Week six at MKN was full of daytrips, longer getaways and major thrills. Our eldest campers, Senecas, continued their trip to New England and Canada and our second-oldest campers, the Algonquins, wrapped up their tour of California. Our next oldest age groups all had overnight trips as well!
The Cherokees went to Maine for two nights, where they visited Old Orchard Beach, spent some time in Portland, FunTown SplashTown, and a Portland Seadogs game! The Cheyennes went to Boston for two nights, where they toured Fenway Park, did the Boston Duck Tour, went to the Museum of Science, ate at Quincy Market, and strolled Newberry Street. They also walked the Freedom Trail through Boston.
The Navajos hit Lake George, where they went White Water Rafting, did a “Minnie Ha-Ha” Steamboat cruise around the lake, played mini golf, and visited Great Escape Fun Park. They also visited Adirondack Adventure Center. And the Mohicans went to Cooperstown – spending a day at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the Cooperstown Bat Company Factory, then hitting the beautiful Howe Caverns and having fun at Zoom Flume (even in the rain!).
Our youngest campers – the TJCs – happily held down the fort with camp all to themselves. They enjoyed a day of “free choice” – able to do anything and everything they wanted around camp. And with no big guys around, they especially enjoyed never waiting in line for TrampBall! We also invited Camp Danbee over for a day social – they all swam in the pool, did slip n’ slide, played Gaga, beach volleyball, and more. They then enjoyed a bit of ice cream and some fun, spirited dancing in the Dining Hall. TJC also had a day trip of their own. They had an awesome adventure at FunHub Action Park – an indoor trampoline park with an arcade, bumper cars, and virtual reality games. Then they went to see “How To Train Your Dragon – Live Action”.
Towards the end of the week, all of the campers finally returned, and it was nice to have everyone back together again. We held our annual Lake Swim for SCOPE, an amazing organization that raises funds to send kids to camp from under-resourced communities. Upper Seniors participated in the popular “NCAA” day, where they play flag football all day long and into the night. And we had our Friday night huddle. This week’s theme was Shared Pride, which was an apt topic, as it was followed by a special “Brother-Brother” moment. The boys with siblings at camp got together to chat and make (and eat) S’mores.
The action-packed week ended with one of our biggest moments of the entire summer: the official break-out of the 2025 MKN Olympics! Evening activity began with a game of “The Price is Right,” but as soon as the game began, it was clear the whole thing was a ruse. Eight Senecas stormed out wearing costumes and masks, then ran away, and everyone knew Olympics was breaking out. Bunk by bunk, the campers were sent on a wild goose chase after the Senecas to the upper fields, which were filled with a large stage, laser lights, and fog machines. The campers were then instructed to find a bag with their specific names on it which contained full body jumpsuits and a mask.
The Seneca Decathletes, captains, and staff captains were then revealed, and they proceeded to pick their teams – albeit entirely anonymously, as every camper was masked! The teams were completed, and each team’s country was then revealed – we change the countries every year. After a long day and evening, the TJC and LSRs were sent to bed, while the USRs competed in the first Olympic events which included the Decathlete standing long jump, basketball free throws and 3v3 basketball.
Parents – keep an eye on MKNTotem.com, where you can find a full list of Olympic teams and updated scores! We’ll also give a daily wrap up on MKN Today.