Camp News

We’ve reached the point in winter where the cold is no longer cute, the snow is no longer pretty, and the lack of vitamin D is making us go a little bit stir crazy.

Also known as February.

The good news is, there are actions we can take to stave off the bitterness of winter’s icy chill: We burrow under blankets, crank up the heat, and cuddle with our pets in the hopes of absorbing some of their radiant warmth. The better news is, we can summon warm thoughts and bask in their glow simply by closing our eyes and transporting ourselves back to camp. It may be difficult to remember “Beat the Heat” when you’re bundled up in a puffer jacket and your fingers are numb, but our memories can be roused from their hibernation in just a few simple steps. Let’s try it!

Step One: Throw on your favorite Owego hoodie and flannel pajama pants. After all, you have to look the part if you want to feel like you’re actually there. Once you’re in your camp gear, settle in for a feast for the senses.

Step Two: Close your eyes and listen. Really listen. You can hear Kyle’s voice at morning lineup, Freedo’s bicycle whooshing by as you walk to first period, screen doors slamming as the Unit Leaders conduct inspection in the Village, basketballs bouncing off the cement in the HBC, cheers and claps during a raucous lunch, and gleeful splashing during rec swim.

Step Three: Inhale and take a whiff of your surroundings. Can you smell the B’s and D’s cooking on the outdoor grill? The fresh cut grass on the Upper Field? Your bunkmate’s dirty socks? Sunscreen and chlorine at the pool? Camp is made up of many specific odors. Olfactory memory is the ability of scents to trigger vivid, emotional, and long-forgotten memories. There’s nothing more emotional than our memories of camp.

Step Four: Feel yourself at camp. Remember what it feels like to be carefree and homework-free? The sunshine warms your neck and back. The cool water of the lake gives you goose bumps. The sand of the beach volleyball pit mashes between your toes. Your best bud’s arm drapes loosely across your shoulders. The air just feels different. You are at your summer home.

If all else fails, you can curl up by the fireplace with a mug of hot cocoa and take solace in the fact that we will ACTUALLY be at camp in just 135 days. Put on your Frontier Week Spotify playlist and be patient. Seasons come and seasons go. Warmer days are ahead. The best is yet to come.

As the clock struck midnight on December 31st, the calendar flipped from 2025 to 2026. Stranger Things streamed its finale and the series ended. The holiday season drew to a close and winter officially took over. And, most notably, Owegans everywhere shifted from saying “Next Summer” to “This Summer.”

Congratulations, fellow campers! We have successfully entered our “THIS summer” phase. We know how daunting it can be to reach the end of an amazing summer and realize just how many days stand between you and your next Owego experience. That 300-plus number is super annoying, right? School starts, life goes on, the weather changes, and you think to yourself, “Next summer is going to be EPIC…when it finally arrives.”

Though the weather outside is currently frightful, you are now in the optimal position to think of camp in terms of words like “THIS,” “UPCOMING,” and “SOON.” You will arrive at 1687 Route 6 and enter through the gates THIS summer. You will attend line-up and eat B’s and D’s THIS summer. You will find out which Olympics team you’re on and which Tent is your Captain THIS summer. And your Frontier Week tribe will burn a rope with the most massive bonfire you’ve ever seen… You guessed it, THIS summer!

The anticipation of what’s to come is a huge part of the excitement surrounding camp. What bunk will you be in? Who will be your Unit Leaders? Will Scotty’s production of “Sponge Bob Square Pants” be even greater than the Broadway version? It can be difficult to wrap your mind around these questions at the start of the school year when you’re preoccupied with homework and extracurricular activities. Camp seems so far off. But with our feet firmly planted in 2026, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

THIS summer, we will paddle canoes and kayaks around the lake, play Magic in the picnic grove, sing Little Red Wagon at Friday night campfire, and swing through the trees on the Ropes course. THIS summer, some of us (this author included) will become Old Timers, while others will attend the ice cream bash for the first time. THIS summer, we will laugh and cheer together, and celebrate everything that makes Owego our home away from home.

So, with apologies to (and appreciation of) Mel Brooks, when will “Then” be “Now?”

SOON.

‘Tis the season for gift-giving, and thus the perfect opportunity to examine more closely the oft-used phrase: “The gift of camp.” We hear it from parents, alumni, key staff, and pretty much anyone who has ever been to summer camp. This phrase illustrates how we, as Owegans, are the beneficiaries of a priceless offering. Those who came before us and who possess the wisdom to understand the true value of camp, place this treasured keepsake in our hands and allow us to discover its magic on our own.

Camp is both a literal and metaphorical gift. As we grow and mature summer after summer, we come to understand what a privilege it is to attend Owego, whether for 3 weeks or the full seven. We are the lucky ones whose families send us to Greeley each June for a life-changing experience that many of our peers will never have. Aside from the obvious economic value of camp, there exists an abstract value on which we could never place a price tag. This is the metaphorical gift of camp. The one that lives deep within us and helps mold the kind of person we grow up to become.

Here are just some examples of the “gifts” we receive at camp:

1. The opportunity to disconnect from our electronic devices and connect face-to-face with both our friends as well as the natural world around us. At camp, we communicate with each other in ways that are personally fulfilling and fun!
2. The experience of living with our peers, which teaches us patience, responsibility, tolerance, and empathy. Anyone who has ever shared a bathroom with 13 other boys knows exactly how challenging it can be!
3. A feeling of belonging to an exclusive Brotherhood through songs and rituals, at a time in history when many of us have never felt more isolated and alone. At camp, we throw our arms around one another and become a collective force.
4. A safe space to try new things that we may be hesitant to try at home, for fear of judgement or mockery. At camp, we leave our images at the gate so that we can be whomever we want to be.
5. Connections with peers who are different from us, either culturally, religiously, ethnically, or geographically. The intense connections made at camp serve us well down the road as we encounter differences in the real world.

What’s unique about this list is that all of these “gifts” are experiential rather than material. You won’t find them under the Christmas tree or inside your Hanukkah stocking, but their value lasts long after the holiday wrapping paper is cleaned up off the floor. And they don’t require batteries!

Our holiday “wish lists” don’t typically include life lessons. Camp is the greatest gift because it benefits us in ways that are both obvious and also somewhat invisible. It is the gift that stays with us throughout our lives, and one that we never truly outgrow. This holiday season, when you are opening your presents, take a moment to reflect on how lucky you are to be a recipient of the greatest gift of all.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Having just celebrated International Camp T-shirt Day this past Tuesday, we march into the blustery second half of November dreaming of warm, daylight-soaked summer days. Memories of summer 2025 swirl around our heads like falling leaves as we patiently count down to the promise of what’s still to come in 2026.

Happy “225 days left ’til camp” to those who celebrate.

Although memories and warm thoughts serve us well in the darkest months of the year, we can’t forget about how camp continues to pervade our everyday lives even in the offseason. What may seem like a silly social media campaign to some is a collective call to the Owego Brotherhood, and a valuable way for us to connect with our “camp selves” no matter where we are geographically located. Camp T-shirt Day reminds us that we don’t have to look very far to be reminded of the magic of camp.

Attending college in Wisconsin? You can wear your camp shirt!

Going to grade school in New Jersey? You can wear your camp shirt!

Teaching in Missouri? You can wear your camp shirt!

Camp isn’t confined to the acreage behind the Owego gates on Route 6. It creeps out and follows us all over the world as we go about our daily lives. Camp in the wild is WILD! Have you ever bumped into your Frontier Week Chief at a bunkmate’s Bar Mitzvah? Hung out with a Unit Leader at a New Camper Event? Crossed paths with a counselor outside of camp and thought, “Wow, he’s just like me!” Believe it or not, it happens!

Walking through a parking lot, you might see an Owego magnet on the back of a car. Listening to Sirius XM on the way to school, you might hear “Cigarette Daydreams” or “The Roads.” Wearing your camp gear out in public, someone might stop you to say his cousin’s ex-girlfriend’s brother’s former roommate attended Owego in the 90’s. Believe it or not, it happens!

You are a part of an exclusive club, where members have the privilege of not just living “10 for 2,” but proudly displaying their profound connection to this special place 365 days of the year. We all exist outside the physical confines of 1687 Route 6. Although we return to camp each June and typically fall back into the familiar rhythms of summers past, we continue to carry the Owego torch throughout the school year.

Even on the darkest days when winter’s icy grip has us hunkering down and longing for a hot, sunny afternoon at the lake, we can open up Instagram and see the familiar faces in blue and white. We can schedule hang-outs with our bunkmates or arrange to ski Big Bear and swing by camp in the snow. You never know when you might have a serendipitous encounter with an Owegan in the wild.

In the meantime, wear your Owego shirts proudly and conjure up those camp vibes!

Summer 2025 drew to a close 2 months ago, and we currently find ourselves surrounded by the colors of fall and the familiar icons of Halloween. Pumpkins, skeletons, witches, and werewolves may dominate the decorations on our front lawns, but we can’t help thinking about our summer home where the costumes we wear may not be as flashy as the ones we’ll don on October 31st, but still serve as artifacts of a summer well-lived.

Owegans wear costumes every day at camp. While the Fourth of July and Owegoween are popular occasions for dressing up, and Scotty’s Shows always delight with the colorful and creative attire worn onstage, there are opportunities sewn into the fabric of our ordinary daily routines that allow us to step into another skin. From the moment we open our eyes until lights-out, we wear a multitude of costumes. Here are just a few of the ones in which you can find us during the summer months:

1. Morning line-up often calls for the “sleepyhead” costume: flannel pajama bottoms and hoodie sweatshirt pulled up over the inevitable bedhead. Some bright-eyed and bushy-tailed campers arrive at morning line-up fully dressed for the day, while others eat their Fruit Loops and French toast sticks in a state of semi-hibernation. No Crocs, of course, because every Owegan knows that you wear sneakers in the dining hall!
2. We cherish the time spent in the HBC or on the Upper Field in our “intercamp” costumes: LOC pinnie or official, shorts, and whatever accessories that game calls for: shinguards and cleats for soccer, cool LOC headband optional. There’s nothing quite like spectating at the basketball court or baseball diamond and seeing that wave of blue and white!
3. On lake days, we wear our “waterfront” costume: bathing suit, Crocs or slides, beach towels slung around our necks, life jackets fastened securely around our torsos. We stand at the top of the Wibit, embodying King of the Lake mentality as we survey the scene below. Some of us accessorize with oars or paddles, while others skip the water altogether and opt for a fishing rod and Wellies.
4. The “Olympics” costume becomes a staple of every Owegan’s wardrobe. During Olympics, we wear our camp-provided t-shirt in our team’s color. The design changes every few years, the colors vary from time to time (shoutout to pastel pink and heather gray!), but the same Olympic rainbow of Brotherhood spreads across camp for 3 days every summer.
5. On Friday nights, Owegans don their “campfire” costumes. Current Tents proudly display their long-awaited Tent shirts, while Key Staff and counselors from Tent years past wear their slightly-worn shirts with a mixture of nostalgia and bravado. We line up and march to the campsite in our mandated longs and longs, Crazy Creeks tucked securely under our arms.

This is just the beginning of an extensive list of costumes associated with our time at Owego. If you’re lucky, you may even catch a glimpse of a human banana or hot dog while walking through Pioneer Village. We wear these costumes with our heads held high, knowing that they are part of a much larger tradition. With a great costume comes great responsibility. You must embody the sprit of an Owegan, not simply look the part. When we pull an official over our heads for an out-of-camp trip, or trek through the woods in longs and longs while gathering sticks for Rope Burn, we manifest the essence of all the Owegans who came before us.

Happy Halloween!

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?

The worst thing about camp is that it ends.

The best thing about camp is that it never leaves you.

Early tomorrow morning, we will wake up, grab our backpacks and trash bags of “miscellaneous” items, and hop a bus or car or airplane home. June 28th seems like a distant memory, and yet the summer has passed by in a flash. Weren’t we just watching the staff talent show?

Many of us will start school soon. Some will head off to college for the first time, others will be attending a new school. By mid-September, we’ll be wearing hoodies and planning for Halloween. There will be a million things to distract us, but we’ll still think about camp.

When we hear someone say “6-7” we’ll think about camp. When we wear our Olympics or Polar Bears shirt, we’ll think about camp. When we eat Fruit Loops, we’ll think about camp. When we hear a particular song, we’ll stop what we’re doing and think about camp.

Some of us will be lucky enough to see our Owego Brothers over the course of the school year. The Bar Mitzvah circuit alone will ensure that our 7th graders maintain regular get-togethers! When you’re out in the real world, removed from the magic of camp, you long for the simple joys — playing Magic in the Grove during Rec Swim, making S’mores at the Friday night campfire, digging for worms by the lake. What you must remember is that these memories are accessible to you anytime, anyplace. When winter is pounding down with its icy chill, you can conjure up memories of being sweaty while running during Owego Raid or being sprayed with the hose during Beat the Heat.

Stay connected to your Owego Brothers in any way you can. Reminisce together via text (or whatever the kids are using these days). Laugh at your bunk’s inside jokes. Sing your Frontier Week song. READ THE BLOG! Follow the Owego Instagram. Wear your Owego shirts with pride. When people in the “real world” ask you about it, smile and know that you are a part of something extraordinary and special — and that other people would never really understand.

When you get home, please watch the First and Second Session videos on our YouTube channel, and relive all of the amazing moments from Summer 2025. When you’re missing camp, remember that Owego is as much a state of mind as it is a location off of Route 6 in Greeley. It will always be there for you.

This is the final blog post of Summer 2025. What was a daily narrative all summer long will now become a monthly ode to camp. And when you return to Owego in June 2026, the blog will be ready to report on all of the amazing things you’re going to do.

That’s all for now, folks.

On the second to last night of camp, we feast.

Well, it’s less of a feast and more of a regular camp dinner with lots of fanfare and awards. There is an atmosphere of silliness and fun, as we celebrate the summer that has passed and look forward to next summer. The Tents savor their final two days as campers, and use Banquet as an opportunity to shine. Simply put, they serve as our waiters, and they do one heck of a job!

There are 4 major examples of how this dinner is unlike any other dinner of the summer:

1. We are served appetizers! Everyone likes an hors d’oeuvre, and this year we had mozzarella sticks, pizza rolls, and mac and cheese bites. Fancy-shmancy!
2. As mentioned above, the Tents act as waiters! Each bunk was assigned its own Tent, to not only bring more appetizers, refill water pitchers, and pass out Chipwiches, but also to sit and eat with the bunk. It’s like inviting your waiter to dine with your family!
3. We take this opportunity to thank the people who help Owego run like a well-oiled machine. Kyle took the mic and thanked our health center staff and office staff (to thunderous applause). Then he introduced the most important people at camp: the food service staff! One by one, these outstanding gentlemen exited the kitchen and were met with deafening cheers and a heartfelt ovation. We all know how challenging it can be to feed a camp full of growing boys!
4. Entertainment is provided! Everyone looks forward to the presentation of the “Shellys,” tongue-in-cheek awards named after our former director (and Kyle’s Dad), Shelly Silver. The nominees in each category are announced, and the awards are given to campers and counselors based on inside jokes or stories from the summer. It’s all in good fun, and a real honor to win!

Speaking of Chipwiches…

While we enjoyed dessert, we journeyed back in time to relive the Tent years of our current staff. This year, we traveled all the way back to 2009 and started with Hi-Senior Head Counselor Jason Guss’ Tent chant. We proceeded through the years, until we reached the current Tents who performed their chant for the final time. Then it was time for the world premiere of next summer’s Tent chant. Our current 10th graders stood at the center of the dining hall and belted out the chant that we will be hearing every Friday night of Summer 2026! The torch has been passed.

After Banquet ended, the divisions headed back to bunks to throw on longs and longs and grab their chairs for campfires. Tonight’s campfires were the last of Summer 2025, and the chants and songs were recited with a little more spirit than usual. It was like everyone was trying to put it all out there and leave nothing behind. Why not give it all you’ve got, when you need it to sustain you for the next 10 months?

No need to be upset. Before you know it, we’ll be teaching new campers “Little Red Wagon” all over again.