Happy 4th of July!

Hot summer days full of fun!!! Yesterday we enjoyed intercamp tennis, intercamp play date and water-skiing!  Last night our 5 year club took their annual trip to the Binghamton Mets (a good game plus a bonus fireworks show) while the non-5 year clubbers played “human games” and then “UTL” for  Lower Camp (Under The Lights).

Human Games are charades, dizzy bat, gigantic twister, anagrams, parachute tennis, human bingo  and relay races; good silly fun (by the way, with no electronic or digital assistance!). UTL was a special bonus before milk and cookies. Everyone smiles as we live, play, learn and grow together!

This morning we plan to skirt around the weather and sleep in till about 8:45am (well at least the campers will sleep in!) and have a outdoor buffet breakfast with a carnival planned for tonight.

Of course, here at camp we celebrate the 4th of July on the 5th with a day full of coed activities, which we call COEDING, then an elaborate fireworks show and luau and… a Camp Towanda favorite!

And now for the part of my blog where I love to share emails we get from our parents who often say it best:

“I just received my fist letter from our son that said “THIS IS OFFICIALLY THE BEST SUMMER EVER!”  I have received this type of letter from him every summer…how do you do it?  Better than the best summer for 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008…?  All I can say is thanks for putting this all together.  He had a very crazy year in school filled with a ton of school work and he really buckled down and did beautifully.  I am more happy than ever that he is having a great, stress free, happy-summer.  He really loves the “Towanda Experience”.  The nonstop activities with his best friends are right up his alley.

We are also happy to hear that he is going to try out for the  Play.  We are very glad to see him venturing off the playing fields where he is most comfortable and  into new activities at camp.  You have an atmosphere established where he is not afraid to go out and try something new like this.  That is really great and I thank you for that.”

Okay and just one more letter from one of our parents about telling their friends about touring Camp Towanda:

“Dear Mitch & Stephanie,
One of our friends asked us what was special about Towanda; we told them to visit and they did.  After their visit, they told us they can see why  kids love Towanda! They said all the campers seem so well adjusted and in the groove (even after just a few days)!  They said our son said “it’s awesome” (which was confirmed on FNF)!!!  They also asked him if he had anything to tell his parents and he said, “Yeah tell them I am great and happy!”  What better endorsement?!

They said they had some concerns for their younger one who is only 6 and who does not really know what he likes yet.  He isn’t sports and they were worried that he wouldn’t have enough to do. The older one loves sports so they were thrilled for him but wanted the boys to go together to camp. I told her about cooking, gardening and pottery.

I told her that you and Stephanie think of things parents don’t even realize!  She couldn’t believe the camper to counselor ratio.  I also told them how we look forward to your nightly emails and how you don’t get this kind of communication anywhere else!  I explained how you are strict but with good reason and have the safety and happiness of our children in mind at all times. I always feel secure that my kids are in good hands!”

So on that note everyone, have a Happy 4th of July and make sure you are following us on Facebook and Twitter (@camptowanda) for bonus updates in real-time.

Uncle Sam Mitch and Bestephanie Ross