Happy Independence Day from Naples, Maine. Independence Day is a great time for the Takajo campers to relax and unwind from our fast-paced routine. After breakfast, we took bunk photos that we will post online and individual photos to send home with your boys at the end of the summer as a keepsake. Each bunk created a short video introducing themselves which will be added to our video yearbook that we send out to camp families next fall.
After lunch, our Crows and Braves (campers finishing first through third grades) traveled into Naples to participate in the annual Naples Independence Day Parade. Our boys were joined by a few of our Okees, our oldest campers, who lead our Warriors in singing and dancing down Main Street. In keeping with tradition, our Takajo band played patriotic songs for all of the onlookers to enjoy and accompanied the marching campers. When we reached the end of the parade, they were surprised with a boat ride back to camp on the Songo River Queen II, a double-decker paddle wheel boat that cruises Long Lake throughout the summer.
As the boys pulled up to our dock, they unloaded onto the beach and joined a rocking beach party, where campers entered sand castle building contests, danced to popular music, and enjoyed cold, refreshing ice cream on this beautiful summer day.
After several days of inter-camp games and camping trips, this less-structured day was exactly what the campers needed. Because the town of Naples hosts a fireworks extravaganza tonight, we are forced to postpone our own Independence Day celebration until tomorrow. Our campers are looking forward to the traditional Takajo fireworks to cap off this patriotic celebration.
