Let Freedom Ring

Glenn Breazeale | Jul. 04, 2015

Happy 4th of July from Alpine!  Campers and staff donned festive red, white and blue this morning for breakfast, greeted by a decked out Dining Hall, festively decorated by Carter and crew.  We sang the National Anthem and celebrated America.

This morning a light rain persisted as we began our first classes of 2nd Term.  Overnight we received a large amount of rainfall and the river was running quite high.  All activities began as scheduled with the exception of our river activities.  We made the cautious decision to hold until the river subsided a bit.  The rain stopped mid morning, sun peeked through, and by afternoon the river was down a good deal.

One thing I love about camp is the routine.  Boys that might have been missing home a bit yesterday do so well once they get into the swing of things.  We operate on a bell system.  A large bell is perched atop the rail of the front porch of the Dining Hall.  From the first bell at 7:15 calling us to Morning Watch (opening devotional) to the last bell of the day calling us to Night Program, we all live by the bells.  It’s how we know when classes begin and end.  You get into a rhythm with your friends and there’s not much to think about or worry about.

At 10:20 the bell rings to end First period.  Everyone knows to head to the dining hall for a mid morning snack.  Usually it’s apples, bananas, peanut butter crackers (in a separate bin) and Alpine Smart Water (tap water in a cooler!).  This morning, in honor of our country (and because why not) we cut cold, fresh watermelons as well.

Tonight our Night programs all held a 4th of July theme, of sorts.  Hunters (rising 3rd and 4th grades) played “1980 Miracle on Ice” Floor Hockey.  Trappers (rising 5th graders) reenacted George Washington’s stealth crossing of the Delaware in a sneaky game of Spotlight, thankfully a bit less cold and treacherous than December of 1776.  Scouts (rising 6th graders) attempted to once again “Raise the flag at Iwo Jima” in a heated Mohawk v. Cherokee game of Capture the Flag.  In a celebration of American ingenuity, the Warriors (rising 7th graders) played an Alpine favorite, Extreme 4 square.  Braves (rising 8th graders) are also celebrating George Washington with a rousing game of Spotlight, thankfully minus the Hessians.  The Chiefs (and this one might be a stretch!) are playing Alpine’s version of Cricket.  Roderick wryly told us that we were the only former English colony that is probably not better than England in Cricket.  So tonight the Chiefs are doing their 4th of July duty and honing their Cricket skills!

Happy 4th from Mentone!!!

Thanks for reading and good night for now,

Glenn

Glenn Breazeale
Glenn Breazeale

Like his own father, Glenn grew up as a camper at Alpine for six summers, coming from Jackson, MS each summer. He has served on staff at Alpine since 1997, working full time as Assistant Director from 2003 to 2005 and Director since 2006. Prior to that he gained experience serving in various capacities including cabin counselor, Head Counselor, Head of Project Adventure (Ropes course), Horseback instructor, and Program Director. Glenn’s love of camping and his desire to preserve the traditions of Alpine drew him back to camp to offer young boys the same opportunities he experienced. He met and fell in love with Carter during a Square Dance with Camp DeSoto.