Having departed Owego exactly one month ago today, with Summer 2025 in our rearview mirrors, we now find ourselves halfway through September and about to celebrate the Jewish New Year. Quicker than you can say “Ro-cham-beau!” we’ll be wearing Halloween costumes and carving turkey with our extended families.
As much as we say we’d like time to slow down, however, we know that every passing month brings us closer to Summer 2026…and CAMP!
In this first offseason blog post, let’s not wish away the next 9 months (yes, as of today we are living 9 for 2). Instead, let’s take a look back at the 7 weeks we spent together as Owegans. Let’s take a long look in that rearview mirror and reflect on what we accomplished, how we grew, and why the power kept going out.
Many of us came to camp for the first time this summer, while others became Old Timers and even first-time counselors. We all experienced the Owego Brotherhood in a multitude of ways — chanting in the Dining Hall on Friday nights, walking arm-in-arm to Olympics Closing Ceremony, shouting Little Red Wagon at campfires, collecting sticks for Rope Burn, crying while singing “Kansas City” as we waited for the Frontier Week judges to tally the final scores. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Brotherhood could be found in the quieter moments, as well. When we were playing Magic on the Senior Gathering Deck, laying in our hammocks next to our bunkmates, and playing ping-pong or Kan Jam in the Village during Rest Hour, we felt connected. It is that feeling of connection that makes camp, and Owego in particular, so special. Those moments, in that place, with those people, are what we will carry forward with us as we march through the school year.
Summer 2025 saw the return of many beloved staff members, as well as visits from some Owego legends. There was very little rain, except during Olympics when everything flooded and the power went out for 8 hours. We beat the heat a few times with buckets and hoses and pool parties. We had a few bears try to enroll as campers. Scotty’s Shows wowed the audience, the Senior/Hi-Senior trips went off without a hitch, and Rope Burn was one of the fastest (and hottest) on record. Close your eyes and remember. You can feel the heat, can’t you?
Now that the laundry is finished and the camp trunks safely stored away, we can focus on making the effort to stay in touch and get together when possible. Even when we can’t see each other face-to-face, we can text or chat, listen to our camp playlists, and look at the photos of what will surely be remembered as an epic summer.
Only 285 more days until Summer 2026. But who’s counting?
