We Hope You Had a Super Day!
Sometimes I think that I don’t ever need to see another picture of the 4th of July at Mishawaka. I venture to guess we have thousands of them in our photo library! So many, I think, that if some future anthropologist were to catalog them, they might think that these Independence Day rituals were the most important part of our mission. The 4th at Camp is, as former Director Nick Larsen would always say, a Super Day- and often super sized.
As America marks its 250th anniversary, and I mark my 50th 4th of July celebration at Mishawaka, I have come to think of it more as a reminder of the work still to be done than a celebration of the past. I guess that is why the staff chose to work with children. Sure, there is plenty to celebrate as we mark the day with watermelon races, pie-eating contests, and a penny carnival extravaganza, but there has always been a more solemn moment in front of the flag pole. As it has been for as long as anyone can remember, the Red Skelton version of the Pledge of Allegiance is read, the CIT’s and Uncle George raise the flag, and we all sing verses of This Land is Your Land (just 3 of them, thank goodness!)
In my brief remarks today, I shared an imaginary text chain between Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin - sharing that Uncle George Lottes was actually at the signing of the Declaration and added to the thread accidentally. (I think a few Beldos actually believed me.) These three founding fathers shared their concerns, fresh from the glow of signing the document, about what America might look like in 250 years. They were concerned about division, inequality, and the threat that rampant individualism might displace the shared national values they had just so eloquently recorded.
In my imaginary thread, it was John Adams who suggested that maybe someone would invent the uniquely American idea of summer camp, a place where kids could be reminded of their role in a community, a place where they could be reminded that they are both the beneficiaries and protectors of the great American traditions and values. So much has been written about the intent of the Founding Fathers and what they might say of America at 250, but I believe that they would be very OK with what happens each summer on the shores of Pokegama - on the 4th of July, the 21st of June, and every other regular day at Camp Mishawaka.
Campers and staff from 28 states and 7 countries spent the day playing, eating, eating some more, dancing and will end with a view of the municipal fireworks display. Today is July 5th, and while we won’t celebrate like we did on the 4th, it will be just as “Super” as the day before, and the one after. Maybe I’ll even take some pictures of that!
