As much as we love our typical program at Camp we also know it’s important to mix things up from time to time. Every Wednesday we throw our daily schedule out the window and instead have a day of special events. We call it Cruiser Day!
Yesterday was our inaugural Cruiser Day of the summer. Each village had its own theme and participated in activities in line with that theme. The Swampers enjoyed “Rodeo Day” complete with barrel racing on the Lower Diamond. The Logger Village hosted a classic annual event: “Klondike Day.” The Loggers spent the day collecting gold and capturing their bandit counselors. The Axemen Village celebrated “Onion Day!” Confused? I was too! They competed in an orienteering scavenger hunt, art projects, and a slew of other friendly competitions for the purpose of…earning onions! At the end of the day they used those onions to play capture the…onions! Why onions? I couldn’t tell you, but the boys seemed to love it. During dinner time announcements the whole Axeman Village began a chant of “Onions! Onions! Onions!” That’s Camp for ya! Finally, the Lumberjacks had “Stay-cation Day.” They hit the links at Lorber Point with their homemade whiffle ball golf course, played cards, and spent some time at the waterfront culminating in what one camper referred to as, “the greatest game of pushball ever played.”
While a ton of planning on the part of the counselors goes into making these Cruiser Days successful every week but the real success hinges on the buy-in of the campers. Onion Day could have been a total flop, but what made it go off without a hitch was that campers said “I’m going to buy into this silliness today.” At Camp we learn that we have the ability to buy in and make Cruiser Days and every day great. We learn that the attitude with which we approach situations impacts the way we feel and the way things go.
Of course one of the highlights every Cruiser Day is always our trip into town for ice cream. For decades we’ve taken a five minute stroll down Waterfront Drive to the Dairy Queen (since the 1950s if our institutional knowledge is correct) to enjoy a sweet treat in the village. This winter Dairy Queen’s owner announced that they would be closing. While we were beyond saddened by the news, we viewed this as an opportunity to pivot and try something new. Ten years ago another ice cream shop, Lake Life, opened in Lake Nebagamon, right across the street from Dairy Queen. Our counselors have long enjoyed their high quality ice cream on time off, so reaching out to them was a no brainer. Soon we had worked out an arrangement with Lake Life and were ready to bring our campers to their store for the summer. We were so excited. And then, as if things couldn’t get any better, a Camp alum bought the Dairy Queen and decided to re-open it as a new ice cream and coffee shop called Dairy and Bean. While Lake Life serves traditional hard scoop ice cream, Dairy and Bean would continue to serve Dairy Queen-esque soft serve treats like the “Whiteout,” which is akin to a Dairy Queen Blizzard.
With two local businesses interested in working with us, we did what anyone would do when choosing between two ice cream stores…go to both! It seemed like a tasty opportunity for Camp to support our neighbors in the Lake Nebagamon community, and we were hoping our campers would appreciate the opportunity to try out some different ice cream options. This summer, we’ll alternate ice cream shops every week. Our Lumberjacks, who walk into town for ice cream twice a week, enjoyed Dairy and Bean on Monday night, and then all of Camp went to Like Life yesterday. Next week we’ll switch to Dairy and Bean on Cruiser Day and will continue to alternate as the summer continues. Lake Life received rave reviews from all. Campers told me about how delicious the ice cream was and that they appreciated the wide variety of flavors. The Lumberjacks, who have already tried both shops, reported that they loved each for different reasons, and that they are looking forward to the new system we have this summer.
We know that there was a lot of speculation during the offseason about what would happen to our timeless ice cream tradition. While that uncertainty could’ve led to a lack of interest in the new ice cream set up, instead, our campers have completely bought into alternating shops and trying something new. They could have let their disappointment about losing the Dairy Queen get in the way of trying out the new system, but they didn’t. Just as the Axemen bought into Onion Day, our entire community got on board with Lake Life and Dairy and Bean, and just like that, a new tradition has been born at Camp Nebagamon.
Cruiser Day is alive and well in the Northwoods!
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
| Breakfast Burritos Scrambled eggs Diced potatoes Shredded cheese Salsa Tortillas Fruit (Strawberries) Cereal (Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes, Cheerios, or Raisin Bran) | Chicken tenders Potato chips Carrots, celery, cucumbers, and ranch Honey mustard, BBQ sauce, ketchup Dessert: Fruit (apples and oranges) | Roast Beef Pot Roast Roasted potatoes and carrots Spiced steamed broccoli Rolls and butter Dessert: Brownie Glop |