Tag: Maine

Costumes at Camp

November 7th, 2018

Halloween is a blast every fall, and we’re sure our campers loved celebrating last week. Who doesn’t like expressing themselves with a wacky costume? At Camp Laurel we’re fortunate to have so many opportunities to do just that. Camp is always encouraging creativity through crazy hair, stage make up or ridiculous outfits.

Our favorites include the green and white everywhere for Laurel Spirit Day, Super Seniors rocking khakis and polos to mini-golf at Rummels, and the patriotic madness on the 4th of July. But those are just the beginning! Counselors get in the mix with different ideas for theme nights for our youngest campers. College Days, Olympics and Quest are some of the big events, but it’s never out of place to see tutus, bandanas or face paint anywhere around camp.

The best part of dressing up isn’t always being out and about, but the enthusiasm for planning costumes back in the cabin with your closest friends. Camp is a reminder that you’re never too old and never too cool to dress up and be excited for what’s ahead, and that’s an important lesson for everyone!

Thank You

August 22nd, 2018

An amazing closing ceremony led by our Super Seniors concluded the final chapter of Laurel 2018. Campers from each campus gave a speech about the moments they’ll cherish forever and there wasn’t a dry eye around the fire by the time Taps played over the east end of Echo Lake.

As everyone is gearing up to head back to school, we wanted to offer our campers, counselors and all our camp families a heartfelt thank you for sharing this past summer with us.

To our incredible counselors:

Thank you for everything you did for your campers this summer. We’re so proud of your hard work and dedication. It’s amazing to think of all the hours you spent teaching, leading, laughing and smiling this summer.

To our amazing families:

Thank you for giving your children the opportunity to experience Camp Laurel. It’s a tremendous honor and responsibility for us to care for your children, and we always aim to give them the best experience possible.

And to our wonderful campers:

We hope you enjoyed summer of 2018 as much as we did! We loved watching you learn new skills, grow and build lasting friendships. More than anything, we loved creating lifelong memories with you.

We appreciate all that each of you did to help write the story of Laurel 2018 — it was an unforgettable season on the shores of Echo Lake. We know you’ll be keeping the Laurel Spirit alive in the winter.

We miss you already!

College Days 2018!

August 3rd, 2018

After six full weeks of playing, routine, schedules and action, yesterday, it all changed. Our amazing Super Senior group helped plan and organize a phenomenal College Days Break. After dinner, while Jem was leading Cove and Bec and Bago campers were in the Lodge having dessert, everyone headed to the Upper Fields for the Sports Night Championships. But wait…it wasn’t the Sports Night Championships! All of a sudden, there was all kinds of commotion, and the entire Mt. Vernon Fire Department was on the fields blaring their sirens. We were herded into the Senior Baseball Diamond and left waiting and wondering. What was happening? Soon thereafter, from a distance, a Jet Ranger helicopter appeared in the distance carrying a huge box. The box was placed ever-so-gently in the outfield, fireworks ensued and the helicopter took off. Josh and Eric from our Maintenance Department donned special glasses, and flame-torched open the huge box and the two teams were revealed!

 

It was a dramatic Break to College Days 2018: The Colorado Buffaloes and the Boston University Terriers! For the next four-and-a-half days, it will be an incredible event filled with competition and great sportsmanship. We’ll compete, play, swim, cheer, sing, act, compete, run, race and more. It’ll be the time when Super Seniors test their leadership skills and lead the camp in grand style. We’ll keep you updated day-to-day on Laurel Today. Until then, know it’s all BU and all CU as we enter the last week of Camp Laurel 2018.

Now’s the Time…

July 27th, 2018

Our Junior and Senior Bec and Bago campers returned from their Boston and Montreal extended trips and had amazing time. As they came back into camp, Jem hopped on each motorcoach to welcome everyone home and remind the campers they are now back at camp and out of the “real world.” This quick reminder is a good time to re-set the campers as they head back into camp for the next two weeks of activities, program and fun. Super Seniors are, of course, still out on their trip and having a blast. This is their time to unplug together as a group before they come back into camp Sunday and enter their final 12 days as Laurel campers.

Back in Readfield, our program continues to hum along as we head into Week #6 with the Lion King Musical, Sports Night Championships, Dance Showcase, Camper Talent Night, and final rounds of intercamps and tournaments. As with most camps, early in Week #7, we slide into culminating special events and programs. While the calendar turns soon to August, and it’s starting to feel like College Days may be upon us…there’s still so much more to do! And as we tell everyone – campers and staff – take advantage of your time now!

Visiting Day

July 20th, 2018

We’re so excited to see you tomorrow! Your children can’t wait to see you and look forward to introducing you to their friends and counselors and demonstrating some of the skills they’ve acquired the first month of camp. Here are a few reminders for a great visit tomorrow: 

 — Camp opens to visitors at 9:30 Saturday morning. We encourage you to arrive by 9:00AM so that you can park, pick up the schedule of the day, enjoy a cup of coffee, and get directions to meet your camper(s). 

 — While you are welcome to bring modest amounts of food, please ensure that you avoid products with nuts. Also, keep in mind that, on Sunday, all goodies left from Visiting Day will be donated to a local food bank, so don’t overdo it.

Have a safe trip to Camp!

Being Nice

July 17th, 2018

One of the things we talk about in the cabins, at program areas, in the Lodge at meals, at evening activities, and even on trips is: being nice. Sometimes, campers need to be reminded about this, and it’s our job, as caring and responsible adults, to do this in a loving and constructive way.

At the first campfire of the summer, Jem and Debbie talk about being kind and respectful to each other. It’s not only the right thing to do – it’s expected here. This is a value we reinforce throughout the summer. Before we leave on our first S-Day trip, Jem reminds everyone they are leaving Camp Laurel and heading into the outside world, and we want our campers to be great citizens so they feel terrific about themselves and they represent Camp Laurel well.

Kindness and respect are key ingredients to a happy cabin life, and therefore a happy summer. It’s a value we speak about regularly, and reinforce when necessary.  Fortunately, we have an environment at Camp Laurel that fosters respect and kindness, and we watch random acts of kindness and respect occur all day long. These values are important at camp. They’re important at school. They’re important at home. And, of course, they’re important in life!

Taking a Breath

July 13th, 2018

As we wind down week #3 and head into Week #4, the program continues to hum at a rapid pace. To be sure we stay on course, we intentionally work hard to ensure campers and counselors are well-rested and energetic. While waterskiing, playing basketball, soccer and tennis, doing gymnastics and scaling the Aerial Park are part of what camp is all about, when we’re at it five or six hours a day, four or five days in a row, its necessary to take a breath and re-charge.

Our weekly schedule automatically alters between A and B program days, with an S-Day (or Special Days) built in every fourth or fifth day. On S-Days, we sleep in bit, have a more relaxed breakfast, and enjoy in-camp events (Carnival, Traditions Day, Gold Rush, Triathlon to name a few).  Every other S-Day, depending on each campers age group, we also leave camp for an out-of-camp S-Day and take in sights along the Maine coast, visit a seacoast town, or hit a waterpark. 

Each night at camp there is a planned and well-executed evening program that is more recreational in nature and less instructional. Other than our weekly Sports Nite where all age groups play in a league under-the-lights, (football, soccer or hockey), we try and take it down a notch before bed. Favorite evening activities are campfires, hypnotist show, egg drop, talent nights, and, of course, weekly socials for our older campers. While every day at camp is programmed and scheduled, some are more relaxed. In today’s fast-paced world – even at camp where we are unplugged – this is an important facet of everyone’s good health.

The Quest

June 29th, 2018

After a full week of non-stop program (hard to believe we’ve been together for almost a week!), we had a rain day yesterday. So we slept in an extra hour and moved our activities to our many indoor locations: Fieldhouse, Playhouse, Arts Centers, Fitness and Dance Studios, Tanager, Lodge and more. After five straight days of great weather, non-stop action on the lake, on the ballfields and on the courts, it was a welcome break! This morning, we awoke to one of Camp Laurel favorite traditions: The Quest!

During Quest, we break into 16 teams split across age groups and have an amazing day of friendly competition. It’s a great way to break up our busy schedule and allows campers from different age groups to get to know each other and bond. Our Super Seniors lead the effort and do a spectacular job running this amazing all-camp event.

With the first week nearly behind us, we look forward to ramping up our summer calendar as camping trips, inter-camps, tournaments, golf trips and special events crank up. We look forward to the weekend ahead with program days and lots of time swimming, waterskiing, sailing, stand-up paddleboarding, canoeing, kayaking and even snorkeling!

And We’re Off

June 26th, 2018

And We’re Off…

It was a magical start to camp. After a flawless arrival day Saturday, our camp family was reunited and the action hasn’t stopped since. Following our traditional Opening Campfire, we leapt right into program on Sunday and haven’t stopped since. We met our Camp Sisters and Brothers, hosted open calls for High School Musical, ran through the Bec and Bago Sports Combines, and were everywhere in 72 hours:  from the Lake to the Ballfields, Tennis Courts to the Hockey Arena, Equestrian Center to the Aerial Park.

While the activities and program are running full bore, the part about camp everyone loves best is being with each other. Friends have been reunited. And in short order, the “newcomers” quickly became part of the extended Laurel family. 

Welcome home everyone!  The best lies ahead…

Camp Laurel on Echo Lake

July 7th, 2017

Going to camp in Maine means spending your summer on an incredible lake. Maine lakes are among the cleanest, biggest and most beautiful in the country.

At Camp Laurel, we are fortunate to be situated on Echo lake, which is 9 miles around and a mile wide.

Echo Lake is home to Camp Laurel and two other camps —  Vega and Winnebago. We are part of the Echo Lake Association and take an active role in keeping the quality of the lake extraordinarily high. We are also part of the 30-mile Watershed Association, which monitors the activity of the 7 interconnected lakes around Readfield, Maine.

Every water sport is available to our campers:. Swimming, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, stand-up paddling, sailing, waterskiing – and campers take advantage of the lake every day. Many – multiple times per day.

Many camps around the country have pools – but very few private camps in Maine have them. They’re not necessary because of the quality of our lakes. It’s been said that because Echo Lake is so clear – you can play cards at the bottom.

While we love all the activities and programs at camp – we particularly love the beauty and recreational opportunities that Echo Lake affords all of us.