This year’s Grown Up Girls Getaway, a gathering for former TAW campers and friends, was bigger and better than ever before. The addition of an extra day provided more time to relax and participate in activities. Our fearless GUGs took part in the GUGG-a-Thon (a modified version of camp standby Pony Express) on Thursday night, followed by music and dancing in Little Rec. Just as in the summer, reveille rang out to awaken our campers so that they could get a start on their jam-packed weekend of activities. The crisp (and sometimes downright cold), sunny days were filled with canoeing, hiking, knitting, wreath-making, yoga, glass fusion, zumba, fly fishing, golf, zip lining, and many more activities. All of that activity can work up an appetite, and the kitchen staff provided gourmet camp food at its finest. Friday night’s talent show and Saturday’s murder mystery event provided a fun end to the days. Mark your calendars for next year’s event (October 4-October 7, 2012) and start planning your getaway now!

As soon as the last staff member left on Closing Day of the third session, Ton-A-Wandah officially entered the off-season. We get many questions, from both campers and staff, about what we do during this “off” time. For the first couple of months after the end of camp, we are the busy hosts to many groups. The Henderson County Young Leaders’ Program held its third-annual week long camp at Ton-A-Wandah from August 8-12, which was followed soon after by a local church’s Family Camp. All of this activity makes us feel like we still have a piece of summer, and it keeps the blob and water trampoline from getting rusty. The first week of September ushered in cooler temperatures and some much needed rain along with the North Carolina Youth Camp Association Directors’ meeting, which took place here at TAW. We were especially lucky with this event as we got to spend time with some of our favorite staff: Lauren, Merideth, Mir, Charlie, and Judy Mac. September 12th marks the official start of our camp party travel season with a stop in Columbia, SC. It may be a lot quieter around camp, but we are still keeping busy until we see our TAW girls again!

August is not even over yet, but we can already taste fall here at camp. The mornings have a slight chill, and the afternoons are sunny and dry. The dropping temperatures mean one thing – our annual celebration for grown up girls is just around the corner. On September 29th alumni, mothers and grandmothers of campers, and friends of TAW will gather at camp for a weekend of friendship and fun. From traditional camp activities to the not-so-traditional (think massages and pedicures), there will be something for every grown up girl. Can’t wait to see everyone!

Our regular camp season just ended a little more than a week ago, but we are already looking forward to the summer of 2012. It’s never too early to enroll for next summer – just contact us at the camp office if you have any questions.

Session 3 has officially started!