Camp Blog

And this is our last goodbye – until next year, that is.

Dinner was a beautiful, lavish banquet set up like a wedding.  We had all different types of meat and chicken and all sorts of delicious food.

Watch out!  Astronauts and aliens and robots are running around the Simcha dining room! The stage was plastered with robots and tin foil and all sorts of cool techy things!

And today we had two surprises – because that’s what Simcha’s all about! Surprises and fun activities!  First, an ice cream truck came, and everyone got to have the ice cream of their choice. Mmmm yummy!  And then during lunch, we had an even more exciting treat! Eli Gerstner came to put on a concert!!  He sang his classics and oldies that everyone loved and sang along to!  The floor was shaking, that’s how intense the dancing was!

We took a short break after a few songs to thank and show our appreciation to the Friedmans who so kindly dedicated the amazing new stage this year to Camp Simcha.  We presented a poem and a beautiful painting that Caitlyn made for them, and everyone cheered for them and thanked them.

Our last Shabbos in CSS was beautiful!

Friday afternoon, all the campers went to the spa to get their hair, makeup, and nails done in honor of Shabbos.  The number of nail polishes on the table was incredible!  Any color you want, they have!  And you can blow, straighten, or curl your hair; whatever you want, they’ll do it.

After prepping for Shabbos, everyone gathered in the Social Hall for Kabbalat Shabbat, followed by the Friday night meal.  Rina and Dawn gave beautiful speeches, and we gave each of them standing ovations.  We were also privileged to have Chevi Garfinkel join us for Shabbos who gave over her inspiring words of wisdom.  She even gave a special speech only for the campers.

Shabbos day, we heard Efrat K. and Elana speak, and once again the audience could not stop applauding.  After a delicious lunch, we watched the Shabbos play put on by the campers.  Blimi, Elisheva, Chavi, and Bailu were stars in the show! And of course our one and only Abby!  BINGO afterwards was a blast, and then we all gathered in the Social Hall again to hear inspiring words from Vicky.

At seudah shlishit, the third meal (of Shabbos), we were privileged to hear Alexis, Sahar, and Chedva speak to us; thank you for your beautiful speeches!  We then heard our weekly Shabb0s choir put on by the campers, featuring a duet by Esther and Shterna which blew us away!

Melava Malka after Shabbos was nice; we all danced and got pumped up!  Things got really exciting when the lights went 0ff and the stage LIT UP! That’s right, all different colors!  Nobody wanted to leave the dining room because the dancing was so fun, but it was time to get some sleep to be up and ready to have some more fun tomorrow!

Good night, all!

A horse show! Two knights in shining armor each rode on big brown horses, and they played a martial game called jousting, which emerged in the Middle Ages (Medieval Ages).  The goal of the game is to strike your opponent with a sword while riding towards him at high speed.
The kids were enamored by the game because they loved watching the knights ride the horses back and forth quickly across the soccer field while they put on a show.  Finally, one of the knights fell to the ground, and the other knight stood triumphant.  All of CSS cheered; what a great show!

Tonight everyone gathered around the fire pit to watch a beautiful bonfire!  We ate hot dogs with buns and made delicious s’mores.  Everyone got to have as many s’mores as they wanted, and they were even able to take them back to their bunks.  We sang and enjoyed each other’s company while we ate.  The singing was so beautiful, especially as the sun set over the baseball field around us.

Happy July Fourth, everybody!

Dinner was definitely not typical tonight.  Tonight was a royal ball, the Cinderella Ball, in the Simcha Ballroom.  Everyone came dressed in the fanciest attire: beige, gold, and pastel-colored ballgowns embellished with diamonds and stones.  Everyone’s hair and makeup was done, too, in honor of the special occasion.

The ball started at 6 o’clock sharp.  Hors d’oeuvres were served before the main course, and a three-piece band was playing enjoyable music while everyone was getting seated.  The real dancing took place after dessert, on the main dance floor in the center of the room.

Thank you for joining us at our Victorian Cinderella Ball.  We had a lovely time! Good night, all.

Camp Simcha is truly an unreal camp!

Just now, we were greeted in front of camp by a man in a top hat riding a gorgeous white wrought iron buggy, leading two, even more beautiful, white horses!  The carriage was beautifully decorated with roses and tulips that were wrapping around the walls.  The campers took turns riding in it and took pictures inside.

What a great surprise!

Ribbons and Bows: the place where dull becomes exciting!  In this workshop, campers use ribbons, bows, and other embellishments to jazz up accessories like headbands, clips, and pony holders to make them stylish and unique.  They work hard on designing their own accessories by deciding which colors to use, and then cutting and gluing everything together.  The best part is that the campers get to wear them and bring them home!

Chaya Nechama P. made a headband today, and she decorated it with a rainbow pattern and an ice cream on the side.

Rebecca A. also made a headband, and she loves it!