Hello from sunny Merrowvista! This is Bailey again, writing to you on my favorite day of the summer – BEACH PARTY!!!

Today started out chilly as Mahoosuc village led flag raising around the flag poles. After breakfast of omelets and homefries, Pioneers and Trailblazers went their separate ways for the day. Two-week Pioneers returned to their cabins to pack up for their overnight trips. The youngest villages, LBC and Blueberry, are staying at spots very close by, while older villages are going a little farther away to the Ledge and Mt. Flagg.

While the 2-weekers packed, Canaan, Mahoosuc, Lincoln, Madison, and Little Haystack villages went to Beach Party on Dan Hole Pond. The sun came out from behind the clouds as campers enjoyed making sandcastles, water aerobics, and lots of dancing on the shore.

Liberty and Lafayette villages rolled in shortly before lunchtime, a little more tired and dirty than when they left us on Friday, but also smiling and bursting at the seams with stories from their hiking trips. We all came together to enjoy vegetable chili and quesadillas for lunch, and then sent the 2-week Pioneers on their way.

Lincoln, Mahoosuc, Canaan, Madison and Little Haystack all enjoyed Interest Groups and village time this afternoon, where they got to spend some time doing archery, playing Gagaball, enjoying some more waterfront time, and challenging themselves at the climbing tower.

Sentinel and Carter Dome trickled in throughout the afternoon, but only after canoeing across Newfound Lake and stopping for ice cream on the way back to camp. They enjoyed their nights on Cliff and Belle islands, cooking dinner and sleeping under the stars.

Dinner tonight is baked ziti with vegetables and garlic bread, and a special surprise for dessert: chocolate cake! After dinner, each village will have some “OOPS” time before Night’s Doings – that stands for Ownership Over Public Spaces. As a community, we take some time to show care for the physical world around us by sweeping, picking up trash, and gathering lost and found in various areas around Merrowvista. As Heather likes to say, “many hands makes light work!”