One benefit to being a premier summer camp, is you get to celebrate the premier summer holiday in style – Independence Day! At every Maine Camp Experience (MCE) camp, there will be a session offered that encompasses the 4th of July, and each year camps pull out all the stops to ensure it is a memorable celebration of America’s freedom and founding.
From Head to Toe – It’s Red, White, and Blue
At many MCE camps, campers will be encouraged to dress up in red, white, and blue. Of course, when you’re at camp dressing up isn’t something that’s taken lightly – campers and counselors alike dawn every patriotic article, accessory, and costume you could possibly dream of. Each summer, my MCE camp sees countless red, white, and blue shirts, shorts and beads to go along with the stars & stripes temporary tattoos and bandannas – and one counselor inevitably dawns a crazy costume (I’ve seen a bald eagle and George Washington in recent memory). The costuming adds to the spirit of fun and encourages that much more celebration when the fun arrives.
Celebrated American Traditions
If you do plan on wearing an Uncle Sam top hat, you may have to take it off during the day – at my MCE camp, before we have activities we hold a flag-raising ceremony where campers and counselors recite the pledge of allegiance and sing the Star Spangled Banner. This is a great way to make sure we honor the holiday, and one of my favorite parts of the day is sharing these unique American traditions with our many international counselors. Many camps will also have an old-fashioned cookout for either lunch or dinner, and the hot dogs and hamburgers taste delicious and provide another layer of familiarity to this wonderful holiday. Growing up, we also would cap off the day with another American specialty, sitting lakeside while we watched amazing fireworks shows, taking in beautiful pyrotechnic displays reflected on our crystal-clear lake.
Special Events to Mark the Day
In addition to overarching American traditions, many camps will have their own events that mark this special holiday. My camp and several surrounding camps participate in the “4 on the Fourth,” a 4-mile run through a nearby town – some counselors and our oldest campers will get to run in this event, which is always a favorite; and those of us who don’t run get a lazy day, which is also certainly a treat! Then, after the flag-raising ceremony, our most senior age groups play in our annual 4th of July Softball game. The day will also oftentimes include different special events like a wacky swim meet or a team scavenger hunt, and these different activities always make it one of the highlights of the summer.
When it comes to celebrating American Independence Day, there’s nothing quite like a fun-filled day of 4th of July activities at camp, and this is one of the holidays I look forward to most every year. When it comes to celebrating, there’s no place I’d rather be than Maine!
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Maine Camp Experience Resources & Tools
You can share your own Maine camps memories & expressions of gratitudeon our Memories of Camp section of our website.
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