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Dear Parents and Friends,
The 2019 camp season ended with the completion of week six. It always seems like the last week flies by, due to the culmination of daily activities, Blue Grey, lodge initiations and other end of the summer events.
Sunday began the week with sign up for activities. During the last week we ran as many activities as possible for boys trying to complete lodge requirements. Sunday evening the campers took turns performing cabin skits they had written and previously rehearsed. Everyone felt well entertained before heading to bed.
We spent Tuesday off the property at the Great Escape for boys who had signed up as early birds and had not yet been. The rest of the campers went to Hillbilly Fun Park for mini golf, and then everyone met in the Village of Lake George. This trip was a bit different, since there was a power outage that affected a large area of the town. The outage and heavy rains forced the boys to try alternatives to their usual routines, which turned out to be a refreshing experience for everyone. The weather for the rest of the week was beautiful and we made a point of spending more time enjoying the lake front with beach activities and extended general swim periods.
We held initiations for Prospect and Chocorua Lodges. The Chocorua boys went to Mr. Ups in Middleberry, where they welcomed Austin Weiss and Devan Rimon into their fold, while dining on the side of Otter Creek. The ceremony for Prospect Lodge took place on the camp property, where members initiated Sam Weber, Joshua Weinstein, and Rudy Miliken. Two other campers who were not present at the initiation, but passed the requirements for Prospect Lodge were Charlie Lukens and Hayden Carpenter. This year there were no Wachusett Lodge initiates, but we know of a few who are very close.
Friday, the final day, began quite normal during the morning with regular activities occurring after clean up. Then after lunch we had an extended rest hour for boys to pack and put finishing touches on ghost rocks (One thing I have noted for next year is to ensure a more thorough supervision of packing. A lot of clothing was left behind. We will do our best to return items that have names written in them).
In the afternoon visiting parents began to trickle in for the end of season events. After rest period and store, we hosted the long awaited Blue Grey Apache Day! Events included mini competitions in archery, soccer, lacrosse, riflery, tennis, basketball, canoeing and even bed making skills, while relay racing to each event. To quote Coach Avery, "The final season score was Grey: 14 and Blue: 13. Blue went into Apache leading 12 - 8, Blue won a point for scoring the higher target in archery, Grey, had the higher target in riflery, and then Grey won the race, which was five points." After the main event ended, we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon on the beach for beach games with swimming and water skiing. The final banquet dinner was held in the dining hall followed by the awards ceremony. Trophies and plaques were handed out to boys who were present. For those not in attendance, plaques were hung in their honor and trophies will be sent home. Following the award ceremony, we relocated to the council circle for the final council fire, where counselors gave their activity reports, challenges occurred, ghost rocks were placed in the circle and we stood in place with candles lit for the final camp song. The next day boys left for the airport or were picked up by parents. Counselors began the magic of "Miracle Day," where the entire camp is put away. In just a few hours the pier, ski dock and boats, along with all gear on land was properly taken down and stowed for the winter.
As I close out my first season as director, I am very grateful to all of the help from staff, camp families and friends who made the success of the 2019 season possible. A lot was learned, and I look forward to applying new knowledge to getting off to a great start toward planning for the 2020 camp year.
The website has been updated with the dates and rates and is ready to accept applications. Rates will remain the same for 2020 and the season will run from June 28th to August 8th. A 15% discount for Early Bird sign up will be in effect until October 1st. Again, Early Bird will include a trip to the Great Escape theme park. We hope your plans for next summer will include some time with us on the shores of Lake Hortonia. Please feel free to spread the word about Camp Wachusett by sending prospective families to our website or have them directly contact me. Additionally, we plan to revive a past practice of offering a fifty dollar gift to current boys who bring others to Wachusett.
I truly hope everyone reading this final account of the 2019 season is having an enjoyable rest of the summer and that the winter months will be well spent. I look forward to remaining in contact.
Thank you for making Camp Wachusett a part of your life.
Best Regards, and Unaliyi, Phil
