Happy 100th Birthday, CGL!

One hundred years.

For a century, campers have climbed off buses (although I can’t say for sure what the transportation situation was in 1926) with butterflies in their stomachs, learned camp songs, made lifelong friends, conquered fears, and left each August wishing summer could last just a little bit longer. Today, we celebrated every one of those summers, and everyone who helped make them possible.

Our 100th birthday festivities kicked off this morning with a Survivor trivia competition, putting campers’ and counselors’ knowledge of CGL history to the test. The Inter Boys emerged victorious, earning both bragging rights and the admiration (or perhaps jealousy) of the rest of camp.

From there, creativity took over as every bunk transformed their cabin into a birthday masterpiece. Streamers, signs, handmade decorations, and plenty of CGL spirit turned our cabins into festive rows and hills worthy of a centennial celebration.

One of the most memorable moments of the day came when the entire camp gathered for our official CGL 100 photo. Wearing our brand-new CGL 100th birthday shirts, over 475 campers and staff stood together to capture a moment that will become part of camp history. Someday, future campers will look back at that picture and realize they were seeing the people who celebrated Camp Green Lane’s first century.

As if that wasn’t enough excitement for one day, the Kona Ice truck rolled into camp just as boys’ and girls’ swims were underway. Nothing says “happy birthday” quite like cooling off with a colorful shaved ice on a beautiful summer afternoon.

But today’s celebration isn’t just about looking back, it’s also about looking ahead.

Every bunk is creating something special to place inside a CGL time capsule. Letters, memories, predictions, artwork, and pieces of what camp looks like in 2026 will be sealed away for future generations to discover. We can only imagine what campers will think when they eventually open it.

Tonight, we’ll gather in the Circle for a birthday dinner unlike any other as the Pizza Wagon food trucks rolls in to fire up fresh brick-oven pizzas for the entire camp. There may be no better way to celebrate 100 years than sharing great food with great friends under the summer sky.

We’ll finish this unforgettable birthday with two spectacular events: a staff USA vs. World basketball game, followed by a fireworks show lighting up the night above Camp Green Lane.

One hundred years is an incredible milestone, but what makes today special isn’t just the number. It’s the thousands upon thousands of campers and staff who have laughed here, grown here, and called this place home over the last century.

Today we celebrated our history.

Tomorrow, we’ll continue writing it.

Happy 100th Birthday, Camp Green Lane. Here’s to the next hundred years!