Happy 80’s Day here at Island Lake! We’re celebrating with neon, big hair, side ponies, scrunchies, and more for tonight’s big performance of “The Wedding Singer.” We also surprised the kids with an extra MUSIC LUNCH today, all 80’s music. You’d be surprised how many 80’s tunes these kids know! You’ll see lots of pictures of this celebration posted on our site.

I cannot believe that today was the last full day of session 1 here at Island Lake! These past 4 weeks have flown by way too fast. It’s going to be sad to say goodbye to many of our amazing campers tomorrow morning. I hope they had the greatest experience here at ILC & I hope to see them all at camp again next summer. All parents of session 1 campers should have received an email from me yesterday 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.

I know I sound redundant but today was yet another beautiful day in Starrucca, PA. The skies were a mostly sunny and after a cool wake-up, we reached almost 80 degrees in the afternoon.

Today we offered all 3 of our majors and just 1 minor in order to have “super cleanup” in the afternoon. Those campers who are staying for 2^nd session had to clean their cubbies and find those missing socks and brand new t-shirts they didn’t know their mom packed for them for camp. (wink wink!) Those campers who are going home tomorrow (tear!) had an opportunity to pack during this time.

After super clean up we are now in the midst of entertaining the camp with our big ROCK CONCERT! Everyone is down in the theather jamming out to rock tunes of yesteryear and today.

I found out yesterday after posting the blog that our 8^th & 9^th grade girls volleyball team came in 1^st place out of 5 camps! Whoop whoop! Our 10^th & 11^th grade girls volleyball team also played well and came in 4^th place out of 11 camps. This morning our 4^th & 5^th grade girls played soccer here at camp and won 8-1!  Our 8^th & 9^th grade boys played baseball here at home this afternoon. Our 8^th & 9^th grade girls had a soccer game here at camp this afternoon, too. Funny enough, they ended the game early because many of their bunks had won inspection every day this session and they didn’t want to miss out on their opportunity to go to Cow Palace for ice cream. So I guess you can say we forfeited that game. Priorities man! They chose ice cream over a soccer game (and I can’t say I blame them!?!?!).

The ILC Open at tennis has finally completed their final rounds. I have all of the winners for you. Group 1- Girls- runner up- Daniella T., champion- Aubrey B.: Boys- runner up- Evan S., champion- Alex Z.: Group 2- Girls- runner up- Fiona G., champion- Kiley G.: Boys- runner up- Chris H., champion- Ian F.: Group 3- Girls- runner up- Marion K., champion- Natalie O.: Boys- runner up- Trey S., champion- Ryan H.: Group 4- Girls- runner up- Skyler B., champion- Bella G.: Boys- runner up- Erick M., champion- David P. Congrats to all of our players!

“Girls just wanna have fun,…” Tonight is our much anticipated, long awaited older camper show, “THE WEDDING SINGER!” We are so excited to see this 80’s flashback show (well, at least for those of us who lived the 80’s era, we’re excited for the “flashbacks”).

Last night’s Circus Show was STUPENDOUS! I can’t even begin to tell you how amazingly well our campers performed. I’ve seen dozens and dozens of circus shows here at camp over the past 30 years and this one particularly stood out as one of the best ever! Our circus staff and the kids worked so hard and it was apparent in their amazing efforts and spectacular performances. The greatest show definitely took place here in Starrucca, PA last night, that’s for sure. For those of you with children who performed in the show, it’s a video you won’t want to miss out on after the summer. Today’s special feature is some highlights from last night’s outstanding evening.

Well, that’s about all the news that I have for you today, our very last day of the 1^st session. For those of you with children coming home tomorrow, enjoy your last evening of peace and quiet! I truly hope your campers come home happy, healthy, and with tons and tons of amazing ILC summer 2018 stories and experiences to share with you. To everyone else, ILCUTHERE (tomorrow!)!

Hey Island Lake Families! Wow, 1 more full day left in this session before our first changeover day on Saturday. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, time sure does fly by when we’re having fun. Even with an extra week in our 1^st session for the second summer now, blink your eyes twice and it’s already over (Cue sad music and tears). For those of you with children coming home on Saturday, I hope they have only amazing ILC experiences to share with you.

Do I even need to tell you once again that today was yet another day of blue skies and temps in the 70’s here in the 18462? We woke up to some cool, brisk temps but it warmed up nicely into the afternoon hours. There is not a cloud to be seen, only bright blue above.

I’d like to fill you in on some info I received yesterday after the blog was already posted. Our 8^th & 9^th grade boys’ volleyball team came in 2^nd place out of 8 camps. Yay! One of our mixed doubles tennis teams took home 1^st place in the finals. Congrats to Sarah F. and David P. on their win! Last night two boys bunks from group 2 camped out under the stars in tent city. I saw them first thing this morning and they were so excited about their adventures. They built a fire without their counselors’ help, which was a huge feat for them.

In sports news today, our 10^th & 11^th grade girls’ volleyball team went out of camp this morning to play in the big Wayne County tournament. We also had an out of camp 8^th & 9^th grade girls’ volleyball tournament out of camp this afternoon. Our 6^th & 7^th grade girls played softball out of camp this morning. They lost by 1 run but said it was a close game the entire time. Lastly, the ILC Tennis Open winds down with the finals approaching.

Today’s riddle: What is higher without a head than with? Yesterday’s riddle was: As I walked along the path I saw something with four fingers and one thumb, but it was not flesh, fish, bone, or fowl. What is it? Give up? A glove!

Tonight’s evening activity is the much anticipated, super duper greatest extravaganza, that some may even call the greatest show on earth. Yup, that’s right, it’s the Island Lake Circus Show! And I think you can guess what the theme will be. The Greatest Showman!

Last night’s younger children’s play, “The Wizard of Oz”, was a huge success! Wow, we have some talented children at this camp!!! Their acting and singing skills entertained the audience throughout the entire show as they followed the yellow brick road to Emerald City. Enjoy some of the photos below as well as in CampMinder and until tomorrow, ILCUTHERE!

Today was wait for it, wait for it,…another beautiful day in Starrucca, PA! Shocker, huh? We woke up to clear blue skies and cool temps in the low 60’s and it warmed up to the low 70’s by the afternoon hours. What a perfect day to play camp!

We had quite a bit of sports going on throughout the day. Our tennis kids who participated in the mixed doubles tournament spent the day out of camp playing against a variety of Wayne County camps. Our 8^th & 9^th grade boys’ lacrosse team played out of camp this morning, too. We also had girls 4^th & 5^th graders play softball at a nearby camp this morning. Lastly, our 8^th & 9^th grade boys played in a beach volleyball tournament out of camp this afternoon and have not yet returned. Phew, that was a lot!

Our skatepark was able to hold their advanced competition during 3^rd minor yesterday after all since the skies had cleared up and the ramps were dry and safe. Here’s a list of our advanced winners: Skateboarding: 3^rd place- Jacob M., 2^nd place- Miko M., 1^st place- Abigail W. Rollerblading: 3^rd place- Jared B., 2^nd place- Michael P., 1^st place- Chase M. Big Air (jump over numerous boards): 3^rd place- Dylan C., 2^nd place- Michael P., 1^st place- Aidan D. Congrats to everyone who participated!

A reminder of yesterday’s ILC Morning News riddle: What odd number becomes even when beheaded? A toughie for sure and I admit I didn’t even think along the lines of the answer. Here it is: Seven! Get it? Even, seven,…yeah, I was bamboozled by it. Here’s today’s trivia: As I walked along the path I saw something with four fingers and one thumb, but was not flesh, fish, bone, or fowl. What is it?

Tonight’s evening activity is our younger camper show, The Wizard of Oz! These kids have been rehearsing and working hard all session to put on a fantastic performance for the camp to enjoy. We’re all very excited to see our little ones take to the stage to sing, act, and dance their hearts out tonight. We’ll have lots of pictures posted for you on CampMinder tomorrow and I’ll also post some on the blog.

Today’s special feature is last night’s DANCE & MAGIC SHOW! Enjoy and until tomorrow, ILCUTHERE!

Happy Tuesday everyone! Or as we say here at camp, “What day is today?” Can you believe we’re already in our 4^th week of camp? We only have a few more full days left in this session. I know I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again. Time flies when we’re having fun! Speaking of which, here’s a link to our week 3 video for your enjoyment: https://youtu.be/vyXIHrcyXe4

After several weeks of fantastic weather, I guess just like high Fitbit steps, all good things have to come to an end,…or at least take a break. Today we finally had some rain sporatically throughout the day into the mid-afternoon. Some activities were affected until 2^nd minor when it seemed to have stopped raining for the day.

This morning our waterfront department started a Polar Bear Club. Every morning just before wake up at 7:45am our campers who passed their swim tests are welcome to come down to the lake for a quick dip in the water. About a dozen kids join our lifeguards this morning and they said it was a lot of fun. It’s a great way to wake up and start the day, huh?

Here at ILC we hosted the 10^th & 11^th grade Wayne County Boys Volleyball Tournament. We have indoor facilities so the rain didn’t inhibit any game playing. This was the 2^nd of the two tournaments that we host every summer in different age groups for the boys. Today was the older campers’ turn to play against approximately 5 other camps in the area. Our boys played hard and almost made it into the finals.

This afternoon we had a girls’ 6^th & 7^th grade lacrosse game here at camp against another Wayne County camp. We were also supposed to participate in an Outdoor Adventure Field Trip at a local camp this afternoon but it got rained out. This competition consisted of mountain biking, archery, and climbing so it was rescheduled for next week.

I have the winners of yesterday’s beginner and intermediate skatepark competition. Skateboarding Beginners: 3^rd place- Maya, 2^nd place- Nathan, 1^st place- Skyler. Skateboarding Intermediates: 3^rd place- Telmo, 2^nd place- Bennie, 1^st place- Danica. Rollerblading Beginners: 2^nd place- Anders, 1^st place- Leah. Rollerblading Intermediate: 3^rd place- Eliot, 2^nd place- Ian, 1^st place- Griffin. Weather permitting, the advanced competition will take place tomorrow.

A reminder of yesterday’s riddle: How much dirt is in a hole 4 feet deep and 2 feet wide? Answer: None! Hahaha! Ok, here’s today’s riddle: What odd number becomes even when beheaded? Hmmm, this is a thinker,…

Theater, circus, magic, dance, and music rehearsals are winding down as we begin our performance week tonight. Abracadabra and a 5, 6, 7, 8! We kick off this special week with our MAGIC & DANCE SHOW for evening activity in the theater.

Today’s special feature is yesterday’s HALLOWEEN evening activity and festivities! The haunted house was actually pretty scary! I walked through it last night to take some photos. The first several pics below are of our staff working in the dark haunted house. It just doesn’t look dark and scary because of my world-class point and shoot camera flash. Enjoy and until tomorrow, ILCUTHERE!

Happy Halloween! “Wait, it’s not October 31^st” you may be thinking and you would be correct. However, here at ILC we like to break all holiday barriers and celebrate whenever we feel like it! Today in the 18462 we are celebrating Halloween with our campers and staff. I have lots to share with about our Halloween celebration later in this blog.

On the weather front, the temps quickly rose to the mid-80’s today with mostly sunny skies. Dare I say it once again? It was another beautiful day in Starrucca, PA!

We had a busy day in sports today. Our female swimmers went out of camp today for a swim meet. Our ILC Open continues on the tennis courts today. And as promised from yesterday, I want to fill you in on our 11^th grade and under boys’ soccer tournament that ran into the nighttime hours. The boys played hard and made it through to the semifinals amongst over half a dozen camps. Their game went into overtime, a shootout, and then sudden death, at which point we missed a goal by 3 inches. Oh well, we can’t win them all!

Today is our big Skatepark Competition for our beginner and intermediate campers. These rad dudes and dudettes will use their newly learned skills on the ramps, rails, and half-pipes to show their friends what they’ve learned throughout the session this summer. The competition takes place right now during the 3^rd minor, which is as I post this blog, so tomorrow I’ll have a list of winners for you. I’m actually going to run over there and watch the competition as soon as I post this.

A reminder of yesterday’s ILC Morning News trivia: What is always coming but never arrives? The answer: Tomorrow! Here’s today’s trivia question: How much dirt is in a hole 4 feet deep and 2 feet wide?

Tonight’s evening activity is our Halloween Party! Today many campers have been dressing up in costumes. They vary from wearing onesies to dressing as revival night henchmen, Pink Ladies, purple skittles, unicorns, zombies, and more. We had a costume competition for which the group leaders voted on some winners.

Tonight we will have a big haunted house in the canteen. The rest of the festivities will take place in the gym, which will be set up like a carnival filled with booths. We will have a ton for the kids to participate in at the gym tonight. Here’s a list of the events: fortune tellers, photo booth with props, mystery boxes for kids to put their hands in and figure out what’s in them (such as spaghetti), peculiar potions (figure out what’s in some drink mixtures), Halloween corn hole games, trick-or-treat spin wheel, counselor carving competition (with fruits since pumpkins aren’t exactly in season right now), pin the nose on the witch, sweets in a jar (guess the number), face painting stall, and death certificate booth (instead of a marriage booth). To add to all of this, we will also have spooky social Halloween music playing throughout the gym for kids and staff to dance to. It should be a super silly, fun, fantastic night for everyone. I’ll post blog pics from Halloween for you all to view tomorrow and we’ll have lots of pics up on our website CampMinder page too.

Today’s special feature is yesterday’s MESSY TWISTER with girls group 4! It actually more so turned into just a messy paint party photo session but hey, the girls had fun and that’s all that matters. Enjoy the pics, Happy ILC Halloween, and until tomorrow, ILCUTHERE!

Hi Island Lake families! For all of you who joined us here at camp yesterday, I hope you had a wonderful Visiting Day with your children. I especially hope you received tons of positive feedback from your kids and their counselors while also getting to see activities that your children have been participating in all summer long. The weather gods were working in our favor and we had a fantastic day with all of you, so thanks for coming.

Speaking of weather news, the sunshine stayed with us all day yesterday through Visiting Day and the waterflight. It rained at the end of dinner and then the downpour came later at night during evening activity. We had quite a storm roll through, as some of you may already know if you were still staying up here in this neck of the woods overnight. Fortunately, we woke up to warm dry weather and it’s stayed that way all day today. It’s was more cloudy than usual in the earlier half of the day but now it’s once again the perfect Starrucca day- not a cloud in the sky.

In ILC sports, our 6^th & 7^th grade boys played in a tennis tournament today during the morning and afternoon hours. Amongst the 12 camps participating, our boys made it into the semi-finals. Not bad, huh? Our 11^th grade and under boys had another soccer match, this time at a different Wayne County camp. They didn’t leave until later in the afternoon so I don’t yet know if we won.

A reminder of the riddle from 2 days ago: What is the difference between one yard and two yards? The answer: a fence. Hardy haha! Ok, here’s today’s riddle: What is always coming but never arrives?

Tonight’s evening activity is GROUPS! Here’s the breakdown: GIRLS: Group 1- self-portraits with Stacey (in arts & crafts); Group 2- campfire; Group 3- spa day; Group 4- messy twister (an AMAZING evening activity for the oldest girls each summer. It’s a huge life-size twister board and a great big paint fight. The girls have the best time. Pics to follow tomorrow!): Boys: Group 1- gaga; Group 2- campfire; Group 3- gaga; Group 4- capture the flag (they love it,…what can I say?)

Since your kids still have tons of junk in the bunk, canteen will be closed tonight. They’ll still have the opportunity to hang out at the gym until curfew, as usual. Don’t worry about your children’s junk food coma’s, I’m doing my best to help them eat it all in within 3 days!

Our special feature for today is actually from last night’s evening activity, Squeaky Clean. They are a rock & roll band and they’ve been coming to Island Lake to perform for over 20 years now. It’s somehow become tradition for our campers to dress up for this show, either by dressing in a onesie or,…wait for it,…wait for it,….by dressing up in shower attire! And by shower attire I mean bathrobes, towels, hair twirlies, etc. I just had to grab my camera and snap some photos from this event to show you all of the silliness and fun that our campers and counselors have at this social event. Enjoy these pics and until tomorrow, ILCUTHERE!

Happy Visiting Day everyone! We hope you all had a WONDERFUL time here at ILC today. Lots of parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends joined us to spend the day with their campers. Today was a fantastic experience for everyone. I loved having the opportunity to see and speak with so many of you. It means the world to hear what a wonderful summer your children are having here at ILC.

Our annual post-Visiting Day water fight was a huge success. This event was a great distraction for those campers who had some difficulty saying goodbye to their parents. Hot sunny day + cold water = happy wet campers!

Tonight’s evening activity is Squeaky Clean! They’re a rock and roll band who perform here at camp every summer on the night of Visiting Day. Squeaky Clean covers classic rock and roll oldies but goodies such as “Stop In the Name of Love.” We are excited to sing and dance along with them tonight in the gym. Canteen will be closed after evening activity since there is soooooo much junk food in the bunks.   Curfews will still be regular time for everyone.

I just want to take a moment to thank all of you who took the opportunity today to thank me for all of these blogs. I was overwhelmed by all of your wonderful feedback, so thank you very much. I’ve been attending sleep away camp since the age of 2 (I’m 30 years old in case you’re wondering,…wink wink!) so camp is truly in my blood. I live and die for this place and I love telling you all things camp so you can feel as if you are part of the ILC family here, too.

Ok, I’ll stop getting sappy now. I hope you all had the most fantastic, stupendous, remarkable, memorable time here at ILC today. Until tomorrow, the start of our final week of 1st session, ILCUTHERE!

Happy “Visiting Day Eve”! We’ve been preparing for this very special day and we anticipate that it will be fantastic for all. Please peruse yesterday’s blog for more details about tomorrow’s festivities.

I know I sound monotonous at this point but once again we had a beautiful day in Starrucca, PA. We woke up with some clouds mixed but by afternoon the temps rose to the low 80’s with hardly a cloud in the sky. Did we even have 1 day like this last summer? I love this camp weather!

There’s been a weather update for tomorrow that you should continue to follow on your devices. There is now up to a 50% chance of rain in the afternoon hours. This can change again many times so please be prepared when you come to camp tomorrow morning.

In ILC sports, I found out late in the day yesterday that a couple of our avid golfers went out of camp yesterday morning for a big competition against several other camps. In their group of about 20, they placed 3^rd and 5^th. Whoop whoop! Our 9^th– 11^th grade boys went to another camp this morning to play in a soccer match and we won, 9-0! Great job to our boys with the shutout! Over 20 of our avid pioneers took a trip to Prompton State Park in Honesdale, PA for a climbing trip today.

Being that this is our 33^rd summer of ownership here at Island Lake, we currently have campers of alumni who attended ILC in our early years. As the group gets larger and larger each summer, I like to gather those kids for an annual photo. Here’s our session 1 group of “alumni campers.”

The answer to yesterday’s riddle was ember or lava. Here’s today’s riddle: What is the difference between one yard and two yards? I tried guessing the following: more to mow, 3 feet, the letter “s”, but apparently none of these are the answers. Help me!

Tonight’s evening activity is the amazing, fantastic, superb hypnotist, Brad Henderson! Our campers and staff will witness Brad hypnotize about 15 of our counselors on the theater stage. This is another one of our campers’ favorite evening activities. They get to watch their counselors embarrass themselves while doing hysterically funny things in front of the camp. Tonight is also ETB, Early To Bed. Once our counselors are done making fools out of themselves on stage (hardy haha!), everyone will go back to their bunks to get a good night’s rest for tomorrow’s festivities.

Today’s special feature is ROCK SHOP! Until tomorrow, when we will see many of your smiling faces here at Island Lake, ILCUTHERE!

Hi ho, hi ho, back to majors and minors we go! Only 2 more days until Visiting Day! Pretty wild how quickly it snuck up on us, huh? All camp parents should have now received an email from my account regarding this Saturday’s festivities. There will be more info about Visiting Day further below in this blog.

On the weather front, another great day of blue skies, warm temps, and hardly any humidity in the air. The weather gods are definitely making things up to us after last year’s cold and rainy weather (Knock on wood! Knock on wood!).

Today was a busy day for many of our Island Lakers. Our gymnastics campers went out of camp for a big competition this morning. Our 8^th & 9^th grade boys’ basketball team went out of camp to play in a game this morning too. Our ILC Tennis Open continues with its next round being played today.

Over 50 children also left camp this morning for a tubing trip down the Delaware River and returned in the afternoon. This is always a fun and relaxing day for those who participate.

Saturday is approaching fast and with that comes our one and only annual Island Lake Visiting Day! (Cheers in the background,…woohoo,…yay!) We know you’re excited to come up to camp to see your children and we’re excited to have you join us. We will have lots of activities and exhibits going on all day along with a huge lunch buffet. If you prefer, you can take your children out of camp for the day.

I’m sure you’re planning to bring lots of junk food, baked goods, and sushi to shower your children with affection so please keep in mind that we discard all of the food 2 days later. Do not bring so much that your children have to throw away lots of great homemade brownies, cookies, bagged chips, chocolate, grandma’s secret recipes, etc. We truly hate to waste food, so don’t shlep too much up here.  We kindly as that you do not bring anything with peanuts or tree nuts in it.

Please refrain from bringing bottled water and drinks, too. We have amazing well water here at camp that tastes as good as bottled water. Bottled drinks will also be discarded so save yourself the hassle of carrying these heavy items into camp.

Visiting Day hours are from 9:30am-3:30pm. If you leave camp for the day, please bring your children back on time for our other annual super duper, huge, extravagant Water Fight! Parents are fair game if you’re still here for the water fight so just remember; quick and speedy goodbyes are easier on your children. We expect that some campers will be in tears so our staff will be around to help them through what’s usually just a short moment of sadness. The water fight is a great distraction to get children through their difficult goodbyes. Please work with us and know your children are in great hands here at camp.

In today’s issue of the ILC Morning News, the riddle is the following: What turns from red to black as soon as it touches water?

Tonight’s evening activity is the Island Lake Film Festival! Each bunk had the opportunity to make their own ‘bunk video’ with a television theme. They submitted their videos and will be shown to the camp tonight for evening activity. Certificates will later be awarded for the following categories: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography.

Today’s special feature is THEATER & DANCE! Enjoy and until tomorrow, ILCUTHERE!

Today was Lazy Day so our campers all went out of camp for the day. We had a big brunch at 9:30am before the kids departed for their fun destinations. Although we had a quick rainstorm come through camp yesterday just before and during dinner, we woke up to mostly sunny skies this morning once again. The temps dropped a bit and we reached the mid-70’s with mostly blue skies all day today.

Groups 1 & 2 went to Montage Mountain Water Park where they had a fantastic day outdoors. Groups 3 & 4 went to Sky Zone, a trampoline park just outside of Scranton, PA.

Here’s a reminder of yesterday’s riddle: Neither bought nor sold but more valuable than gold. I am built but not by hand. What am I? The answer is Trust! Good one, huh? There’s no riddle today since it’s lazy day. I’ll start up again tomorrow when it’s posted in our morning news. I love hearing from some of you with your guesses. I even had one parent emailing me riddle answers while driving in traffic! (Shout out to you, Jill! Good job figuring it out!)

And now back to camp,….our kids all returned before dinner so we dined outdoors at the picnic tables where we had our weekly cookout with hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, and all of the trimmings and sides. Tonight’s evening activity is GROUPS! Here’s the rundown for ya: GIRLS: Group 1 & 2- karaoke night; Group 3- messy fashion show with boys group 1 (that should be interesting!); Group 4- pool party (with boys group 4): BOYS: Group 1- messy fashion show with girls group 3; Group 2- kong pong & gaga; Group 3- capture the flag; Group 4- pool party (with girls group 4).

Until tomorrow when our majors & minors will resume and I’ll have more photos for you once again, ILCUTHERE!