But I can see us lost in the memory
August slipped away into a moment in time
–Taylor Swift
As the sun sets on August 1st, we are feeling a sense of excitement for what is still to come over the next 12 days. But that excitement is a little bittersweet. Once August hits, the light begins to change. Sunset hovers closer to 8:00 pm. Evening activity loses none of its energy, but some of its light. Even the shadows cast by the trees begin to morph into elongated shapes, signaling that the bulk of the summer is behind us and the season will be changing sooner than we’d like to think.
We choose to focus less on the fact that there are just 12 days remaining before the 10-month countdown begins again, and more on the big events taking place during those 12 days. Today, for example, we hosted another Play Day for prospective campers, and we will host another one next weekend. On Monday, we will celebrate our second session Old-Timers, and sometime this coming week we will light a giant bonfire and dive into the maelstrom of Frontier Week! There is still so much to get pumped for, and yet the awareness of the approaching ending still lingers in the air.
August has a singular vibe for us Owegans. It is a time for us to demonstrate our uniqueness by going out into the woods and creating something extraordinary. Frontier Week allows us to gather as six distinct Tribes, clear our campsites, build our shelters, plan our meals, and write our songs. Many Owegans look forward to this point in the summer all year long. It is what sets us apart from other camps and what makes us a Brotherhood. On the final night of Frontier Week, we will assemble as one camp to share songs about our time at Owego. Each Tribe will sing about the significance of this place, these people, and the struggle to let it go. Needless to say, it is a weepy occasion.
Over the next 12 days, we will celebrate what it means to be an Owegan, while simultaneously acknowledging that even the best summers must eventually come to an end. We will share triumphs and disappointments, laughter and tears, awards and distinctions. And when the time comes to say farewell on August 13th, we will smile with the knowledge that we may not see each other for a while but we will always have our memories of Summer 2026 to keep us connected.
Hello, August!
