05 Jul Red, White, ORANGE and BLUE

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In celebration of American Independence Day, both Camps gathered at S4B for a special day full of action and fun. Our Co-Directors Win and Cannie Shafer offered greetings and remarks on the lasting importance of the Fourth of July and drew attention to the memory of Mr. Ed Shafer, our beloved Director of blessed memory, who passed away earlier this year. On behalf of the entire Shafer family, Win and Cannie unveiled a newly-designed King’s Monument that now features a plaque in honor of Mr. Ed.

In addition to the campers and staff of each Camp, many alumni and friends of Susquehannock were present for the Fourth of July festivities in preparation for a special Memorial Service for Mr. Ed on Sunday, July 6th.

At the conclusion of the opening ceremonies, teams were announced and the traditional Field Days begun. The teams had been renamed in preparation for the day, using American ideals like “Equality,” “Democracy,” and “Pursuit of Happiness.” The Mixed age teams competed in a variety of games, including a Team Cheer, Tug of War, Water Balloon Toss and Sack Race.

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02 Jul Fun During Week 1

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The good weather and great times continued as each Camp started their respective programs after Opening Day. Ice-breaking activities and World Games dominated much of the first few days of the session and the USA World Cup match on Tuesday offered a nice break from the action.

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30 Jun First Session Opening Day

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For the 109th time in history, campers from around the world traveled to the lands surrounding Tripp Lake in the Endless Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. After a long off-season and many weeks of on-site preparation, the Opening Day of 2014 finally arrive! Staff members welcomed both Grizzled and new campers to the Susquehannock Camps. The anticipation for the next three weeks was only eclipsed by wonderful weather that made the facilities look even more incredible.

After many joyous reunions and first encounters, both Camps offered pick-up activities for those campers who had prepared their beds for the Session. After a delicious dinner, Co-Site Directors Win and Cannie Shafer officially kicked off the summer by greeting all during a meeting on the grass outside the Main Lodge in the Boys Camp. The S4B and S4G staff members then introduced themselves and explained details about the singular Susquehannock experience. The respective Camps separated for their own individual opening day festivities and the fun continued!

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22 Jun Work Week Wrap – Day 9

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As a public service, Tony Meyers is providing a daily recap of the on-going preparation of the Camp facilities during Work Week. 

Whew – what a Work Week!!  We greeted the arrival of the final group of alumni volunteers, including Nora Saunders, Rachel Zuckerman, Francie Shafer and Allie Handmen who will be helping over the weekend. We are preparing to paint the freshly-paved S4G Tennis Courts bye power washing. The athletic fields goals are have been appropriately placed and netted.
On the Hill, S4B also has goals out and prepared the various Tennis Courts. More weed-eating and some small mowing jobs still need to be done, but the campus is ready to go for First Session. With the beginning of  Training Week, I pass on the job list to Head of S4G Jay Pearcy and Head of S4B Andrew Hano.
Once again, I can’t thank enough our dedicated alumni volunteers and the staff members from S4B and S4G for their hard work and efforts this week. Without their help, we could not have gotten Camp ready without them.
Just think: one week from today campers will be arriving on this place…
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21 Jun Work Week Wrap – Day 8

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As a public service, Tony Meyers is providing a daily recap of the on-going preparation of the Camp facilities during Work Week. 
Opening Day is a week away and Camp is just about ready to go! Lifeguarding Training has concluded, the 12 passenger vans were picked up, the Waterfront has boats and only requires some lane lines. The group of counseling staff and alumni have been absolutely BRILLIANT – doing everything and anything to get Camp ready for the summer. I personally would like to thank the alumni volunteers for taking time off from their jobs to give back to Camp!
We are up to three full tables in the Dining Hal at meals and we await the arrival of additional Senior Staff members who will take the reigns for Training Week. With the manual labor completed, Training Week offers the respective staffs a chance to jell while learning the ins and outs of being a Susquehannock counselor.
Game Day is right around the corner and we are definitely prepared!

20 Jun Work Week Wrap – Day 7

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Our dedicated group of volunteers has been at it for a full week and the results are tremendous! There are still a few areas left to mow and weed-eat around campus, but the athletic fields are done so we will be able to put down benches on Friday. Kudos to former camper and staff member Beau Pettinos (and father of S4G counselor Ciara) for slaving away on a weed-eater all day. The Directors’ cottages were also given a thorough cleaning and are ready to go.

Significant "debra" on the road to the White House campsite

Significant “debra” spotted on the road to the White House campsite

The Lifeguarding training is almost completed and we will have eight new certified guards to assist at the Waterfront this summer. The nine 55 gallon drums of paint (almost 6,300 lbs.) were delivered for the newly-paved S4G Tennis courts –  that job will require a lot of people!

It has become a Work Week tradition that we enjoy a feast supplied by Dreamland BBQ in Alabama. On the menu: pork spareribs, fried okra, sweet potato biscuits, sweet potatoes and pecan pie. After a week of hard labor this is a well-deserved reward!

The More You Eat, The More You Get Paid

The More You Eat, The More You Get Paid

19 Jun Work Week Wrap – Day 6

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Whew!! The group got a lot done today and Camp is really starting to take shape. Fence posts holes for S4G tennis courts were completed; mowing occurred around S4B Tennis courts, Volleyball and Street Hockey courts were prepared; Volleyball, Gaga, Tetherball were weeded; Folly and Basketball courts done. The Waterfront is about 90% done – just needs lane lines and boats. There are still some leaves and other miscellaneous debris to collect. We will now transition to some beautification tasks like of weed-eating to be done around some buildings.

Our two new counselors from Great Britain are adjusting to Camp very well (ie. they haven’t gotten sunburned yet) and are among a group of counselors taking a lifeguarding course led by our very own Bethany Feinberg.

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Who knows what challenges will bring us tomorrow – dare we say that we’ll begin to prepare cabins?

18 Jun Work Week Wrap – Day 5

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Tuesday was another beautiful day that allowed for much more progress on the various projects around campus. The Waterfront is almost ready to go except for bringing out boats; the playing fields are getting mowed in preparation for lining; the periphery is getting weed-eated; grass is being removed from both beach Volleyball courts and inside fencing of the Tennis courts.
Speaking of the Tennis courts, We have started to dig two 3.5 foot fence posts by hand; a grueling job but alum Pete McNeely is leading the charge on this project.
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As the sun is setting or rising, I am always amazed to actually see how much progress we make to prepare Camp for another amazing summer and another generation of campers…
Visual inspection of the hole

Visual inspection of the hole