This morning, the dining hall was draped with red velvet and gold trimming. The camp was filled with ladies in fancy ball gowns and a few dashing young men. Two stately white horses ornamented in plumed black headdresses plodded the campus paths. They pulled white Cinderella carriages decorated with ivy and white roses, and gave campers rides throughout the day.
At lunch, we celebrated the bat mitzvah of every camper who turned twelve this year. The bat-mitzvah girls sat at a table with elegant red flowers and lace centerpieces, and received a special shout-out during the meal. Then, we had a special “Mazal Tov” song and dance in the center of the hall in their honor. The bat mitzvah girls presented a gift to Camp Simcha: a stunning painting of lit candles to decorate the dining hall on Shabbat.
Afterward, Camp Simcha’s incredibly talented cast performed the musical Cinderella onstage for the whole camp. Their beautiful voices filled the theater, and their riveting performance left us spellbound.
Following the show was a ball in the dining hall. The room was filled with round tables covered in delicate lace cloth. A lavish banquet was displayed along the sides of the hall, and waitresses circled the room holding trays of hors d’oeuvres to the lilting sounds of a live harp.
Later, the camp watched as fireworks burst in bright, colorful explosions, before joining together to dance under the starlit sky. Tomorrow we will temporarily part ways, but as we all go to our respective homes, we will always keep in our hearts and minds Camp Simcha, our second home.
-T