Special Events Archives

Final Week 2016

August 9th, 2016

We enter the last three days of camp with emotions running high. We’ve just come off a spectacular five days of College Days. It was an incredible culminating special event of the 2016 season. Our Super Seniors did a superb job leading the camp. The Games, Sports, Contests, Songs, Floats, Plaques were as good as ever. Well done Class of 2016!!

Tonight we “dial it down” a bit and start to decompress from the week gone by. Tomorrow we’ll have a Rec Day with fun activities, tennis ladder games, water afternoon and rehearsal for Reprise…a call-back of the finest 2016 acts and performances. We’ll also see a highlights film of the summer produced by our talented Digital Media Department. It will be a great day.

Thursday we begin to pack, reminisce, spend time with friends and counselors, and get ready for the Final Ceremony…a 67 year old Laurel tradition on the shores of Echo Lake.

We can’t believe the seven weeks are coming to an end. We will cherish every minute until we say our final farewell to the summer of 2016…

Reignited for the Next Three Weeks

July 26th, 2016

With Visiting Day behind us, we’re reignited for the next three weeks of camp and they are chock-full of program, activity, specials events and trips. Our Bec and Bago campers have all departed on their Extended Trips and are having a blast. These trips are a great way to break up the summer and give our oldest campers a brief “teen travel experience.” They are always a summer highlight.

In Readfield, the four lower campuses have the “run of the place” and are taking advantage of every part of camp. We have an incredible week planned for them including the 2016 Olympics, VIP Nites, Dinner Parties, Twilight Waterskiing, Skills Clinics and more.

While there’s only three weeks left of camp – there’s still so much to do. In every department around camp, skills are being honed and projects expanded upon. Cabins are functioning at their highest levels and friendships are abundant everywhere!! We love watching the relaxed and comfortable interactions between cabinmates who reunited four weeks ago after ten months away – or met for the first time in late June. It is, of course, the essence of what makes camp… camp.

Intercamps, Trips, Special Events and More!

July 19th, 2016

What a week gone by with so much more to look forward to.

We started our Second Rotation of the summer Saturday and we’re off and running. All program areas are in high gear and the skill progression in every facet of camp is evident and noticeable. From the Tennis Courts to the Lacrosse Fields, the Aerial park to Mountain Biking, and the Fitness Center and Dance Studio to the Soccer Pitch, it’s amazing what we’ve accomplished in just under four weeks.

This week we have more instructional days and some great special events at night. Eric the Amazing Illusionist delighted and dazzled us last night and tonight Laurel Theatre presents High School Musical 2 as performed by our four older campuses. Our older campers have been rehearsing for three weeks in anticipation of tonight’s extravaganza. Thursday is the annual Group Sing and we’re psyched to see who will wear this summer’s crown! Group Sing is always a summer highlight.

Intercamps and Tournaments are in full swing…campers are loving their overnight excursions all over Maine…and, of course, we’re getting excited for Visiting Weekend coming up this Saturday.

All Camp Events

July 12th, 2016

While the daily program at Camp Laurel consists of six periods and is highly structured, we’re also a camp which loves spirit, spontaneity and flexibility. Once every five days or so, we take a break from our active program for S Days (Special Days.) S Days are trips days, special events days or tradition days. And at least once a week, we have an all-camp event when, regardless of campus, we come together for a fun, recreational and exciting event that breaks up the camp week and brings the whole Laurel Family together. Often, siblings, cousins, friends and neighbors across campuses join together for a special activity. Yesterday, it was our Carnival.

Carnival has been a camp tradition for 40 Camp Laurel years. Our annual Carnival starts at 4:30 in the afternoon and goes until 8:30 at night. We start with a great lakeside cookout (burgers, corn dogs, chicken, salad, pizza, fresh fruit and watermelon) and then we head up to the Blast Bounce Rides.

In addition to the rides, there are booths and games with everything imaginable: Face Painting, Mime, Photo Boots, Fortune Telling, Human Slot Machine, Smack The Rat, Plinko, Marriage Booth, Mini Golf and more. There are dressed up characters and “carnies,” And this year, we had a special treat of bronzed, moving statues.

Of course, there’s the ever-famous Fried Dough truck with all kinds of toppings and plenty of water and Powerade to wash it down.

We love Carnival…and we love the fun and games of our weekly S Days.