August came in with perfect camp weather, warm sunny days and cooler nights which made sleeping in the shacks much more tolerable after the steamy days of July. We were surprised at how quickly our final Camp Runoia days have flown by . We have certainly packed them full to the brim with activities, adventures and time with our camp friends.
We welcomed the new month in with a spectacular meteor shower which the CIT’s got to view from the boathouse where they spent the night. Our 2nd shack girls also got to get a night under the stars with a sleep out at Fairy Ring. 4th shack wrapped up the overnight tripping program with a grand adventure to the coast and Camden Hills. Giving girls an overnight, experiential trip has long been an integral part of the Runoia program and one that is still greatly valued.
We welcomed 9 new level one archery instructors into the counselor teaching team – the CIT’s all passed their training class and learned some critical fundamentals of teaching which will transfer to any activity they are specializing in. They also passed their lifeguarding test which they have been working on all summer. The whole group spent an awesome day of volunteering at Lobsterfest in Rockland managing the children’s tent and touch tank. These girls have built and incredible skill set this summer and we really hope we will see some of them back as JC’s next year.
The CIT’s rushed home from volunteering as 4 of them were in the play Saturday evening. They joined a younger cast for a Mahadin performance of ‘A Mid Summers Night’s Dream.’ It was truly spectacular lots of hard lines to learn for sure and we all enjoyed the theater in the park atmosphere.
Runoia riders have been out and about getting in some final shows at other camps. We rode very successfully against Vega and Matoka on Friday and had a competitive day against Forest Acres on Tuesday. It is great for our riders of all levels to have an experience with different horses at an unfamiliar ring, they really get a chance to put all of their skills into action. Almost 50 Runoia girls participated in the Blue/White horse show this past Sunday! Lots of points scored for their teams.
The Blue/White competitions filled our final Sunday with swim races, softball, kickball and soccer games and the horse show. Monday 19 early morning Oak island swimmers also scored some points for their team. We are all looking forward to finding out the final scores at Cotillion during the traditional game of ‘hucklebuckle beanstalk’
Our last activity block has been filled with project finishing, level gaining, old and new skills and lots of fun and laughter. While girls are certainly excited to see their families at the end of the week, we are already counting down the days until our 114th season in 2020.