What do our campers do all day at Camp Agawak? The answer is: Just about everything. Today, they woke up to a cool morning under a flawless blue sky, with temperatures peaking around 80 degrees by noon. 

As I walked the grounds these past few days, my heart felt full of love and energy from the things I observed. The girls are everywhere –racing into Blue Lake, slamming serves on the tennis courts, learning new dance moves, beading bracelets, doing flips on trampolines, reeling in fish, writing Agalog articles with pens on lined yellow pads – relaxed, away from school stressors.

    There is some wistfulness in the air as we all know our First Session campers are about to say goodby and excitement in the air as we anticipate a bus load or two of Second Session girls. I often ask myself, as we are already in the midst of July,: Where does the time go? Though after more than three decades as owner/director, I do know that busy, happy campers are so engrossed in our daily activities that time literally flashes in front of all of us. More than ever no one wants first session to end.

    Our campers have dozens of activities to choose from during sign-up sessions on Sunday afternoons, when they pick their schedules for the coming week.  Some cabins prefer to sign up as a group, though at many activities, like fishing, tango tower, Arts & Crafts, skiing and Agalog, groups are populated with campers of all ages.

    This inter-generational pairing gives the older campers an opportunity to develop their mentorship skills, and for girls to build friendships with our extended community, beyond their cabin-mates.

    Wednesdays are reserved for special activities and events, and today has two stellar attractions: We are in the midst of Pirates Day, and campers are busy, with bandanas wrapped Pirate-style around their heads, crafting two-person boats out of cardboard and duck tape for a wild Pirate-style race across the Ocean Blue – or in this case,  And, tonight is the event Agawak girls tell me they anticipate all year-round, the Lip Sync performances, one of the most epic Blue and White competitions of the camp season.

    Although I have seen hundreds of Lip Sync dance routines I am always dazzled anew by the level of talent, creativity, agility and originality of what I witness on Happy Camper stage. You have raised some astounding girls – who are eager to try anything and everything, and end up shining in all sorts of sports and activities, whether it be in dancing, climbing the Tango Tower or getting up on slalom skis. 

    We hear time and time again from veteran campers who are now college students and mothers and grandmothers that their versatility and courage to try new things stems from their Agawak experience and confidence-building of years ago.

    Well, I gotta go and march off to the waterfront – the pirate ships are about to set sail. No matter how often I have witnessed the masses at the waterfront the energy never fails to send me chills.  Blue Lake, is as smooth as a sheet of glass. Perfect for pirate boat launching! Soon, the calm of the water will be a torrent of waves as campers try to successful launch their homemade boats. It’s all in a days fun at Camp Agawak where this cliché is true: Time flies when you’re having fun. 

Our motto at camp is “Full Speed Ahead”, though I do love to stop every so often to savor the blessings that are ours on these grounds – the girls laughing, arm-in-arm,  the beauty of nature, and the love that abounds.

Smile on,

Mary