Yesterday was our first Sunday of the second session. When I speak about the first few days of any session, I often talk about the fact that the tone set in those first few days is very important and sets the standard for the rest of the session. If yesterday was a tone setter for what the rest of our Sundays will be like, this session is going to be absolutely peerless.
Our Sunday began with a terrific Sunday Service on the topic of adventure. The presenter, our incoming camp director, did his entire talk in 2nd person and spoke to the boys about how they were ALL adventurers and that the adventure they embarked on, the adventure of a summer at Nebagamon, was a symbol of their grit, courage, determination, curiosity, optimism and sense of fun. Sunday Services, when they work, make us walk away with some things to think about…Noah nailed it.
Then, last night, we had our first Council Fire of the session. There is no secret about how I feel about Council Fires. For me, it is the absolute highlight of every week. We spend time together as an entire camp family sitting around that huge fire, watching a value-based and entertaining skit, and engaging in the exact same traditions that have taken place here for 95 summers. It is the most special time of the week. It is when all of the lofty ideals that we try to put into practice at camp really crystallize, and we all have our cups filled with a full dose of optimism and altruism with which to approach the week ahead. Last night, for the first time ever, we were treated to a presentation by our caretakers. Camp Nebagamon is incredibly fortunate to have this crew of caretakers. Certainly if you have watched even a small fraction of the horror movies from the 1980s, when you think of a camp caretaker, you think of a guy with a hockey mask, a limp and a very sharp and hungry axe! This is not the case here at Nebagamon. Our caretaking crew here, with over 75 years of combined experience on staff at Nebagamon (!!!), includes three former art majors from the University of Wisconsin, River Falls and a four year veteran of our caretaking crew from Puebla, Mexico. These folks care for camp in every sense of the word. They care for the physical plant, they care for our health and sanitation, and, as evidenced from their presentation, they care for our community’s spiritual health. They spoke of the value of hard work, of planning, of deliberate thought, of taking pride in your efforts, and of appreciating the efforts of others. The messages – the literal one about the caretaking of Camp’s grounds, and the metaphorical one about the caretaking of each other – were very powerful and we all went away with much to think about.
The lessons that we share in our Council Fires and Sunday Services really serve as the ideological backbones for so much that we try to do here at camp to create the most healthy community we can, and to foster the most individual growth possible for our campers. Amazing stuff…
The Council Fire concludes every week with our Keylog ceremony. To be fair, expectations were fairly low for this Keylog ceremony given the fact that it was the first of the session and many of the boys have not yet learned the art of the appropriate Keylog. Having said that, I have to say that last night’s Keylog ceremony was as sweet and touching as any I have ever attended. We heard from a young camper, at Nebagamon for the first time, thanking his counselors for helping him through the first few days of camp when he was homesick. We heard from a camper who had just returned from his two-week Isle Royale Big Trip (he had actually returned minutes before the Council Fire and the smell was proof!) who wanted to thank many people for encouraging him to go on the trip in the first place. He had been really scared about the experience and wanted to bail out before he left, but folks encouraged him to face the fear and go anyways. He said the trip was the most incredible experience of his life. We heard from a returning camper that wanted to thank his parents for the sacrifices they make in order to let him spend a month at his favorite place on earth. We heard from a many year veteran of this place thanking everyone and everything associated with this place for providing him with a second home. We heard from a boy that had been at camp for a grand total of five days of his life who said “Camp Nebagamon is my favorite place in the world. I am learning so much and the people here are just amazing.” (He is 9 years old!) We heard from…we heard from…we heard from…It was a long Keylog ceremony! And a truly lovely one.
All is well in the North Woods…
