Camp Blogger

Wow! I cannot believe the second week of first session is coming to an end! The past few days have been cloudy with small showers, but it hasn’t stopped the campers from going to their activities. Because of the long weekend and the festivities from the Fourth of July, Tuesday was beach day. With necessities such as bug spray and sunscreen in their bags, the whole camp traveled to Reid State Park, a gorgeous beach on the coast of Maine. Some campers headed straight for the beach with surfboards, hoping to catch some waves, others stayed near the shelter, where many campers played board games. A yummy lunch was provided

and campers were free to walk along the rocky coast.

We ended the relaxing day with a campfire back at camp. Songs were sung and marshmallows were roasted. It was wonderfully lazy day, a perfect way to recover from all the recent activity.

On Wednesday, all of the campers followed their usual schedule. The campers in arts and crafts made friendship bracelets, while the sailors attempted to sail in windless weather.

Thursday’s evening activity was obstacle course night. The whole camp was divided by cabins and competed in one huge obstacle course. Each cabin was timed as they went through the course, whoever was the fastest won. Some of the obstacles included hurtles, solving a puzzle, mud crawl and web made of string. They were all challenging, but so much fun! By the time it was over everyone was soaking wet, muddy and ready for bed. At lunch the next day, it was announced that the overall winner was the cabin Isle au Haut!

Friday was a pretty eventful day. It was announced at breakfast that it was Cabin Theme Night! The whole dining hall cheered with excitement. Cabin Theme Night is one of the most fun and intense nights at camp. Each cabin is given only two hours to alter their cabin to make a theme of their choosing. The themes this session were awesome. We experienced a yoga studio from Pemaquid, A Dave Wilkinson museum from Little John, Acadia’s ship wreck, and Sebago’s Talent Show. We also enjoyed Monhegan’s Hansel and Gretel, Cranberry’s surprise party, Isle au Haut’s Mario Cart and Manana’s Snow White theme. They were all so much fun to walk through and participate in! I could tell that each cabin worked hard to make their cabin entertaining and they definitely succeeded!

The fourth of July went in and out with a bang! Early in the morning on the fourth a group of campers went into Bath for a 5mile race and a 1mile fun run. The Chop Pointers did well, one camper won 4^th place overall. The rest of the campers went into Bath after breakfast to watch the annual parade. After the parade, everyone returned to camp and had the option to play field games or hang out on the waterfront. It was a pretty lazy afternoon, a perfect time to prepare for the fun that lay ahead.

After dinner, the whole camp filed onto the bus and headed to Bath again for the carnival and fireworks. Some campers chose to go on the rides such as the ferris wheel. While others played games, won prizes and sampled from the different food trucks. I saw many campers munching on fried oreos, fried dough and other sugary treats. As the sky grew dark everyone started to find a place to watch the fireworks. Many gathered to the grass near the waterfront and others chose to watch on the rocks. It was truly a spectacular show and a wonderful way to celebrate!

What a hectic weekend it has been! Saturday was a work day. During work days, the whole camp does various chores and runs carwashes to raise money for Campo Alegria in Nicaragua. While most campers were off washing cars, a few stayed behind at camp to help serve Chop Point’s 50^th reunion party. The party was a huge success! Crowds of former campers and staff attended and spent the day hugging, laughing, and reminiscing. To conclude the celebration, everyone gathered into the dining hall and sang classic silly songs such as “The Prune Song” and “An Austrian.” People also gave small speeches about their past camp experiences.

The Prune Song

When the campers returned from their hard day of work, it was revealed that the evening activity was water night. With hopes of not getting wet, the campers met in the grassy area by the dining hall. The first game was a water balloon toss. There were many shouts of frustration whenever a balloon exploded, and many screams of triumph whenever the balloon was caught successfully. After many other games, the campers were soaked and ready for the grand finale: the water slide! A huge tarp was spread over a hill and lathered in soap and water. First, the poor counselors slid down while campers pelted them with water balloons. Then the campers were free to slide down as many times as they wanted. Despite the windy weather, water night was a big hit.

Over the past couple of days, the campers have been mingling and forming friendships that will hopefully last a lifetime. To help the campers bond with their cabin-mates, the last two nights allowed cabins to hang out with each other off camp. On Monday the girls went out while the guys stayed on camp and played Wells Fargo, a game similar to Capture the Flag. The next night, the roles were reversed. The girls stayed on camp and had a paint war (don’t worry, it was washable paint) concluding with a campfire and s’mores. On their night out, some cabins packed up food for a picnic, while others made t-shirts, mini golfed, and went out for ice cream. Everyone had a blast and was glad to become more acquainted with their cabin-mates.

On Sunday, after Chapel, the whole camp participated in the classic “Wacky Olympics.” This hilarious event requires everyone to dress up in their most wacky outfits and compete in fun games. I saw an array of fantastic outfits. Campers wore animal onesies, capes, wigs, funky glasses, and even some banana costumes made an appearance. During the games, such as wheelbarrow racing, campers were called by cabin to sign up for activities to participate in every day for the rest of the session. Because there are a plethora of activities and all of them are so much fun (sailing, kayaking, canoeing, soccer, paddle boarding, arts and crafts and so much more), it is very hard to choose. Once all the campers chose their activities, the first session 2k16 Wacky Olympics went out with a bang. That evening, the campers were able to watch their counselors act in comical skits. Each of them were hilarious and caused fits of giggles and laughs that filled up the entire room. The Photos below are from the Wacky Olympics. Can’t you tell from the costumes?

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Check out our public Facebook photo album!

The 50^th summer of Chop Point has begun! After hours of traveling and the long drive down the Chop Point road, the campers have arrived and are ready to have a blast. First, everyone found out which cabin they were in, and met all their counselors. After happy reunions of old friends and the exciting hello’s to the new campers, everyone anticipated the start of a new session. Saturday’s evening activity was “Get to Know You Games.” These fun, interactive games helped the campers bond and “Get To Know” each other. My personal favorite game is “Switch If.” During this game everyone forms a huge circle around one person. The person in the middle states a fact about his/herself. For example: “Switch if you have blue eyes.” Everyone who has blue eyes has to quickly find a new place in the circle. Whoever cannot find a spot is the person in the middle. To conclude the first day of first session, everyone headed down to the dining hall for dessert. Thanks to the lovely kitchen staff, we have delicious meals and desserts everyday.

Check out our video of Get-to-Know you games.