Colonists Prevail Over Great Britain

     It started with a warning:  “The British are coming!” Then the beat of the drum, the arrival of the soldiers.  Soon, weapons were flying, boats were sinking, cities were ambushed, rockets were red glare and bombs were bursting in air.

     The 4th of July was celebrated at camp with the Revolutionary War.  198 campers and some 40 staff members were led into battle by George and Martha Washington and the King and Queen of England. “It was really competitive,” said MacCready senior Colleen Dunn.

     Of course, it was only a game.  But it has become a 4th of July tradition.  Camp is divided into two sides- the U.S.A. and the British- with the counselors serving as Generals, Admirals and judges. Eight cities are defended, although they can be captured with a sound plan and an aggressive approach. Within cities, raiders are captured by the traditional “caught-caught-caught” method, but the real fun occurs in neutral territory, where the weapon of choice is the FlourHawk, a sock filled with flour.

     “This was the first time I did the Rev. war,” said camper Carder Welles.  “It was real fun running around, throwing FlourHawks and ambushing cities!”   Claire Nelson touched on the instensity of the competition: “In the last round, the U.S.A. captured the British capital in the last three seconds.”

     There was a moment of controversy when chief official Ben Moss prematurely and erroneously called an end to the opening battle. “I thought the Americans held every city, which would have automacilly ended the game.” The mistake was rectified and the game continued, but it left a bitter taste in some. “I believe it was a plan to shift momentum in the favor of the British,” said Colonist Mike Gast. “I think he (Moss) was paid off in rich, fat, royal gold and took advantage of the impoverished Colonies.”

     None the less, the war, staged over three separate battles, was won by the Americans, insuring the history has not been altered.  At least until July 4, 2006.

     Fun was had, camaraderie developed and lessons were learned.  “I got to be jail keeper,” stated MacCready’s Rachel Schott. “I felt responsible.”  10 year-old Zach Fine (see Photo of the Day) concluded. “It was fun how you could run in and free others in the jail, and be a leader.”

See more REV. WAR PHOTOS here

ELSEWHERE IN and AROUND CAMP:  The holiday weekend culminated with an outdoor all-camp dance. To the audio stylings of D.J.’s Shai, Leann and Ben, campers and counselors danced, sang, socialized (right) and generally had fun while winding down from the busy day of battle.....

Inter-camp competition kicks off this afternoon as the boys and girls from Intermediate and Senior section square off against camp Lincoln in baseball. The schedule over the next few weeks also includes softball, soccer, basketball, ultimate frisbee, sailing and tennis, with other dates, and sports expected to be added...

And speaking of competition, the first equestrian event, the Gymkhana games, is set for this coming weekend. The riders are busy training (below) for this, the first of five shows on the summer schedule.

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