I don’t even know where to start tonight… the past 24 hours of camp have been so full of special, inspiring events and moments it feels like it’s been a week since breakfast! Mini Camp continued to be a huge success, thanks to the wonderful ambassadors our campers were,  and I had little people coming up to me all afternoon yesterday begging to stay at camp longer. While we were sad to see the Mini Campers go, we were soon distracted by one of the most elaborate and believable Colour War fake-out skits I have ever seen: the front of the Main Lodge had been transformed into a scrumptious chocolate factory complete with giant candy canes and lollipops… but behind the looming golden gates we discovered that the factory had been taken over by an evil villain who had kidnapped Charlie and all the Oompa Loompas! Each of the other 4 winners of the golden tickets invited Arowhon to join them to liberate the factory and reunite Charlie with his family (and future of unlimited candy bars). But just as everyone was getting excited for the challenge ahead, the staff broke into the infamous “F-A-K-E-O-U-T, fake-out is our specialty” cheer and we realized we’d been duped.

So today after Arowhon-a-Palooza (more about that later) when we got led down to another elaborate scene in front of the Main Lodge (this one of a fairytale castle guarded by a fire-breathing dragon/ATV) everyone was a bit skeptical. But Shrek appears to be the real deal this year, and campers have been sent reluctantly back to their cabins to try to get some sleep for the big days ahead. The Juniors left on their canoe trips this morning, paddling out under beautiful sunny skies… while some of them moan upon arrival back about missing Colour War, we know that the intensity and competition can be a bit overwhelming and they’ll be better prepared to deal with it when they are Inters.

Speaking of special things, our annual music and dance extravaganza Arowhon-a-Palooza was a smashing success. It was a perfect mix of heart-warming, goofy, and downright impressive acts. Crowd favourites included a soulful Inter Boy banjo duet, some riveting modern dance pieces by Inter Girls, a chilling solo violin performance, and the entire curve performing an impeccably choreographed dance routine. The show ended with a beautiful ceremony where 7 of our fabulous 17 year-old Junior Counsellors (who have spent more than half their lives at Arowhon!) talked about how they have changed in the last decade at camp before being presented with their 10-year jackets.

With only a week to go in summer 2019 we have a lot of fun stuff to fit in, so let’s keep it rolling ’til the finish!