We got a much-needed break today from the heat and it felt great. It was breezy and crisp up here. The rain came for a bit and cooled us off even more. The fog rolled in off the mountains and it was breathtaking. It was a fabulous day outside and we took advantage of every second. Breathing in the crisp mountain air, there is nothing like it.

Our campers were all looking forward to their trips this afternoon. Excitement was in the air with each division anticipating great times ahead.

The Freshmen, Juniors and Middies had a ball at their bowling party. They had the place to themselves and loved it. They ate, played arcade games, hung out with their friends and bowled. What could be better than that? An absolutely awesome night!

The Inters and Collegiates enjoyed a night out at the movies. There were so many great summer blockbusters to choose from, it was hard to make a choice. They snacked on popcorn and watched a flick of their choice surrounded by friends. A great summer night at the movie theater.

It was off to Hershey for the Senior overnight trip. They were all so excited as they boarded the bus, looking forward to a great night at the hotel and a full day at the park tomorrow. They know that when they wake up to the sweet smell of chocolate, they’ve arrived at Hershey Park. What an absolutely fabulous day they have ahead of them!!

The Supers, GC’s, CIT’ and Waits stayed back at camp as they prepare for their Big 3 Day Trip. They head to Boston first thing in the morning and cannot wait to get there. They have an exciting schedule full of great Boston highlights to see and some fun and places to go.

As tradition at CAW strikes again, the CIT’s and Waits spent the evening doing their Road Rally. Teams were made and the giant camp wide scavenger hunt began. This event officially kicks off the Big Trip!!! After the Rally, it was into the Dining Hall for an ice cream party. A sweet end to a great night for our oldest campers.

Everyone is back at camp safely and sleeping soundly. Just another successful day in this place we call our summer home!! How can this end in just 3 weeks?

Chenny out

What a great day we all had here today. Campers and staff were in a great mood and there was fun energy around camp. We live in our own little world up here and as we are four weeks in, it feels like there is nothing beyond our gates. It’s strange to think that just a month ago many of us just met each other for the first time and now we are connected forever.

These friendships we develop are powerful beyond imagination. They provide support in times of need. They inspire us to do things we may have never thought possible and they fill our hearts with a connection that lasts forever. The friends we make here are the reasons why we keep coming back.

There were great games being played today and our athletes were playing hard. Here are today’s scores:

Middy Boys Basketball Going to the FINALS!! – CAW 35 vs. Chestnut Lake 14

Inter Girls Softball – CAW 16 vs. Westmont 12

Collegiate Girls Basketball – CAW 22 vs. Nesher 5

Senior Boys Tennis – CAW 0 vs. Towanda 5

Senior/Super Boys Softball – CAW 7 vs. Westmont 5

GC/CIT& Wait Girls Basketball – CAW 28 vs. Nesher 17

GC/Waiter Boys Hockey – CAW 1 vs. Tyler Hill 7

The buzz around camp today was all about Girls Sing. This is a long-standing Chen-A-Wanda tradition and girl’s camp was busy today making sure they were ready. Each division performed a dance and a song. They made fantastic costumes and rehearsed and rehearsed all in hopes to get the votes from the judges who would hold their fate to get the win tonight. There is one winner from lower camp and one from upper. The show was amazingly entertaining and this could have been the best Girls Sing in CAW history. The costumes, the songs, the spirit and the pride were insane tonight.

They all were so creative and entertained the entire camp tonight. We loved the show! Our Girls Rocked the Rec Hall!!!

Fresh Princesses of Bellaire

Junior Mints

Midnight in Paris

Inters Get a Clue

Collegiates in Camelot

Seniors Stone Age

Supersized

GC’s go to Pandora

CIT/Waits Enter the Wild

The decision was hard but tonight’s lower camp winner went to our Middies with their awesome dance and song, as it was Midnight in Paris. Way to go girls!! They could take this show on the road. Simply Magnifique!!!

Upper camp went to our Collegiates who took us on a journey to Camelot. There were Jesters, Ladies in Waiting, Queens, Kings and Knights. Their song stole the show. With so much meaning behind every verse, the judges gave them the well- deserved win tonight!!

Girls Sing is all about the bonds we make here and the way we open our hearts to each other. The words they sing reflect the importance each one of them has on one other. It is a night to celebrate the bonds we make and the genuineness of our friendships. A night to remember as Girls Sing 2011 was Outstanding!!!

Chenny out

The heat lifted a bit and we were back in action, loving our activities. Girls Sing is just around the corner so all of girls camp has been rehearsing for the big night. Each division is bringing it in a big way. The pride of winning Girls Sing runs deep and each division has what it takes. You can feel the spirit and excitement as you see pockets of girls practicing their routines all throughout camp. We can’t wait to see the show tomorrow night. Girls camp is rockin’ right now.

It was a busy day for our athletes. Here are today’s scores:

Freshman/Junior Boys Basketball – CAW 25 vs. Wayne 23 (CAW advances to finals!!! Way to go boys!!)

Freshman/Junior Girls Soccer – CAW 0 vs. Starlight 7

Inter Boys Tennis – CAW 0 vs. Starlight 5

Senior Girls Soccer – CAW 0 vs. Blue Ridge 7

Super Boys Soccer – CAW 1 vs. Starlight 0

GC/CIT Girls Volleyball Tourney @ Wayne – We lost is 2^nd round.

Aaarrrggghhh….It was a swash buckling night tonight at our Pirate Social. The campers put their eye patches and pirate hats on and danced the night away. The Rec Hall was rockin’ and the campers had a blast tonight. Another fantastic night here at camp, we’re living a summer dream and lovin’ every minute of it!!!

Chenny out.

It was back to regular activities today. No matter the temperature, we were ready to play. Water bottles were full and everyone was well hydrated. As we are approaching the end of week four, it seems like we’ve been here forever and we just want time to slow down. The days are packed with amazing adventures and memorable experiences that will stay with us forever.

The fields and courts were full of athletic action. We won some…we lost some… but we had great time playing our games today.

Freshmen/Junior Boys Soccer – CAW 1 vs. Lavi 0

Middie Boys Basketball – CAW 19 vs. Tioga 20

Inter Boys Basketball – CAW 22 vs. Tioga 24

Collegiate Boys Soccer – CAW Wins – Marasha forfeit

Senior Boys Soccer – CAW 4 vs. Wayne 3

Super Boys  Baseball – CAW 4 vs. Starlight 9

GC/Waiter Boys Basketball – CAW 60 vs. Island Lake 35

GC/CIT Girls Tennis – CAW 2 vs. Westmont 4

As the sun went down and a cool breeze ran through our camp, we all gathered in the Rec Hall for some crazy funny comedy by John Piza. You could hear roars of laughter, as campers loved tonight’s show. It was the perfect way to end the night. There is nothing quite like watching a Rec Hall full of campers and counselors belly laugh so hard it hurts. Pure joy.

Where in this crazy world can you play a soccer game, learn some new cords on the guitar, then take a banana boat ride with your friends, fly on the trapeze, climb a rock wall, practice your dance for Girls Sing then watch a comedy show? All in just one day. That happens here … Everyday!!!

How grateful we all are to have days like these.

Chenny out.

The heat was on high today but that didn’t stop the fun. It was a full day of water activities and we were wet and cool and loved every second of the amazing day we had.

Every camper put on their swimsuit this morning and rotated between all of our water activities. The Aqua Park was full of happy campers. It was a blob fest as camper after camper were getting blobbed and loving it. The higher they flew, the better! Our pool was another ideal place to be. Everyone loved splashing around the pool with their friends today.

The Zone was packed with campers getting soaked with water balloons and super soakers! As water balloons were being launched and everyone was getting soaked, the fun was on overload at The Zone.

After the Zone, they rotated to “Douse Your Counselor.” Counselors were in chairs and a team of campers filled up buckets of water and doused them. The counselors would ring their shirts back into the buckets and it was a race to the finish. It was so much fun for the campers and counselors. A great and fun way to stay wet and cool.

The highlight of today was definitely our 100 foot slip and slide. The slide was downhill on the driving range and it was AWESOME!!! Some flew down on their bellies, some scooted down on their tushies, others took an inner tube ride but no matter how they did it, they had time of their lives. Pure exhilaration, fearlessness and joy were felt today at the slide. There is something quite spectacular about slipping and sliding 100 feet down a giant hill.

Today could go down as one of this summers’ best days!! We beat the heat and had the BEST day. It was all smiles at Chen-A-Wanda as we stayed cool in the heat wave. This is how we make lemonade out of lemons!!!

Chenny out.

This is one of our most favorites days here at Chen-A-Wanda. It was a brunch morning and we had a lazy start to our day, which felt great.  After brunch it was free play. The campers loved playing all throughout camp but the excitement was definitely about the giant carnival on our lower field. Campers just couldn’t wait to slide down the giant water slides, ride the bungee bull and have a sno cone and cotton candy.

It was time to play and boy did we. The lower field was transformed into a real carnival full of games, prizes, dunk tanks and even a marriage booth. It was a relaxing day with something different to do here. The atmosphere was fantastic and everyone was just having the best time today hanging out at our very own carnival. What could be better than that? Not much.

Our athletes were busy playing and having fun. Here’s the scores from today:

Collegiate Girls Basketball – CAW 22 vs. Poyntelle 21Collegiate Girls Soccer – CAW 6 vs. Tioga 0

Super Girls Tennis – CAW 1 vs. Westmont 4

GC’s/CIT Boys Soccer – CAW 9 vs. Morasha 0

After having a blast all day at the carnival, we spent our evening in the Rec Hall doing the Wild and Wacky Show! We did crazy races, got pied in the face and some suffered the ultimate… the booger blaster!!! The cheers, giggles and laughter coming from the Rec Hall tonight was contagious.

The fun just doesn’t stop here and we love every minute of it. After a full day serious cotton candy eating, water sliding, giant jousting and gyroscoping… we are exhausted!!!

Chenny out.

It was trip day and all the campers were psyched to venture out of camp. It’s quite a sight to see everyone in their gold trip shirts boarding the buses, full of excitement and wonder as they look forward to what the day will bring.

The Freshman, Juniors and Middies spent the day the State park and had the greatest day. They swam in the lake, built giant sand castles, tossed the football around, had a game of Frisbee and just chilled out in the sun. It was such a relaxing and chilled out day. The day ended with a BBQ at the park. The food was amazing and the campers just sat around with their friends, eating and chatting and just being with one another.

A great day with special friends made today just awesome.

The Inters, Collegiates, Seniors and Supers spent their day at Camel Beach. It was in the water all day. Everyone loved being in wave pool, chilling out in the lazy river, swooshing around the toilet bowl and zipping down the giant water slides. It was a hot day so there was no better place to be than a water park. It was a Chenny takeover at Camel Beach. Felt like we had the entire park to ourselves. A sea of Chenny Gold T’s everywhere. Love it!

The GC’s had their pick of the day. As a group they chose where to go today and they all agreed it was a mall, movie and out to dinner kind of day. As our graduating campers, they loved the freedom to shop watch and eat!!! They had a great time together today.

Like any trip we all take, there is such great excitement to leave then we have an amazing time when we are there but oh how we love coming back home. We are back home safe and sound and all are asleep. Life is Good!!!

Chenny out!.

We had a very chilled out day today. There is an easy feeling as you walk through camp. From the lake to the Wiffle Ball Stadium, everyone is just enjoying being here. It truly is the most amazing place to spend your summers at.  There was a drum jam session today at the campfire and everyone was just letting loose and making their own music. This is what happens here, creativity at its best.

Boy’s camp was busy with games today. Here are the scores from today:

Inter Boys Basketball – CAW 29 vs, Tioga 8

Senior Boys Soccer  – CAW 6 vs. Poyntelle 0

Super Boys Basketball – CAW 52 vs. Tioga 46

GC/Waiter Volleyball tourney at Island Lake – CAW came in 3^rd place. The boys showed great team spirit and sportsmanship. Proud of you boys!!!

What a special treat for our Freshman and Juniors tonight, as they loved having a twilight pool party. It was a perfect night for night swim and they loved every minute of it.  They were doing cannon balls off the diving board, playing water volleyball and just hanging out with each other. Couldn’t possibly have more fun than this!!

The middies had their own private movie party.  They grabbed their canteen and headed into the Chen-A-Plex to watch How to Eat Fried Worms. As the movie started, you couldn’t hear a peep. They were mesmerized and had the greatest night.

Inters, Collegiates, Seniors, Supers and GC’s rolled into the Rec Hall and played a series of beyond fun BINGO!!! There is something quite special being sprawled out on the floor with your friends playing a giant BINGO game. Even something as simple as Bingo becomes one of the most fun activities because we do it together.

These memories we make here will be with us forever. No matter if it was swimming at night, watching a great flick or just playing bingo…even the simple things are just plain magical!!!!!

Chenny out.

With all the excitement from Visiting Day, tired set in so we had scheduled a late sleep in. Everyone was so appreciative of getting some extra zzzzz’s.  The weather was perfect again today and when activities started the campers got right back into their schedules. Everyone enjoyed seeing their families yesterday but it was back to business at Chen-A-Wanda today.

Our Chenny athletes suited up and were ready to play. Here are the scores from today’s games.

Junior Girls Soccer – CAW 5 vs Lohikan 1

Inter Boys Softball – CAW 4 vs. Lavi 3

Inter Boys Basketball – CAW 16 vs. Starlight 37

Inter Girls Tennis – CAW 1 vs  Starlight 4

GC/CIT Girls Lacrosse – CAW 9 vs Wayne for Girls 20

We were all outside tonight watching our GC’s vs CIT’s in the annual Powder Puff Game. The girls looked fierce with determination to win tonight. The campers were cheering on the players and got to watch some great football. There were long passes, fakes, spikes and touchdowns!!! Lots of action on the field and the campers were into the fun competition. There could only be one winner and tonight the GC’s brought home the win!!  Great game girls!! And the boy cheerleaders were fantastic as well.

It amazes us how much we pack into a day here. The fun never stops and as the sun rises, we know that we have a full day of amazing activities to enjoy. Being here is just joyful.

Chenny out

What we all experienced today was magical.  With the weather being unbelievably ideal, the day was perfect. It was our plan to show you what an amazing time we have been having here so far and from the looks of it, you got it. You experienced a glimpse of what happens here at Chen-A-Wanda.

Watching you embrace your children and holding them so tight was awe-inspiring. You just can’t prepare for the emotions that happen on visiting day. Today belonged to you and your family and we hope you had an amazing day. We sure did. Hopefully you saw your kids happy and loving their experience here.

After you all left today, it was organized free play to get us back in the swing of things. It didn’t take too long to get back into full camp mode. We all headed into the Rec Hall tonight to watch the hilarious Hypnotist show. Our campers loved watching their counselors up on stage getting hypnotized. They were belly dancing, walking the runway like supermodels and barking like dogs. It was the perfect evening activity for a night like tonight.  The laughs were heard all throughout camp.

We have had three amazing weeks and cannot wait for the next four. It just gets better and better. We are living a dream up here and are so glad you had a day to experience what our summer home feels like everyday. Thank you all for a day we will never forget.

Chenny Out