Overnight Archives - Page 2 of 2

Camp trunk?

Posted on April 7, 2015October 18, 2016 by Alex

A trunk or not a trunk? that is the question!

I am a first time at sleep away camp for my youngest daughter Mom this year. My oldest did a whole bunch of programs that either just required a duffel bag or a suitcase. She was more the college campus, camp kind of girl! it’s been a while so I am back shopping for camp supplies.

Today’s question for deliberation is what to pack in to? A trunk or duffel bags? and if we do decide on a trunk what type? my head is already swirling just contemplating thinking about it. You would think as the camp director I’d have a clear vision but it seems that there are so many pro’s and con’s for each option. To me the ubiquitous trunk screams sleep away camp and is a connection to the long time tradition of kids packing up for the summer and heading out by train to camp. But wait this is 2015 and no one arrives by train anymore and we won’t be traveling far with her stuff!

The girls that bring trunks to camp love them as they are a great catch all for spare towels and linens dress up clothes and all manner of junk you can just throw in there before cabin inspection. You can sit on them, use them to get up to your top bunk and play a round of cards on top. Trunks these days comes in such an array of styles and colors they can be an identity statement and it’s also pretty cool to bring your parents old camp trunk.

Duffel bags are easy to pack and can be tucked away on the luggage rack collecting dust bunnies until the end of the season. With all of her stuff unpacked she won’t forget about items that may be stored in the trunk and will be able to see everything.

Whichever option we go with I am sure it will work out fine it usually comes out about 50/50 amongst the campers. There are then those international staff who manage to put everything they need for the entire summer into one small backpack maybe that’s what we should do!

Fireworks on the Lakes – Seeking a Balance with Belgrade Select Board

Posted on September 16, 2014October 18, 2016 by Pam Cobb

Camp Runoia prides itself in being active in our local business community helping to bring people to the area, being involved in our local conservation groups, The Belgrade Lakes Association and the Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance and believing in sustainable practices at camp and in our communities. All of our year round employees serve on boards, volunteer at events and/or coach sports or participate in races, fund raisers and friend-raisers around the state, in New England and beyond.

Here’s a recent letter to our Select Board representing the importance of balancing fun and life on the lakes:

Belgrade and the lakes in and around Belgrade is such a beautiful place to enjoy with your family and friends. I can see how everyone wants to show off the fun of fire works when they come up for the weekend or have friends or family visiting. With fireworks readily accessible, we are hearing fireworks nearly every night and certainly every weekend night of the summer on Great Pond.

Fireworks used on a continual basis are disruptive to people, animals and the environment.

Our Camp Runoia campers are frightened by the loud booming and cracks and whistles that carry on nightly. Their sleep is disrupted causing adults to have to console them and stay up with them until they can fall back asleep with hopes that another round across the lake doesn’t wake them again.

Our horses, a herd of over a dozen, who are stabled during the day for lessons and out in pasture at night, run in fear during the fireworks causing injury and overuse of adrenaline, wearing on them and making them not fit for work the next day. Often we have to get the horses from the pasture and bring them into the stables during fireworks that are close by. Additionally, the loons, the wildlife around the lake and the lake itself are experiencing loud noise, chemical exposure and plastic and paper fragment waste on a regular basis.

We hope Belgrade will be smart about fireworks and restrict usage to a few key dates of the summer for people to enjoy them and for those of us with people and animals who are disrupted by them can be prepared and keep everyone safe while enjoying the beauty of the lakes in each and every way.

The Natural Beauty of the Night Sky Wows Us

Spring is in the Air!

Posted on May 12, 2014October 18, 2016 by Pam Cobb

Spring time is a happy time at Camp Runoia. It’s basically a celebration! We are excited about the summer season and everyone arriving and getting busy with camp fun. We are busy as bees buzzing around getting buildings spruced up, lawns and trails cleaned up and ordering equipment and supplies for the fun summer ahead.

New in 2014? Lots of things. Among them honey bees! You may have heard a buzz at Runoia and it’s true. We have two bee colonies located in two hives. Both hives are healthy and producing honey and taking care of their queen and producing more honey bees.

Our honey bees will be pollinators for local farmers (as well as our own farm and gardens) and hopefully they will produce honey we can all taste and share at camp! We are learning as we go and with the help of other bee keepers in Maine, we hope to keep our hives alive and healthy!

Honey bees are hard workers and aren’t the type of bees that want to sting people or animals. They are very busy doing their jobs which include guarding the hive, being field bees and pollinators, nursing the queen and other drone activities. If you are worried about a friend who is allergic, we will let you know where the bees are and how to avoid their area! Meanwhile, if you are a bee enthusiast, feel free to share anything with us at Camp Runoia about bees if you’d like to. We are all learning together!

This summer campers can don the bee costumes and learn more about bees. It will be a fun time on the Runoia farm!

Here’s a picture of us checking the bees today:

Good Night Games From Camp

Posted on February 27, 2013October 18, 2016 by Pam Cobb

Today there is another snow storm passing by camp. The tall pines are swaying in the strong wind, there’s a chatter of branches that bend and won’t break. With the lake frozen enough to take fishing huts out by snow mobile, it’s hard to believe summer is just a few months away and our overnight sleepaway camp will be in session.

As the trees, land and lake hibernate, we busily prepare ourselves for summer. Snippets of an email conversation I had with a parent of a nine year old camper today sums it all up as February comes to a close:

“Every night just so you know, we spend time together before bed. Without fail, we begin talking about camp. I was instructed last night to think up words having to do with camp. I had to say the word and Alex would tell a story or recall some aspect of camp having to do with that word. So I said, ‘bedtime’, and she proceeded to tell me how her counselor would read them stories before turning in and she really liked that. She said it was one of her favorite things -but she says everything was one of her favorite things, So I’m not sure we can pin it down to anything specific!

Later, the parent replied in a separate email: “I was told that tonight I will think up a time of day and she will then tell me what’s happening at camp during that time. Oh, and tomorrow is tee shirt day at school. Can you guess what she’ll be wearing?!

She tells me everything she ever ate for breakfast at camp and every other meal and she tells me all about all the activities she loves and the counselors and the campers. Is it summer yet?”

And, I repeat, is it summer, yet?!?