I have been a counselor at Camp Illahee for the past four summers. This summer I am stuck in Gainesville but today is the first day of the first camp session of THIS summer and I couldn't help but pay tribute by dressing up in my Sunday whites. This is the uniform that counselors wear on opening (if you look closely you will see that I am wearing my nametag) and closing day and it is also what everyone in camp wears on Sunday mornings for our version of church. We wear white shorts, white polo shirts embroidered with the "CI" symbol (for Camp Illahee), blue ties (it is tradition, this camp has been around since 1921) and tennis shoes. My tie knot is held together by a "CI" pin that is given to counselors who return for a second summer at Illahee. The campers can earn a pinetree pin by coming back for their fifth summer at Illahee and it is pretty cool to see how many campers wear their mom's or grandmother's old pins from back when THEY were campers at Illahee. All the kids were dropped off by ten this morning in time for some break-the-ice/getting-to-know-you games before lunch. This afternoon they will get a tour of camp (so that they will know where all their activities will meet tomorrow), they will take a trip to the Wishing Well (the nurses' cabin) for a lice check and they will get a chance to go swimming in the lake. Tonight after a traditional Sunday meal of fried chicken they will have an opening night campfire where the counselors will perform skits welcoming them back to the Heavenly World (that is what Illahee means in Cherokee). Tonight at 9:30 Taps will be playing (at camp AND in my room) to signal that flashlight time is over and that the summer has officially begun.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Opening Day
I have been a counselor at Camp Illahee for the past four summers. This summer I am stuck in Gainesville but today is the first day of the first camp session of THIS summer and I couldn't help but pay tribute by dressing up in my Sunday whites. This is the uniform that counselors wear on opening (if you look closely you will see that I am wearing my nametag) and closing day and it is also what everyone in camp wears on Sunday mornings for our version of church. We wear white shorts, white polo shirts embroidered with the "CI" symbol (for Camp Illahee), blue ties (it is tradition, this camp has been around since 1921) and tennis shoes. My tie knot is held together by a "CI" pin that is given to counselors who return for a second summer at Illahee. The campers can earn a pinetree pin by coming back for their fifth summer at Illahee and it is pretty cool to see how many campers wear their mom's or grandmother's old pins from back when THEY were campers at Illahee. All the kids were dropped off by ten this morning in time for some break-the-ice/getting-to-know-you games before lunch. This afternoon they will get a tour of camp (so that they will know where all their activities will meet tomorrow), they will take a trip to the Wishing Well (the nurses' cabin) for a lice check and they will get a chance to go swimming in the lake. Tonight after a traditional Sunday meal of fried chicken they will have an opening night campfire where the counselors will perform skits welcoming them back to the Heavenly World (that is what Illahee means in Cherokee). Tonight at 9:30 Taps will be playing (at camp AND in my room) to signal that flashlight time is over and that the summer has officially begun.
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to reinforce the fact that merrie-woode is cooler we were founded in 1919 (before your camp) and we get bracelets (who doesn't love beautiful jewelry). My sisters leave for camp tomorrow. We can cry together, hold hands and sing taps. -?
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