Posts Tagged ‘camp events’

How Summer Camp is as Magical as Disney!

Monday, September 5th, 2016

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They say Disney is the most magical place on Earth, but ask any kid who has spent the summer at Camp Starlight, and they’ll beg to differ. They’ll tell you of a place that feels magical, that sparks their imagination, a place they can’t wait to get to and a place they never want to leave. They will tell you about a place where you can spend the entire day going, playing and doing and STILL not do and see everything there is to see. They’ll tell you that camp is a lot like Disney, but better.

 

There is something about making the journey to Disney that adds to the magic and excitement of the experience. Even if the drive is long or the flight is exhausting, there is something about the journey that adds to the excitement.  The same goes for camp. The build up, the anticipation, the letters in the mail, the newsletters and all of the things that lead up to the initial trip to camp help build the excitement before they even step foot on the grounds.

 

Camp is made for kids, much like Disney. It is made with growing imaginations in mind. Camp Starlight takes everything that kids love and roll it into one jam-packed summer. And, like Disney, every kid can find something they love at camp. Camp caters to athletes, thespians, crafters, animal lovers, thrill seekers, writers, outdoor enthusiasts, artists, nature lovers and everything in between, just like Disney caters to pirates, princesses, evil villains, talking mice and ducks that dance. Whatever campers are into, camp has something for them.

 

It goes without saying that a day at Disney is a day filled with fun, but for most families, it is just a day. Some lucky families can spend a few days exploring Disney, but usually no more than a week. The great thing about camp is that is lasts for the summer, and kids have plenty of opportunities to try everything, and then re-try the things they love the most. Camp is a summer of fun and adventure, giving campers plenty of time to bond with new friends, and allowing them to enjoy everything camp has to offer without feeling rushed.

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End of Summer

Monday, August 5th, 2013

It’s hard to believe another summer has nearly come and gone at Camp Starlight, but here we are.  In just a few weeks, the camp season of 2013 will be a memory and school buses will once again be a regular sight around many neighborhoods.  There is always a feeling around camp at the end of the summer that someone pushed a fast-forward button.  Right about now, campers and staff begin reflecting on where the time has gone.  But something happens in that reflection; they remember EVERYTHING they did over the summer.

Moments at camp happen so fast.  The days are packed full of adventure.  Whencampers and staff begin to inventory their summer memories, they’re often in awe of the amount of things they achieved in such a short period of time.  In retrospect, the summer seems endless.  There were the big adventures; trips, all camp events, campfires, shows, performances, leagues, Olympics.  There were the daily activities; swimming, playing sports, arts and crafts,circus, eco science, theater, nature, fishing, etc.  Those are the activities that seem to make the summer go on forever.  Then there were the moments and events that stick out as really special; being with friends, creating that special craft project, riding a zipline for the first time, hitting a bullseye in archery, making a foul shot in basketball, getting up on waterskis.  Those are the memories that freeze time.  They’re the ones that make the summer of 2013, “Summer 2013” in hearts and memories.  Those are the moments behind teary goodbyes, repeated camp stories, and the countdown for next year.  Memories are a great dessert after a filling summer, and like every great dessert, everyone wants more.

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Stack the Caps

Friday, March 22nd, 2013

Summer is now just around the corner, and we know all of you are getting excited that so soon we will all be together again at Camp Starlight. Part of what the people who return year after year to Starlight love so much is that being a Starlighter is being a part of a community.  You become a small part of something big and wonderful that we all love. A really great way to give back to not only the Starlight community, but in your hometowns and school systems, is by supporting a non for profit organization dear to the Camp Starlight family’s heart, Stack the Caps for Kids with Cancer.

Stack the Caps began in 2008 at Camp Starlight in Starlight, Pennsylvania. The event was inspired by a wonderful camper and a true role model for adolescent girls, Brielle Namer, who died from a very rare form of cancer. In her memory, Camp Starlight’s Owners and Directors have organized an annual drive to provide new baseball caps to children with cancer. Over 400 feet of caps have been stacked by Camp Starlight in the five years since the inception of Stack the Caps. Memorial Sloane Kettering and Children’s Hospital Boston are two hospitals to receive donations. Our goal is to stack over one mile of caps. Many of you have participated in the Stack the Caps events held at camp each summer, but did you know you can do even more for the cause by hosting a Stack the Caps event at home?

Hosting a Stack the Caps event is a fun, unique, and rewarding way to bring together any community you are a part of. You could hold an event at your school, temple, or with any other sports teams or organizations you participate in. It is a great way to satisfy community service hour requirements you may have for school or, as many of you have already done, a wonderful cause to use for your bar/bat mitzvah projects. To get more information on how you can help support Stack the Caps for Kids with Cancer, visit the website www.stackthecaps.com or simply email info@stackthecaps.com to get started on hosting your event!

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Are You Ready for the 10th Anniversary of the SWF?

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011

Starlighters, in 2011 we will be embarking on a very important milestone in history.  This summer will be the 10th anniversary of the Starlight Wrestling Federation, an event unrivaled and looked forward to every year! We know the 10th annual SWF match will entertain with laughs and new champions from a fresh line-up of contenders, but looking back, what have been the best moments? Was it the shock of seeing our favorite bus driver, Kathy, step into the ring and body slam Tracy? We all remember the days of Team Canada being led in by Megan and backed up by the daunting strength of Hugh, a veritable legend in SWF history. Perhaps your favorite moment was when the Tambourine Trashers of Lower Camp put out the flames of the Upper Camp Fire Department. For me, it was when the entire Starlight branch of the Boczkowski family strutted their way to the ring to lead Kyle to victory! Whatever the moment, the Starlight Wrestling Federation match has wrangled its way into our hearts.  We can all look back and laugh and smile as we remember our counselors and key staff braving the pit of apple sauce, watermelon, creamed corn, Jello, or whatever else we had cooked up for the event. Who can guess what sort of shenanigans and characters we may see under the bright lights before us as we gather together this summer for the 10th time to cheer on the winner of the highly sought after gold belt?

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1,3,5,6 We Want Olympics!

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

Over several decades, across many miles, and in the heart of campers of all ages lies the excitement of arguably the most anticipated event of the summer. When will it happen? Who will be our leadership? What team will I be on? These questions echo in the minds of campers and counselors alike throughout the school year, and they only grow more intense as the summer progresses. So what is this hallowed event that has everyone’s attention? And what is it about this event that has everyone so excited?

Well, at Camp Starlight we call this thrilling week of spirit and competition Olympics! Our campers and staff pass many a spare moment over the year thinking about what the team names will be, who will be the officers and captains, and what the theme for Sing will be. Once the summer kicks off, and the weeks begin to pass, whispers about when it will break can be heard around camp.

But as anyone who has spent a summer at Starlight will tell you, Olympics is an exhilarating week of athletic, strategic, and academic competition. Whether your strength is playing on the soccer field, catching cheese balls on your shaving cream laden head, or having the fastest buzzer pressing thumb in Wayne County, your team will be depending on your contribution! From the second Olympics breaks to the moment your feet hit the lake after the final scores are announced, the electrifying spirit of the Blue and the White can be felt in the air. At Starlight, there is no doubt that we truly do justice to the time honored tradition shared by summer camps around the country and passed down over many years.

So the next time you catch yourself daydreaming of smearing on your face paint or spraying your hair in your team’s shade, know that there is another Starlighter somewhere sharing in your excitement and anticipation. So until we’re back together facing off on the fields, dodging gigs in our seats, and handing off the baton, make sure to keep “B-L-U-E, we got the spirit!” and “We are the white team! Couldn’t be prouder!” fresh in your thoughts!

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Pining for a Good Ol’ Starlight Cookout

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

Let’s be honest… who does not find themselves on a random Wednesday evening pining for a good ol’ Camp Starlight cookout? Is there any better way to enjoy a nice, juicy burger or hot dog with a side of delicious knishes and a fresh slice of watermelon? Top it off with your favorite soda, lemonade, or refreshing iced tea and what more could you ask for? You find yourself drifting off to an evening of great Pennsylvania summer weather, shooting the breeze with your camp friends on the plush lawn of the golf course hill. It’s a fond memory for some and a daydream of cookouts to come for many of us.

During the summer, we enjoy those S days with a late reveille and fun filled days spending time together with our divisions. Once the bugle call resounds through camp, you know the meal we all look forward to from week to week has finally come! You make your way across camp with a little more pep in your step than usual. When you are greeted with the smiles and expert spatula skills of Scotty B. and his crew of male division leaders, you can almost taste the delicious meal. You line up and tap your foot or maybe sing along to the latest tunes Jason has pumping through the speakers, then take your spot across from the Upper Seniors, who are no doubt having a blast piling food on plates with a smile and a joke for everyone.

Once you have your plate’s fill of whatever combination meets your fancy, you direct your attention to the spread of campers and counselors relaxing on the grass. Making your way through the groups, big and small, of Starlighters congregating together while they enjoy their dinner, you finally find your spot of perfect grass with your friends. And the rest is history! Cookouts on the hill are always an evening of laughter, music, and quality hang out time with your friends, camp family, and staff. It has become a very special time of the week for everyone to get together and talk about the wonderful memories and adventures they’ve experienced as well as the adventures still to come. So the next time you find yourself lost in the memory or anticipation of a Camp Starlight cookout, close your eyes.  We just bet you’ll be greeted with the gorgeous panorama of the mountains and the mouth watering aroma of a burger flipped by Scott and company, prepared just for you!

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Polar Bears Take The Plunge!

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

What’s better than a dip in the Camp Starlight Lake? An early morning dip, or so the more than 200 campers and counselors who showed up for the first meeting of the Polar Bear Club at reveille on Monday, June 28th will tell you. Started last year by Camp Starlight’s very own Owner/Director, David Miller, and open to staff and campers alike, the Polar Bear Club has one requirement – and one requirement only – for membership: Everyday at reveille, make your way to the lake, jump into the water, and get out. For some it’s a test of wills. For others, it’s a refreshing wake up routine. For everyone who chooses to join, it’s just plain fun. So what’s the reward for fifty-two consecutive days of early morning dips? One awesome end of the summer party and a very special surprise gift to commemorate membership in the club (last year it was a Polar Bear Club embroidered beanie). Everybody in the water!

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Got Caps?

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

Stack The CapsOver 26 feet of caps have been stacked by Camp Starlight in the two years since the inception of Stack the Caps. Now, Stack the Caps events are being held all over the country and we no longer measure a mile in feet but in caps. Thanks to events this year in Florida, New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey, we’re rising rapidly toward our goal. Even Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Tim Tebow, and Lindsay Vonn got in on the action this winter by signing caps! But we need your help to make the annual event at camp this summer the best ever by breaking all previous stacking records. We think it would be fun to see caps that represent the diversity of our Camp Starlight family. So we’re asking everyone to bring a cap—or several–that represents you in some way. Hats bearing logos of colleges or high schools, favorite amusement parks or vacation destinations, home countries or cities, music artists or bands, etc. are a great way to give your Stack the Caps donation added meaning by sharing something that’s special to you with someone else. You can also make your donation a one of a kind by designing your own cap to stack. Just bring a plain white hat to decorate as part of the new Paint the Caps for Kids with Cancer event, which will be led by our CA’s. Remember, you’re not limited to just one cap. Bring as many as you want. We encourage you to get creative. Have a neighborhood drive or ask your friends and family to donate hats as well. The more hats we gather, the higher the stack gets!

Don’t forget, all donated caps must be new and unworn. For even more information on Stack the Caps events or to host your own, please visit us as www.stackthecaps.com or send an email to info@stackthecaps.com.

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