Folk Fest 2015 (July 18)!
Departure Day (July 18)
The time has come where we had to say goodbye to 190 new and old friends. First session 2015 is over : ( .
To brighten up my mood, however, I would love to tell you all about the final couple of days at Windsor Mountain and just how incredible they were!
Referencing my previous post, the snowball of fun carried on through to Super Happy Fun Day, where we were woken up with pots, pans, music and laughter. Counselors guided campers to the dining hall for breakfast but, were surprised by who they were greeted by. Hagrid and Harry Potter were enthusiastically welcoming campers inside ‘Hogsmeade’ where they wandered through the spectacularly decorated dining hall, assigned a house by the sorting hat and greeted to their houses table (Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin or gryffindor) where counselors and campers alike marveled in the roaring (fake!) fires, twinkling lights, spells being cast and people riding brooms!
Once we finished our magical breakfast, we had a free choice morning where campers could explore areas on and off camp, whether it was to a local watering hole or heading off to the marsh to hopefully get a sight of the beavers or moose that tend to hang out over there. We then returned to camp for a ‘Music through the ages’ afternoon activity where stations were set all over camp and everyone could learn and practice how to rock out to music in that era – lots of fun!! In the evening, we dusted off our best outfits, as it was time for the Windsor Mountain Academy Awards. Given the VIP treatment, we enjoyed hor d’oeurves while being serenaded by the music department when we entered the dining hall to watch movies made during the summer by our talented video lab. It was great to reminisce over a wonderful month!
Our final full day at camp brought one of Windsor Mountain’s finest and oldest traditions – the Andy Upton road race. We were greeted by a glorious day as our EMT’s saddled up to cycle the course, drivers escort our campers and cheer everyone on as they ran, skipped, and even walked backwards (yes, the entire 5.5 miles!!). The tradition continued where everyone was running for a common goal – ICE CREAM!! This year we were treated by the very ice cream that is served at the Windsor Mountain Purple Lilac Ice Cream Shack on the sports field of camp where we had slip and slides, soccer games, carnival style dunk tanks and music. What could make a happier occasion?!
Departure day was a bitter sweet event as, on the plus side, we enjoyed a beautiful brunch put on by Marco and his kitchen staff, a soulful folk fest starring our campers who had put in lots of hard work to perfect their performances during the summer and the chance to see friends and family that we had heard so much about over the course of the month. But, of course, this was time to say goodbye!
I would like to take the time to thank you for sharing your children with us for the last few weeks. Everyone involved with Windsor Mountain is here for a reason – our wonderful campers! It was a privilege to teach them how to swim, educate them about different countries around the world, show what it takes to grow a productive and healthy garden and experience things like jumping into the Atlantic Ocean together on a beautiful summers day. We will remember this summer for many, many years to come, and I hope your child will as well.