First Term 2018 Begins
Today we welcomed 267 campers for our First full term for 2018, a tradition dating back to 1959. That summer Mr. O (founder and director emeritus) hosted camp with about 50 campers and a handful of staff. 60 years later the Lord has significantly blessed Mr. O and Alice’s labors. As Carter (Dick and Alice’s daughter) and I welcomed campers this morning after you drove out, I asked for a show of hands for various groups. Several campers represent a third generation of camping at Alpine! Quite a few are following in dad or uncle’s footsteps. And even more drove in the gates of camp for the first time today. We all gave them a big round of applause!
And we reminded them that whether you’ve been here 8 summers or this is your very first year, we are all fast friends here at Alpine. There are no strangers here, only new friends. We also took the chance to introduce boys to some of the Alpine leadership. We’ll hope to do the same for you throughout the term, giving you some profiles of the amazing staff we have. Carter and I emphasized the importance at Alpine of telling someone if you are having an issue or if someone says or does something you are not comfortable with. This is a safe place where we can all enjoy being ourselves.
My name is Glenn Breazeale, by the way. Carter and I have been directors since 2006. We are so grateful to have your boys camping with us this term. And we hope to bring you a small glimpse into their day with these blogs. Perhaps it will give you something to write about in that next letter. And hopefully have a more full understanding of why we believe so much in what Alpine means in boys’ lives. Our mission statement is that boys will “grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man” (paraphrased from Luke 2:52). This context forms everything we do.
One thing I love about camp, when we find something that works we stick with it. One of those things is opening day lunch. Chicken and dumplings, with corn off the cob, green peas, chopped lettuce salad, and homemade silver dollar biscuits have been on the menu for as long as I’ve been here (so at least 1987). I love it, as do most boys at camp.
This afternoon we took care of some necessary pit stops. Health checks (meet with the nurses and doctor and get screened for lice and fever), Alpine gear order (sizes checked and names added by the store ladies), and swim checks (required by the American Camp Association) to name a few. Boys signed up for activities. I’ll look forward to reporting more about those as we get going.
Carter and I posted up at the store all afternoon, helping pass out the camp gear. We like this spot because it allows us to see every camper pass by throughout the afternoon. It’s fun to say hello to old friends and meet so many new, excited campers.
The little boys just crack me up. Crazy Horse is a cabin of all new campers having just finished 2nd grade. They run everywhere at full sprint. They barrelled across the dining hall lawn to the Lodge for their health checks (not the most exciting). They came sprinting from the pool to the store, out of breath, huge smiles on their faces. Everything’s new and an adventure. To be young!
Tonight boys are playing. We find it’s best to get boys active as soon as possible!! They are playing games of Capture the flag, extreme 4 square, gladiator ball, ultimate kickball, and other camp favorites.
Tomorrow we’ll start right in with the first five activities they signed up for this afternoon. First Term is off and running. Thanks for reading and good night for now, Glenn
