The weather that we have grown accustomed to has returned. We had beautiful sunshine, temperatures in the low eighties, and a refreshing breeze across the campus today.
All trip leaders report that the Intermediates and Subseniors are having a blast on their big trips. Our Okees are on their way to Salt Lake City, Utah and are about to embark on the best week of their lives. While we miss our Senior campers and their leadership in camp, our Warriors and Juniors are thriving and taking advantage of this magnificent facility. The Warriors had a full day of activities, which included team games, hobbies, skills, and two periods down at the lake.
Four bunks of Warrior Indians (finished fourth grade) left after lunch and made their way to Swan Island for an overnight camping trip. They will enjoy hiking, sightseeing, roasting marshmallows and making s’mores before sleeping in tents on a beautiful, starlit evening.
A group of Warrior artists made their way to Bridgton this afternoon where they had a chance to see their artwork on display in a local gallery. The gallery featured young artists’ work from camps in our region, and six of our boys were honored for their creativity. It was a thrill for our young artists to receive such high praise from the owners of the gallery.
Our Juniors competed in team games, and the competition was fierce as their league is close to coming to an end. Our boys take great pride in winning their league championship so all of the boys were on their game. The Junior boys were treated to trivia bowl, run by their group leader and game show host, Neil Minsky. Neil’s “real” job is an academic dean at the prestigious Brunswick School in Greenwich, Connecticut. His trivia bowl events challenge our boys’ intelligence in a fun and entertaining way. You could hear the cheers bellowing out of our playhouse.
This evening after a cookout dinner, the campers received a special treat when they had the chance to meet a U.S. Navy SEAL (Sea, Air, and Land), who joined us for dinner. We have all heard stories of heroism performed by our Navy SEALs. Tomorrow morning, our campers will have the opportunity to witness a heroic feat. Several Navy SEALs in conjunction with Camp Sunshine are on a mission to raise funds for military families who have children with life-threatening illnesses. I am honored that Camp Sunshine has given Takajo the opportunity to participate in such a worthy cause. In an effort to raise money for families in need, these Navy SEALs are swimming from Bridgton, Maine, down Long Lake, into Brandy Pond, and into Sebago Lake, where they will exit the water on the shores of Camp Sunshine. This fifteen-mile swim is undertaken to raise funds for those families who have suffered due to serious childhood illness. Camp Takajo has offered our facility to the Navy SEALs five miles into their swim so that they can come out of the water for a quick pit stop. Tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM, the SEALs for Sunshine will reach our shoreline, where they will be greeted by our campers and counselors who will be cheering for them. The SEALs will come out of the water and join us for our morning flag-raising before returning to the water to continue on their swim. I have included a link to this event in hopes that you will join me in making a donation to this worthy charity.
https://www.campsunshine.org/sfs/donatenow
While the Navy SEAL commanded attention during dinner, he was no match for the lovely ladies from Camp Vega, who also joined us for dinner and then a social with our sixth-grade boys afterward. After a cookout dinner, the Junior Greys escorted the ladies from Vega by bus into Naples, where they boarded the Songo River Queen, a paddle-wheel riverboat, for a private cruise up and down Long Lake. As the boat passed Takajo, you could hear music blasting and see campers dancing as they experienced the best social event of the summer.
At the same time, I hosted our Warrior Crows (finished first or second grades) down at my home for a movie night. Our youngest campers had the opportunity to enjoy snacks and an evening relaxing on the couch. Spirits are high, smiles are radiating throughout the campus, and our boys are happy and thriving at Camp Takajo.
