What’s up HVC families?
I may be a meer-kat but I’m so dog-gone excited for camper arrival, and so are our HVC counselors!
In preparation for the start of the first camp session, counselors have been preparing class areas and talking about their role as counselors.
Just Sunday, some of our counselors set up the recording studio for the season. The instruments and equipment are ready for campers to rock out on the guitar, drums, or even their killer vocals! Counselors even tested the waters, jamming out to Crocodile Rock!
HVC also said see ya later alligator to the faded red of the picnic tables from last season. On Saturday, our Trailblazers painted 58 tables in under 2 hours in everyone’s favorite color: Cape Cod Red!
In other news, our Lifeguards are now Red Cross Certified! They are getting ready to teach swim lessons to our campers and preparing for boating and paddleboarding classes down at the lake.
Lifeguard Training
Meanwhile, other staff put up the white tent by the Rec Hall and the green, red, and white tent by the Red Barn. I think I might spend most of my time there during the day. The sun is not great for my fragile complexion.
Counselors have also been having conversations about how to support campers and each other this summer. They have been working with Peter, Meg, and the PD’s after each mealtime. Some topics I overheard being discussed were empathy, camper-counselor relationships, and professionalism.
All of this hard work doesn’t come without a fun time. I watched the counselors all funnel into the Red Barn a couple of nights ago for what a fly on the wall told me was Booth Night. They gathered around different presentations returning staff had prepared about all sorts of topics, including Fuzzy Time, which is time between activities that counselors like to fill with fun games. They also learned about our first session teen programs, Hidden Valley Adventures and Community, in addition to time off, our wonderful AWACS (Awaiting Work As Counselors), and daily schedules. One counselor even took “hanging out” to a whole new level.
Towards the end of the past weekend, counselors enjoyed some time off after working hard all week. They explored the state of Maine, from Belfast, to Bangor, to Lake St. George.
After their free day on Monday, counselors participated in Llamapalooza, otherwise known as Meg’s Rodeo. Staff headed down to Deer Meadows Field to participate in a large circle of small activities and challenges.
Rock, Tree, Bridge
My personal favorite to watch was Rock, Tree, Bridge. Humans just can never seem to get the hang of it. Maybe the campers will prove me wrong, but at this point, I don’t think there is a group of counselors that could take myself and fellow ground squirrels.
Among other games, staff tried to catch water balloons on a tarp, knock ping pong balls out of a box tied to their waist, and mold clay with their eyes closed.
It was great to watch everyone go-pher the gold!
Campers be warned. Some of our counselors toppled over during their game of Dizzy Bat, where they had to spin around in circles before trying to carry a cup of water across the field without spilling.
Dizzy Bat
Speaking of spilling, one of our counselors dropped some dinner outside of the dining hall. Luckily Pippin, HVC’s often free-roaming alpaca, picked it up, and since he and I have become pretty close after bonding over our love of Taylor Swift’s (Cape Cod) Red album, he decided to share. I hope the campers are excited because lett-uce just say, the food is delicious. Shoutout to Mike and the crew in the dining hall for all their amazing work!
10 more days until camper arrival!
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- Booth Night!
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- Llamapalooza!
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- The mist lifting over Llamapalooza
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- Counselor Training
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- Surprise Band Night!
