This morning fog rolled in off the lake, leading to a quiet morning here at Miniwanca. Campers rose with the rising bell and headed down to the Hollow for Morning Stretch with TBZ 1, a morning stretch about Change. It seems fairly universal from our campers’ words that change is uncomfortable yet inevitable, and the best choice may be to just throw yourself into it wholeheartedly and take the best from it.
Our morning had one last round of Interest Groups. Campers finished up their projects in the Crafthouse, got in one last session with the ukulele, one last dance in Zumba, one final game of dodgeball, and then headed in for lunch. After Rest Hour, we held an Awards Assembly where we recognized our Polar Bears (campers who have done the Polar Bear Plunge on all available mornings), campers who referred a new friend to Miniwanca, and divulged the secret of the tags! It was exciting stuff down in the Council Circle today.
The afternoon was full of packing and cleaning, followed by a little camper free time. Our Avail campers put in a lot of work and effort readying the Eating Lodge for tonight’s Banquet, which was Winter Wonderland themed. We ate chicken Alfredo, roasted broccoli, and corn, and for dessert we got to decorate our own sugar cookies and have some delicious hot chocolate! The Eating Lodge was full of balloons, white and blue table cloths, and other beautiful decorations the Avail campers had worked so hard on.
After dinner, we all headed down to the Council Circle for our Closing Council. We recognized our campers for the years they have come to Miniwanca, and had gifts for some special groups. Our Forester campers received a necklace in recognition of their first adventure experience. The Explorer and Adventurer groups received beautiful patches to celebrate their accomplishments. The Avail campers received t-shirts to commemorate all of their hard work, leadership, and service for the community. We are so proud of all of our campers who have come and made this session and this summer an incredible journey.
The session is winding down and campers are coming to the end of their experience – and what an experience it has been! We’ve made fairy houses, had a Gold Rush, participated in Tribal Competitions, gone through three rotations of Interest Groups, stretched ourselves physically, mentally, socially and spiritually, and truly had an amazing session here at Miniwanca. Our campers are walking away from camper taller, stronger, more sure of themselves, and ready to go back home and make a positive difference in their communities and the wider world.