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Simcha Magic: Feel It In The Air!

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

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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.

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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.

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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…

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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

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!

Greco – Roman Day, Color War! and more…

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Oh, man! From one activity to another the camp was on a roll today… Firstly, competitive learning groups in the morning gave the campers the unique opportunity to earn points for their teams. Several activities throughout the day also involved competitions between the two teams, including races in the lake, pool, and gym. Several team times throughout Color War gave the teams time to learn their theme songs and Alma Maters. The theme was sung during lunch in the dining room and–oh, did I mention those props and decorations? They were fantastic! Many staff members helped out last night decorating the dining room with streamers, banners, posters, and signs for the team colors and themes. For the theme of the day a huge palace of ancient Greek/Roman architecture was constructed around the stage, fully equipped with doors, columns, drapes, and more. Some people ran around with ancient Greek costumes, while others adorned their team colors.

COLOR RUN!

COLOR RUN!


Following some more team-competitive activities, a highlight event in camp took place. The famous ‘color run’ is when campers and staff members alike run through a tent and spray each other with washable, powdery colors, while wearing bathing suits and white t-shirts. It was a lot of fun playing with those colors, especially since it was Color War!

Following supper, the camp had the privilege of a visit of the great Rabbi, HoRav Matisyahu Salomon, shlita, who came to share some inspiring words of wisdom and encouragement. We all had a chance, whoever wanted to, to shake his hand afterwards and receive precious berachos (blessings) from him.

The Grand Color War Finale took place afterwards, when the two teams acted out their comedy skits, and then sang their meningful Alma Maters. With the combination of music and lighting in the background, the camp waited in sunpense to hear the winning team, but Dembi of course just wouldn’t say it right away. But finally he announced it after repeatedly stopping right before saying the team, “The winning team is GREEN!!!!” However the points were truly close and a tie was imminent, which only shows how hard everyone worked to win. It was an awesome Color War!

Oh, my, it took some time just to type this blog, but there’s STILL MORE!!!!!!!!

A special late-night activity took place under a tent out on the baseball fields. It was a..pajama party!! A bunch of mattresses and blankets were lined up, and after changing into pj’s, all the campers had a chance to go the tent, with popcorn and nosh from the canteen, and watch a movie on the ceiling, while laying on the mattresses. It was really cool! Most of the campers went back to the bunks to go to sleep afterwards, because it was a little too cold to sleep out.

Speaking of sleep….theres a whole ‘nother day ahead of us tomorrow to rest up for!!

Planet of the Apes Day/ Color War Breakout

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Dembi wasn’t seen much last night or this morning around camp since he wasn’t feeling well. –or so he claimed. Today’s theme is ‘Planet of the Apes,’ and based on the theme the props team constructed a makeshift forest around the stage in the dining room. Plenty of people were ‘monkeying’ around today and one suspicious gorilla didn’t attract too much attention. During lunch today when the gorillas were dancing on the stage, one unmasked itself, which turned out to Dembi! As he did so, he yelled, “COLOR WAR!” and Color War became officially unleashed in Camp Simcha Special 2013. He repeatedly told camp that there will be no Color War this year, but he always has something up his sleeve!

Following the breakout, the teams and captains were announced. The two teams are ‘Blue’ – Tzahala, and ‘Green’ – Rina. We are awaiting a staff basketball game in the gym sometime today, including a special halftime show. I’ll keep you posted on the special events…

Native/Colonial American Day Part II

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Continuing our journey today, we had the privilege to attend a live concert in the Social Hall, featuring not one, but TWO singers! Shloime Gertner and Shloime Dachs both came all the way to entertain Camp Simcha. We were on a high as we all became involved in the concert and the energy penetrated the air.

A short while later we had a unique show: Freestyle Repertory Theatre. It involves two teams of actors/actresses which compete in skits acted on-the-spot. The show starred professional actors/actresses, but some of the campers were called up to participate in the acting. The camp votes for the best skits and some of them are timed, aside from being acted without any practice.

Due to the weather, night swimming wasn’t a very practical option for late-night activity, so Despicable Me 2 was played in the Social Hall for anyone interested in watching it.

That was a very busy day, even in the rain! Looking forward to tomorrow…

Native American/Colonial Times

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This morning, it felt like we walked through a time machine! Oh, wait. There actually is a time machine in our dining room! Firstly, the stage is decorated with heavy shipping ropes, nets, and broken barrels. It looks like it just got pulled out of an old shipwreck. Next, there is an actual teepee in middle of the floor which we are able to climb into and out of. Tons of campers and staff members are running around with bongos and feathery Indian Chief hats like a bunch of American Indians. It felt like we went back five hundred years. Some people wore colonial American costumes with all the works: toupe`, hat, outfit, etc.

A highlight of the props is a huge time machine sitting in middle of the dining room floor. Now, don’t get me wrong, it will actually send you back in time!! Try it as you may, its exterior is built with wooden boards to mock iron sheets bolted together and has pipes and tubes coming out from all over. Upon walking inside, you will be astonished to find yourself sitting in middle of a man-to-man combat war in middle of the 1600’s!! It’s dark inside with light coming from only a green web-light and blue tree light. It is equipped with a large mixing board with working buttons, a sound system, and most of all, a screen playing native/colonial American scenes. An additional, much larger screen is atop the craft playing the same scenes for everyone else to see. The entire craft was built right here in camp, and everyone appreciates the hard work which went into building it.

The camp is now in the Social Hall for some theme activities and awaiting a surprise. I’ll definitely keep you posted on what it is…

Shabbos in Simcha Special

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A special Shabbos it was, here in camp! On Friday night, we sang, danced, and enjoyed some of Duvie Becker’s entertainment.

Shabbos morning began with a delicious, hot Kiddush in the dining room/porch for everone to enjoy. After, the campers were divided into groups to hear exciting stories.

Following the division groups the camp proceeded back to the dining room for the meal.

In the afternoon we played a game of Bingo with razzle pieces, hosted by Duvie Becker, during which amazing prizes were won, including some sport jerseys, Coby iPod, Coby iPad, rocket launcher kit, and more.

When Shabbos was over, we had some more awesome food and lively dancing. But the day/night was STILL not over!!

For night activity, the divisions split up for some fishing by the lake, s’mores by the lake, and night swimming.

WOW!!! That was one packed Shabbos!! Can’t wait for another long day ahead of us tomorrow…

Keeping in touch: E-mail

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Our campers love getting e-mail! To send your camper an e-mail, include his NAME and BUNK NUMBER in the subject line of the e-mail. Please send all e-mails to mail@campsimcha.org. Unfortunately, we cannot download any attachments so please include all content in the body of your e-mail.

About ParentSpace and our Galleries

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Before the session begins, we would like to clarify some things about our Facebook galleries, public galleries on our website, and ParentSpace galleries.

First, if your child is photo-released “in camp only”, he or she will only appear in the ParentSpace gallery. Your child will not appear on Facebook, nor on the public side of the site. So if your child is a camper, go ahead and sign up for ParentSpace. Not only will you see more pictures (2x more pictures than on FB), but you will also be privy videos that are produced special for you every day, a special blog, the daily camp newsletter, camp schedule, and more exciting features.

Second, please follow the instructions below for the proper way to log in to your account. If you haven’t applied for an account, please go ahead and apply for an account. You should be verified within 48 hours.

To log into your ParentSpace account, go to campsimcha.org and click LOGIN in the top right corner.

Then type in your username and password.

You are now in ParentSpace!
PLEASE NOTE: We are doing some upgrades on the site, so you may land on a page that says “404-Not Found” Ir that happens, go to the Parents Tab (In the grey menu bar) and click ParentSpace. We hope to have this issue resolved by tomorrow.

From this page you can access a special blog just for parents, the daily schedule, and daily pictures and videos.

A COMMON PROBLEM: If you attempt to visit campsimcha.org/parentspace directly, and login there, you will be bounced to another login page. If you type in your username and password there you, will be granted access to ParentSpace. However, until we correct this glitch, we ask that you instead login by going to campsimcha.org and clicking login in the top right corner.

If you are still having trouble with ParentSpace, or if you have any questions, comments, requests, or suggestions for the blogs, please contact zahavah@campsimcha.org