Aloha ahiahi, Island Lake Families!

‘Ohana is a Hawaiian term that means family. Watching our campers grow into a family has been a highlight that I will treasure from the summer. It truly feels like yesterday we were unloading buses and hugging campers’ hello; it’s dizzying to believe that come tomorrow there are just two weeks of camp left.

Why all the Hawaiian lingo, Dustin? Thank you for asking! Today is a very special day here at Island Lake because we’re having a theme day! The theme today is a reflection of tonight’s evening activity: A LUAU!

Campers are decked out in their best Hawaiian shirts, rocking some gorgeous handmade grass skirts, and there are leis as far as the eye can see. Our Group Leaders have been hard at work all day to bring a little bit of island flavor to the 18462. Tonight is shaping up to be a fun-filled night full of sand, surprises, ukuleles, hulas, and bubbles (so, so many bubbles).

This morning we sent campers and counselors from our Pioneering Department to Honesdale where they went on a hike, explored a cave, swam, and capped off the day with ice cream. I spoke with Olivia Rogers, a G14 camper and avid Pioneering enthusiast, about the trip. She exclaimed, “it was LIT!” which, I believe in camper parlance means she enjoyed herself immensely.

Changing gears and heading over to that magical land we fondly refer to as the last frontier, the land of opportunity, a place where the campers instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano: Cleveland. Our campers spent today at the second-oldest operating amusement park in the United States. Cedar Point, known as “America’s Roller Coast,” the park features a world-record 71 rides, including 16 roller coasters – second most in the world (thank you Wikipedia!).

Our slideshow tonight is a collection of photos from today’s Hawaiian themed day along with some snaps from the Luau! Enjoy and a hui hou (until we meet again), ILCUTHERE!!