North Star Camp for Boys







Wednesday, July 29, 2020

It's The Big Ten


It might be...it could be...it is! Last night, we celebrated Ross Krantz, Oliver Borstein, Noah Byck, and Jared Marcus with their Big Ten ceremony. This is for members of the North Star community who are here for their tenth summer! All four of these boys started as campers in the J-Village, and are now incredible counselors.

Right in the middle of Open Mic Monday, one of our white vans drove up with staff dressed in funny costumes to give the big reveal. The first time the van drove around, the staff popped out blowing whistles and running between tables. They unscrolled a poster that said “It might be...it could be...it is...Open Mic Monday!” and ran back into the van after fooling us all. They waited around five minutes to play yet another prank, and it wasn’t until the third time they drove around and hopped out of the car that they revealed that last night was the Big Ten. Each of the four boys were called to sit in chairs next to each other on the J3 porch, and some of their closest camp friends told funny stories about trips or nights off from past summers. While marble cake was passed out to everyone at camp, we watched pre-recorded messages from family and friends of the four boys who couldn’t physically be here to celebrate with us.

Today was a big day at camp. The J-Village went to Cornucopia Beach on Lake Superior for a fun day of swimming and beach games. They had lunch and cooked out dinner before heading back to camp for the evening. I3 and I6 headed out for their 3-day hiking trips, while the rest of the I-Village stayed back for a relaxing Cruiser Day, and the S-Village had their first day of College Days. This is a 3-day program where the oldest boys at camp play competitive games against one another. This year, the four college teams are The University of Puerto Rico Tarzans, The Colorado State University-Pueblo Thunderwolves, The College of Staten Island Dolphins, and The Knox College Prairie Fire. Scores are extremely close between teams at the moment...we will have to see who is in the lead by tomorrow night!

Lately on Cruiser Days, cabins have asked to take a pontoon boat to Butternut Island, just a short ride from camp property, to do their evening cookouts. Tonight, I2 had their turn! No matter the location, all campers made pita pizzas over the fire for dinner - these are always a huge hit. We can’t believe there is only one more Cruiser Day of the summer, but we will continue to make the most of every precious moment up here. The boys know that the peace of mind at camp and the beautiful nature we live in are not to be taken for granted. We’re looking forward to what tomorrow will bring!