Our bags are packed and we’re ready to go.

With apologies to Peter, Paul, and Mary, it’s closing time at Owego and today marks the official end of the 2024 season. We blinked, and the summer sprinted by us. School supplies are back on the shelves, the leaves are showing hints of color, and the evening light has dimmed. Though the calendar tells us that we have another 6 weeks of summer remaining, every Owegan knows that the last day of camp closes the chapter on summer for the next 316 days or so.

The buses and cars pulled out of camp early this morning, leaving behind empty cabins, full trash cans, and a handful of staff tasked with “winterizing” camp. Nature will begin to reclaim this space, as the leaves change and then fall to the ground, the chipmunks and squirrels look elsewhere for food, the lake freezes, and Winter holds Owego in its icy grasp.

Through the next three seasons, the physical structures of camp will stay put in Greeley. But the heart of camp will have spread to all corners of the world.

Favorite counselors will return to Africa, Europe, and South America. Bunkmates will start school in California and Florida. Friends in the tri-state area, though accessible by car, will seem far away once the busy day-to-day routine of sports, activities, and homework takes hold. The one thing that will keep us all connected is our fond memories of Summer 2024.

You might remember this summer as the first experience you had at sleepaway camp. You might think about a particular canoe trip or bunk excursion. You might remember the excitement of being named Captain of an Olympic team. However you remember this summer, you can find comfort in knowing that your fellow Owegans share the same memories and past experiences. The stories and chants and inside jokes are only a phone call away. When you burst into “Little Red Wagon” randomly and your home friends just don’t get it, you can text your camp friends and share a laugh.

Owego is only a call away.

With that, this blog is signing off for the summer. It will re-emerge throughout the school year from time to time, reminding its readers of the awesomeness to come in 2025. For now, hold on to your memories, play your Frontier Week songs, and cry if you need to. Saying goodbye is hard.

Your Owego Brothers will always be a part of you.

So, goodbye. For now.