bike 4 chai Archives - Camp Simcha & Camp Simcha Special

The World’s Greatest Finish Line

August 2, 2018Leave a Comment

As hundreds of cyclists entered Camp Simcha, they were greeted by happy smiles and loud music. Everyone entered our big tent where our very own DJ Hudacris got Camp Simcha Special and Bike 4 Chai members dancing and singing. The atmosphere was electric as everyone celebrated. Delicious food was served and more dancing continued as everyone enjoyed each others company. To end of a busy day, we sang and ate scrumptious, sweet marshmallows around a fire to celebrate our “Lag b’omer” theme. A tranquil end to a vibrant day…..

Toy Story

August 17, 2017Leave a Comment

Bike 4 Chai!!!! We started out the day pretty much like normal, but it was not a normal day. At 3:15 we had an amazing Division Power Parade, with each division wearing their own hat and chanting their own chant! We then moved on to the tennis court, where we greeted the bikers with a massive party and award ceremony! Finally, tonight’s night activity is the camp musical, “The Grinch Who Stole Simcha”!

They Are Here!

August 4, 2016Leave a Comment

What a packed afternoon! We started it off with a parade of all the campers who marched with their respective divisions. The bikers rolled in the beginning of the afternoon, and we greeted them Camp Simcha Special style! They came straight into the tent exhausted, and danced with us for over an hour. We presented a special song and dance which we made specifically for this occasion. After working up that big appetite, we all headed over to a gigantic BBQ, and really filled up. Thank you Bike4Chai!

The Preparations are Underway!

August 4, 2016Leave a Comment

The tent is up, the signs are being made, and everyone is getting pumped for Bike4Chai! The anticipation is building as we wait to welcome thousands of people into our camp, and show them what we do! This is the biggest event of the summer, and we are gonna nail it! See you all later!

Ribbons, Bows and all Things Pink!

July 6, 2016Leave a Comment

And once again, the tutus come out gracing us with tuffs of frilly pink thrills. It’s pink day here at Camp Simcha Special and just in time for this year’s Tour De Simcha bike-a-thon! Our campers will be cheering on our biking supporters who are at this very moment, somewhere along a 72 mile trek to the Camp Simcha Special finish line! We are expecting a giant swarm of riders this afternoon as well as a stampede of “pinkalicious” activities. With face paint applied, tutus adorned and pretty pink everywhere, we are ready to hit this day hard!

Let the Good Times Roll – Bike 4 Chai’s Arrival in Camp Simcha Special

August 1, 2013Leave a Comment

The entire Camp Simcha Special family, along with friends and family of the bikers, waited with great anticipation earlier this afternoon for the arrival of the unbelievable Bike 4 Chai bike-a-thon riders. While gathering near the entrance of camp, we watched and cheered as the bikers ‘rolled’ in at approximately 3:30, as they crossed the ‘Greatest Finish Line in the World,’ completing their journey of 175 miles from Asbury Park, NJ to Camp Simcha in Glen Spey, NY. After two days of intense bike riding and perhaps months of training, the bikers smiled as they crossed the finish line and acknowledged that their efforts ‘paid’ off. While they made their way through the entrance and into camp, upbeat music played as the crowd and the bikers danced and cheered. We all immensely appreciate the work that these people put in, and the funds that the bike-a-thon raised for Chai Lifeline.

After the bikers received their much-deserved greeting in camp, the camp and guests headed to the gym for a special program for everyone to enjoy. First some of the campers ‘rolled’ into the gym, with a fog machine and lighting to add to the scene, to the song ‘Rolling,’ specially modified for today’s event. The camp danced to that beat as well. Then the bikers put on a special performance of ‘Never say Never,’ dancing in the bleachers before the crowd. Dembi thanked the bikers and their sponsors before the crowd, expressing the appreciation of the Camp Simcha and Chai Lifeline family.

After the ceremony in the gym, the guests went to the tent by the tennis courts for a BBQ while the camp went to a Benny Friedman concert in the social hall. Some members of the Rosenblatt Orchestra, including a trumpet player and saxaphone player, were added to the concert. It was awesome! We went wild when he sang his popular ‘Yesh Tikvah’ and everyone enjoyed it very much. Even after an afternoon of dancing for Bike 4 Chai, we still had energy for the concert; Benny helped us out with that!

Following the concert and then supper, we went to night activity in the social hall, which was Simon Says by Steve Max. It looks easy, but it’s not when you’re trying to keep up with him! He talks so fast that almost everyone gets out, but one person got a t-shirt for lasting the longest without getting out.

What a day,here in Camp Simcha Special! We had so much fun here in camp, but there’s only a few days left! Well, there are always plenty of surprises in store…

The Roaring 20’s…

July 31, 2013Leave a Comment

Wow, there were so many unique activities today that I don’t even know where to begin!

Today’s theme involves many different kinds of characters and settings. There’s the American-style 20’s, of the silent-film production, early automobiles, and phonographs, and then there’s the old European villiage/shtetl setting of the close-knit, isolated communities

The Magician making Yaakov Singer, counselor, float in mid-air before Camp Simcha Special

The Magician making Yaakov Singer, counselor, float in mid-air before Camp Simcha Special[/caption]

. In our camp we went back in time (like all the other days of ‘Simcha Time’) to experience it all. The dining room’s props featured old wooden crates, a phonograph, old video camera cutouts, and ‘bootlegger’ and ‘speakeasy’ signs attached to the stage. The time machine in the dining room took us back to the streets of NYC of the 20’s and Charlie Chaplain, and lots of people were wearing hats and other attire. A lunchtime performance by some of the campers, acting out some songs by “Fiddler on the Roof” brought us yet deeper into the setting.

One special activity today was ‘Silent Film Production,’ which is when those by the activity act out a video, which is then converted to black-and-white and has old-time music added to it. Another activity was ‘Dek the Bek,’ which is when those by the activity get to decorate a bekishe, or hasidik garb, to their own taste. It was done using glitter paint and small tiles and stuff.

Another unique activity in the schedule for today was ‘Campfire and Corn Peddling at fire pit with Nature Boy.’ This is when the entire division sits around a bonfire, roasting corn (after removing the husk from fresh corn), marshmallows, or s’mores. YUM!!! …and a rather natural experience.

The waiters of Camp Simcha Special performed a one-of-a-kind dance for the camp, while using the power of illusion, beating the eye into thinking that every two dancers were really one. Hands became feet and their bodies were blocked by sheets.

Speaking of illusion, the night activity following supper was a…MAGICIAN! He performed stunning acts for the camp, including making birds appear and disappear, making someone rise in mid-air, and “accidentally” loosing a raccoon. Several campers volunteered in some of the acts and the entire camp enjoyed the show.

Whoa, that was a ton for one day! Everyone is looking forward for the Bike 4 Chai riders’ arrival tomorrow into camp, as we are the ‘greatest finish line in the world,’ as they put it. To arrive in the greatest camp in the world to catch a glimpse of what they’d worked for pushes them all the way through, and we all appreciate very much what they are doing for us. Day 2, the final day, is yet to begin, and we are just as excited as they are to greet each other. Good luck!