Here comes the sun

Sunday was the start of session 5 here at Cheerio on the New River and although it was raining, campers still ended their move in day with a smile. Instead of Duck Hunt, which is the program that usually kicks off the week, campers played a scavenger hunt where staff requested an item and campers would bring up either the exact item, or items that could substitute.

“Bring me something that can catch a fish,” said one staff member. Some campers brought up stuffed penguins and rubber ducks. One ran to the judges with a mesh laundry basket, while others crafted a makeshift pole out of the things they had.

Luckily, after dinner and the scavenger hunt, the clouds went away, and the sun came out just as store began. Campers took to the office field where they played frisbee and volleyball under a pink sky before the night closed with vespers.

The first day of camp saw full sunshine and smiles as campers rushed to fishing, snorkeling, athletics, and tree climbing, where Hailey and Gwen made it to the top of one of the trees on all three ropes. Carson made it up the tallest rope on another tree in an impressive 4 minutes and 17 seconds. While campers climbed the trees, three campers in slingshot, Logan, Wade, and Brooks, hit the “No vehicles sign,” the farthest target from the firing line.

The night ended with Riverfest, where campers spread across the office field for a number of games and activities. Faces were painted, frisbees were thrown, volleyballs were passed, and a number of campers and staff went down the slip and slide. Move in day may have been cloudy, but the first day of camp saw only sunshine.

• Authored by Orion Griffin