Camp Green Lane Blog Post, August 1st

It all comes down to tonight.

Sing Night is a high holiday here at Camp Green Lane, a night of sing and friendship and former captains returning for the annual conclusion of Color War.

It’s been a long seven days leading to tonight. It’s been a Color War filled with incredible competition and determination. Just this afternoon, Green Work took their theme to heart and never quit in the Steeplechase. White Play held about a minute lead going into the final event of the race: the male captains each eat a half of a watermelon. The first to finish, to eat it all the way down to the white with no red left, is the winner.

Tyler Malat never stopped and Green Work won a thrilling race, the last head-to-head competition until tonight’s sing.

You can feel the gears change under our feet here at camp. Tonight is the last silent Meal, and the first of many last things we’ll have over the next week. Everyone poured their heart and soul into this Color War, from the Greek girls who woke up an hour before everyone else each day to complete their artwork to the little boys who painted their faces and played so hard for their sides.

It’s been all hands on deck for a week. Songwriters and artists and athletes and even the judges have put in a lot of work to make Color War special. Unfortunately, it will end tonight with victory for only one side.

As it happens every year, the Sing is the unofficial start to the end of summer. Before the judges return with a winner, the kids will push the chairs aside and find their friends. They will hug and cry and when Color War is over, the winners will put their arms around the other side. We’ll be neither the Green or the White anymore.

Tomorrow will be Country Club Day, free play all day. And then we’ll get back to the business of Leagues and Tournaments and wringing the last drops out of a summer none of us wants to end.

Tonight will be a beautiful reminder that our time here at camp is coming to a close.

It’s Sing Night. And it will all come down to tonight.