Sleepaway camp Archives - Page 6 of 11

Reunite!

Posted on October 26, 2015 by PineForest

There are friends at home, teammates at soccer leagues, and cousins who you see over the holidays, but there’s nothing like the bonds of camp friends, and especially bunkmates. Maybe it’s the conversations you have when the lights are out and you’re under the covers, or the campfires on an overnight with just your counselors. Perhaps it’s the candlelight ceremony when bunks cluster together and you can hear a few sniffles. Whatever it is, it’s special. And on Sunday, November 1st, we can all be together again. Bring your favorite memory of 2015, your plans for PFC 2016, and a hug for every camp friend. We can’t wait to see you there.

Keep on Dancing!

Posted on August 3, 2015 by PineForest

Three words: “Keep playing tennis!” That is the mantra that Uncle Marvin
Black lives by and he shared those words with the Marvin Black USTA Tennis Tournament participants this morning. Uncle Marv is 90-years-old and he still plays tennis almost every day. He told the players that it is a lifetime skill and that they should stick with
it. Thanks to Uncle Marv, Pine Forest was one of the first camps in the United
States to host a sanctioned USTA tournament and it’s going stronger than
ever before than 30 years later.

While our tennis players competed, our Junior boys spent the morning at the lake and our Senior and Hi Senior boys played Capture the Asagi. Meanwhile, in arts & crafts, the Senior 8s from girls’ camp began their banquet preparations and tie dye was a huge hit. Over at Center Stage, Kelli Moshen has entered the dance floor! She will be here for a week teaching our campers a dance routine. They couldn’t have been more excited to see her back in the dining hall at lunch! Perhaps it was Klezmer band at last night’s campfire for all girls and lower camp boys that gave them the dancing bug.

Our CAs left for their trip to Washington, DC this morning and look forward to exploring the city, as well as local colleges.

Spotlight on: CAs!

Posted on July 31, 2015 by PineForest

After all of this talk and excitement about the Senior and Hi Senior trips, we thought it might be fun for you to hear about our CA trips! During the second half of the summer, our CAs go on trips to Boston, Washington, DC, and New York City to check out several area colleges. It’s a good way for them to get a feel for what kind of college would be a good fit for them. Do I want a city school? Do I want a small school? Could I envision myself as one of the students I just saw in the dining hall? Does the school offer a major I’m interested in? The list goes on! There’s nothing like experiencing colleges alongside your camp friends.

Their first stop was Boston. On their first day there, they got to spend some time exploring Newbury Street and went to a restaurant that offers made to order stir fry! They then checked into the Boston University dorms where they would be spending the next couple of nights. On day two, they took a tour of Northeastern University, ate lunch on campus, then headed back to BU for a tour. Next up: Quincy Market! Day three started at Tufts University, where our CAs had an information session, tour, and lunch on campus. What a productive three days!

On Monday, the CAs are headed to The District! When they arrive, they will get to explore a museum of their choice, followed by dinner at the famous Ben’s Chili Bowl! After spending the night at American University, they will head to George Washington University for a tour and lunch – then back to American for a tour! Their night will be spent enjoying dinner and movie at Gallery Place. As their trip comes to a close, they will be stopping by the University of Maryland on the way back to Greeley for a tour.

That brings us to New York City! On August 12^th, the CAs will be taking a day trip to The Big Apple where, as you can imagine, it’s easy to fill a day! They will be taking tours of New York University and Columbia University and will have time to hang out in Union Square and Times Square. They’ll end their final college trip of the summer with dinner at a Food Network approved barbeque restaurant in Times Square!

Parents, we’re glad we could knock out some of those college tours for you and we can’t wait to hear your CAs’ feedback!

PFC U on the Road!

Posted on July 27, 2015 by PineForest

Can you believe it’s already time for senior trips?! Our 9s and 10s had on-time departures and a seamless border crossing bright and early this morning! Curious as to what they’re up to? We thought so! Below are some highlights.

9th Grade Trip to New England:
-Quincy Market and Fanieul Hall
-New England Aquarium
-Freedom Trail
-Red Sox game at Fenway Park
-Old Orchard Beach and Palace Playground
-Tennis Hall of Fame
-Touro Synagogue
-Brick Market Place

10th Grade Trip to Montreal
-Laser Quest
-Jet boating on the Lachine Rapids
-La Ronde Amusement Park
-Lake Placid Olympic Sport Complex
-Catherine Street

…And we didn’t even mention the amazing meals and downtown sightseeing! Can we please be campers again?

The View from Hughie Hall

Posted on July 23, 2015 by PineForest

If you go on the upper right corner of our website, under the weather it says “details.” Click on that and you get the weather report from our very own station! There’s a camera that gives real time views from the roof of Hughie Hall. The time lapse is amazing! See the sun rise “up where the sky begins.”

Here’s the link:
http://weather.weatherbug.com/weather-safety/online-weather-center/OnlineWeatherCenter.aspx?aid=4693

The good news is that it’s looking beautiful for Saturday’s Visiting Day! So visitors, wear your sunscreen and hats!

Around camp today it was also a beautiful day. Gordon Hill, British soccer legend, former Manchester United star, and top flight coach, conducted a series of clinics with every camper included. Dribbling, shooting, defense, and more, all drills were fun and lively. Tomorrow he will work with those competitive campers who want to gain an extra edge on their soccer game.

And what could be better than a barbeque lunch in the picnic grove in this glorious Pocono weather?! Two words: Grove Day! It’s the best! Also today, there was a 9 and under basketball game against our brother camp, Lake Owego and baseball at home.

The excitement grows for our 85^th Visiting Day! We’re sprucing up for a day of fun and family. It’s less than 2 days away (but who’s counting?)!!

Spontaneous Dance Party!

Posted on July 22, 2015 by PineForest

At about 9:00pm last night, if you were walking down Junior Alley, you could hear a beat coming from the only bunk with all of its lights on: Elm. The closer you came to the bunk, the louder the beat got. Looking in the windows, you could see heads bopping and hear hands clapping. Open the door and it was bedlam; break dancing, bed jumping, high fives, and a lot of laughter. It was a full on, all Junior boys, spontaneous, dance off! Who was the coolest, the silliest, the wackiest? Check out those moves! Counselors too. The joint was jumpin’! Finally, Division Leader Matt told them they had to go to bed. And so they stopped dancing…until they COULDN’T and the next dance-off broke out! Stay tuned!

And in the meantime, “everybody form a line”!

This just in! Our weather camera was featured on our local NBC affiliate’s weather report this morning! Awesome!

To Greeley…and Beyond!

Posted on July 21, 2015 by PineForest

Although College Day 2015 has come to a close, the action continues at PFC and even outside of camp! Our Juniors spent the day at Costa’s Family Fun Park, which is a place they look forward to visiting every summer (not just because of the soft serve!). They got to ride go karts, water slides, and bumper boats, play mini golf and arcade games, and hit the batting cages. Not bad for a Tuesday! Many of our older campers had the opportunity to go waterskiing on beautiful Lake Wallenpaupack, while our dancers competed in a dance competition!

Up next? Gordon Hill’s soccer clinic, our first play of 2015, the rest of the division trips to Costa’s, and a hiking trip at the Delaware Water Gap! Oh to be a camper again…

College Day: 2 Camps, 4 Teams, 1 Dream

Posted on July 20, 2015 by PineForest

BOYS CAMP

Four teams, one dream… to be College Day champions. Maryland, Oregon, Wisconsin and Kentucky arrived at Pine Forest Camp for 24 hours of heated competition. The weather was hot, but the competition was hotter. Starting last night with the opening ceremonies and continuing today with track and field and swim meets, the entirety of Boys Camp banded together in these four teams to duke it out.

During the opening ceremonies, we got to experience each division competing in tug-of-war, we saw the madness of an egg on the spoon race and a watermelon eating contest, campers participated in cheer offs, and we determined just who was the loudest, proudest and most outgoing. After a dominant performance on night one, Maryland emerged as the leader and favorite going into day two.

During day two, the campers were up bright and early to march to Mitchell Field and Dan’s Diamond to compete in the annual track meet. Events included relay races, shuttle runs, obstacle courses, broad jumps and more. And of course, how could anyone forget the famous Jr. Skeeter Swift. By the end of the track meet, the Terps of Maryland had a small advantage but Wisconsin was right on their toes. Finally, we had a swim meet at the Boy’s Pool and at the lake to determine the champion of College Day. After many intense events, including the first ever water basketball competition, the Wisconsin Badgers emerged as the champions of College Day 2015 for Boys Camp!

GIRLS CAMP

College Day 2015, four schools with the dream of being named Champions of the Colleges. This year, the universities of Oregon, Kentucky, Maryland and Wisconsin arrived at the place where the sky begins to battle on the fields, in the pools, and on the courts to determine which school is best. Starting with the opening ceremonies last night and heading into the swim meet, track meet and field events of today, all the campers did a great job of battling it out and showing their pride and effort.

Last night, all four teams gave their all during opening ceremonies and campers and team coaches got to participate in far flung events such as a watermelon eating contest, egg on a spoon races, tug-of-war, and cheer offs. Team Maryland dominated the tug-of-war allowing them to gain an early lead.

On day two, the campers were up early and headed up to Lauri Field for competition in camp classics ranging from an obstacle course, the human pyramid, the Lauri field relay, and the Jr. Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest. All participants battled each other with good sportsmanship and amazing dance moves. However, by the end of the track meet, the Ducks of Oregon had established a firm lead.

Finally, Girls Camp headed to Girls Pool and the lake to participate in the annual College Day Swim Meet and Lake Regatta. Campers showed off their aquatic abilities and their team spirit, leaving counselors and key staff saying this was one of the best College Days ever! By the end of the water competitions, the Maryland Terrapins emerged victorious as College Day Champions 2015!

Explorers Depart, College Day Begins

Posted on July 19, 2015 by PineForest

A storm blew through last night and we had some heavy rain for about 15 minutes, but the skies cleared in time for a beautiful sunset and the first 2015 Explorers campfire. These future campers in 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th grade experienced as much of Pine Forest Camp that could fit into a 24 hour period: lake, arts and crafts, ropes course, sports, and even a few s’mores! We look forward to seeing them back next summer as real, full-fledged campers!

It was a warm, sunny day today at camp with temperatures climbing – a perfect opportunity for an extra period of swim in the lake and the pool. Afterwards, the College Day teams were announced! This year, it’s Wisconsin, Kentucky, Maryland, and Oregon. Badgers vs. Wildcats vs. Terps vs. Ducks! We will have opening ceremonies tonight and kick things off with counselor wacky relays. We’ll get started with the camper track and field and swim meet competitions tomorrow morning! Stay tuned!

Last Night’s Campfire

Posted on July 18, 2015 by PineForest

There are some parts of camp that are eternal, timeless. A good campfire is one of them. It could have been PFC’s year one, 1931, last night when girls gathered at the campfire site. The stars were brilliant and so was the spirit. The oldest campers, our Counselor Assistants (CAs) led the singing with cheers and songs that they brought back from their travels to Costa Rica. Mickey played a song on the guitar and by popular demand led a rousing version of the 3 part round, “One Bottle of Pop…”

Finally, before the traditional “Taps and Friends,” the girls sang a beautiful rendition of the Pine Forest alma mater, “When Lights are Low.” Coincidentally, its author, Elaine Charny (Netsy Wolowitz Black’s sister), was visiting camp yesterday! She wrote the words in 1953 for Color War when the themes were Circus Gold against Showboat Blue. Its melody is the big band tune, “For All We Know” and its words ring true today as much as they did then, when it was sung for the first time, “…the friendships we made, we always will treasure…”

The campfire ended with s’mores until we were all full! As the fire died down and the embers lifted into the starry night, our hearts were too.

Tag: Sleepaway camp