The Friendship Fire
The first Friday Night Service of each summer, since the very first summer in 1945 has been the Friendship Fire. Lou and Renee Rosenblum founded camp to be a place where boys could develop meaningful relationships with their fellow campers and counselors. While many things about tonight’s friendship fire looked different, that value remains at the core of everything we do. Tonight’s keylog ceremony was unforgettable. Not only were the boys so appreciative to be at camp, enjoying the sunset among friends, but they were reflective and sad for their North Star friends who could not be with us this summer, as well as their siblings, friends and cousins who do not have the opportunity to attend camp this summer either. One of our oldest campers summed it up perfectly when he said, “this keylog is for being at camp with friends and having a sense of normalcy while things are so crazy in the world.” We sang with masks and the keylog line was by cabin, but in all of the important ways, it was Friday Night as we know it and love it.
Today, we had every member of the North Star community get tested for Covid-19 with our on-site testing kits. The results will be back early next week. There are still no suspected cases of Covid-19 at camp. Even if all test results come back as negative, we will continue with our strict 14-day cabin quarantine so that we are working to limit the transmission between pods throughout the entire contagious period.
With another hot day came more water activities. The fun bug area had campers every period of the day, and we made sure to get the tubing and water ski boats out to pull campers. The splash mat is certainly getting a lot of good use these days, as is the blob – a giant floating trampoline with an inflated attachment for the boys to jump on under the sun. Slip n’ slides were brought out and the athletic field sprinklers were turned on during organized free, which made for a fun bonus. Water fights seem to be the new trend at camp, which are both fun to watch and fun to be a part of.
When walking by the tetherball poles, even the Junior campers were heard saying “let’s sanitize the ball before we play,” and then proceeded to use the nearest spray bottle to spray the ball, his opponent’s hands, and his own before starting their game. The fact that campers are now remembering to sanitize without a reminder from the counselors shows that they are intently listening to instruction, they understand why it’s important, and they want to help their friends stay clean too. This speaks measures to the hard work our staff is putting in to get all (all, ALL!) campers on the same page. We are so proud of our boys for paying such great attention and for doing their part in preventing the spread of germs.
As we concluded Friday Night Services tonight, I referenced a line from Oprah Winfrey that says “Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” Those are real friends. We didn’t get a bus for camp, but we got vans…
Today’s Grace:
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Be seated.
