After a fun-filled session A at Merrowvista, the staff took a brief intersession and geared up for session B, and on Sunday, July 23, the camp community welcomed 147 campers.
It was a beautiful, golden day as cars rolled up the dirt road into camp. Leaders lined the meadow in their red staff T-shirts and greeted each camper as they arrived.
After the final goodbye, campers and leaders headed to their villages to unpack and venture out on a tour of campus. Campers hit all important places in the camp, from the beautiful waterfront to the Farmhouse.
When the tour concluded, villages spent time with one another until the bell rang for dinner. In true Merrowvista fashion, the food program team served pasta, the traditional and much loved Opening Day dinner.
The conclusion of the dinner led campers to their first Night’s Doings, Opening Carnival. This event consisted of a variety of games in which campers had the ability to meet and get to know one another. Once the fun and games died down, each village made their way back to their cabins for Village Insight.
Village Insight takes place nearly every day at camp. Each village leader introduces a mini prompt or activity, and the village discusses the topic and reflects on the day. This quieter moment often ends up being one of the most memorable experiences for campers.
Opening Circle is another important moment at the start of each camp session. The entire camp gathers in the green circle, an fire circle in the woods where the Merrowvista community for nearly 100 years.
The smallest campers, Blueberry Village, start the ceremony by leading the rest of camp into the circle. Each village silently walks counterclockwise around the campfire and takes a seat. Director of Camp Programs Steph Dasman opened this session’s ceremony with an explanation of how the opening circle works. “We do it in community together,” Dasman said.
Another way community is recognized is through land acknowledgment. A land acknowledgment acknowledges the people who stewarded the land before we were on it. At Merrowvista, we respect and are aware we benefit from the ancestral homelands of the Abenaki, Pennacook, and Wabankai peoples.
Opening Circle also includes traditional songs like “Rise Up, Oh Flame,” which is sung as a round. A few staff members start the song to teach it to the rest of camp, and by the end of the song, the entire community has united as one. This song is used to open and close the evening’s program.
Another fire circle tradition requires sprinkling the ashes of previous fires into the Opening Circle campfire. At the end of each camp session, a bit of the ashes from the Closing Fire are collected and placed in this tin, ensuring that each camp session begins with just a bit of sessions past.
The ceremony includes fun moments, too, as each village gets the chance to introduce themselves to the camp and lead the larger group in a silly song. The night winds down with a final song called “On My Honor,” as everyone exits the green circle and quietly walks back to their villages.