The sun was out and it was warm. Campers loved cooling off in the pool and lake today. Another brief shower at rest hour to cool us down, but the sun came out before the bell rang for snack. I couldn’t order better weather if I tried!
One of the best ways we keep camp the same is with our wonderful traditions at Camp Highlander. From opening day grilled cheese sandwiches to Sunday campfires to Reflect at the Rock, these traditions give our campers a sense of comfort and make Camp Highlander feel like home. Tonight we enjoyed one of my favorite traditions at camp…Square Dance! We gathered in our neighborhoods on the field to dance the night away. My heart was exploding as I witnessed the joy, laughter and smiles on every face in that field. At the end of the second dance, the sky opened up and the rain came pouring down. In a matter of seconds, counselors gathered their campers and ran up the hill in the rain, laughing, singing and dancing all the way home to their cabin. I could hear them recalling that moment the rain started, where they were, who they were dancing with, as they raced up the hill. I thought to myself, these are the memories that only camp can make. These are the stories that live in our hearts for years to come. So tonight I am so grateful for the rain - for the memory that it made and for the reminder that it is to all of us…though the world around us is always changing, come rain or shine, camp will stay the same!
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About Melissa Fitzgerald
