It was 3rd period and I walked into ceramics where I saw a group of Middy boys having the best time using the pottery wheel. They were all laughing and so excited to show me their works of art. Some were creating hand made bowls and a few made coasters but why this moment stuck out to me today is because these same boys who were having a ball with clay just got off the field from a serious soccer game they had with their division. Their faces were flushed and they still had sweat running down their cheeks and  these kids went form a fun game of soccer where they ran up and down the field  to sitting down  in Arts & Crafts making a cool clay bowl. They were focused and loved showing me what they were making. This is the Chenny kid in a nut shell. Fierce athletes playing with all their heart, straight to ceramics as they so delicately molded a clay masterpiece. When you think of a well rounded kid who can pop in and out of activities that each equally engage their mind, body and spirit, you think of a Chenny Kid. This is what we do here and this is why your kids love spending their summers at Chenny.

To feel the love in Shields Hall tonight was to be in the presence of something pretty special and moving. When our kids take that stage, no matter if they  play guitar, sing a song or do tricks with their diablo, they receive an ovation of cheers followed by hundreds of people screaming in awe of their performance and courage to take the stage. Can you imagine the feeling of getting that response when you put your talent out their in the Chen-A-Wanda universe? It’s insanely awesome and those kids who performed tonight loved every minute of it. Confidence is built here and support thrives amongst us all. We love making our fellow campers feel the love and tonight was off the charts. We know that for those 20 campers who stood on that stage and entertained us all tonight, they felt the love. We all felt it and you couldn’t help but leave Shields Hall tonight with a huge smile and a happy heart. There is so much talent here that we had to make another Chenny Talent Show for next week. It was an awesome night.

There is something about kids jumping off a diving board that love when people watch them. I was at the pool watching a group of Middy campers in the pool and every single one them would say, “Watch me” as they dove, jumped, or cannon balled into the crisp cool pool. Each camper loved running down the board and jumping in. So many smiles, so many happy kids, so many great moments on that diving board. At the other end of the pool there were the campers chilling out on floaties. Giant pizza slices, donuts and pink flamingos were floating in the shallow with campers relaxing all over them. The vibe at the shallow end was just chillin’ compared the cannon ball city in the deep end, always with “watch me” as they leaped in. Its was just a perfect pool day for everyone regardless if you wanted to float and chill or run and jump. Both accomplished that same thing, everyone had fun and everyone cooled off on this hot day.

“Focus on the steps in front of you, and not the whole staircase.” Anonymous

It was back to regular activities today. No matter the temperature, we were ready to play. Water bottles were full and everyone was well hydrated. As we are approaching the end of week four, it seems like we’ve been here forever and we just want time to slow down. The heat was high so all that meant was our campers were loving cooling off in the pool and lake. The Zone was fun to be at too cause who doesn’t love a water gun flight to cool you down. Just an amazing fun day full of ice pops and Loys and loots of water.

“My coach said I run like a girl and I said if he can run a little faster he could too.” Mia Hamm

As the sun set, it was time for an outdoor movie for our Freshman thru Inter campers. Campers grabbed their creek chairs and blankets and it was an incredible night under the stars as they munched on popcorn and watched Sing 2. Collegiates had their our fun inside the Chen-A-Plex watching a fun flick and the seniors and supers had an incredible fun at their night pool party. Our oldest campers are living their best life in California and enjoying every minute of their adventure out west. It was a morning spent at the hotel pool followed by an afternoon at Universal studios. Oh to be a GC/CIT.

It was another great day to be a Chenny kid.

Part of the Chenny experience is heading out of camp for trips. Everyone puts on their Gold Camp T-shirt and there was an excitement in the air this morning. Though we all love our summer home, heading out for some incredible trips makes our summers that more special.

Our Freshman, Juniors and Middies started their spectacular day jumping around at SkyZone. It was dodgeball mania and the kids had so much fun. As we left, the manager told us that our kids were unbelievably well behaved and respectful and that she has never seen such a well mannered group of kids at SKyZone. How proud we felt of our Chenny kids. Then after all that jumping around it as off to the movies to catch the latest summer Blockbuster.  We munched on popcorn and enjoyed a phenomenal movie. After the movies it was back to camp. Everyone was wiped and exhausted from the day. Lights out never happened so fast for our Cherokee campers. It was a perfect summer trip day.

Inters and Collegiates, Seniors and Supers had a perfect day at Camel Beach Water Park. There is nothing better than spending a hot summer day at a water park. It was an ideal day and the kids loved it. The fun didn’t end there as the Inters  & Collegiates changed out of their bathing suits and it was off to the movie theater for them. The Seniors and Supers had their own late afternoon fun at the The Crossings for some outlet shopping fun.

Our GC’S & CIT’s landed in Los Angeles this am and started their west coast adventure with and afternoon at UCLA. They explored Westwood, toured around the campus and even took pics on the floor of Pauley Pavillion. The campers took over the student store and had an incredible day 1. They spent their evening at Universal City Walk grabbing dinner and embracing the LA experience. It was a perfect start to their incredible adventure they have ahead of them.

Its good to be a Chenny kid!

It was anything but a typical day today at Camp Chen-A-Wanda as the Corn Man came to Chenny and he hit it out of the park with his delicious sweet roasted corn on the cob. He started roasting the corn early in the morning and that yummy sweet smell covered every corner of camp all day long. Mid afternoon came, it was time and the campers were ready. You have no idea how much your kids LOVED the roasted corn. It was the sweetest most yummy corn you can imagine and it was delicious. We’re all hooked. A Middy boy, in between bites said to me “I had no idea that I liked corn.” It was just a delicious day and Corn Man was again a huge hit with everyone here. A true camp favorite!!!!

Everybody loves Minute To Win It and Chenny kids had a ball as each division had a boy and girl player represent their division.. The crowd cheered on their campers as they were playing for some fabulous and fun prizes. There were 12 players to start the game and after several rounds of incredible challenges, it was narrowed down to 2 finalist who battled it out.  The last event was incredible as each contestant had a cup full of mentos mints and both stood on a platform overlooking a large bottle of soda. The task needed them to successfully drop a mentos into the soda where it would cause a reaction for the soda to crate a volcano and shoot up. It was neck and neck and anyone’s game but with only seconds on the clock, Junior camper Mason Kohen won!!!! Shields Hall went crazy and the kids had an absolute ball. Another amazing night here at Camp Chen-A-Wanda. Life is just so great at Camp CHEN-A-WANDA.

If you were to bring out a deck of cards and told your kids that is what he/she and their friends will play with for hours on end day after day, would you ever think they would go for it? Not in my house either, but there is something about a deck of cards in this house that can entertain your children. I was sitting with a group of  boys who were teaching me a card game I never played before. They were so excited to teach me the game of palace and each took pride listing any and all of the rules. They each new this game inside and out and took pride in conveying their strategy on how to get to the end. We all sat under the apple tree, with a deck of cards playing a game that used our minds and gave us over an hour of capturing our attention. So as the time flew by and we all laughed, played, told stories and had a ball I was just so struck by the fact that all we had were those 52 cards. When life is simplified, life becomes simple. It’s not always about the latest and greatest technology or video game that make us the most happy. Sometimes all you need is just a deck of cards. I am so grateful for these moments I get to share with your kids.

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” —Michael Jordan

Tonight was by far the best and most fun evening activity we have at camp Chen-A-Wanda, said EVERYONE. They absolutely loved the silent disco party we had. From the littlest freshman to our CIT’s, they all  had the BEST TIME tonight. If you know silent disco, then you know how much fun it is and your kids could not have loved it more.  Every camper had their headphones on and danced and sang (loudly) with everyone who was listening to the same song. They had the greatest night ever. It was so much fun. Tonight was a home run!!!

It was our Virtual Visiting Day and it was a success. It was joyful getting to watch your campers face when they got to go through their visiting day box with you at home. The candy and gifts and a piece from home made today that more special. Kids were bringing their goodie box back to their bunk to share with their friends and every bunk was stacked with yummy food and awesome gifts.  It was a different kind of Visiting Day and yes we are all so excited to have camp full again with our visiting families but for today, it was just great. From inside camp, your kids were so excited to see you at home and share all their adventures and experiences with you. They loved their goodie boxes  full of candy and other fun things you put in their but seeing your faces was all they needed. We wanted you to have those moments with your kids that allowed you enough time to hear all the incredible things they are doing this summer and all the amazing people who have entered their life. There is an entire group of people here who adore your kids and though this summer, you wont have the opportunity to meet them and hear all about how much they care for your children but believe us when we say, they do! We want nothing more than to return a normal visiting day next summer but grateful to be able to provide your kids with the experience you had today.  We also hope you enjoyed the bunk videos we created for you to get a glimpse of your kids counselors and their bunks too. We know how important  it is for you to see who is caring for your kids and where they sleep.

Tonight was as incredible as the day was. It was an ideal perfect summer night for a camp favorite event, Chenny Jam.. The excitement around Chenny Jam is undeniable. It is Boys Side vs. Girls Side – It is Pink vs. Black – It is energy and it is a camp favorite. It is everything the NBA ALl-Star offers but just here in our backyard. And our halftime show was insane. Our very talented School of Rock staff gave us an entertaining halftime show that got everyone up on their feet. After rocking out to their incredible show, Middy camper Morgan Fischer took the mic led the band with a performance that was just incredible. She may be a little thing but she sure does have one giant voice. It is a night that stands out as a summer favorite and not a camper at tonight’s game had anything but an INCREDIBLE time. One of those nights that you can’t sit down because standing and dancing makes way more sense. The fun was over the top and then of course there was the game. It was all staff playing and all camp cheering. Tonight’s Win went to BOYS SIDE!!! Everyone dressed in black went nuts as they celebrated boys side officially winning Chenny Jam ’22. A great day and then a great night.. It doesn’t get better than that 🙂

It was a brunch wake up today and we all LOVED the extra sleep. After our lazy sleep-in morning and delicious brunch bonanza, it was off to the Carnival for one amazingly fun day. There were dunk tanks, carnival games, water slides, foam pits, inflatable obstacle courses, snow cones, cotton candy, popcorn and so much more. The OOTD was designed by our very own new camper, Dylan Leport. He won the T-shirt design contest he submitted in the off-season and saw his artwork on every camper and staff today. His take on the Air Jordan Chenny style, was a HUGE HIT today with absolutely everyone. Dylan not only won the contest and got to see his design all over camp today, he will soon be getting his very own custom Air Jordans we had made for him that replicates the shirt design her created. We are so proud of him and his cutting edge version of or carnival shirt of the summer. The weather was perfect, the carnival was epic and campers just had the greatest day. It was party time at Camp CHEN-A-WANDA and after our day was over, it was off to the canteen to get some fun prizes from all those tickets we won at the game booths. Who needs Disneyland when we have carnival coming to camp? It was just a great fun day here and one that will stick out as our favorites.

We wanted to keep the fun going with our wacky and wild games from Powerhouse. We played awesome games, chucked rubber chickens, got pie’d in the face and was just had a blast being silly. There were so many laughs coming from Shields Hall that our fun during the day just rolled into the night. It was just a blast of a day we all had together. Happy and content campers is what we have and today was an all around ideal day. Fun, fun and more fun.  We’re all exhausted but ready to do it all again tomorrow.

The campers enjoyed their trip day out of camp on Tuesday and spent today doing what we all do best, LOVING CAMP! I hope the pictures and videos we post do justice to how it feels living here all summer long. It’s just joyful and easy. There was a great feeling here on camp today. Campers are in their stride and have beautifully settled in. Today was one of those days that felt relaxed and content. Maybe we were all exhausted from Olympics and yesterdays trip day but being on camp today just felt great and there was a complete chill vibe happening at camp. One of those summer days you just don’t want to end.

“You have to take a leap before you can fly.” Anonymous 

Middy Boys Hockey  – CAW 3 @ Wayne 12