We couldn’t have asked for a more magnificent day to host our visiting day. The love and pride our families showed for their boys was a joy to witness.
Our counselors were excited to meet everyone and share anecdotes from the last four weeks. Our staff went above and beyond to provide a day packed with activities and to display the hard work and commitment they’ve invested in your boys.
It was a bittersweet day for our Okee families. There were many tears as parents acknowledged that this would be their sons’ final summer and that they would be entering a new phase in life. We often comment that Takajo is not a summer experience. We view this as a lifetime experience.
Our Okees have formed deep and meaningful bonds— connections that will carry them far beyond their summers at camp. My experience of over 36 years at the helm of this camp has shown me that some of these boys are likely to find their way to the same college, where they may be roommates or fraternity brothers as they enter the real world and begin their careers, and even groomsmen in each other’s weddings. The camp bond really is like no other.
While there may have been some tears toward the end of the day, the boys assembled in our campfire ring for our mega raffle. There were cheers and a few grunts as names were pulled from the hat, and some lucky boys received some really cool swag. While only some boys won items, this event created the perfect distraction to transition back into our regular routine. After some comfort food consisting of chicken fingers and fries with delicious chocolate chip cookies for dinner, all three age groups took their goodies from visiting day into their respective rec halls for movie night.
Surrounded by their counselors and while munching on their candy, our boys settled in for the evening and celebrated a beautiful day.
