There are some events at Runoia that are hard to put into words.
Our 120th Reunion was one of them.
In August, 175 Runoia alumnae and family members made their way back to Great Pond to celebrate an extraordinary milestone: 120 summers of Camp Runoia.
They came from near and far. They came with old camp friends, spouses, children, grandchildren, and generations of memories. Our alumnae represented Runoia summers stretching all the way back to the 1940s, while our very youngest reunion guest celebrated her first birthday right here at camp on Sunday.
More than eight decades of Runoia experiences gathered together in one place.
And somehow, despite all those years between them, so much felt exactly the same.
Coming Home to Great Pond
There is something remarkable about watching someone return to Runoia after decades away.
Cabins may have new porches or roofs, new buildings might have caught your eye, activities may have even evolved. There are new faces and new programs, and camp has grown in ways the Runoia girls of the 1940s, ’50s, or ’60s probably could never have imagined. (Hello, Hartwood! An entire pavilion dedicated to the arts?!)
But then someone walks down the path to the waterfront.
They catch their first glimpse of the blue waves.
A song begins around the campfire.
Someone remembers exactly which shack she lived in, and discovers that it looks and feels almost exactly as she remembered. Someone else points out the spot where she first capsized a sailboat, met her best friend, or spent summer after summer growing up.
And suddenly, the years between then and now don’t seem quite so far apart.
Throughout the weekend, stories were everywhere.
Old friends reunited and picked up conversations as though no time had passed. Photo albums came out. Camp pranks and counselor stories were remembered. Generations compared traditions, cabins, activities, and favorite places. Children explored the same paths their mothers and grandmothers once traveled.
There was laughter, singing, storytelling, and more than a few happy tears.
The Traditions That Connect Us
One of the most beautiful parts of celebrating 120 years is realizing just how many Runoia traditions have traveled from one generation to the next.
The songs sung by campers today have also been sung by women who sat around Runoia campfires decades ago. The shores of Great Pond have watched generations of girls learn to swim, paddle, sail, take risks, make friends, become leaders, and discover a little more about themselves.
And, of course, the Bees and Ellies still inspire the same loyalty, enthusiasm, and friendly competition they always have.
During reunion weekend, those shared traditions became a bridge between generations.
You didn’t have to attend camp in the same decade, or even the same generation, to understand what it meant to be a Runoia girl.
That connection was already there.
120 Years of Runoia Girls
Perhaps the most powerful part of the weekend wasn’t any single activity, meal, song, or celebration.
It was simply looking around.
Women whose first summers at Runoia were more than 75 years ago sat alongside alumnae from the decades that followed. Former campers returned as mothers and grandmothers. Families heard stories they may have heard a hundred times before, but this time, they got to stand in the places where those stories actually happened.
And then there was our youngest guest, celebrating her very first birthday at Runoia.
There was something wonderfully fitting about it.
At one end of the weekend were women carrying memories of Runoia from the 1940s. At the other was a one-year-old whose Runoia story may only just be beginning.
Between them were generations of women connected by this little place on Great Pond.
That is 120 years of Runoia.
It isn’t simply the number of summers we’ve opened our gates. It is the friendships that have lasted for decades. The traditions carefully passed down. The songs somehow remembered word for word. The stories told to children and grandchildren. The confidence carried far beyond camp. And the feeling that, no matter how many years have passed, there will always be a piece of this place that feels like home.
The Next Chapter
Celebrating 120 years naturally gives us a reason to look backward.
We are deeply proud of Runoia’s history and grateful to the generations of women who have loved, protected, shaped, and carried this camp forward.
But perhaps the greatest gift of a reunion like this is that it also reminds us to look ahead.
Somewhere among today’s campers are the women who will return for Runoia’s 130th, 140th, or perhaps even 150th Reunion. Someday, they will walk these same paths and tell their families about the summer they learned something new, met a lifelong friend, jumped into Great Pond, sang around a campfire, or discovered just how capable they were.
The details of camp will continue to evolve, just as they have for 120 years.
But the heart of Runoia remains.
The friendships. The traditions. The confidence. The community. The magic of summers spent growing up on Great Pond.
To every alumna and family member who came home to celebrate with us: THANK YOU!
Thank you for bringing your stories back to Runoia. Thank you for sharing your memories with the generations who came after you. Thank you for helping preserve the traditions that make this place so special.
And to every Runoia girl-whether your first summer was in the 1940s, 2026, or is still somewhere in the future-you are part of this story. And we look forward to seeing what chapters you add to it!
120 years down, and so many more Runoia summers still to come.
With Love,
Aionur
