Camp Blog

Thinking about tonight’s evening activity, I realized it’s been years since this session has had a chance to experience it. Other sessions have been luckier in the past couple of years, but not our full second session girls. I’m referring to the dance with Camp Carolina. There’s a long history of these camp dances where the boys from CCB and the girls from RBC get together for the evening for dances, but since the 2020 pandemic closures, we’ve been fighting contagious diseases off and on. We’ve scheduled camp dances since then, but things keep popping up that force us to cancel. It might have been pink eye, or strep throat, or some other virus, but it’s been a while when both camps were healthy enough to mix and mingle. For these second session girls, the last camp dance they had was in 2019!

Needless to say, the screams of excitement where deafening when we announced that we’d be having a dance tonight. We surprised everyone with the news at dinner and explained that we’d be loading up the buses in 20 minutes. Waiting until the last minute like this cuts down on the time we might spend getting ready. Still, it was funny to see the Senior girls sprinting across the hill toward their cabins to try and sneak in a quick shower. The counselors did a great job keeping things silly by dressing in costumes instead of “dressing up.” These camp dances are far from being serious. Even so, the girls had their hair brushed and were somehow able to find clean clothes to wear. The boys looked sharp too.

Two Dances, Two Camps

Long ago we realized that splitting the girls and boys into two simultaneous dances, one for the younger and another for the older children, was a good idea. This way only half of each camp needs to be transported. We drove the older girls over to Camp Carolina and they drove their young boys to Rockbrook. Both dances happened in the gyms at each camp.

Dancing to the Hits

The music at both dances was a mix of familiar pop songs and well-known group dances. Some of these are so popular you can count on them being played, like the “Cha Cha Slide,” and “Cotton-Eyed Joe,” for example. Also, for some reason the techno song “Sandstorm,” from 2001 seems to always appear. We also heard Taylor Swift and ABBA, which isn’t too surprising, as well as “Party Rock” and “Party in the USA.”

The dancing for the younger kids was impressively varied compared to the older girls who mostly jumped up and down with a hand raised in the air. Clustered together, the whole crowd would jump to match the beat of the music. We saw a long conga line at the Rockbrook dance, and plenty of chatting and laughing as each new song came on.

With coolers of water and cookies available to recharge everyone, both dances kept up an impressive pace for more than hour of excited bopping about. Everyone seemed a little surprised how fast the time flew by when we announced it was time for the girls to head back to RBC and the boys back to CCB. We were all a little sweaty by the end, but I think most agreed that the dance was “really fun.” A classic camp evening out.

What happens if Barbie goes to summer camp? Well, today we found out! It was a day of regular camp activities, but with a decidedly pink twist, as we unveiled a costume theme for the day. Today was Barbie Day!

It’s no surprise that we love to dress up at Rockbrook. We love how dressing in some kind of costume injects a little silliness into whatever we’re doing. When we bring together costume elements— just the right shorts, maybe a wig, and a few props like a hat or goofy glasses for example —we enjoy changing things up and being creative. Dressing up allows us to imagine being another character, taking on their mannerisms and stylings. A theme like this points us all in a certain direction (all things Barbie in this case!) yet at the same time creates enough space for individualized improvisation. When this many people dress up together, it’s phenomenal.

Barbie Day Costumes

This was another theme that the campers knew about before arriving at camp, so they were prepared! Even when they arrived for breakfast, many campers and staff members were already dressed in their best Barbie pink outfits and fabulous accessories. This might have been pajamas, pink sunglasses, or just a pink t-shirt. As you know, Barbie took on many different professions over the years, and this was true at camp today too. We had a Cowboy Barbie, a Spring Bouquet Barbie, and Astronaut Barbie, a Rockstar Barbie, a 50s Barbie, a Yoga Barbie, and a Publicity Tour Barbie who was distributing autographs all day long.

Everyone became a Barbie of some sort today. All it took was a little pink and a confident, carefree attitude, both of which are ingredients easily found at Rockbrook. Throughout the day we started adding “Hi, Barbie!” to our conversations and greetings as someone passed by. We would also ask, “what Barbie are you?” and wait to hear about her amazing talent. Tennis Barbie, Tetherball Barbie, Movie Star Barbie, Painter Barbie —these are just a few.

It turns out Barbie is a very accomplished equestrienne, a great rock climber, and weaver. She loves to do tricks off the diving board, throw clay on the potter’s wheel, and shoot archery. She’s a very good singer too, especially around so many of her equally fabulous friends. Who knew? Here at Rockbrook, that’s not too surprising. These Barbies are strong!

A bubbling Barbie positivity elevated our whole day. When dinner arrived the campers where excited to find the dining hall decorated with pink tablecloths and flowers. There were Barbie-themed temporary tattoos for everyone, and special pink candy treats on every table. Along with our lasagna, bread, salad and grapes for dinner, the baker made pink lemonade bars for dessert. The Hi-Ups led everyone singing a few songs from the Barbie movie.

Castle Rock Sunset Hike

A group of our younger Barbies finished up their day by hiking up to the top of Castle Rock to catch a bit of the mountain view before sunset. This is a steep hike up a challenging trail that ends at the rock face above camp. It winds through old mountain laurel and rhododendron bushes eventually breaking out into a fantastic overlook. The girls and their counselors sat carefully on the rock admiring the distant mountains for a few minutes before heading back down to camp before it got too dark.

I was a great day at camp, life in a “dreamworld” we might say, proving again that “we girls can do anything!” True, very true.

Today was another cheerful and busy morning at Rockbrook, even more so than usual because we welcomed the campers attending the second of our July Mini sessions. This is the day when new friends arrive to join the full session girls who are already here at camp. The girls arriving seemed excited and bubbling with anticipation. They’ve been waiting for this day for months and now it had finally arrived. Younger sisters were joining older siblings. Alumnae were dropping of their daughters for the first time, and girls who had never been to camp before were getting their first in-person look at Rockbrook.

The drive-thru check-in process ran smoothly, with most families only waiting a short while to make their way through the stations. Thank you for your patience! As families drove up and around the lake in camp, they were greeted by counselors jumping and cheering, adding to the upbeat atmosphere.

Settling Nervous Newcomers

Of course, with the excitement, there were also a few nervous faces among the girls arriving. It’s entirely normal to feel a bit of nervousness at the start, even for returning campers. Ordinarily these jitters fade fast once we get started doing things together. That’s why we launch right into an assembly on the hill filled with songs and skits, then a great lunch of comfort-food mac-n-cheese (homemade, of course), and a chance to cool off at the lake with the “swim demos.” The new cabin groups took camp tours, had cabin meetings, and visited the camp store to pick up pre-purchased items.

Chapel on Laughter

The morning for the full-session girls started with their regular Sunday of raising the flag and gathering for Chapel. The Senior campers led a program on the theme of “Laughter,” emphasizing how camp life is filled with laughter. “These are the people who make me laugh the most,” one Senior put it. Camp friends are just like that.

Renaissance Fair

Our afternoon event gathered everyone on the Carrier House lawn for a camp-wide Renaissance fair. The campers knew this would be a theme for their session so many came prepared with amazing costumes for the event. Colorful long princess dresses, flower crowns and ribbons, fairy wings, and tiaras were most popular. The fair was a whirlwind of activity where campers could flit between different activities, games, and projects all happening at once.

One tent had campers making flower crowns, while another offered fairy hair, parchment calligraphy, or face painting. Another area of “Tomfoolery” invited girls to try juggling beanbags, ribbon dancing and hula hooping. A mysterious fortune teller named Madam Brunhilde wandered among the girls offering cryptic advice to those brave enough to ask.

We also played games: a burlap sack race, a water balloon toss, and a table shuffle game with goblets. Each game awarded small prizes for playing. Another game sent campers on a treasure hunt looking for golden coins hidden along a forest path. Finding enough coins won a lollipop prize.

What’s a festival without music and food too? So to complete the event we played Medieval-infused music, a playful twist on modern tunes, throughout the event. For snacks, a “Wench’s Tavern” served warm soft pretzels and kettle corn. With all this to do, everyone enjoyed an afternoon of fun, Renaissance style. It was a great way to open up the new session.

A Note on Current Events

Finally, we want to offer a cautionary comment in the aftermath of the recent political violence witnessed by our country, the attempted assassination of former President Trump at a campaign rally. Shocking news events like this that occur in the outside world rarely have much relevance here at camp. For this reason, we generally do not report these sorts of troubling realities to the girls at camp. We’ve found that it’s better to allow Rockbrook to remain a refuge from the concerns that mark adult lives in the broader world.

Similarly, we hope you will be careful when writing to your camper about unsettling news items, even refrain from doing so. We know it’s tempting to let your girls know what’s going on in the world and what’s on your mind, but camp life, the child-centered world of Rockbrook, is happily separate from most of that. We are enjoying the fun and friendship of camp unburdened by the troubles in the news. Camp is a haven. Thank you for helping us keep it well.