ParentSpace Blog

Tonight, Camp Simcha Special premiered its very own theatrical production, S. T. Rella. The show was a beautiful composition of drama, dance, and song. Our very own Duvi Becker, who started writing the show when there was still snow falling in Camp Simcha, directed the production.

The show follows S.T Klein-Kaufman (Eli Lipschitz), our busy camp office manager, as she gets freed from her office by mistakenly drinking a “coffee” that was left on her desk. Initially, she is ecstatic that she can finally get out of her stressful cubicle and leave camp. But as the show progresses, she meets various people who convince her that Camp Simcha is the best place on Earth.

The show featured many different types of dance styles, including: break dancing, free-style, tricotee, bergamask. For the break dancing scene, a camper and former staff member joined two current staff members to create an unforgettable dance routine. The show also featured a beautifully choreographed dance to the song “Seize the Day (Newsies).”

The scenery and costumes were surreal, and helped complement the show’s song and dance. In one scene, S.T meets some realistic cannibals in the forest. She manages to escape as they all break into dance to the song “Higher.” The dance received a standing ovation and merited an encore performance. In the final scene, two campers had a duet singing “All Star.” That performance merited an encore as well.

The play had many original scores, including “Simchonian Rhapsody” and “A Small Piece of Heaven.” They were all recorded in our brand new, on campus, recording studio.

A musical like S.T. Rella makes us proud to be part of Camp Simcha Special. The super-talented staff here put on a play unlike any other being performed in myriad camps across the Catskills. The uniqueness of Duvi Becker’s vision puts his productions in a league of their own. Concepts and ideas that began as a seed in Duvi’s head, find their way into reality and onto a stage via the cast that we saw perform tonight. However, it is Duvi’s tenacity and unflagging enthusiasm that makes it happen. Not just makes it happen, but happen in such a way as to garner four standing ovations and three calls for encores from an audience that is not easily impressed. But the true litmus test was the ear-to-ear smiles sported by every single person seated in the Social Hall.

A play is just…well…a play. A musical, however, is a way to reach the audience’s emotions through song and dance, a medium that has proven itself to be among the most effective in shaping moods. Spirits lift, dark clouds clear, and the world is simply a better place after watching a musical performed by a passionate, dedicated crew like the one we witnessed. And what makes it all the more anomalous is the setting of this presentation. A natural by-product of Camp Simcha Special’s one-of-a-kind program is the togetherness and camaraderie that it engenders. That is something that we saw mirrored in the cast’s attitude. Rather than as a task, they viewed this work as a fun-filled challenge to be taken on with friends, among friends. Even more than the subject content, the manner in which S.T. Rella was executed makes us feel privileged to be a part of the world that is Camp Simcha Special.

After trekking over 150 miles, one hundred Bike4Chai bikers arrived at Camp Simcha’s doorstep expecting a decent reception. To their disappointment, the whole camp was just frozen in place at the side of the road. Just as they were about to turn around and bike home, Dembi screamed the magic word, EPIC!, and the place went wild. With streamers flying, fog machines billowing, and a helicopter over head to record the sight, the bikers entered “The Happiest Place on Earth.” They were greeted by hundreds of campers and staff members screaming, dancing, and cheering them on. As they passed through the tunnel of campers, they each received dozens of high fives and a big thank you. After catching their breath, drinking some water, and soaking in the smiles, the bikers headed to the viewing stand where they posed for a group picture. They all seemed quite exhausted, yet, at the same time, very gratified.

While the bikers took a break on the bleachers, our in house wheeler team, the Camp Sincha Rollers, performed a beautifully choreographed wheel chair dance. They danced to a brand new song, “Ridin’ Simcha,” that was produced by Camp Simcha Special for Bike4Chai. The song was recorded in our brand new, on campus, Camp Simcha recording studio.

After heading to the showers to wash and change, the bikers joined us in the dining room where they were served a feast (quite typical for us), complete with lots of carbs. After finishing their tasty chocolate chip cookies, the bikers joined us in the center of the dining room where we showed them some Lunch EPICification. After observing just a few moments of our upROAR, they were thoroughly convinced that they are supporting the best possible cause. Many of them couldn’t resist the energy and opted to join in. We put on quite an intense show for our guests, with campers and staff bouncing, screaming, singing, and dancing like there was no tomorrow. Of course our in-house band, The British Invasion, helped EPICify the environment by playing the most pumping Camp Simcha Special like music possible. Our campers’ excitement was palpable as they climbed on staff members’ shoulders or were hoisted up in their wheelchairs.

As of this morning, Bike4Chai 2011 has raised $518,064.65. We thank them for doing what they did, so that we can do what we do best!

A group of very enthusiastic bike riders left Lakewood, New Jersey today on their way to Camp Simcha!  The 100+ members of the Bike4Chai have completed the first leg of their trek and are resting comfortably at Crystal Springs Resort in Vernon, New Jersey.  Tomorrow, they will finally reach the pinnacle of their journey when they kick into high gear and ascend the mountain to join the jubilating campers, their highly exuberant counselors, and the rest of the Camp Simcha staff in the Super, Epic Eleven Celebration!

For more info on Bike4Chai go to Bike4Chai

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The race is on! The 2nd annual Bike4Chai kicked off this morning with bikers gathering at the starting lines in Lakewood and Deal. The bike-a-thon boasts 100 cyclists from Brooklyn, Lakewood, Deal, Monsey, the Five Towns and beyond.  As we speak, the lead pack has passed the 75 mile marker!

The trek from the Jersey Shore to Camp Simcha in Glen Spey, NY is a massive undertaking indeed. The first day, riders will traverse 112 miles over eight hours, scale 6,000 feet, pedal 172,800 times and burn 5,500 calories. The group hopes to raise $500,000 for our amazing program. We are looking forward to greeting them in Camp Simcha Special tomorrow.

After our campers shot some hoops with Steve Nash, we continued our sportacular day. By lunch, we were visited by a group of Goldman Sachs employees. After observing just a few moments of our lunch upROAR, they were thoroughly convinced that they are supporting the best possible cause. Many of them opted to join in on the fun, and sing and dance with our awesome campers. They seemed to be having just a bit more fun than they’ve had in a while (After all, SportsWorld is just a bit more exciting than CubicleWorld).

Continuing with our sports theme, our camp and our Goldman Sachs guests proceeded to the gym where we squared off in a volleyball match. The game was close at first, but then, with the help of our campers, we pulled ahead. Many campers rotated into the game, including a star server. The game was complemented by epic chanting on the sidelines, making it feel more like the SuperBowl than a game with a bunch of bankers. At one point during the game, the entire gym (players included) broke into a dance to Y-M-C-A, twisting and screaming in a way only CSS can do. Camp Simcha eventually won by over ten points, and the entire gym broke into song: “We are the Champions, my friends.” Our campers left the gym feeling very good about their undefeated record. We thank Goldman Sachs for visiting and for their continued support.

After the volleyball game, Avrumi B. made his way to the archery field (thats more of a sport than poker, fishing, and bowling combined) to practice his shot. He didn’t miss the bulls eye, and after a while it got very repetitive. I decided to move on to the baseball field where our campers were in the midst of an intense baseball game. It was the first baseball game of the year and energy was running high. Star pitcher and catcher Rephael G. and Dany G., worked seamlessly together to create a one-two punch.

For supper, our master chef, grill meisters, and waiters, collaborated to create an unbelievable tailgate party. We were served hero and fried chicken sandwiches, chicken wings, corn on the cob, knishes, and assorted salads. The only thing missing was the beer!

This morning, Steve Nash, a 2 time NBA MVP and 7 time NBA All-Star, came to Camp Simcha to witness our skills first hand. After landing in camp on a helicopter, Steve proceeded to the dining room where he was a spectator to a Camp Simcha rendition of upROAR. From his front row seat , Steve witnessed campers and staff members dancing and chanting. He couldn’t resist our intoxicating spirit, and after a few moments had to join in on the fun. When asked if he would like to be a counselor here next year, Steve responded that he didn’t think he had enough energy to keep up!

Next, Steve visited the Camp gym where he gave a basketball clinic to our campers. Some lucky campers were taught how to shoot free throws, lay ups, and three pointers as our other campers got to watch the show. After that Steve showed us some cool circus shots including shooting backwards and kicking the ball into the basket.

Steve ended by signing a few autographs and posing for picture with campers. He then addressed the eager crowd, and said: “We all have disabilities, and yet we all have tremendous good in each one of us. Each of you here is a super star with a lion’s heart. Stay strong.”

In Camp Simcha Special, you can always feel the magic in the air. Today, our camp went on a trip to Hogwarts to show those phonies what real magic is all about. Before lunch, our campers gathered in the gym to create shields to defend against the dark forces of Pookie (aka Crisis). Brothers Avrum and Yosef B. created a very creative Uncle Moishe shield. Justin S. created a shield declaring, “Voldemort had FD.”

During lunch, our campers gathered in our dining room, which was redecorated to look like the inside of Hogwarts; complete with polyjuice potions, the house flags, and owls. At the end of lunch, as per session tradition, our campers gathered in the Hogwarts castle for a crazy rendition of upROAR, with staff and campers dancing together to some great beats. Dembi asked all campers to brandish their shields towards the sky to ward off any evil in the world. Lunch ended with two special birthday parties, Kenny’s and Yaakov’s. Both opted to throw their cake in their counselors face!

After lunch, Kovy M. made his way to our Ductagami activity in which he created a runway-worthy tie from duct tape. He used a green piece of duct tape for the backing, and then alternated pink and green diagonal tape to create stripes. He’s looking forward to wearing it on his next date.

Hands deep in meat is where you would find Jason, Blondy, and Yoshi making meatballs for themselves. They started with a mixture of meats, poured in some eggs, matzo meal, and spices, and then popped it in to cook. They really enjoyed eating their creation for supper.

Later on in the day, the campers partook in a Harry Potter character search. Different staff members dressed up as various characters from the books, hid throughout camp, and campers ran around camp collecting their signatures. They found Hagrid hiding in the rafters of the infirmary, Dumbledore in a closet in the Social Hall, and Hermoine on the porch of the candle shop. Every camper that collected all the signatures got a cat in the hat t-shirt.

After supper, the cap gathered in the social hall where we were treated to a captivating and mystifying hypnotist show. Ten lucky staff members were put under his spell, and were convinced that they we’re at a racetrack, concert, and 3^rd grade classroom among others.

Tomorrow is a really SUNNY day in Camp Simcha Special. Stay Tuned.