Camp Green Lane Blog Post August 5th

A Camp Green Lane Color War has something for everyone.

For example, if you’re super into sports, we’ve been going non-stop with cabin activities and traditional sporting events like basketball on BB1 and soccer on Soccer 2. We’ve had buzzer beaters and fingertip catches, and in one Inter Girls softball game, the pitcher from one side high-fived and coached her competition throughout as she struck each one of them out. Sportsmanship.

Color War is intense, and what I love about a CGL Color War is how this week wraps its arms around everyone and creates moments for all of us. And they all don’t happen on BB1.

A tremendous part of this week is the artwork. Since Color War broke Friday and we learned the themes, camp artists have been working on Scoreboards, Plaques, Picassos and Benches, which will all be judged and awarded points for creativity and artistry. Scoreboards were presented first, and they’re what we keep score on all week, decorated in the colors and themes of each team.

The Plaques bear the names of captains, teams and the year, and will hang in the Dining Hall forever. The Picassos pay tribute to the Camper Captains and will live in the Dome; the Benches are chiseled in wood and painted according to theme and also bear the names of the team captains and will hang in the GLOBE rafters. Tradition.

Tonight is also another moment for creativity when the Campfire Skits, originally performed in front of an actual fire, take place in the GLOBE.

And then there was this afternoon’s Spelling Bee, which is one of my favorite events of the week. Campers from every division in camp, plus staff, compete in the annual Bee in the GLOBE. It’s one of the most exciting hours of the week, as each camper takes up the microphone, takes a deep breath, and tries to spell each word they’re given correctly.

When they do, the place goes nuts. Today’s cheers were registering on smartwatches as the decibel level rose with each round.

It really is so dramatic as each camper takes their turn.

We started with the word b-o-n-d today and ended with k-a-r-a-o-k-e. In between, eagle claimed some, then reveille took out a bunch; calendar proved to be a difficult one, but it was succotash, a traditional American bean-and-corn dish with Narragansett origins, that claimed the most entrants near the end.

Finally, 2025 produced a new winner in James Wilding, a counselor in the Cubs, who reads to his cabin at night and correctly spelled karaoke to win this year’s Spelling Bee.

We had plenty of exciting moments this week, but the cheers are noticeably louder for the Spelling Bee each summer.

Today was no different, proving a CGL Color War really does have something for everyone.