Another beautiful and wonderful week at Mah-Kee-Nac as the kids rounded out week two. They’ve settled into their bunks and their activities, and are really enjoying life at their home away from home.
We had quite a few tournaments this week over a variety of ages and sports. This week’s tournaments included baseball, soccer, basketball, hockey, tennis, and football. Our basketball and soccer teams had particularly spectacular showings. When the U12 soccer team came back from their big tournament with an impressive second place standing, the whole camp chanted and cheered for them in the dining hall.
We held our first Lake Swim of the summer, which was both a physical challenge and a moment of social awareness. The swim is nearly 3/4 of a mile across our lake, known as “The Stockbridge Bowl”. And MKN was swimming for a great cause. This summer, we partnered with SCOPE (Summer Camp Opportunities Promote Education), whose mission is to provide children from financially disadvantaged families with access to not-for-profit overnight camps. For every camper that participates in one of the two lake swims this summer, even if they’re cheering on the shore, MKN will donate to SCOPE. We love that the campers see the importance of giving back, even in the midst of their fun summer! If parents would like to donate as well, they can do so here.
The Fourth of July was full of activities, excitement, challenges, and celebration. We began the day with our annual Tough Mudder. Which truly is tough. The boys make their way through 45 stations in a mud-filled landscape with lots of running in between. Obstacles like fence crawl, log climb, and a giant tire flip and drag, challenge their physical abilities as well as their team-building and communication skills. The entire course is 3.5 miles, and when each bunk finished, they were extremely proud of themselves (albeit extremely exhausted). They got to celebrate their victory with an afternoon carnival filled with games, treats, bounce houses, and singing and dancing. That evening, those who were still awake were treated to a beautiful fireworks show by nearby Tanglewood. Watching fireworks from their porches was a lovely way to close out the day.
Later in the week, we had a super cool visit from the “Cul De Sac & Camps Tour.” Led by singer/songwriter Brett Koolic & Ben Kriegers, the group spent the day at camp running songwriting workshops and making vinyl record spin art. That evening, the musicians put on a concert and the campers were treated to live music and covers of some of their favorite songs!
We also had our first trip day on Wednesday. TJC got to attend a Pittsfield Suns Baseball Game. The Suns are a summer collegiate baseball team. Our campers got to meet many of the players and get autographs. As far as the kids were concerned, they were major leaguers! LSR went to the awesome Brownstone Adventure Sports Park where they swam through water obstacles, zoomed down a zip line, embarked on a rock climb and more. The Cherokees went to Catamount Aerial Park. This park is on a ski mountain, and in the summer it transforms into a climbing and ziplining adventure through the trees. It’s really cool! The Algonquins went to a Red Sox game, which was full of excitement. And the Senecas left for a five-day trip to Utah where they’ll have the adventure of a lifetime. The trip features Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park.
The week ended with our traditional Friday night Huddle. This week’s theme was friendship – which was pretty easy for the campers to relate to, being as they now have a group of friends for life!
Parents – don’t forget – our MKNTotem.com has a daily newsletter (MKN Today), pictures, video and more. Be sure to create an account and read all about the daily happenings at camp!
