“Polar Bear, Polar Bear… Come on out, you Polar Bears!”

On July 4, the well-loved Polar Bear call rang out across Girls Camp to tell everyone  it was time for the special all-camp Polar Bear dip. Campers and staff alike ran out to the beach in their pajamas to join the line up and splash in the waters of Lake Michigan. As soon as everyone splashed in, everyone formed a circle and sang the beloved camp song, “Founder Hearts.”

The holiday festivities were only just beginning with the morning dip. Breakfast was a delicious platter of pancakes with dougnuts decorated by Avail campers. Everyone was buzzing with sugar, which fueled the upcoming dodgeball game. Quads-versus-quads and the favorite leaders-versus-campers dodgeball games were played with unbelievable enthusiasm.

Continuing the friendly competition, Girls Camp headed to Boys Camp for the Quad Cup. Each quad teamed up with their East Camp counterpart to create larger, united teams with the hopes of winning the coveted cup, as the winner would add a large number of points to the continuing competition for the shield at the end of the session.

By the time the winner was decided (which was the purple quad, otherwise known collectively as the Drakers), a cookout dinner was ready, and everyone gathered  before heading their separate ways for an evening activity. After all that excitement, the campers all settled in for an evening movie before heading back to the cabins for a well-deserved night of sleep.