Willsboro, NY Monday, June 28, 2004

SUMMER 2004 KICKS OFF Campers arrive from the corners of the earth for the 100th Summer! WILLSBORO, NY -- For the Pok-O-MacCready Family, Saturday started like most others in the last few weeks: counselors rose at 7:00 for Polar Bear Dip, breakfast, and camp tidying; campers, newly freed from the bonds of academia, slept late and watched cartoons or MTV until a family outing in the afternoon. The camp bus leaves from 46th and Madison. Sunday, however, was an early morning for the entire Pok-O-MacCready Family.  Campers and counselors woke as early as 4:45 AM in order to get the first day of Pok-O-MacCready’s 100th camp season off to an early start.  By 7:00, approximately 30 campers were already on their way to Willsboro from the Roosevelt Hotel in midtown Manhattan. By 8:23, the Manhattan bus had met and left with the other half of the camp bus duo from Sym’s parking lot in Elmsford.  Spirits remained high all around and goodbyes were difficult in some cases, but in many cases were quick and easy -- at least for the campers. The ride was swift and interrupted save a scheduled stop at the New Baltimore Service Area south of Albany.  Even the occupants of A swift departure from a long ride. the younger bus managed to avoid swinging from the rafters for most of the long ride to the Adirondacks. Once at camp, campers sprang off the buses onto the MacCready fields, learned their sections, and the summer got swiftly underway. Since then, campers have been occupied by beginning-of-summer logistical procedures, such as swim testing, activity fairs, and nurse check-in.  Rest assured, Section Heads have thrown plenty of fun in with the mundane.  The Intermediate Boys had their inaugural game of Sockey at the Pok-O-Plex, and this evening the girls will have their first section Swim testing at the docks Monday. activities of the summer. Camper adjustment has been extremely good.  Each camper, as always, has received personal attention from counselors and administrators, and the results have been overwhelmingly positive. The 100th summer of Pok-O-MacCready Camps is just warming up, and as the days and weeks pass, Pok-O-MacCready Spirit will grow.  An army of campers and counselors hopes to be able to share the excitement with people all over the world through these news pages.  Please contact Chris Durlacher if you have suggestions or comments.

OTHER PICTURES FROM SUNDAY AND MONDAY Lacrosse instructors during the activity fair. Boys’ Hot Dog and Chili lunch on Monday. Old Friends. The back of the handsome Pok-O-MacCready 100th season staff shirt.