Hi Island Lake families!  Dare I even say it?  Ok, here I go,…it was another beautiful day here in Starrucca, PA!  Today was very warm and sunny with temps in the low 80’s.  Lots of sunblock was used and water bottles being carried by campers to activities to stay hydrated.

We had A LOT of different trips and tournaments going on here and out of camp today.  Our pioneering kids went out on a climbing trip to Prompton Park.  They climbed rocks as high as 25 feet, as well as climbing “chimneys”, rocks enclosed around them where they use their hands on rocks to their sides, not only in front of them.  Our climbing kids also practiced their rappelling skills at the park today.

Some other out of camp activities that took place today were a golf trip to a local golf course for 9 holes and a dance competition at a nearby camp.  Our dancers of all skill levels in different styles of dance participated in this friendly competition and took home several 1^st place trophies.  GO ILC DANCERS!

We also hosted an Improv Tournament within camp for many of our little actors to participate in.  They placed themselves into teams of 4 and gave themselves group names for this friendly fun tournament.  The winning team earned points for Bunk Cup.

But wait, there’s more!  We also hosted a big 10^th & 11^th grade boys Volleyball Tournament here at camp today.  About 8 other camps came to compete with one another this morning into the afternoon hours.  Our boys played hard and put up a good fight.  We also continued with our ILC Open for our tennis kids today.  They have been playing one another to ultimately be the champion and earn a trophy, along with points for their bunk for Bunk Cup.

Happy Tournament Tuesday!  What is Tournament Tuesday you’re asking yourself?  Well I’d love to share that with you.  We have several events that went on during the minor periods today and campers earned points for their bunks for Bunk Cup just by participating.  For 1^st minor we had a fishing tournament for groups 1&2.  For 2^nd minor we had the following:  archery tourney, basketball skills challenge, fencing tourney, chess tourney, fishing tourney, soccer world cup tourney, 3v3 sand volleyball, punt pass and kick, and sports monsters kong pong.  Here’s a rundown of our 3^rd minor tournaments:  home run derby, 3v3 basketball tourney, golf skills challenge, archery long range challenge, sports monster’s gaga, hockey sills challenge, sand soccer challenge, mojo fitness challenge, and punt pass and kick for our older groups.  Wow, we had a lot of fun tournaments going on this afternoon!

Today’s special feature, TOURNAMENT TUESDAY!  Enjoy the photos below of kong pong, basketball skills challenge, 3v3 sand volleyball, and soccer world cup tournament.

Tonight’s evening activity is Miss ILC.  The girls dress up male counselors to look like girls and put on a beauty pageant.  Ok, I’ll tell you the truth,…the kids all think it’s Miss ILC, but shortly after it starts, guess what’s going to break out?  No, not Color War but Revival Night!  Everyone’s all time favorite ILC evening activity!  We’ll let your kids tell you about it on Visiting Day.  Well, I hope you enjoyed this long blog filled with lots of photos today and until tomorrow, ILC U THERE!

Happy Monday everyone!  Today was another great day here in Starrucca, PA.  We couldn’t ask for better temperatures in the mid to upper 70’s with little to no humidity.  This summer’s weather has been fantastic thus far (uh oh, I hope I didn’t just jinx it!).

By now, session 2 is in full swing and last night’s Social was a blast for all.  Just like 1^st session, the girls got dressed up and the boys showered and combed their hair (if we were lucky!).  DJ Dennis knocked it out of the park and had our campers and counselors up on their feet boogying the night away.  Many of our science enthusiasts went on the observatory trip last night, which we hear was out of this world (sorry, I couldn’t resist!).

Today we had a few different sporting events going on.  Our 8^th & 9^th grade girls softball went out to play a game this morning and shut out the other camp, 12-0.  Our 5^th grade boys basketball team went out this afternoon for a game of hoops.  Our 6^th grade boys doubles had a big win out of camp today, as well.

Tonight’s evening activity is GROUPS!  Here’s a run own of what everyone is doing:

Boys:  Groups 1&2- kickball & wiffleball;  Groups 3&4- dodgeball;  Group 5- kong pong

Girls:  Group 1- music videos for bunk cup;  Group 2- cupcakes in cooking (the kids will decorate cupcakes & then there will be a contest for the best one);  Group 3- gaga & improve games;  Group 4- finish bunk videos;  Group 5- campfire

Today’s special feature,…HORSEBACK RIDING!

Enjoy the rest of your day and until tomorrow, ILC U THERE!

Below is a link to our week 3 video for all to enjoy viewing.  Hope you love it!

https://vimeo.com/101303252

Hi, Island Lake families!  We had another gorgeous day here in Starrucca, PA; our temperatures rebounded from a crisp, cool morning into the upper 70s.  It was another beautiful and busy day here at Island Lake.  We took our girls 6th and 7th grade basketball team and our 8th and 9th grade girls’ basketball team out of camp for two exciting and closely contested matches.

In other ILC news, our scientifically minded campers have just left for a trip to the Observatory where they will gaze into the night sky at the stars and planets.  I know I’m jealous!!

Tonight’s evening activity is THE SOCIAL!  Our girls have a busy rest hour ahead of them doing their hair, nails and makeup for the special night.  Our boys will splash on some body spray and might throw on a clean shirt haha!  The DJ is setting up in the gym, and everyone here at Island Lake is getting his or her dancing shoes on!

Today’s special feature… CRAZY GAMES!  We talked about it last night, and boy howdy was it a rollicking success!  Our campers and counselors brought a level of enthusiasm usually reserved for Color War to last night’s activity.  Enjoy some photos from one of the most exciting evening activities in recent memory!

Until next time, ILC U THERE!!

Today was our 2nd Rookie Day of Summer 2014! It was a great success, as several future Island Lakers experienced a day in the life of a camper. We hope the children had as much fun as we did!

This morning several of our campers and counselors woke up early for the 2014 Perkins Run. The run included both a One Mile and 5K category, and we are proud to report that our Island Lakers brought home multiple medals and trophies!

In other Island Lake news, today was our first day of majors and minors this session. The Starrucca sun was shining, and the wind was a gentle breeze. All in all, we could not have asked for a better start to session two. Our campers are fully engaged in our major and minor schedule, and hard at work earning points for their bunk in an effort to take home the inaugural Island Lake Bunk Cup.

Today’s special feature…Bunk Cup: Crazy Games Edition. Tonight at evening activity our campers will compete with their bunks in a variety of silly (you guessed it) CRAZY games. Dodgeball! Sticky Feet Relays! Fluffy Bunny! Dizzy Bat! Sponge Bucket Water Relay! Knockout! The games will be fast and furious; the points will be piled up and the race for the Bunk Cup will officially begin!

Until next time, ILC U THERE!

Happy first full day of 2^nd session!  It’s an absolutely beautiful day here in Starrucca, PA.  Temps in the 70’s with little humidity made for the perfect day to run around and have some fun here at Island Lake.  Our campers stayed busy with their 4-minors of auditions, level testing, and trying out activities that they’d like to sign up for as their majors.

Later this afternoon we held our special camp traditional activity,…Panic!  I announce items from the bunk and the kids run in to retrieve them to bring out to their group leaders/judges in the middle of their campuses.  The bunk with the most points wins LTB (Late To Bed).  We get creative with examples such as 2 campers wearing last summer’s blue & grey Color War t-shirts doing leap frog from their bunk to the judges.  Another item may be as simple as a red Island Lake canteen token.  I play music after announcing each item so our campers can sing and dance along while playing Panic.  It’s a fun activity for all ages.

Once Panic was over our group leaders went around to all of their bunks to sign up our campers for their majors.  All of our department heads were in the office to assist in case of activity conflicts during the same major.  We assist the campers with their schedule to make sure they can take every activity they’d like to.  No camper is ever closed out of an activity.

We are so excited to announce to all of you that we will be starting something new here at Island Lake this session called “BUNK CUP”.  Each bunk is its own team and they will compete against one another to see which bunk truly is the best.  The winning bunk will be rewarded with a big pizza party.  How it works is that the bunks can gain points by participating in designated events offered in each department and through competing in various special events throughout camp.  They will be rewarded points for participation, teamwork, sportsmanship, & cheering.  Bunks can challenge one another to gain points by playing intra-camp athletics, performing in shows, and competing in on-camp challenges.  Campers are encouraged to get their counselors involved to join the wild and crazy fun, as well.  This should be a blast for everyone involved so we are excited to see it develop throughout our 2^nd session.

Today’s special feature is, BUNK CUP!  This evening at dinner we had the opening ceremony of this special event.  Our campers all dressed up according to their bunk’s theme.  They created bunk flags and presented them in the dining room.  Below are photos of campers dressed up and bunk flags.

Tonight’s evening activity is groups.  Here’s a run-down of what each group is doing:

BOYS:  Group 1- dodgeball;  Group 2- campfire;  Group 3- capture the flag;  Group 4- kong pong;  Group 5- Bunk Cup preparation (make team banners & flags in arts & crafts)

GIRLS:  Group 1- gaga;  Group 2- campfire;  Group 3- “Fun Fair” (make decorations, do make-up, etc. in order to create a county fair amongst the group);  Group 4- bunk videos (each bunk within the group will make a music video for bunk cup);  Group 5- Minute 2 Win It

Wow, this was a long blog posting today!  We hope you’re taking advantage of this and enjoying all the info we’re offering you.  Have a nice Friday night (Wow, where did the week go?) and until tomorrow, ILC U THERE!

Happy Changeover Day!  With sadness we bid farewell to our 1^st session campers this morning.  On a brighter note, we welcomed our 2^nd session campers this afternoon with open arms.  It’s always difficult to see good friends leave.  Fortunately, this was a small changeover day and many more campers stayed than left.

Last night’s performance of “Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” was outstanding!  Matthew G. and Nicole B. sang their hearts out on stage in the roles of Joseph and the Narrator.  Ben W. played Jacob, Jake E. as Potiphar, Lauren M. played Mrs. Potiphar, Max R. as the Pharaoh, Gabrielle W. was the Baker, and Nira K. played the Butler.  The following were the brothers:  Hayley R, Dustin S, Emma F, Sophia D-G, Justine P, Zachary F, Nathaniel U, Amy G, Macy M, and Jacob K-S.  The following were in the chorus:  Julianna E, Adam G, Abigail A, Reese D, and Jordan C.  Corie Kanter directed and choreographed the older and the younger kids shows.  She’s did a fantastic job, as she is extremely talented.  Thank you Corie, and thank you campers for entertaining all of us here at camp!

With our 1^st session performances all done now, we will start over again in the 2^nd session with auditions tomorrow on 4-minor day.  Our sports will continue into the 2^nd session, as well.  Speaking of which, today our gymnasts went to another camp to participate in a big gymnastics competition.  Our kids had a blast and Riley M. came in 2^nd place overall in her categories.  Great job, ILC gymnasts!

Tonight’s evening activity is “Make Your Own Mess” (aka “Make Your Own Sundae”)!  Campers will go to the canteen with their bunks to make ice cream sundaes and then hang out and get to know our new campers.  Those children will finish unpacking and spend time getting to know their bunkmates.

Today’s special feature,….goodbyes & hellos!  Enjoy your evening and until tomorrow, our 4-minor day, ILC U THERE!

We cannot believe that today was the last full day of session 1 here at Island Lake.  These past 2 ½ weeks flew by way too fast.  It’s going to be sad to say goodbye to many amazing campers tomorrow morning.  We hope they had the most amazing experiences here at ILC and we’d love to have them all return next summer for more exciting summer fun.  Parents of session 1 campers, you should have all received an email with changeover day information.  Please read it thoroughly to make sure you are properly prepared to pick up your children at the bus stops tomorrow.

Happy 80’s Day!  Many of our campers and staff flashed back to the great 80’s today (although most weren’t even born by this decade,..lol!).  Below is a photo of our group leaders and girls head counselor.  Can you say, “Like, gag me with a spoon!”

In ILC news, last night was our 1^st Circus Show of the summer.  The theme was space and the kids did a fantastic job.  We recorded it so parents, you can order a copy after the summer.  Today our campers performed Shakespeare in the Park during the 1^st minor and many campers signed up to watch the performance.  Their reactions:  “It was hysterical!”, ” Boys dressed like girls!”, and “I loved it!”  They performed outside on the grass next to our picnic area.  We’re creating a new outdoor performing area and Shakespeare in the Park was the first to entertain in this space.

Tonight is our older camper production of “Joseph And His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”.  As a huge fan of this show and its music, I’ve attended several rehearsals.  I have to tell you, it’s going to be an AMAZING show tonight!  We’ve got fantastic talent so I have no doubt they will entertain our campers and staff throughout the entire performance.  I’ll give you details regarding who is in the show in tomorrow’s blog.

Our campers rocked it out in our 1st session Rock Concert this afternoon after super clean-up (& packing for those who are going home tomorrow).  They continued with the 80’s theme, bringing us classics from the decade we all remember oh so well.  Our campers did kickin’ job of performing for their friends on a stage created just for them in the gym this afternoon.

In sports news, our 8^th & 9^th grade mixed doubles tennis team won an entire tournament (Go team tennis!).  Our 10^th-11^th grade mixed doubles tennis made it to the finals, as well.  Our 6^th & 7^th grade girls played lacrosse, 11^th & 12^th grade boys played soccer, and 7^th grade and under boys played soccer.  Below is a photo of our winning tennis team from earlier today.  They, along with the 80’s folks, are our special features of the day.

That’s all the news that we have for today, our last day of the 1^st session.  For those of you with children coming home tomorrow, enjoy your last evening of peace and quiet (Ha!).  To you and everyone else, ILC U THERE!

Hi Island Lake families!  This morning we were not very lucky when rain hit us pretty hard at the start of our 1^st major, bringing all of our outdoor activities inside.  Due to the rain, a golf trip was postponed to a later date.  Luckily, the skies cleared after lunch so most sports still took place (& some were indoors and unaffected by the rain).  Our 9^th grade boys tennis played and won.  Good job guys!  We also hosted a 9^th grade boys volleyball tournament and went to a flag football tournament.  We had several in-camp tournaments today, as well.  Our campers enjoyed a fencing tournament, archery tournament, basketball hot shot tournament, and a mountain biking race.

Last night’s performance of “Guys and Dolls” was spectacular!  Our younger campers put on quite a show.  Eliot E, Alex L, Sam K., Brooke V, Ryan P, Emma P, Olivia K, Elyssa S, Maggie M, Hallie M, Mikayla R, Elaina P, Drew F, Zach W, Wesley F, and AJ C all did a magnificent job playing their character roles.  The show would not have been as entertaining without its additional chorus ensemble:  Sara A, Samantha S, Kamryn W, Lily S, Ariella B, Maddie W, Emily H, Bayla L, Taylor M, Ella G, Ryan D, Maclyn L, Allie H, and Autumn S.

Today’s special feature is another guest bunk, BOYS BUNK 9!  These 7^th grade boys came to my office to discuss their experiences here at Island Lake thus far.  Here’s what they had to say:

“Cody is the best group leader!”- Tyler

“Camp is the BEST!”- Jack

“B9 has the best counselors!”- Kyler

“There are so many fun things to do here at camp!”- Alex

“Wendy has the coolest office!” (Sorry, I couldn’t resist throwing that in when I heard it!)

“Bunk hang outs are awesome!”- Pierce

“Basketball is awesome!”- Bo

“Theater is awesome!”- A.J.

“Camping trip is the best!”- Julian

“Magic is cool!”- Devin

“Guys and Dolls is the best!”- Drew

Message from their counselors: “We have the best campers we could possibly wish for.  They’re a joy to live with.  Clean and tidy (Lol!).  Wish they’d stay all summer.”

Message from Cody, the group leader:  “My campers and counselors are AWESOME!”

Tonight’s evening activity is the Circus Show!  We’re excited to see our acrobats, clowns, trapeze artists, highwire walkers, and more perform for all of us here at camp.  We’ll fill you in on the details tomorrow.  Until then, ILC U THERE!

Hi everyone!  Wow, has this session flown by or what?  By the time this blog is posted, we’ll have only 2 more full days left in the 1^st session.  For those of you with children coming home on Thursday, we hope they’ve had a fantastic experience with us here at Island Lake.  Shortly, you’ll receive a mailing with a 2015 enrollment form to register your children for next summer and receive our early Visiting Day rates.  For those of you with children here at camp for 2^nd session, you, too, will soon receive a mailing with visiting day information as well as a 2015 registration form.  This way you don’t have to fill one out here in the office that day.  If you take care of it in advance you can just bring it to us on Visiting Day and pick up a special edition Island Lake t-shirt for your children.

Ok, now that we got business out of the way, let’s get to the fun stuff,…camp!  Today we hosted an in-camp skatepark competition for campers of all skill levels.  Our kids skateboarded and rollerbladed the half-pipes, rails, and ramps to the best of their abilities.  They showed a great deal of dedication to the sport and wow have these kids improved since the start of the session.

A few other sporting events went on in and out of camp today.  Our 11^th grade and under boys played in a basketball tournament out of camp, 5^th grade and under softball girls played here today against another camp, and 8^th-11^th girls tennis went out of camp to play in a 1-day competition.

Last night’s Dance Show was fantastic!  Our kids showed such grace and talent up on stage for all of their friends and counselors.  Tonight is our younger campers’ show, “Guys and Dolls”.  We can’t wait to see the little ones perform!

Today’s special feature, GYMNASTICS & PARKOUR!  Enjoy and until tomorrow, yup, you guessed it,…ILC U THERE!