We’ve been meaning to post something about this all summer, but only just now sat down to do it.  Back in June we had the awesome instrumental rock band The Weisstronauts play a show at camp.  Pete Weiss, who fronts the band, and who knew Jeff from his Chicago days (the early 1990s!), had an open tour date, and everything worked out for the Rockbrook girls to have a rockin’ dance party.  Dance contests, limbo competitions, conga lines — it was non-stop action!

The band’s music is a little hard to describe, but you take 3 electric guitars, bass, drums and the occasional “accent” instrument and roll out surf, country, spy, psychedelia and rock styles.  Very danceable, very up-tempo, tight playing, and fun through and through.

Head on over to the Weisstronauts’ MySpace page and you can hear the leading track, “Fisticuffs,” from their new CD Instro-tainment.  You’ll enjoy it.  Promise.

And here’s one more treat.  During the show at Rockbrook, the band recorded some video, and now Pete has put together a music video that uses some of that footage.  Take a look and you’ll see RBC!  The song is “Seven-X’s,” also from the new CD, and the old-looking footage in the video is from the 1939 World’s Fair in New York.  Very Cool.

Tags: Camp, dance-party, guitar, music, summer-camps

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Posted in: Dance

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Here’s a great old photo of girls at Rockbrook Camp enjoying their summer swimming and sliding down into the lake. We’re not sure when the photo was taken, but in the background you can see the Hillside Lodge with very little growing around it, and since that lodge now has a giant oak tree in front of it, it must have been taken quite a long time ago.  The familiar NC vegetation, the big rocks, and the same feeling of summer really come through in the photo.

How do you like the belts on the girls’ swimsuits?

Tags: Camps, girls, history, North Carolina, summer, Swimming

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Posted in: Girls Camps

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We thought you might enjoy seeing the work we’re doing at camp to the Junior Lodge. It’s a strong stone building, but its wooden floor began to show its age (over 80 years!), and over the summer it became clear that replacing it would be a good idea.

Here you can see how we removed the old floor and reframed the joists. The joists slip right into notches in the stone foundation. Very cool.

We’ll keep you posted about the progress!

Tags: building, Camp, history, Summer Camp

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Posted in: Summer Camp

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Back in July, Nancy Gibbs wrote a short article in Time Magazine called “The Meaning of Summer Camp.” [link]  There’s a lot she discusses, but the article’s tagline gets to the heart of it: “It used to be about acquiring survival skills. Now it’s about the social skills that need work.”  Parents used to send their kids to summer camp to toughen up a bit, to learn practical outdoor skills.  Being away from the “comforts of home” and away from parents’ assistance, made this possible.  Now, Gibbs observes, camp is a place for kids to “unplug” and explore life without cellphones, text messaging, and their Facebook accounts. In other words, camp is still a place to break from the familiar, and when faced with new challenges, grow in new ways. Gibbs identifies the social benefits (learning to share, communicate, cooperate and so forth) that follow, but we should add physical (like becoming a stronger swimmer), emotional (like the joy of being completely silly), and psychological (like becoming more confident and self-assured) benefits as well.

Sometimes it’s hard to see this, but all these benefits of camp, not to mention how fun it is, arise because camp is so different from life at home and at school.  Preserving that difference is one of the main reasons Rockbrook doesn’t allow cellphones, computers, Internet access, electronic games, and other forms of technology that tether kids to what they have at home.  It’s one reason why sneaking a cellphone into camp is a terrible idea.  While it may make you feel better, it will dilute, if not destroy, what summer camp is all about.

Camp is a place to acquire new skills and grow up a little while having a great time with your friends.  It works because it’s not the same as home, and that’s a good thing.

Tags: Campers, growing-up, learning, Nature, residential-camps, skills

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Posted in: Kids

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Here’s something from this summer’s “Photo Phun” activity where the girls at camp run around with digital cameras taking pictures.  In addition to learning about photography and how to use the cameras, they play loads of games… things like scavenger hunts, nature alphabet, and photo stories.  This is an example by Deborah P. (passed along by awesome counselor Eva) that illustrates one of the classic RBC songs, “When the Rising Bell Rings.”  It’s pretty funny, but you have to click on the image to see the larger version and read the words.  Way to go Deborah!

Tags: camp-photos, camp-songs, photography, songs, Summer Camp, summer-camps

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There are people in my life who I admire, who I emulate, because they, without hope for award or acknowledgment, joyfully and selflessly give all that they can in service to others. Many of these people are campers and counselors at Rockbrook Camp.

Rockbrook campers are often recognized for their good deeds by being awarded colorful, way-cool Bend-It-Back bracelets. And I mean that. They truly are way-cool.

I watch my co-workers exemplify selfless generosity every day as they put campers first, and I watch campers recognize this generosity and give forth to others on their own as well. From volunteering to do the dishes to making a card for a friend who doesn’t feel well, RBC folks are about helping out.

To give selflessly - to put others before oneself - is a daunting task. But once the joy that is the product of such giving is recognized, it becomes the lifeblood of one’s daily action; it is the lifeblood of this place. This is a joyous place that depends upon gracious giving and gratitude. May the bracelets be a reminder of this joy and the camp that thrives in it.

Tags: bracelets, community, friends, giving, gratitude, service, sharing

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Posted in: Summer Camp

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Rockbrook is all geared up for an excellent summer of climbing! What was once an appointment-only event, climbing is now offered as a weekly activity. The Alpine Tower is open every day and the gym’s rock wall is our rainy day alternative. But the adventure doesn’t stop there! To create more of a challenge, we have founded the “Blind Girls’ Walk” club. To be inducted into this wacky band of girls, a camper is blindfolded and guided up the tower with her friends’ help. Many have already joined and the line to climb is growing. GO GO CLIMBING HEROES!

Tags: adventure-camp, climbing, outdoor-activities, outdoor-adventure, Rock Climbing

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Posted in: Adventure

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We’ve all been waiting, been busy preparing, and been ready for the longest time, but finally it’s here. Rockbrook is open for the summer! It’s going to be fabulous, and we’re all incredibly excited! Let the fun begin! Yeah!

Tags: Camp, childrens-camps, girl-camps, kids-camps, teen-camps

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Posted in: Summer Camp

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It’s really starting to look like summer around camp! The leaves are fully out on the trees, the grass is really growing, and the mountain laurels are blooming (like in this photo of the Rockbrook lake taken from “canoers rock”). This part of North Carolina is just busting with amazing plants, trees and flowers. It’s almost like a jungle! The mountain laurel is just one of the more prominent examples.

Hey, have you seen the camp countdown (over on the sidebar)? There are less than 2 weeks to the first session of camp! Yea!

Tags: Camps, Nature, North Carolina, Outdoors, traditional-camp

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Posted in: Summer Camp

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This is the week the horses begin arriving at camp. It’s exciting because all spring we’ve been preparing the barn for their arrival. There are four new stalls on the big main barn (luxury accommodations!), a new wash pad for the upper barn, and new fence sections here and there. With 28 horses coming, we also need a lot of hay, so we’re really happy to report the main barn now has 550 bales put up. It’ll be fun to see the horses enjoying the fields. The camp horses are ready. Are you?

Tags: fun, horse-camps, horse-riding, Horseback Riding, horses

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Posted in: Horse

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