As is tradition on Friday nights, we gathered at the Council Ring for our first Friday Night Service of the summer. Every Friday the whole camp gathers for a value oriented campfire program, and the first one each summer is called "The Friendship Fire."
We hold friendship as one of the most important values at camp, and it is no mistake that we talk about it first.
At the Friendship Fire we talked about the history of camp and Leb told the story of how Lou and Renee Rosenblum came to found North Star on a resort that was called "U Need A Camp" in 1945. The importance of those camp friendships has carried through since then, and we take great pride in the way that members of the North Star community treat one another.
Part of the Friendship Fire is appreciating the diversity of our camp community. A representative from each city goes up and throws in a "keylog" to represent the bond of friendship between their city and North Star. Before all is said and done, there are over 100 cities represented by our campers and staff, and it is very neat to hear them all spoken.
Tonight Jason Versteeg, one of our counselors, told a great story about his first friend that he met at camp and the special relationship that was born from sharing a tent during their first summer. Jason did a wonderful job explaining how a real friend is always there in times of need, and how a real friend loves you for being yourself, no matter who you are.
The Camper and Counselor Chorus played a few great songs, we shared a few poems and readings, and with Jason's help, we began to realize just how lucky we are to be surrounded by our great North Star friends!
