A Band of Brothers: "Commando Day"

By Peter Grunawalt
July 23, 2016 (comments)

Campers returned to camp on the 19th of July, with most of our groups paddling right up to the docks. That of course creates a rowdy atmosphere, as kids really open up on their first round of trips. In fact, that’s the first thing we notice when they come back; they’re MUCH louder. Getting no more than a day to catch up from their wilderness adventures, several big events took place, which I will go on to explain in some detail. The first event occurred on what will probably be one of the hottest days of this summer, and thankfully,...

A Photo Worth 1,000 Words

By Peter Grunawalt
July 13, 2016 (comments)

Behind each and every photo you see at camp, there's a story, though they're not always so apparent. In fact, some of the most meaningful photos to our campers may simply look like, for example, two teenagers building a fire to boil water in a rusty coffee grounds can. Little do you know how powerful this image is to those who partook in the Voyageur Olympic games several days before this photo was taken. I'll explain. Every summer, once per session, we host what is called the Voyageur Olympics. I talk more at length about what exactly goes into the...

CVNN: "Voyageur Radio is Always Live"

By Peter Grunawalt
August 27, 2015 (comments)

About once every session, regional talent scouts pay Camp Voyageur a visit. Why, you may ask? Well, throughout the years, word has gotten out that we put on a radio show, featuring talents perfect for radio entertainment like miming, martial arts, and juggling. In fact, these radio shows have become so popular that we've begun attracting quite the characters, such as celebrity news hosts Donny Frontback and Clint Matthews. As these hosts put it, "we have a valuable partnership with Camp Voyageur where we use their audience to further our own careers with no regard for the actual content of...

Going Out with a Bang

By Peter Grunawalt
August 10, 2015 (comments)

There's no easy way to end the last session of the season. By now, even the new staff are veterans of the program, and everyone is hitting their stride. And it seems just as we hit this stride, poof! Camp is over. With one last hurrah, we pack the last few days of camp full of activities, including a mini-Olympics, a talent show known as the "Gong Show" (where no talent is enough talent), and an initiation ceremony based on the historic rendezvous of the French Voyageurs. The mini-Olympics began with a series of sports, including archery, pickle ball, sailing,...

The CV Olympics

By Peter Grunawalt
August 07, 2015 (comments)

Once a summer, athletes from around the world are summoned to the Camp Voyageur peninsula to face off in a series of sports and camp-related activities. A torch is lit, the Star Spangled Banner is played on trumpets, and campers salute the flag. Let the games begin! Two team captains are selected by the Olympic commissioners from Cabin 9 - the eldest cabin on the peninsula. They’re tasked with forming and organizing their own teams to run a medley of events over the next two days, ending with the obstacle course. It’s a surprisingly difficult task and a lot of...

CV Stock: Music & Festivities For All

By Peter Grunawalt
July 14, 2015 (comments)

There's a lot of tradition at camp when it comes to the evening programs. We run a camp-wide game of Clue, host a radio show called WELK, and even a bean auction. And just when you think we've done it all, someone comes up with a new idea. This year, counselors Evan Pydych and Ethan Wegrecki headed up the event, pulling infamous bands such as the Staff Infection, Sam and I, and Mikey Hendrix to the stage. True to the nature of the original Woodstock, CV Stock was a chill (dare I say groovy) event for campers. They had the...

Free-Jazz and Free-Swim

By Peter Grunawalt
July 01, 2015 (comments)

A great fire is lit in the Mess Hall fireplace. Tables are being set by the K-crew and setters. The floor is swept in preparation for something big... Jazz. Every morning, several counselors head down to the hill to prepare a jazz song just for breakfast. See for yourself!