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!

Here’s a link to our week 2 video.  Enjoy!

https://vimeo.com/100655431

Hey Island Lake families!  Another beautiful and busy day here in Starrucca, PA.  We took our baseball & softball enthusiasts to Cooperstown to the Baseball Hall of Fame this morning.  They enjoyed their day with a tour of the Hall of Fame where they saw great exhibits, movies, and of course enjoyed browsing their souvenir shop.

In other ILC sports news, we took some of our avid tennis players on a trip to Binghamton to watch ATP challenger matches.  It’s a tournament for professional tennis players who are trying to increase their rankings in order to play in big time tournaments such as the US Open.  Great experience for children who love to play and watch the sport of tennis.

But wait, there’s more!  We also hosted a big dance competition today!  Six other camps came to Island Lake this morning compete against one another in a variety of dances- hop-hop, modern, jazz, ballet, tap, pointe, funk, etc.  Our dance campers looked amazing and danced their hearts outs to earn 1st place and 2^nd place in the competition.  Go ILC Dancers!

Lastly in sports, we hosted 8^th & 9^th grade girls lacrosse here at camp this afternoon.

Last night’s Magic Show was, well, magically great! (Ok, maybe that came off tacky, but I couldn’t resist!)  Tonight’s big performance is our Dance Show.  Today was a big day for our dance campers with both their dance competition and then their performance for the camp.  They tapped, kicked, and boogied into high gear for all to enjoy!

For that reason, today we feature DANCE!

For those of you with campers coming home after 1^st session, enjoy your last few days of peace and quiet (Lol!).  Changeover day is this Thursday, July 17^th, so lots going on here at camp over the next few days.  We’ll be sure to fill you in on the fun.  Until then, ILC U THERE!

Today was our first ever Rookie Day and we could not have asked for a better day!  The weather has been absolutely beautiful with the sun shining and the temps in the upper 70’s/low 80’s.  Our rookies had fun meeting other rookies, campers, and trying out many of the activities we offer here at ILC.  They tried circus, gymnastics, beach soccer, magic, arts & crafts, ropes course, cooking, sports monsters, video scavenger hunt, and we ended the day with a magic show and a big pool party.  We loved meeting so many future Island Lakers and we look forward to our next Rookie Day in another week from now.

In regular Island Lake news, today was a big tubing trip down the Delaware River.  A bus load of children enjoyed the morning into early afternoon tubing down the river.  We also had lots of sports going on in and out of camp.  Boys 8^th & 9^th grade soccer, girls 9^th & 10^th grade tennis, boys 6^th &7^th grade soccer, girls 8^th grade and 11^th grade volleyball, and boys 7^th grade tennis.

Tonight we’re kicking off our performance week with a Magic Show.  From now until the end of the session our campers will be performing for their friends and counselors in theater, dance, music, circus, & magic.  We video tape every performance so don’t worry mom and dad, you can order copies of each show on dvd after the summer.

Today’s special features is a double doozie,…ROOKIE DAY (photos above) and our favorite lakeside activity, ROCK SHOP!

Have a great evening and until tomorrow, ILC U THERE!

TGIF!  Oh wait, every day is the same (yet different) here at camp.  Nobody knows what day of the week it is,…well, unless it’s ETB or LTB, then every camper knows!  Ha!

Today was a busy day here at ILC.  This morning we had a group of over 30 go out on a coal mining trip.  Our science kids went to a coal mine in Scranton to get a tour of the facilities.  They took a tram into the mine and they were 300 feet underground.  It was in operation for over 100 years but now it’s just used for tours.

Lots of sporting events went on today, as well.  We had a 5^th grade and under boys baseball game, 8^th grade boys basketball game, 5^th grade & under girls soccer game, 7^th grade boys hockey game, and 5^th grade girls basketball game.  We had some big wins along with some hard playing but unfortunate losses.  A great deal of athletics goes on each day here at Island Lake.

We are very excited for our very first ROOKIE DAY tomorrow here at camp.  We’ll have over 20 young siblings and potential camper who will try out ILC to see if they’d like to attend camp either later this summer or next year.  We’re psyched to show them all that Island Lake has to offer.  More info to come tomorrow once Rookie Day has taken place.

Just to recap last night’s group evening activities, here’s a rundown on what everyone did:

Girls:  Groups 1&2 had a Counselor Makeover and a Fashion Show (those little ones had a blast dressing up their counselors and painting their faces);  Group 3 had a Campfire;  Group 4 had a “White Out Party” with Boys Group 4 (details about this party in yesterday’s blog);  Group 5 had a Pool Party with Boys Group 5.

Boys:  Groups 1&2 played Capture the Flag;  Group 3 had a Campfire;  Group 4 had the “White Out Party” with Girls Group 4;  Group 5 had a Pool Party with Girls Group 5.

Today’s special feature, The COAL MINING TRIP!

Evening activity tonight,…everyone’s all-time favorite,…drum roll please,…Revival Night!!!  Shhhh, don’t tell your kids, it’s a surprise (although it will have started or already finished by the time you read this blog).  We’ll let your children tell you all about this special evening activity when summer is over.

Enjoy your TGIF night and until tomorrow, ILC U THERE!