Top 5 Favorite Evening Activities August 1, 2016When your girls return home from camp, you probably hear them raving about the evening programs they play after dinner. We want to fill you in on a few of our favorites!! 1. Stalk The Lantern Once a session, on the darkest night of camp, campers dress from head-to-toe in all black. They are assigned to different locations throughout camp. You are either stationed at archery, the tennis courts, the ski shed, or the bath house. The counselors are then arranged in a target formation, centered at the middle of the field. The aim of the game is to get to the lantern, which is stationed in the center of the target. The goal is to reach the center without getting shined on with a flashlight by one of the members in the middle. If you touch the center, you get 100 points for your team. Each ring outside of the center becomes smaller and smaller points; 50 points, 20 points, 10 points, 5 points. At the end of the game, each respective team gets a running total of their points and whoever has the highest amount wins the game. 2. Chaos Vs. Control Chaos vs. Control is a game that is anxiously awaited all session by both the campers and the counselors. The campers act as the “chaos” and run around camp attempting to steal the flag football belts that are worn by the counselors. Turning in the belts counts as points to their respective color war teams. The counselors “control the chaos” by running around camp attempting to tag campers and deter them from stealing counselor belts. Meanwhile, a few campers from each team search camp for the golden bugle that has been hidden by the lodge. If found, the campers must run, without being tagged, and turn it in, in order to get an extra 100 points. At the end of the night, everyone is wiped out from running all over camp in search of counselors. 3. Capture the Flag Capture the flag is an absolute fan favorite around camp. The girls count down until the night when the game is played! The captains of respective color war teams assign each member of each little team a position: offense, defense, flag guard, or jail guard. When it is time to play, the teams line up in the middle of the field divided by a line of cones. The object of the game is to get the other team’s flag without being tagged and sent to jail. Each round, two different little teams duel, and at the end of the game, the rounds are tallied up to determine the winner. 4. Team Competition Every other Friday little teams participate in a variety of sports throughout camp. There is softball, kickball, blind newcomb, newcomb, Marimeta dodgeball, basketball, sideline basketball, and steal the bacon. Two little teams are assigned to each sport and compete against each other to gain points for their respective teams. The girls rave about this game, and it is a blast for us to watch them get so competitive. 5. Campfires After a long day of activities, we finish off the week by gathering around the glowing campfire as a whole camp. We sing a variety of traditional camp songs that have been sung on Lake Meta for years. Each week a cabin is designated a specific topic to speak about. This session campers have talked about respect and forgiveness. We end the night off by crossing our right hand over our left and singing the goodnight song.
To My Darling Marimeta Girl July 28, 2016To My Darling Marimeta Girl, It is truly my honor to be here tonight to present you with your 5 year jacket. I wouldn’t have missed this night for anything and I still cant believe my luck! 28 years ago I stood here, in this very same room, on Meta Lake, with Sandy and Terry, surrounded by my summer sisters and got my jacket. And now, my sweet girl, I stand here about to give you yours. I have dreamed this dream for you since the moment I found out I was pregnant with a little girl. I sang you camp songs to sooth you as a baby when you couldn’t sleep. I taught you Marimeta manners from the time you sat at the table. I have tried to pass on so many lessons that I learned at camp because I am 100% sure that so much of the good in me, was made here. My gorgeous girl, you are the ultimate camper. You love this place with such intensity. You are kind and good and willing to try new things even when you might fail. You have made lifelong friendships with amazing girls. You embody every wonderful thing about Marimeta. I watch you light up when you talk about camp. I see you here and I watch you shine. I have been given yet another gift from camp , because now, we are Marimeta girls together. We share a language that is all ours. We talk about capture the flag, MTV, The Sing, the mess hall campfires, what it’s like to celebrate a 4th of July in the Northwoods, and the specific way your heart aches as the bus leaves camp at the end of another summer. We sing camp songs together now and sometimes, when we are in the middle of sharing Marimeta stories, you feel like more than my daughter, you feel like my friend. Congratulations, wear this jacket with pride. You earned it with kindness, you earned it with sportsmanship, you earned it with patience, and you earned it with dedication. Wrap yourself inside it and know that it holds the love and dreams of all the Marimeta girls who have come before you. You are part of a special club now and we welcome you. We welcome you. I love you always, Mom
5 Things Marimeta Has Taught Us July 26, 20161. Make new friends but keep the old. Some of us have camp friends that date all the way back to cabin 1, some of us joined us years later. However, these friends are no more near and dear to our hearts than the ones who joined us a few summers later. At Marimeta, we treasure our old and our new friends by including new campers while also looking back on great memories we have made throughout our summers. 2. Don’t quit. At the first campfire, it is tradition for Sandy to read his favorite motivational poem: Don’t Quit. It starts off, “When things go wrong as they sometimes will…” and continues to inspire readers to keep on persevering, even when the going gets tough. Whether it is the frustration we feel when we cannot get around the lake skiing, or feeling upset due to a camper’s actions, we must not quit. Tough experiences remind us of this poem that has been reiterated in our minds from past summers. Using this poem to motivate us, we never give up. 3. Forgiveness We have learned that sometimes, we must forgive and forget no matter how hard that may be. We have learned that when we forgive we heal, and when we let go, we grow. Forgiveness is a very hard skill to master, but at camp we have learned to not sweat the small stuff, and forgive the mistakes of our summer sisters. 4. Treat others the way you want to be treated. We have heard this golden rule throughout our lives however, it truly comes into play at camp. If we want to be treated with respect and kindness by our peers and counselors, we too must also carry these traits with us around camp. 5. The importance of conversation Sometimes, there are topics we need to talk about face-to-face. At home, we have technology to hinder our ability to talk out our problems. In not having devices to hide behind, we can have face-to-face conversations that are kind, thoughtful, and genuine. We can get to know our friends better, we can resolve issues better, and we can hold a conversation better in practicing this skill.
Hot Day Survival Kit July 23, 2016Up north these past few days, it has been especially hot. The sun has been beating down on lake Meta, leaving our girls desperate for a hot day survival kit. Here are a few tips to surviving the summer heat at Camp Marimeta. 1. Sunscreen (and lots of it) Here at Camp Marimeta, safety is our priority. We constantly urge our campers to apply and reapply (and reapply, and reapply…) sunscreen throughout the day. The afternoon sun is stronger than the morning, and it is especially important to remember our sunscreen after lunch and throughout the afternoon! 2. Staying hydrated. Running around camp all day is exhausting, especially in the heat! We urge our campers to never be without their water bottles. Whether they’re on the high ropes course or swimming in the lake, a sip of water is never far away!! 3. General Waterfront Some days at camp it is just too hot!! I think we all wish for a second in air conditioning to cool off. However, the next best thing to air conditioning is a dip in Lake Meta! When the heat hits an all time high and all the campers want to do is be in the lake, we call general waterfront instead of regular activities. The campers can then spend the afternoon swimming, skiing, paddle boarding, jumping off the pontoon, and spending time on the lake! 4. Portable fan If you saw a camper around camp this past week, she had her portable fan glued to her hand. There is nothing quite like the cool breeze flowing out of a portable fan pressed against your face on a hot day. Our girls have mastered the heat by carrying around a fan with them at all times. 5. Popsicles! Imagine packing 200 campers into a mess hall on a 90 degree day… The only solution to this heat is popsicles and other frozen confections for dessert! After a hot and sweaty morning, we believe in a frozen treat to cool our campers down. A popsicle a day keeps the heat exhaustion away!! With these important tips, our girls will never fall victim to heat exhaustion. Until the heat wave passes over, these tips will keep our girls active around camp!
The Test: How Do You Know? July 11, 2016The Test How do you know your child came to camp? You see the pictures, you read the letters and you watch the movies, but are you sure? Could your young ladies actually be backpacking around Europe or working as a coal miner in a small Irish village? If you’re now feeling uncertain, use this test to make sure you are the proud parent of a Marimeta girl: Your child will now know how to make their bed and tidy their own room: This is a key indicator of a CMFG camper, your girls have been making their own beds and cleaning/tidying their cabins every morning for the whole time they’ve been here. They are now experts in fluffing pillows, wiping surfaces and folding clothes; do not be fooled at home with notions that they don’t know how! Your child will now spontaneously sing at meals: And they will do it with pep and pride! Singing at meals times is a camp tradition. Ask your child to sing their favorite song at dinner, they will gladly give you a raring rendition of a multitude of songs that span decades of Marimeta memories. Soon enough you’ll know them too! Your child will know an unbelievable amount about camp traditions and other camp information: Your young ladies will know all about The Sing, MTV, Red and White, Mari vs Meta, Lazy Susan’s, The Rag, Pony Express, Socials, Campfires. They will know which girls are captains, who won red and white last year, which girls birthdays have happened, who got a letter form an Ojibwa camper, which candy is the best at canteen, where every counselor is from, how old Sandy is (this may vary) and most importantly they will know every single one of their co-campers down to the fine print! Ask them about these things, they’ll be glad to let you know. They will ask you for grilled cheese more regularly: Grilled cheese is a camp speciality, it is eagerly awaited by all our campers, with lines forming by the mess hall doors well before lunch is called! If you need some grilled cheese recipe tips go here, (link below), because a camp sick camper can be helped with grilled cheese. They will know their Marimeta Morals: Here at camp we instill 8 key morals in all of our campers. Your girls will know all about these morals and will do their best to uphold them as all Marimeta girls do! •Do the right thing •Support your friends •Be gentle with the earth •Stand for what is right •Finish what you start •People are all unique •Telling the truth takes nerve •Thank those who have helped you Ask them about these morals, and remind them throughout the year that this is what it means to be a true Marimeta Girl. Hopefully these test indicators will calm your nerves. Your girls are in great hands having the time of their lives and will pass with flying colors, but better to be safe than sorry!
5 Things To Do On The Last Week Of First Four July 9, 2016With first session winding down, here are a few things to do to truly make the most out of the time left here. 1. Go all out during MTV This is the moment you have been practicing for. All those MTV practices will truly pay off if you get up on that stage, smile, and dance your heart out. 2. Ski around Lake Meta one more time In one week, first four campers won’t wake up with the beautiful lake meta as their backyard. So, in these last 7 days, seize every moment. Go for a final ski on lake meta; feel the wind run through your hair as you cross wakes. 3. Cheer extra loud during Mari and Meta league If you don’t return home from camp without a voice, you did camp wrong. In these final Mari Meta league competitions, scream, jump, dance, and cheer your team on. 4. Savor every last bite of Omar’s food Although there is nothing like a home cooked meal, in 7 days, there will be no more meals surrounded by your sisters, delicious food prepared by Omar, and singing in the mess hall. In this next week, have an extra bite of grilled cheese, the last drumstick, and sing louder than ever before. 5. Enjoy every second of cabin quality time Waking up the first morning after camp and realizing you are not surrounded by your summer sisters is truly the worst. A quiet bedroom is so different from a busy cabin where there is always action. In these next few days, cherish the time you spend with your cabin.
Top 5 Favorite Camp Meals July 2, 2016With our new chef Omar, we thought you would want to hear about all the nutritious and delicious foods he has been cooking for your girls this summer. Grilled Cheese Some things never change here at Camp Marimeta. Although we have a new chef, the love for Marimeta grilled cheese has not died down; it has only increased. The smell of American cheese oozing over whole wheat bread grilled to perfection can be detected throughout camp all the way until lunch. Campers line up outside the mess hall, anxiously awaiting the call to the mess hall and good seat. Served with warm tomato soup, pickles, and salad, the meal will have campers salivating for more. Cookout Each and every friday the grill is sizzling, smoke radiating the smell of cookout around camp. At the grill, Omar and the kitchen staff flip cheeseburgers, hamburgers, and veggie burgers for our vegetarians. Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, each bite of the burgers just keeps getting better. Accompanying the burgers comes lettuce, tomato, pickles, cheese, and chips. The perfect summer cookout wouldn’t be complete without juicy watermelon for dessert! Italian Beef Just as good as the famous Italian beef from Portillo’s, comes our next favorite camp food. Italian beef is a camp fan favorite. As the waitresses come around with the hot plates, campers prepare their italian rolls for a feast. The thin and tender meat comes out in a bowl of juice, soaking up the flavor. Our favorite finishing touch to the sandwich is drizzling extra juice and sprinkling the perfect amount mozzarella cheese on top. Served with french fries and cucumber salad, this meal is definitely one of our favorites! Chicken and Steak Kabobs At this meal, campers have the opportunity to choose whether they want steak or chicken for dinner. The skewers come out of the kitchen piping hot, with a mixture of red and green peppers and onions grilled alongside the meat. Both the chicken and steak are tender, juicy, and delicious! Served with potato leek soup, green beans, baked potatoes, and corn muffins, this meal was not only nutritious but also delicious!! Tacos A little taste of Mexico comes to Camp Marimeta every lunch when tacos are prepared. With a choice of hard or soft shells, the campers are able to prepare their tacos just to their liking! After selecting the perfect shell, the girls fill their tacos with beef or beans and an array of toppings including: lettuce, shredded cheese, tomatoes, black olives, onions, salsa, and sour cream. Some girls even choose to make a taco salad! We’re sure you have heard all about the famous Marimeta tacos in your girls’ letters home.
The Importance Of Unplugging June 30, 2016Throughout the year, we count down the days until we are back at our favorite place in the world, Marimeta. We stay in touch with our camp friends, our sisters, through texting, Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms. Although we love to see what our Marimeta sisters are doing, whether they are scoring the winning goal on the soccer field, cheering on their football teams, or starring in a musical production, something beautiful about coming up north is absence of all of these technologies. Campers silence their cell phones, lock them away for the summer, and hop on the Lamers busses up to camp. Instead of focusing on taking the perfect picture to post on Instagram, our campers live in the moment. The only remnants of the beautiful sunset over Lake Meta is the pictures stored in their heads, the most powerful memories. Here at Marimeta, we cherish this time away from the pressures of social media. Campers are not sitting around all day, anxiously awaiting text messages from friends, counting likes on Instagram, or taking Snapchats; they are swinging from the High Ropes course, paddle boarding across the wakes of Lake Meta, sliding down the Summit, and aiming perfectly at the archery target. With social media so prevalent in today’s society, the skill of verbal communication is on the decline. Something we value at camp is the person-to-person contact, the campers’ ability to speak their minds when they want to. They are also able to brush up on their letter writing, a timeless skill. We appreciate this time unplugged where we are able to be in the moment, with our camp sisters, looking out at the beautiful sunset over Lake Meta and wanting to be nowhere else in the world.