Fairy Banquet

Today was one of those fantastic food days at Rockbrook that are almost too good to be true. It started with a special treat from Alison. She made us some of her chocolate chip scones, the kind of scones that start with flour and ice-cold butter, cut to just the right consistency, and blended to make a sophisticated “crumb,” but also with plenty of sweet chocolate to keep every kid smiling. I guess Alison was feeling creative, or maybe a little playful too, because she added a smear of orange glaze on each scone when it was fresh from the oven. They were heavenly!

At lunch it was Rick’s turn to show off a little bit. Since the dining hall was closed because the CA campers were decorating for tonight’s surprise banquet, we had a picnic lunch on the hill, and when Rick heard “picnic” he thought “barbecue.” But to do it right, you have to plan. He ordered 180 pounds of pork shoulder (“Boston Butts”) and started by first seasoning it and baking it for 4 hours. Next the grill: after hand rubbing each piece of meat with a blend of spices, he grilled them all for 3 hours, completely blackening the outside.  Not done yet though, he then smoked everything for another hour before letting the pork “rest” and cool.  It took 3 people another 2 hours then to pull all the meat off of the bone by hand. Wow, that’s a lot of work!  But it turned out to be the most amazing, tender and juicy, flavorful barbecue. Rick also made an excellent vinegar-based barbecue sauce, and served it all with buns, and his sweet potato fries and coleslaw.  The whole camp was completely stuffed after going back for seconds and thirds… and that was just for lunch.

About 6:15pm the moment everyone was waiting for arrived with the unveiling of the secret banquet theme for this session. The CA campers (who have finished the 9th grade) selected the theme on the first day of camp and spent the rest of the session planning for this night. They decorated the entire dining hall, every wall from floor to ceiling, spending a huge amount of time painting “panels,” colorful scenes on wide sheets of paper to be hung all around the inside. They decorated each table according to the theme, this time designing paper menus and adding flowers, leaves, moss and of course plenty of candy.

So what was the theme? Fairies. Each CA dressed as a different color fairy, complete with wings and plenty of glitter. The panels contained lots of nature imagery— twisted vines, large trees, and clusters of mushrooms. Flowers and twinkly lights seemed everywhere, really adding to the magical feel. The CAs played fun music throughout the dinner as they served their menu of “Thistle in a Blanket,” “Rainbow in a Cup,” “Magical Fruit Salad,” and “Robin’s Eggs.” Together all of this decoration, music, food and dancing, particularly the elaborate fairy costumes, the dining hall truly became a fairyland tonight. It was a great party we’ll remember always.

Safari Banquet

Welcome to the Safari Banquet! After weeks of planning and plenty of hard work preparing, tonight the senior line CA campers and their counselors presented the second session banquet. On the very first day of camp they debated and selected a surprise theme for the banquet, and finally it was time reveal it to the whole camp. They chose to make the entire experience a safari, a rich jungle of animals, exotic birds, wild plants, trees and vines. Using paint, paper and a few props, the whole dining hall was transformed so that in every direction you’d see safari animals— lions, zebras, baboons, giraffes —and scenery. The green tables and chairs of the Rockbrook dining hall fit right in. Just guessing, there were probably sixty or so different painted panels lining the walls. The centerpiece was a wrecked jeep, complete with real tires and working headlights (flashlights). No wonder it takes all session to prepare for this night!

The CAs really designed some amazing, creative costumes as well. Their goal was to create a magical experience for the other campers, making elaborate costumes and characters a big deal. There were monkeys, a couple of lions, birds, a zebra, elephant, a lemur, hippo and gazelle. During the meal, the CAs also presented a series of skits, a multi-act play really, that included music and dances. It told the story of a family on a safari, and how after being split up, the animals and a native group help them reunite. This was a very large group of CAs, so there were plenty of parts of play.

For the menu, they served “Slippery Snake Mozzarella Sticks,” Serengeti Salad,” “Lion’s Mane Spaghetti,” and “Jungle Dirt Bucket.” Of course, there was more than enough candy scattered around on the tables, and in each camper’s souvenir cup too. It was probably hard to eat the spaghetti while chewing a tootsie roll or sucking on a lollipop, but I’m sure no one was hungry by the end!

The evening begins with the CAs in the dining hall, dressed in costume and surrounded by the fruits of their incredible hard work, and all the rest of the campers outside, dressed in their Rockbrook T-shirts. When it was time to let the first cabin of girls enter, the CAs literally erupted with excitement. It had been building for so long, finally they could cheer and jump up and down with each other. Then, with music blasting, the campers crawled through a “starry night” tunnel to emerge into the jungle (dining hall) with all its colorful animals. Here too, it was one big cheer with smiles and surprised amazement from everyone.

Toward the end of the banquet, the oldest cabin groups (the CAs and Hi-Ups) presented songs and toasts to their counselors, and vice versa, the counselors to their campers. This became quite emotional as the songs expressed the friendship and feelings the girls now share after this great session.  It’s tradition for the whole camp to sing a few camp songs (e.g., “Rockbrook Camp Forever”) at the close of the banquet as well.

This was simply a terrific night, one I’m sure you’ll hear more about from your daughter.

Early Sliding Rock

For today’s cabin day, that weekly day when we change from our activity schedule to whole-cabin events, we reached into our bag of tricks for the Middlers. The Pisgah National Forest is still quite crowded this week, and we wanted to take the girls to sliding rock. Avoiding the crowds is important when you need to bring 85 people, so what did we do? We went when there was nobody else there, when, we might say, nobody would be crazy enough to go— in the morning before it officially opened! We have a relationship with the Ranger to allow us to go “at our own risk,” but we always bring several lifeguards, staff members trained in wilderness first aid, and of course plenty of strong counselors. We had the place 100% to ourselves from 9 to 10am. So was the water cold? Oh yes, but no colder than usual, and the air temperature was in the 70s, so it really was fine, and super fun for everyone. Then to add even more chill (a creamy, yummy chill) to the equation, we stopped at Dolly’s Ice Cream Bar so everyone could have a cone of the their favorite flavor. I asked the girls if it was too early for ice cream or if they were too cold to have some, and they of course screamed “No!” This was one of those completely surprising, very fun group events we love at Rockbrook.

During the first free swim period and during rest hour, the mini session campers packed their luggage so we could move their trunks. Tomorrow is their closing day and we have to say so long for now, so a little preparation is needed. The afternoon activities moved indoors when it started to rain (another of our afternoon thundershowers), but this gave all the age groups extra time to finish up projects and just spend time together.

At dinner, the Hi-Ups decorated the dining hall in an “Under the Sea” theme for a “mini-banquet.” This a special dinner that brings together skits, costumes, dance performances and food… a themed party for the whole camp. The campers and counselors wore their red RBC t-shirts making the whole dining hall almost glow with red.  Looking around the dining hall, I was reminded again just how great these girls are with each other and how close they’ve grown over the last couple of weeks.

After dinner, the mini session girls and their counselors gathered in the lower line Lodge for their closing evening program (counselor impersonations) and a fire in the fireplace. Like the Spirit Fires that close our main sessions, this one, even though it was inside due to another spell of rain, included traditional songs, a few girls talking about their favorite moments from the session, and Sarah relating her thoughts about Rockbrook and what it means for us all. In the old stone lodge and before a beautiful crackling fire, it was a very nice setting to think back and recall all the fun we’ve been sharing. There are always a few tears at these closing campfires, but they are the good kind of tears. They are born from our camp friendships and connections, that while marked by a period of separation during the school year, will certainly last until next summer, and beyond. This is definitely good stuff.

New York Banquet

Rick (here he is in this photo!) has been cooking some phenomenal meat over the last couple of days. Today he grilled 160 pounds of pork shoulder to make his own barbecue for the campers. He started by baking all that meat in a low heat oven for 10 hours, and then moved over to the charcoal grill for the finish cooking to give it a great grilled taste. We were shocked when the camp polished off every scrap. Everyone must have loved it, not to mention his homemade coleslaw and sweet potato chips. With cups of lemonade, we all enjoyed a picnic on the hill. Ah, don’t you just love summer?!

In addition to the climbs on Castle Rock, here on the Rockbrook property, we are also located nearby Looking Glass Rock in the Pisgah National Forest. Looking Glass is one of the best and well-known rock climbing areas in the southeast, with hundreds of routes that offer a range of challenges. Clyde and Abby took a group of middlers to the Nose Area of the rock to climb today. This area has fantastic views of the mountains as well as wonderful rock. There are a couple of easier routes to try, so everyone gets up to catch the view. Perfect weather made an even better trip.

This was the night we’ve all been waiting for, the night of the Banquet. The CA campers (9th graders) have been planning and preparing for the banquet since the very first day of camp. They picked a theme and revealed the costumes, decorations, skits, music and dance, and food to create a special evening for the rest of the camp. Their theme? New York City. They had taxi cabs, graffiti artists, broadway lights, soft pretzels, street performers, subway cars, lots of candy (of course!) and more. It was an amazing transformation and performance, and everyone at camp enjoyed it. The creativity and hard work that went into the banquet really showed. Thank you CAs!

Tomorrow is the last full day of camp for this session, and it’s gonna be a busy one!

Under the Sea

Today was the last full day of regular activities. This sent the girls scurrying around to finish up craft projects, climb the alpine tower one last time, try again to hit the bullseye in archery or riflery. It also meant that chances to “hang out” with friends were also becoming more precious. At the lake, a group of seniors were sunbathing, and another crowd of juniors, for example, were enjoying the view on the hill before lunch. The approaching end of camp puts everyone in a nostalgic mood of sorts, and we all want to make the most of these last couple of days.

Jeff has had the Hi-Ups (10th graders) on their 3-day trip since Sunday. They all went to Lake Keowee and Lake Jocassee down in South Carolina for camping, water skiing, hiking and of course swimming. The weather was hot and sunny, and with plenty water all around, we felt like it was a beach vacation. There were lots of thrills as we explored amazing waterfalls and jumped from high rocks into the water.

The big event tonight was something the entire camp has been anticipating all session— the big surprise banquet presented by the CAs (9th graders). They pick a secret theme, plan all of the decorations, food, costumes, music, skits, dances, and do all of the work getting ready for tonight. It’s a huge undertaking! So what was the theme this session? “Under the Sea.” The entire dining hall was transformed into an underwater paradise with fish, blue cellophane overhead, a whale, a submarine, seaweed, and shark mouth at the main door. The CAs were dressed as the movie characters Sebastian, Dory, Nemo, Flounder, Whale, and the counselors were scuba divers. For dinner (not counting all the candy on the table ) they served “Fish Sticks with Tartar Sauce,” “Crabby Patties & Ocean Algae” and “Sea Foam” (mozzarella sticks, hamburgers, jello). For the campers, this is a magical experience and something they’ll always remember.

Disney World Banquet

Tonight the second session banquet was finally revealed to all of the campers and staff members at camp. After weeks of working and keeping everything secret, the CA campers (9th graders) transformed the dining hall into Disney World, and called it “A Day at Disney World.” The dining hall became Animal Kingdom, the Magic Kingdom, and Epcot Center. The campers entered through the porch decorated like a monorail, and found themselves on Main Street USA with Cinderella’s Castle, Space mountain, and toward the back, the Animal Kingdom Tree of Life. There were Disney attractions and rides painted on every inch of wall space! Music from the parks, and dance numbers with the characters really added to the feeling of actually being at Disney World.

It was particularly impressive to see the costumes the CAs had prepared. They had 31 different Disney characters, including: Chip and Dale, Ariel, Jack Sparrow, Mickey Mouse (of course!), Princess Tiana, Peter Pan, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, The Mad Hatter, Jasmine, Captain Hook, Pooh Bear, Mary Poppins, Pocahontas, Piglet, Goofy, Aladdin, Minnie Mouse, Lilo, Belle, Tinker Bell, Cinderella, Alice, Wendy, and Simba… just to name the main ones! They were all so realistic and well-suited for the girls playing each part. Many of the younger campers even thought several of the girls were the real characters. We really had Ariel, Snow White, Cinderella at Rockbrook! The character were also signing autographs, just like at the Magic Kingdom.

For dinner they served “Magical Mozzarella Sticks” and “Goofy’s Corny Corndogs” as appetizers, “Mickey and Minnie’s Pasta Palooza” with chicken for the main dish, and “Razzle Dazzle Crispies and Cotton Candy Kisses” for dessert. Of course there was plenty of candy and other treats on the table too (like a souvenir banquet sticker and decorated cup).

The CAs often say they’ve just put on the “best banquet ever,” and in this case, we think they are right up there at the top of the list. It was amazing, excellent fun.

Banquet and Spirit Fire

The big surprise was finally revealed Tuesday Night— the theme for this session’s banquet. The CAs and their counselors select a secret theme for their banquet, which is essentially a huge elaborate party with special decorations, costumes, music, dance numbers, treats, and of course food, and the whole camp is kept guessing. What was the theme? Christmas at Rockbrook. The whole dining hall was decorated with posters of snow scenes, with garlands and spruce trees, and each table had wrapped presents, “snow” and candy canes. Several counselors dressed up as elves to join Rudolf, the Grinch, and Frosty the snowman. Even Jerry made an appearance as Santa!

The CAs served an awesome dinner of sliced roasted ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, yeast rolls, cranberry sauce, and decorated cookies for dessert. It was so yummy! The girls had a great time singing popular Christmas songs like Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, Jingle Bells, and Frosty the Snowman. The whole camp ends up dancing toward the end of the banquet, with girls snapping photos and giving each other lots of hugs. It’s a great time and a true highlight of the session.

The final event on Wednesday night is our Spirit Fire final campfire. This is a more serious time to enjoy traditional camp songs and remember the camp session and some of the important things we all shared during these few weeks. Everyone dresses in their uniforms. Campers and counselors prepare short speeches about their time at camp, and Sarah gives a final talk reflecting on how the session has gone and her hopes for everyone as they prepare to leave camp the next day. It’s always an emotional time because the girls have made such close friends while at camp. It’s as if the campfire is one big hug celebrating how close everyone has grown as they’ve had such fun here at Rockbrook. It’s quite amazing to see just how meaningful the experience is for everyone, campers and staff members included. It really is a special moment.

Sunday at Rockbrook Camp

Sundays are a different kind of day at Rockbrook. Everyone sleeps in and comes to breakfast in their pajamas! Afterward, everyone goes back to their cabin to change into their “whities,” or camp uniform, for flag raising and Chapel. Campers and counselors congregate on the hill in a U-shape around the flagpole and silently watch the Hi-Ups (the oldest campers) raise the flag.

After saying the pledge and singing “O, Beautiful,” everyone makes their way to Chapel. Today’s theme was sharing and was led by the Middlers and Juniors. Campers and counselors worked together to come up with songs, poems and visual contributions around that theme during the week. Camp director Sarah Carter closed the chapel service with one of her ever popular readings. This week it was Stone Soup by Marcia Brown.

Walking the path of silence to Chapel

Sunday afternoon is a very special time at camp when we do a camp-wide event. Campers spent much of their free time throughout the week preparing for the afternoon event “Miss RBC” which is a very silly interpretation of a beauty pageant. Campers compete for the title as a cabin group. Junior 6 took the title with their hit new song “All the Dogs in the Park!”

The top finishers in Miss RBC

Relaxation describes the rest of Sunday at Rockbrook. Campers wrapped up the evening with movie night where they all piled in the gym to enjoy some entertainment before Goodnight Circle and milk and cookies.

As we enter the final week of 1st session, we cannot believe it is almost over. This week we are looking forward to all of the closing events of banquet, the play and spirit fire. So many memories have been shared in the past few weeks, and we know the next few days will bring many many more!