Hello Merrowvista friends and family! It’s another silver day here in the Canaan Valley, but Merrowvista campers never let that halt their adventures.
After a quiet morning yesterday, the valley was filled with laughter and storytelling once again as the Trailblazers and 3-week Pioneers returned from their overnight trips. With the bustle of the last few days, we had a relaxing night as campers gathered to watch How to Train Your Dragon for drive in movie night. Merrowvista has been hosting the Odyssey group from our sister camp, Miniwanca, for a few days, as they prepare for their trek from Merrowvista all the way back to Shelby, Michigan. It’s been a treat having them here and sharing our common goals of Best Self and Balanced Living with our friends from the Midwest.
Today started off with flag raising lead by Lincoln village, who talked about ways they learned to support each other this session. After breakfast, we said goodbye to Miniwanca Odyssey and the three Merrowvista Explorer groups, and a full day of regular interest groups ensued. Papermaking, lacrosse, sailing, woodworking, and Tweak Town are just a few of the activities I joined in on. Tweak Town is a Merrowvista original, where groups parade around camp chanting different values they want to focus on – I encourage you to ask your camper about it when they get home.
After interest group 3 today, everyone gathered in the Activity Center for a special treat – the Four Fold Tournament kickoff! This begins a week of community-wide events that are meant to stretch all four folds. The theme this year is that the elements (earth, wind, fire, water, light, and dark) are all out of balance, and they need the help of Merrowvista campers to learn to live in a more balanced way. What better way to learn than with a tournament? Campers and staff members are broken up into six teams who they will compete with throughout the week. Tonight, the first activity is Melbourne cup – campers will gather in teams to build chariots and race them across the Activity Field. Tomorrow we’ll head down to the waterfront for the Water Carnival, with classic friendly competitions like the greased watermelon relay and pudding paddle, among other games for fun like sand castle building and water balloon tossing. We’re looking forward to having beautiful weather for the event! Check back soon to hear more about the Four Fold Tournament and the last week of Session A!