Second Session

Chop Point Camp 2013 is officially over.

The second session crew packed up and headed out a couple days ago after a fun-filled last few days.

In the past we’ve had a few themed nights, such as Peter Pan Night and Harry Potter Night. Well, this session we had Disney Night. All the counselors and some of the campers were given parts from a bunch of Disney movies, like The Little Mermaid and Hercules. They went to dinner dressed as their part, which was extremely amusing to see. Some of the costumes were scary realistic.

The campers were divided into movie groups, and their goal that night was to search for the princess to their movie, following a scavenger hunt to clues. Once they found their princess (with some help from the prince), they figured out where their villain was hiding and set off to attack them (with water balloons, of course). This night is a new favorite of mine.

We ended the week with the usual beach day at Reid State Park. The sun was out and a bunch of campers went surfing and swimming in the Atlantic Ocean. That night the camp went roller-skating until 1 a.m. Luckily we were all allowed to sleep in the next morning.

After that we spent the day shopping in Freeport, and then to our semi-annual banquet, honoring our last night at camp. Once the banquet was over, we changed out of our nice clothing and went to have a campfire at our fire pit. Anyone who wanted had the opportunity to speak.

The end came much too quickly for my liking… or anyone else’s, for that matter. Goodbyes were hard for everyone, but there’s still the promise of next year. A huge thanks to the staff and campers this summer for making Chop Point Camp 2013 one of the best summers yet. Till next year.

The last week of Second Session has come, no matter how much all of us didn’t want it to.

A few nights ago we drove to Pemaquid Point, a place that one of our cabins is named after. It’s a beautiful spot on the ocean, with huge climbing rocks and a lighthouse. Everyone explored the rocks, and many pictures were taken that night. It started to rain, so we all hunkered down under tree coverage for some singing and a quick chapel.

We’ve also had the semi-annual cabin theme night. The judges dubbed this the best cabin theme night in the history of Chop Point. Now, I’m not sure if I’d go that far, but it’s definitely in the running. The judges couldn’t let themselves just have two cabins as winners, so the next morning at breakfast we had an award ceremony. It was called the Oscars, though it was not very much like the real Oscars award show. Cabin awards were given out, as well as individual awards like Best Supporting Actress/Actor and Best Actress/Actor.

We’re starting the last week off right with chapel atop Maiden’s Cliff in Camden. To get to where we have the chapel is about a mile long walk, but the view is worth it ten times over. After chapel the campers were given lunch, and then let loose into the town of Camden for some shopping and sight-seeing.

Tonight we are going to the farmhouse for Christmas in July, where we have some Christmas games and eat really delicious food.

Hard to believe there’s only a couple of updates left before the end. Be checking our Picasa albums and Facebook page for more picture posts!

The sailing trip is back with nothing but good reports…

To say I’m jealous is an understatement.

Spending the night aboard a 100 foot long schooner… definitely not the most boring trip we offer here at Chop Point. The food is famous, and talked about days after the trip ends. Once the boat anchors for the night, campers have the opportunity to climb up the ship’s ropes and jump into the ocean. Freezing, but worth it.

A few nights ago we went to a baseball game for the Portland Seadogs. It’s a good time to relax and hang out with everyone. For some, it was their first baseball game. Everyone had a great time cheering, and the Seadogs pulled away with a win of 5-1.

Last night was Sock Hop Night. Everyone dresses up as greasers and in other typical 1950s fashions. For dinner, we all go to the Chop Point “Diner”, which is actually just the dining hall, decked out like a typical diner from the 50s. Oldies songs play while we order our food (root beer floats, burgers, fries, etc.), and after dinner we join into our cabins for some fun activities.

We played trivia games, had an Elvis Presley impersonation contest, a hula hoop contest, and more. There was also a game where they would play a song, and each cabin would have to give their best guess (all fifties songs). The senior staff was also a team, and honestly, if they were allowed to win, they definitely would have.

For more pictures check our Picasa albums and facebook page.

We have all officially settled into Second Session.

We had some cabin bonding nights at the beginning and now we’re on to bigger and better things. A few nights ago, we had a camp favorite, Luau Night.

Our Camp Director, Dave, and a few others spent the better part of the day roasting a pig specifically for the Luau Night dinner. We came to dinner dressed in Hawaiian shirts with flowers in our hair, and ate out on the front lawn. Everything was delicious, like always. After dinner we broke up into different groups, signified by colors, and came up with some cheers. We were also given paint to decorate ourselves as well as a canoe, which was to be used later in the night. The painting may have gotten a bit out of hand, however…

Once our canoes were painted, we had a “regatta” of sorts, racing through the water around obstacles. After the race, we had a limbo contest and a moon-pie eating contest.

A night well spent.

Second Session is coming in hot… in all senses of the word.

The weather has been some of the hottest temperatures all summer. Walking past the dock today, I saw about forty or so campers weighing it down.

There’s also about twenty or so more campers this session, making Chop Point pretty full. With an uncharacteristically small group last session, a bigger group is welcomed.

On the first night, we did get-to-know-you games, camp wide ice-breakers to kick off the session. Everyone was tired that night, many even jet-lagged, so we all got a good night’s rest.

The next morning we had Wacky Olympics, explained in my first update last session. To summarize, we basically dress up in crazy clothing and play a ton of games in the gym.

Example A:

Example B:

Check out our Picasa albums, linked at the bottom of the page, for more photos (courtesy of Andrew Schundler, camp videographer).

Tonight, after going over rules with the Assistant Camp Director, Andrew, we watched a bunch of skits made up by the counselors. I think the counselors do them because it makes them seem more approachable… also the skits are hilarious. All in all we’re off to a great start.

Keep checking back for more updates!