As we approach the holiday season, and the end of the current decade we begin to turn our attention to Summer 2020; Camp Echo Lake’s 75th summer in existence and one that is shaping up to be the best one yet! 

Whilst you are spending time this holiday season with friends, family and loved ones take some time to reflect and reminisce about everything that you’ve achieved this year! Share with those around you some of your favorite memories. 

In order to get you in the spirit here are my Top 5 Memories of Summer 2019:

 

  1. Staff Orientation – Staff Orientation is an incredibly exciting time of the year and it also means that the summer is right around the corner. It is always special to reconnect with staff from previous years, but it is amazing to see new staff members fall in love with the beauty of Echo Lake the same way we all did when we first set foot ‘neath the pines. Every orientation is different, but we are often fortunate enough to be joined by Paul Rosenberg and The Fireflies for a special staff orientation Hoe-Down, and this year we conducted our first full staff yoga session on the lower soccer field thanks to our amazing Yoga Head Specialist, Taylor. 
  2. World Cup – Maybe being a former Soccer Head Specialist makes me biased, but the energy and enthusiasm demonstrated on both the boys and girls World Cup Day reminds me of what is really special about Echo Lake. Whether you are a budding Messi or Ronaldo or simply kicking a soccer ball for the first time the effort and application is unrivalled throughout the summer. This year we changed the format of World Cup day with great success; more games, more goals and MORE FUN!
  3. Swimming at The Lake – Whilst general swim in the lake has always been one of my favourite activities, this past summer we really kicked it up a notch! With the newly landscaped beach area and all the amazing new toys there was no better way to cool off at the end of the day than jumping into the lake!
  4. Drive-in Movie Night – Summer 2019 saw the sequel to Summer 2018 with an all-camp under the stars viewing of D2: The Mighty Ducks – arguably better than the first installment! The junior hockey players took on the mighty Iceland in the Junior Goodwill Games to claim the gold medal, which was met with cheers and applause from all of our campers!
  5. Silent Disco!!! For the second summer running we invited The Silent Disco to join us for our end of summer camp party! It’s an incredible event and we love to see so many of our campers and staff singing, dancing and having the best time! 

These were my summer highlights, but what were yours? What are you most looking forward to for Summer 2020? 

Happy Holidays!