As we move closer to the official start of Autumn, and the 2026 season grows smaller in our rearview mirrors, we find ourselves longing to hold on to the memories of another amazing summer at Owego. We comb through the CampMinder photos, scour the Instagram feed, voraciously read the Blog, and watch the Owego YouTube videos on repeat. How fortunate we are, that we have so many resources available at our disposal through which we can relive all of the moments that made Summer 2026 so epic! Back in the 90’s, when I was a camper at Pine Forest, we were lucky if we came home at the end of the summer with a roll of film to develop (look it up, kids). Out of necessity, we had to find other ways to hold on to our memories of camp.

Enter the boombox. We arrived home, pulled out a fresh Memorex, labeled it “Summer of ’91,” and proceeded to assemble the perfect mixtape. Long before iTunes playlists, Spotify, or YouTube music, there was the meticulously-curated, manually-assembled cassette mixtape. In one tape deck, we placed the cassette on which the desired song was located. In the other tape deck (yes, most boomboxes had two), we dropped in the aforementioned Memorex blank cassette. Once we fast-forwarded and rewinded precisely enough to queue up the song, we had to put our fine-motor skills to the test. With one index finger on “Play” and the opposite index and middle fingers hovering over “Record” and “Play,” we aimed for a simultaneous motion that would ensure we wouldn’t miss even a second of the opening chords.

My 90’s mixtapes from PFC were filled with songs by Van Morrison, Bob Marley, Erasure, the B-52’s, Cat Stevens, James Taylor, and A Tribe Called Quest. Every time I listened to these “camp songs” during the off-season, I was instantly transported back to Greeley. The songs connected me to the memories, which connected me to my camp friends. In the same way certain smells can trigger memories in the brain, the songs on my camp mixtapes conjured up feelings that were exclusive to my summer experience. The mixtapes made me feel like I was a part of a secret club, where I was one of a select few who knew my bunk’s alternate lyrics to “Love Shack.”

While I sincerely doubt that any of our current Owegans have ever held a cassette tape in their hands, I encourage each and every one of you (past and present) to curate your own Owego playlist to keep you connected with camp over the next 10 months. Need help getting started? Here are just a few songs that inarguably should be included on any list associated with music at Owego:

Cigarette Daydreams by Cage the Elephant: Start with something upbeat that everyone knows and is fun to sing along with.

Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise by The Avett Brothers: Probably the best Frontier Week song of the past 10 years, written by Max Berman in 2019.

Ghosts That We Knew by Mumford & Sons: Another fantastic tear-jerker of a Frontier Week song, performed by winning tribe Ekota in 2025.

Baba O’Riley by The Who: While you’re riding the Frontier Week wave, be sure to include this break-out classic. The opening chords will instantly transport you to the Upper Field.

Kansas City by The New Basement Tapes: There’s nothing like belting out, “And I love you dear…” while throwing back your head and summoning the catharsis of song competition.

Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve: Reminisce about following your Chief to the Final Flame ceremony. Dry your tears and feel the heat of the raging bonfire.

Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus: The quintessential 4th of July breakfast song, this will have you thinking about patriotic decor, Krispy Kreme donuts, and whipped cream.

Walk On by U2: An Olympics standard, this song reminds us of the Closing Ceremony on the Lower Field and the rainbow of Olympic shirts encircling the flame.

Wonderwall by Oasis: Another ceremonial Olympics song, you’ll be thinking about the country flags unfurling from the front of the Silverdome.

Best Song Ever by One Direction: Just a fun, catchy tune that will make you feel GOOD after all of the melancholic reminiscing.

Want to keep going? Here are some other Owego essentials:

People Need a Melody by The Head and the Heart

Young Forever by High Valley

Coastline by Hollow Coves

The Roads by Jonah Kagen

Head Held High by Kodaline

Salt and the Sea by The Lumineers

Silhouettes by Colony House

Shotgun by George Ezra

Now you have the Ultimate Owego Mixtape…er, Playlist. If any of your favorites have been overlooked, please feel free to drop them in the comments below. The songs mentioned above are in no way a comprehensive list! That’s the beauty of camp — songs accumulate over the years, just like memories do. You can never have too many!

And rest assured, when we gather once again in June 2027, we’ll be ready to add new favorites to the playlist. Maybe, someday, YOU’LL write an Olympic or Frontier Week song that will become part of the Owego lore. Regardless of how campers are listening to music in 30 years, the significance of the songs will never change. They are enshrined in our hearts, forever.