Tag: summer camp traditions

Believe it or not, I am often asked if we have Halloween at camp! The short answer is… well, no, but sort of! We do not trick-or-treat, but we do dress up with our friends, have a costume parade and indulge in sweets and fun and games! It all happens on what is personally one of my favorite days of the summer: CARNIVAL! 

Carnival starts with a costume parade. Every cabin dresses up together and makes their costume as a group. I love seeing how creative the cabins (and groups of staff) get every year. In the middle office, we division heads always try and come up with something clever. The parade takes place in the Apple O and each group gets the chance to come onstage and strut across to a song of their choice. It is so much fun to watch and see what all of the cabins came up with! In 2022, we started a new tradition of having a theme to inspire costumes. For our first “theme” year, we picked TV shows, and our division head group dressed up as the “Fresh Princesses of the Middle Office!” I wonder what the theme will be in 2023… (Psst: If you have any suggestions, DM them to Najah on Instagram!) 

There’s so much more to Carnival that I’ll have to save most of it for another Tradition Time… because there is JUST TOO MUCH TO SAY! But since it’s #spookyseason, I have to talk about one more aspect. After the costume parade, everyone goes up to Main Campus for games, snacks and surprises — including the traditional Bunk One haunted house! Each year our Bunk One campers bring a little taste of Halloween to Carnival. They come up with a story for their haunted house, work together to build it, create costumes, and run the show themselves! To make sure the frights are fun for all, there are different times for each age group to go through the haunted house. As you get older, it gets scarier… and scarier! 

Feeling spooky yet? Don’t worry — just like our adventure courses, the haunted house is “challenge by choice,” and only those thrill-seekers who want a scare choose to enter the haunted house.

What are your favorite Carnival memories? What do you hope next year’s costume theme will be? Comment below and let us know!

Love,
Eliza

Some say the highlight every year during the month of March is March Madness Basketball. While I do love a good bracket, the highlight for me is my own personal form of March Madness: March Meeting! 

March Meeting marks the moment when our rising Super Seniors officially become Bunk One and start preparing to take on all of the leadership roles that come with that title. The girls come up to camp for a night to participate in team building, design their special uniform, decide the Color War themes and more. The day is jam-packed with meetings, activities and fun. Of course, camp favorites like Asian Fusion are involved 🙂 

For me as an alumna, March Meeting is so special because I can remember the feeling of becoming Bunk One back in 2010, and I get to watch girls have the same experience that I did: the pure joy and uncontainable excitement that it is finally their turn. 

Somehow it seems that every year I say “I can’t believe these girls are Bunk One,” and this year, that could not be more true. The campers of BOS ’22 are the girls who were in the Manor House eight years ago when I came back to work at camp after spending a few summers away from LBMC. For that reason, this March Meeting was extra special to me — because in camp staff years, it’s like I made it to my own Bunk One summer all over again! 

What else goes on at March Meeting? Well… Surprises are an important part of the magic of camp, and just like Chocolate Banana Night and Color War break, there are some things about March Meeting that we can’t tell you about until it is your turn! All I will say now is that I am SUPER excited about BOS ’22… and the Color War themes are AMAZING. Get ready for an unbelievable summer led by this awesome group!

Love,
Eliza

For those who have been to camp before, you know that when you think of snack, you think of Peter Lai standing on the deck of the Dining Hall. 

Peter knew that I loved ice cream and green (not red) apples and would always tell me the specific ice cream pop and the apple color for that day — because he knew that was what I was really wondering. That was Peter — he made everyone feel special and remembered things about them that no one else ever did! So Liza’s Tradition Time in this newsletter is dedicated to Peter, and all of the special snacks at Bryn Mawr. 

Some of you might be able to guess my favorite special snack at camp: It is Ice Cream Night. I love ice cream (with TONS of rainbow sprinkles), and I love Ice Cream Night at camp for so many reasons., I love serving the whipped cream in the sundae line (spoiler alert: I definitely give too much). I love the tradition of singing at Ice Cream Night. After everyone has their sundae, Bunk One asks different girls in camp to sing a song. It is a time-honored tradition that was one of my favorites as a camper and remains one today.  

Other special snacks at camp include Pizza Night, Chocolate Banana Night (ssshhhh…), churros, s’mores, funnel cakes, and hot pretzels! I know that I will miss seeing Peter’s smile every afternoon, evening, and special snack next summer… but I know that his spirit will always be with us, every time we go to the Dining Hall for snack!

Love,
Eliza

Picture this: It’s a warm summer Friday night. We are all in the Apple O’ watching the talent show. At the end of this special evening, after we have heard a story and shared random acts of kindness, there is a bonus: anniversary night. 

On this night, we celebrate our returning campers and staff and highlight the number of years that they have been at camp. We give out a number of coveted Bryn Mawr items: 

• 3-Year Water Bottle 
• 4-Year Drawstring 
• 5-Year Jacket (an all time favorite) 
• 6-Year Blanket
• 7-Year Watch
• 8-Year Backpack 

As a staff member, one of the coolest parts about returning to camp year after year is getting to watch campers grow up. While the items are all great, the most special part of the night for me is seeing the girls proudly come to the stage to be recognized for their years at camp. On this night each year, I get to take a step back and reflect on the experiences that I have the opportunity of watching each summer. Without fail, there are campers that shock me — I simply can’t believe that they are in their 5th, 6th, or 7th summer because I remember them starting in the Manor House! I love watching how all of our campers grow up at camp and this night is a reminder of that. 

I am so excited for anniversary night 2021 (and every year beyond) to watch ALL OF YOU grow up at camp! Remember that when you get those special items — whether water bottles, drawstrings, jackets, blankets, watches or backpacks — they’re not just gifts. They are a reminder of how grateful we are to have YOU in our camp family.

How many years have you been at LBMC? Check out this list!

Love,
Eliza

“Tears that Angels Cry” is a song you might go your whole life without hearing if not for Bryn Mawr. To the Bryn Mawr family, it only takes three notes of the song to know what is happening: The Angel Ceremony.

One of the most special traditions at Bryn Mawr is our Angel Ceremony. In Bunk One, each camper receives a silver angel. Dan always starts this ceremony by saying that the value of the angel is not in the silver, it is an intrinsic value — the symbolism that connects you to Bryn Mawr, your camp memories and all former and future angels. Each year, this sentence brings more and more meaning to me. 

The angel that I received when I was in Bunk One connects me to my camp friends and my memories as a camper, but also to all other alumni that I have come across in different paths of life since finishing camp. Bryn Mawr is the most special connection, and each and every time I see a former Angel, I feel special to be a part of this giant family! 

Over the years, the symbolism of my own angel has come full circle. Since returning to LBMC as a member of the staff, having the opportunity to give a new group of Bunk One girls their angels has been extremely special for me. My angel not only connects me to my friends and my experience, but to the girls that experience that same Bunk One magic each and every year. I am counting the days until I am on that stage, Dan and Jane cue the music, and we can give the ’20-’21 Super Seniors their angels.

Love,
Eliza