Day One
Today, after two years of quiet cabins, an empty Mess Hall, and a vacant waterfront, ninety-six boys filled the Red Arrow Quad with bright smiles, warm hugs, and tears of joy! We’re happy to once again have a Mess Hall bustling with laughs, and the delicious sloppy joes have served as a nice introduction to how our meals will be conducted at camp – family style, with each camper sitting with their fellow cabinmates and two cabin counselors.
Following our first meal together, the boys had the opportunity to try out a few optional activities where they could get to know their fellow campers and counselors. Spread throughout camp, campers young and old started the summer off with energetic games of ultimate frisbee, tennis, and basketball. Many returning campers used this moment to catch up with old friends from two summers ago.
When the bell rang to end Optionals, the boys rushed to their cabins to prepare for their first dip in the beautiful Trout Lake. With robes donned and soap in hand, they made their way down to the lake to rinse off after a long day of travel and unpacking. The boys will spend the night dozing off to the calls of the loons and “Taps” echoing through the trees.
Red Arrow Resilience
Red Arrow was unable to operate last summer due to the pandemic that swept the country. Although having a summer without camp was difficult for many of our campers, alumni, and staff, it wasn’t the first time Camp has had to weather a storm from the outside world. Back in the 1940s, while most of our staff were off fighting on the frontlines of World War II, Red Arrow adapted by looking for strength in the few women that joined as counselors for those summers. Even some of our camp directors were unable to escape their duties of serving our country during that time.
Our staff from years past has always had a frontline experience with world events, including past Olympic Games, World War II, and The Vietnam War. Several staff members working at camp this summer were EMTs on the frontlines of the pandemic, and we’re proud of the sacrifice our staff makes both in and out of camp to make the world a better place for our campers’ future. Throughout the past one-hundred years, we’ve been committed to instilling qualities in our campers and staff that will continue to positively impact the world around us. Our mission has and never will waiver.
This Summer
Our campers will have a summer filled with one-of-a-kind outdoor activities and sports. They will have a summer filled with friendship, challenge, and adventure. Their days will be filled with song—the melody of laughing and playing, the lyrics at Songfests, the thunderous applause when a camper earns an emblem—and the natural music of the Northwoods will sing along as the wind sifts through the treeline and as grasshoppers hum in the pasture.
They will have a summer filled with achievements like riding a horse for the first time or shooting a bullseye in riflery. They might reach the top of the climbing wall, or drop a ski, or even make a clock in the shop that will hang in their college dorm and remind them of the memories and joy at Red Arrow. We are thrilled to have such a wonderful group of boys this summer and we look forward to sharing all of their adventures with you.
Let the summer begin!