All In The Family…

We finally have all of our campers back at camp! The Super Seniors haven’t stopped raving about their seven day tour of Maine and New Hampshire!! Yesterday Acadia and Apache had an awesome trip out to the movies, Baxter and Sequoia competed in the Second Annual Amazing Race challenge, and Bec and Bago attended an open mic Coffeehouse where 15 campers and counselors performed songs, stories, poems, and jokes. Tonight is another camp fav – Julius C returns for Rock Star Camp! Can’t Wait!! This week is looking pretty great as well; the 2nd rotation Dance Showcase, The Jungle Book and Glee Musicals, Laurel Idol Finals and much more…we’ll keep you posted!

The Fun is Contagious….

What a week here at Laurel! On Wednesday, Junior Bec and Bago returned from their two night excursion to Boston and won’t stop raving about their incredible trip: Duck Tours, Fire and Ice, Quincy Market amazing cruise around the harbour, plus much more. Last night, Senior Bec and Bago returned from Montreal and had the most amazing time!! The Super Seniors are still out on their 7-day trip all over Maine and New Hampshire and all reports have been awesome. Meanwhile in camp, Acadia, Apache, Baxter, and Sequoia have had camp to themselves and are taking full advantage. We’ve had tons of intercamps, camping trips, Crack of Dawn fishing, special Log Cabin visits, S’mores, Socials, and a special pizza party at Jem and Debbie’s house! The staff from all four lower campuses will be entertaining throngs of cheering campers tonight during the Ultimate Dance Off, while the JR Bec girls write letters to their future selves and the Bago boys play in a Dogdeball Tourney!

Visiting Day, Extended Trips and More…

What an incredible Visiting Weekend! Guests joined us from all over the country to visit their campers, meet their counselors and spend the day at Camp Laurel! Everyone had an awesome day enjoying the fantastic weather, playing sports, taking a dip in the lake, and making the most all of the fun Laurel has to offer!!
Programming highlights could be seen everywhere: The Batting Cages, The Equestrian Center, Waterskiing, ChefCamp, Tennis, Basketball. Lacrosse, Metals, S’Mores, and so much more!! On Saturday evening, we enjoyed cabin and campus parties. unday was a full program day with all activity areas running at full speed. Monday was an S-Day and our older campers headed out to Montreal, Boston, and the 7-day tour of Maine and New Hampshire. Baxter and Sequoia enjoyed a fantastic afternoon at Funtown, leaving Acadia and Apache to rule the roost. We took everyone bumper-tubing followed by some great in-camp special events. It’s going to be a great week with Baxter and Sequoia taking the reigns as the BMOC’s Suntil Bec and Bago return!

An Incredible Week of Fun….

What a week!! Tuesday was the annual Big Show as Baxter, Sequoia, Bec and Bago joined forces to WOW us all with two fantastic showings of FAME the Musical. We were so proud of the incredibly talented cast and crew and can’t wait for THE JUNGLE BOOK in 10 days. Wednesday was an S-Day and we started the day with the Bec/Bago Laurel Idol Semi-Finals and a dodgeball tournament and spent the afternoon heading out all over the state. We had trips to Aquaboggan, Rummels, Old Port, and Funtown/Splashtown. Last night was Group Sing as each group in camp sang a popular song with the lyrics customized to a camp theme. If you surveyed our campers, most would tell you it’s one of their favorite night of camp!! And the weather this week has been Maine-Picture-Perfect!

Second Rotation Kicks Off

What an exciting past few days at Laurel! This week we started the Second Rotation of program and every camper received an updated schedule. We’ve already heard great things from campers trying new activities for the first time and of course raves from the stand-bys – Tennis, Waterskiing, Equestrian, Football, lacrosse, Fitness, Metals, ChefCamp and more.

Sunday featured one of the highlights of every summer—Carnival! We brought in bounce houses, photo booths, a dunk tank, and the one and only – Steve’s Fried Dough Stand! Tonight is the Dance Showcase which features all of the dances from each period of First Rotation at the Dance Studio. We have 60 incredibly talented campers performing tonight…WOW! Some highlights of the coming week include the Big Show (FAME), Bec & Bago Laurel Idol Semi-Finals, trips to Aquaboggin, Old Port, & Funtown, and of course, Group Sing! Can’t wait!!

Five Year Club, Music, Camping Out and More…

Wow! There are 178 members of our Five Year Club at Laurel! To become a member, you simply have to be a camper or staff member who has been attending camp for five years or more – and today they receive their t-shirts, enjoy a special meal and then head on their trip to the movies! It gets more fun every year in Readfield. Speaking of camp fun, four camping trips leave today and tomorrow. Apache is heading out to Camden, a group of Acadians will be going to Rangeley and another group of Acadians will take a canoe adventure to 3 Rocks. The Sequoia boys are on their way to Acadia National Park. They will camp out, swim in some awesome lakes, and take some great hikes. Back at camp, for the second summer, music has been very popular at our Rockport recording studio. Campers learn to layer drum beats, create melodies, process vocals for the breakdown of songs and arrange remixes. Introducing Rockport (specifically audio, music, and vocal instruction) to camp has inspired so many campers to become focused, creative, and discover hidden talent!

Camp Food…

Bug juice. Mystery meat. For years, they were the staples – real or imagined – of camp food.
Well, eat your words.
Like other parts of the summer camp experience, mealtime has evolved.
At Camp Laurel, for example, we no longer serve white bread. In its place, we offer plenty of whole grains, plus fresh fruit and other choices. Campers (and staff members) eat it up.
There’s fresh-sliced turkey at lunch – every day.
Homemade soup daily too.
A 16-item salad bar at dinner.
Fresh-baked desserts.
Campers eat five or six times a day. There’s breakfast; a fruit break in late morning; lunch; canteen at mid-day; dinner, and a “nite bite.”
Of course, camp being camp, we do serve tasty treats like brownies, Whoopee Pies, chicken fingers and more.
But because we limit access to sweets and soda – and because youngsters are so active – they return home in great health.
So forget the bug juice and mystery meat of your youth (which comedians dined out on for decades).
“Dining Hall” is no longer an oxymoron.
Of course, some things never change. Mealtime at camp is still quite a bit louder than at home.
We wouldn’t have it any other way.

Triathlons, Laurel Idol and S Days…

Yesterday was one of those gorgeous Maine days that make going to camp in Maine so special. The weather was perfect, the sky was as blue as can be, and 57 campers ran, swam, and biked their way through the Sherpa Triathlon. It was challenging, exciting, and it filled us with such a sense of pride! Meanwhile, Acadia and Apache were having an awesome challenge of their own – searching our grounds for jewels during Gold Rush, then selling and trading depending on the “market prices” of rubies, sapphires and gold! Camp sisters wrote down their wishes and dreams inside hand-crafted boats that were launched on to Echo Lake, while the boys went bumper tubing and played Gaga, Tennis, and Ping Pong. Campers from every campus learned who will compete in the semi-final rounds of our first annual Laurel Idol Competition! We’re rolling-out America’s favorite singing competition in Readfield, with Baxter and Sequoia bringing down the house tomorrow night! We’ll let you know who makes it into the all-camp finals!

Fireworks, Intercamps, Trips and More….

What a week! We started off with Quest – a Laurel Tradition where we split the camp into 16 teams and compete in various games, sports, relays, and cheers. It was a great, all-day, all-camp event that concludes with the winning team enjoying a feast of Chinese food at Alliquippa. Then our boys and girls played in more than 20 intercamps this week (soccer, basketball, lacrosse, tennis and football) and we kicked off our Central Maine Girls League summer-long competition. Last night we had an awesome Fireworks display over Echo Lake to celebrate the 4th of July. While we always like to celebrate in style, last night our display included a showcase that shot fireworks right out of the water and turned the night sky into an enormous shimmering gold spectacle that the Acadians swore could be seen from outer space! Tonight Senior Bec and Bago will join 12 other camps throughout Maine for a night of fun and dancing at the Maine Camp Dance Jam. The rest of us will hold down the fort here in Readfield with special guest Ronnie Rahm….world-renowned hypnotist! We can’t wait to find out which staff members will fall under his spell! And 40 campers left this morning on four different overnight hiking and camping trips through the great state of Maine.

Fun in the Sun!

Yesterday was an unforgettable day at Laurel! Sequoia Olympics began with the ceremonial lighting of the torch as the boys competed in 16 sports and games. The Baxter girls spent the morning Bumper Tubing, treated the camp to a fun-filled car wash and water balloon toss, and then relaxed at the outdoor “Laurel Spa”, where they made a foot scrub from scratch out of homemade organic ingredients.
Acadia and Apache raced through camp for a Laurel favorite — Rainbow Games. The boys of Bago competed in a War Canoe Regatta on the lake while the girls of Bec set records in the yearly Bec Swim-a-Thon down at the docks. This was a day full of some of the best Laurel Traditions…and this week we look forward to another one — the 4th of July Patriot Games! Oh yea – we had 8 intercamp and tournament games today (home and away). It’s really busy on the shores of Echo Lake.