2nd Term Celebrations
What a final week we’ve had! Tuesday night a new tradition was born as we celebrated our own version of the Opening Ceremonies. You see, Wednesday would be Mountain Day, including our long held Olympics competition. One of our long standing staff members and creative program guru, Merrick McCool, dreamed and directed an unforgettable opening ceremonies in the gym.
As a part of our Olympiad all of the Chiefs compete in a relay that takes them all throughout camp, racing in various venues from running, cycling, and canoeing, to basketball and football to archery and lanyard making and even reading comprehension! At our opening ceremony each Chief paraded in to introductions and announcing what activity they would compete in. In the end, the Cherokee Chiefs edged out the Mohawks by only a few minutes in a relay that took over 75 minutes.
On Tuesday night we also received a visit from Alley Alpine, inspiring all the boys who would compete the next day. Alley is a well known friend around here who took us through his day at camp preparing for the Olympics as Merrick narrated. You might be familiar with him by another name in Young Life or other type skits where one person serves as the face while another is the hands (using the magic of sheets). Alley woke up and brushed his teeth and shaved. He ate his Wheaties, rode a bike, and played Slaughterball. Alley made a huge mess and at the end of his day I presented him with a gold medal. All the boys laughed and cheered him on!
Wednesday’s Mountain Day is a well known and loved tradition, eagerly anticipated all term. As you’ve probably noticed from the photos there’s no costume too big or small for breakfast on Mountain Day. Alabama’s (famed country band from nearby Ft Payne) Song of the South blared on the speakers as aliens and cowboys and all manner of creatures strolled into the dining hall. Dancing and singing intermixed with blueberry and chocolate chip pancake eating had us all in a great mood!
After breakfast Roderick Russ, our program director, led us in an all camp devotional. Then it was back to cabins to don those red and blue tribe jerseys.
Our Team Sports staff brought us a full morning of Olympic competition, tribe vs. tribe. Field events are the order of the Olympics competition. Each tribe marches (runs!) in to Olympic music. After singing the National anthem and the lighting of the Alpine torch we commence playing. Lively music provides for some fun and dancing when it’s not your turn to compete. Competition was fierce and friendly and each tribe took their fair share of relays.
Lunch could not have come sooner. Mrs. Gail’s Mountain Day special: BBQ chicken awaited us. Served with green beans, mashed potatoes, salad, and strawberry shortcake, we feasted. She cooked the BBQ chicken all night, low and slow, in our brand new camp ovens. It falls off the bone.
In the afternoon Roderick organized a beloved camp game for the older boys. Alabama Gold Rush. A combination of capture the flag and an Easter egg hunt, played over most of camp. Red and blue orbs were hidden throughout each side. The team with the most found orbs, successfully carried across the border to their safe zone, wins.
Our Hunters enjoyed some pool activities on a hot Mountain Day afternoon. Thomas Gallagher led our Trappers in a competitive pinewood derby like race on a huge wooden track. Thomas and counselors have been working with the boys to design and decorate their cars over the term during block periods and night programs. Thomas cut the cars to each boy’s desired specs and the boys decked them out. The Scout age group bussed up to our golf driving range, whose gentle slope provided the perfect spot for an afternoon on slip and slides!
The best part of the whole day (and maybe the term) came at sundown, the Alpine County Fair!
Currency at the fair is dried pinto beans and specifically colored tickets for various dessert treats. Loaded with an envelope full of beans and tickets, boys are turned loose in the gym and field to play fair type games to their heart’s content. Cakewalks, Climb the Mountain, and the Sponge Toss were just a few. We even have a couple new games this summer: Alpine Lanes bowling and Alpine National putting. Of course the longest lines are always reserved for the fair food. Salted pretzels with mustard had a pretty long line. My personal favorite, Mayfield ice cream, was probably the second most popular booth. I managed to have a scoop of strawberry cheesecake and one of cookies and cream. There were probably 6 or 7 flavors to choose from. Definitely the most popular booth was the Froggy Freeze sno-cone stand serving classics like Tiger’s blood and blue raspberry.
Thursday night brought our Council Ring ceremonies, a tradition since 1959 where we honor our 2nd year chiefs. This year some light rain forced us inside the gym for our ceremony, still lit be tiki torches and a few strategically located lanterns. Some of our counselors, the Mountain Men, bring us skits about the history of Alpine, equal parts informative and hilarious. I get the pleasure of introducing our 2nd year chiefs and telling how many summers they’ve camped with us. I thanked them for their time and contributions to Alpine. There are life long friendships in this group.
There’s a relatively new tradition that evening, an idea from a head counselor a few years ago, that has become one of my favorites in all of camp. Each 2nd year chief is given a specific character trait, thoughtfully decided by their cabin counselors. The boys don’t know it until that night when I recognize them by name and announce their hometown, years at Alpine, and their given trait.
Boys appreciate this so much. Our friend David Thomas, author and counselor, talks about how much teenage boys need validation and purpose in their life. This small token of being recognized publicly by their college aged counselors gives so much validation. Boys were beaming and discussing their various given traits afterward.
The fun continued yesterday evening. Boys who chose to do so boarded buses to Desoto for a chance to perform some of our favorite Glee Club songs for the ladies. Our guys brought the house down with favorites like Say It’s French Toast and Love Story. And we sang our new favorite, written this summer by two counselors, Missing Alpine ( to the tune of the Killers’ Mr. Brightside). The ladies loved it! But the most applause and cheering was a tie between our oldest and youngest campers’ performances. The Hunters sang a modified Alpine version of Alan Jackson’s Little Bitty. And our 2nd year Chiefs wrote, practiced and performed a version of a Tyler Childers song with Alpine lyrics about how sad it is to leave Alpine. Afterwards the boys had a chance to visit with the ladies for a few minutes before boarding the buses back to camp. Some were able to get photos with sisters or cousins at Desoto.
Today is our final full day of activities, though we’ll have special activities and cabin times over the next few days. This afternoon before showers Roderick will host our annual 2nd Term tradition, the Bubba Cox Alpine fun run/walk. Bubba was a beloved counselor from the 70’s who stayed connected to Alpine over the years. He was a wonderfully kind and humble Christian man who had an outsized impact on so many, especially through his faithfulness through a years long battle with cancer. In his memory we host this event to raise money for cancer research. Each boy who participates agrees to donate $1 from their Store account and Alpine matches each participant dollar for dollar. It’s a fun and rewarding way to end our summer of activities.
Tonight most of the boys will participate in one of the final night programs of the summer with their age group. Everyone will play a game of Slaughterball and then get to do some other activity like Capture the flag or spotlight with their friends. And I’ll be firing up my grill in a few hours, prepping to host the 2nd year Chiefs for a steak dinner at our home at camp. Carter is a fantastic host (and the reason why camp is so hospitable and fun!). We’ll cook close to 50 ribeyes and every bite will be eaten! But mostly we’ll get to listen to stories and share fellowship with these special guys.
We have many other “last things” planned for the next couple days. We do ask for no visitors on Sunday or Monday so that we can soak it all in before Closing Day on Tuesday. If you are a 2nd Term parent you should have received an email yesterday with Closing Day plans for Tuesday morning. As a reminder the gates will be open from 7:30-10:30AM CDT for pickup. Thank you again for filling Alpine with wonderful boys this term of camp, Glenn
