Sadie Hawkins Day!

Sadie Hawkins Day. Those three words either bring joy and excitement to the campers, or cause fear and trembling. Each Tuesday of Camp is Sadie Hawkins Day(2nd Tuesday for 2 week sessions). And Sadie Hawkins is always a day that brings about lots of discussion amongst the campers. No matter what how the campers feel about Sadie Hawkins Day, there is no doubt that it is always one of the highlights of the session.

Sadie Hawkins Day gets started early on Tuesday morning. After Flag Devo is over, the staff introduces the day by singing the Sadie Hawkins Day Song. It goes something like this...

"Its Sadie Hawkins Day, its Sadie Hawkins Day, its Sadie Hawkins Day, its Sadie Hawkins Day,

So all you girls and guys, will run fast if your wise,

Its Sadie Hawkins Day, Its Sadie Hawkins Day, HEY!!!"

When Group Activity rolls around, Sadie Hawkins Day is in full swing. It starts with telling the true story of Sadie Hawkins. She was a beauty challenged young lady who chased young men around trying to capture their affection. So we recreate this story our own Camp Deer Run way. The boys line, and are allowed to run and hide. The girls are then allowed to chase after the boys. After a short time, all boys have to come out of hiding and be chased by the girls. After all boys are caught, its time to get married. The boys kneel in front of their date and grab an ankle while the girls gently grab a lock of hair. After reciting the marriage vows, the couples are married in holy macaroni, a marriage that lasts only through night canteen.
Once the marriages are complete, its time to head to the creek to make the marriages complete. The boys have to "gently" dip their date into the creek.
As you can tell from the picture below, sometimes the "gently" dipping part is forgotten.

After the dipping of dates is done, a huge creek battle generally breaks out. The girls often team up to try and exact revenge on the boys, the boys try to start wrestling in the water, and there may be some mud bombs thrown around the creek. The best part of spending time at the creek is showing the campers how much fun playing in a small little creek in the middle of the woods can be. This is something that most campers never get the chance to do, and once they are able to give in and have fun, all have a wonderful time.

Each Tuesday night is cookout night, which is tons of fun. Each group goes off on its own to one of the cookout spots and spends a few hours under the stars by a fire. This is always a great time to play fun games around the fire. Lots of great memories are made during this time. This is another example of an activity that the campers rarely get a chance to do.

Once the games are over and the fire is ready, its time to cook some hot dogs. For Sadie Hawkins, the girls are asked to cook for their dates. The boys are told to promise to eat the dogs made for them no matter what may have happened to the dog during the cooking process. After everyone eats there are some stories told, and then Night Devo.

There are several other things that go on during this day that I left out, but this is a short rundown of a typical Sadie Hawkins Day. Sadie Hawkins Day is one of those days that always stands out in former Deer Runners memories. Its a day of fun gifts, fun stories, and fun activities. It is the perfect example of what Camp Deer Run offers to the campers...a Christ-centered experience that they won't get anywhere else.

Hail, Dear Ol' Deer Run,

Sparky

Alumni Spotlight...Mandy Beard Brooks

Time to highlight the very first person who ever filled out the Alumni Spotlight survey, Mandy Beard Brooks. Mandy was a camper from 1989 through 1999 was served on staff in 2000.

CDR Alumni: What brought you to Camp Deer Run as a camper or staff member? How did you find out about camp?
Mandy: I came as a camper in 1989 when i was only 8 years old and was allowed to stay the two week session because my sister, Mary Beard, was also with me. We LOVED it, and became obsessed with camp. I don't think we quit talking about it the whole year; we still talk about it! The very next summer my mom, Linda Beard, was the camp nurse during our 2 week session. She too got to experience first hand mud sliding! It was her only year to go, but Mary and I camped together every year after that, always 4th session...we made some lifelong friends and after being a camper for 10 years I joined the staff in summer of 2000.

CDR Alumni: Share a favorite memory from your time at CDR.
Mandy: WOW where do i begin I have soooo many wonderful memories! Camp is not just somewhere I spent 2 weeks every summer, it is a part of who I am today.

CDR Alumni: How did your time at CDR impact your life?
Mandy: Tremendously! I still think about what I learned there and the people that made an impact on my life. And I hope soon that my kids will too get to experience the joy that CDR brought me.

CDR Alumni: Tell us everything you would like people to know about your life since camp. What do you do for a living, are you married, do you have kids, etc.
Mandy: I live in Rusk, am married to a great man, have 3 wonderful boys, and I am a part time ultrasound tech in the east Texas area specializing in OB/GYN.

CDR Alumni: Please tell us more about your family, names, ages, anything you would like to share.
Mandy: Husband: Aaron Brooks for almost 9 years Boys: Keller 8, Garrett 5, and Tanner 3 Ultrasound tech for 5 years and I really enjoy my job.

Thanks so Mandy for filling the survey out and being willing to update all of us about your life. I worked with Mandy for a year, and I can tell you that it is a lot of fun for me to be able to see where people I camped with or worked with are in their lives today. I hope everyone else is enjoying it as much as I am.

There are a couple of announcements that will be made in the next week or two that should be very exciting for many of you. They have to do with some possible gatherings that will be happening at Camp this summer. I'll post those announcements soon.

Hail, Dear Ol' Deer Run,
Sparky

Killi Olympics

Time to continue with our "Days of Camp" series. A couple of weeks ago I ran down the activities that take place at Camp on Sunday when campers first arrive. Now its time to move on to Killi Olympic Day.

Killi Olympics are on Monday and during two week sessions it is on the second Monday. Each day is introduced to the campers right after Flag Devo in their own special way. For Killi Olympics day the program staff, which now includes four group leaders and the program director, come together to form the Olympic Rings. While linked together they also sing/hum the Olympic Song.
The competitions that make up Killi Olympics occur during each Group Activity. Some of the events have been around for many, many years. These would include things like the 50 yard dash and the cross country run. Others like the "Find the finish Line" Race and Freestyle Walk have been added recently. There are also many different events that have been created on the spot and used for a couple of sessions. The Ping Pong Ball Chunk has always been a camper favorite, but sometimes it is difficult to locate a ping pong ball at Camp, and that event wasn't done. Often times the events are a product of the staff's creativity. There have been events like the Oprah Powerwalk, and the Spin in a Circle contest, as well as the New Mexican Ball Toss. Its always fun to see the campers enjoy competing and trying their best to win a ribbon at the end of the week.

Two week sessions are the best. If you have ever been to a two week session you will agree. There are many extras that two week sessions offer, and Mellow Night is one of them. Mellow night happens on the second Monday of the session, which is Killi Olympic Day.

Mellow Night is a very mellow night. It gives campers and the staff a chance to dress up in crazy clothes. The goal is to dress like someone out of the 1960's or 1970's. Sometimes people don't exactly get that concept. But it is still a lot of fun.

Part of what makes Mellow Night so fun is the performances. All of the benches are moved out of the Rec Hall and everyone sits on the ground. Mellow Night is basically an open mic night at Camp. Campers and staff are encouraged to perform a song, recite a poem, tell a story, and do some random joke telling. Its always fun to see what secret talents the campers and staff have.

This is a picture of one of the Mellow Night traditions...The Magic Show. This is a performance that is generally put on my a couple of group leaders. One thing that makes this so special is the amazing musical accompaniment. Of course the magic tricks that are done are nothing short of mindblowing. The fact that the show is passed down from generation to generation is another special aspect of the act.

I hope that you are able to picture what Camp is like today. Although things have changed over the years, for the most part Camp is still the same place, and will be the same place for many years.

Hail Dear Ol' Deer Run,

Sparky

Prayer Requests

Missed doing this last week, and I want to make sure we don't miss it this week.

Brett and Kelly (Womack) Finley of Tomball, TX
My husband Brett was diagnosed with cancer Jan. 7, 2010. He just turned 50 the day before. We don't know the primary cancer, but he has secondary tumors on his liver and abdominal lymphnodes plus a tumor that was removed from his spine on Jan. 8th. He went through 2 weeks of radiation on his back and just yesterday had his second round of chemo. Because we don't have a primary cancer, we don't have a true prognosis. Our prayer is that the chemo will completely eradicate the tumors and he will be cancer free.

Mikyla Pickering
11 year old friend of Brooke Crawford who has leukemia

Over the years there have been many Deer Runners who have gone all over the world to serve in the mission field. There are many who are doing this right now. Spend time in prayer for these people, and ask God to bless the work that they are doing.

If you ever have anything you would like added to the weekly prayer requests, you can email cdralumni@gmail.com

Hail Dear Ol' Deer Run,
Sparky

Alumni Spotlight...Jay Worley

This week's Alumni spotlight is Jay Worley. Jay was a camper from 1986-1989 and 1992-1993. Jay was also on staff from 1994-1997.

CDR Alumni: What brought you to Camp Deer Run as a camper or staff member? How did you find out about camp?
Jay: I found out about CDR from Sam, Ty, and Cole Ford's parents, Tim and Linda Ford, who were also staff back in the 70's.

CDR Alumni: Share a favorite memory from your time at CDR.
Jay: MANY great memories. My favorite session ever, though, was probably 2nd Session 1994. Camp was struggling in those days, so we only had about 40 campers. So for that session, we were all Nashamies. It was great having all of the campers and staff together in one group.

CDR Alumni: How did your time at CDR impact your life?
Jay: Certainly I learned a lot and made many wonderful friends and memories, but hopefully the biggest impact was on the kids I had the opportunity to work with. I was fortunate enough to baptize several kids at camp. That's the truest testament to what CDR is all about and why it's such a special place.


CDR Alumni: Tell us everything you would like people to know about your life since camp. What do you do for a living, are you married, do you have kids, etc.
Jay: I've been a lawyer for 6 years this week. I'm currently an Assistant District Attorney in Dallas County. I've been married for 5 years and have a 2 year old daughter.

CDR Alumni: Please tell us more about your family, names, ages, anything you would like to share.
Jay: My beautiful wife Sarah is the most wonderful woman and mother in the world. My daughter Ava is the cutest, sweetest little girl in the world.

Thanks so much Jay for sharing with us some of your memories of Camp and giving us an update about your life now. I was lucky enough to have Jay as a counselor a couple of times. Some of my favorite memories come from the times that I was in Jay's cabin and some of the outrageous things that we did. One night in particular really stands out to me. It involved taking every single item out of Women's 6 without the girls knowing, and putting everything in the old bathhouse. We then moved the bunks into Hoche Grove. Fun times!!

Thank you to those of you who have filled out a spotlight survey. I am trying to spotlight people who have sent in pictures first, mainly because I think it makes the posts much more fun and interesting. If you have filled out a survey but haven't sent me any pictures, you can send them to cdralumni@gmail.com . They can be pictures of your time at Camp, current pictures, or both. If you would like to fill out an Alumni Spotlight you can do so here. Thanks for the support and continue to spread the word about this new place for Deer Runners to spend some time.

Hail Dear Ol' Deer Run,

Sparky

Sundays at Camp

I thought it would be fun to write some posts explaining what happens each day at Camp. I'm sure that it is fun to look at how things work at Camp today, especially if it has been many years since you spent time at Camp. This post is going to be about Sunday, the day that campers come out to spend a week or two at Camp Deer Run.



Sundays are always filled with excitement. For some campers, this is the very first time they have been to Camp. For others, they have spent all year looking forward to getting to go to Camp, and that day finally comes. Campers are usually brought to Camp by their family, sometime during the afternoon, and are instructed which cabin they will be spending the week in. So then all their luggage is hauled up to their cabin, which can be a long trek for the boys. Once in their cabin, the campers meet who their counselor is and try to get their bunk bed set up for the week. Then its time to say goodbye to mom and dad, and start to get to know their fellow campers. Around 5:00 most campers have arrived, and its time to get Camp started.

Sunday is a day spent introducing Camp to the campers. This includes how Camp runs. Camp Deer Run doesn't have any rules, which is awesome for kids. But Camp has "Guiding Principles". So the guiding principles are shared with the campers all throughout the day. The first time this is done is at the bathhouses. All the boys in Camp get together at the steps of the boys bathhouse, and the girls meet in Hoche Grove. This is when the bathhouse guiding principles are lined out. There is usually a competition to see which side can "HOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLDDDDDDDDDD IT" the longest.

After bathhouse GPs its time to either eat or get to know your group. When its time for dinner, the campers line up in front of the Mess Hall and are given the Mess Hall GPs, such as go in the in door and don't get ice because of the Ice Snake. Dinner is always the traditional Sunday dinner of lasagna and garlic bread with ice cream for dessert. If your group isn't eating then it is gathered together playing get-to-know-you games. A couple of these games are the Shoe game, and Mingle. This is also the time when the some of the more general GPs are discussed with the group. Some of these include what to do if you see a snake, and why not to go into the ball closet.

Once everyone has eaten, its time for all of Camp to head to the Rec Hall for worship. Its such a wonderful time to have all the campers and staff together in the Rec Hall singing praises to God for the first time of the session. It really helps to set the tone for the purpose of coming to Camp.

Once worship is over, everyone stays in the Rec Hall and some of the more important GPs are discussed. Around this time every session, something strange happens; a meteor hits right near Camp and it sets all of the clocks and watches back an hour, or at least most of them. Campers are instructed to change their watches if they weren't automatically. Then the group leaders start to discuss the GPs Things like, "Don't wander into the woods without a counselor" and what happens if a boy and a girl hold hands at Camp. Here is a picture of a couple of group leaders giving a very accurate account of what happens if a Hoche stick is not used.
After the GPs are over, its time to move on to staff introductions and Silly Songs! This is always such a fun time for all of Camp. The staff from each group will get up in front of all the campers and introduce themselves in some crazy way. Silly Songs gives the campers an idea of some of the silly things that they will be participating in at Camp, and shows them how much fun being silly can be. Some of the favorite Silly Songs are "Swiss Boy", "C-O-C-O-N-U-T", "Baby Bubble Bee", "Little Bunny Foo Foo", "WeeWee", and many others. Here is a picture of the staff performing "The Conductor Song".

After Silly Songs are sung, its time to sing 4 very important songs. First the female staff gathers at the front and sings the "Chiquita Banana Song". After this, the men's staff goes to the front and sings the deeply powerful song "In The Pines". Next are the two songs that represent Camp Deer Run to the fullest. The first is the "Killi War Anthem". The last song of the night is "Hail Dear Ol' Deer Run!". Below is a picture of the staff singing "Hail Dear Ol' Deer Run!".

Once all of this is over, the campers get to go to Canteen for the first time, night games, and then night devo. Sundays really are fun days at Camp. Some campers may come to Camp nervous and worried about being away from home, but by the time the nights out whistle is blown, they are tired but happy to be at home. The go to sleep excited about what the rest of the session might bring their way. And they know that they are at a place that is truly special. A place where everything is done with a focus of pleasing God.

Hail Dear Ol' Deer Run,

Sparky

Alumni Spotlight...Shelly Foreman Mullins

Its been a couple of weeks since we had our last Alumni Spotlight, so we are going to get back after it tonight by spotlighting Shelly Foreman Mullins. Shelly was camper from 1992-1998 and found out about Camp from her mother who was a camper and staff member at Camp.

CDR Alumni: Share a favorite memory from your time at CDR.

Shelly: Too many favorites to list. I loved being in the cabin with the other girls at night giggling & telling stories. Another favorite was hymn time. I loved singing when I was younger, you know, back when I was too young to know what tone deaf was. The memories are priceless.

CDR Alumni: How did your time at CDR impact your life?

Shelly: Growing up, Camp Deer Run was the first place I spent time away from my family for more than a few days. My foundation at home was always built on Christian beliefs. Building a Christian foundation outside of my home started with my time at Camp Deer Run. I made friends in Christ that I still keep in touch with today. My Niece & Nephew are campers now, and I can't wait to send my children in the future.

CDR Alumni: Tell us everything you would like people to know about your life since camp; What do you do for a living, are you married, do you have kids, etc.

Shelly: I have been married 2 1/2 years, and we're waiting a few more years to have children. I will receive my bachelor's degree in Legal Studies this year. I'm a paralegal who toys with the idea of going on to law school, with hopes of becoming a Judge one day. Most importantly, I am still loving the Lord with all my heart.

CDR Alumni: Please tell us more about your family, names, ages, anything you would like to share.

Shelly: My brother, Phillip (Flip) Foreman, was also a camper. We both LOVED 4th session. But, we did camp several sessions one summer to make sure 4th really was the best, and we found that it was. ;)

Thank you Shelly for taking the time to fill out our Alumni Survey. Unfortunately, I am sure there will be some people who may not agree with your assessment of 4th Session being the best. If you are reading this and would like to be spotlighted, make sure to go fill out a survey. If you have pictures you would like used on your spotlight or any requests to add to our prayer list, you can email these to cdralumni@gmail.com .

Hail Dear Ol' Deer Run,

Sparky

Prayer Requests

Brett and Kelly (Womack) Finley of Tomball, TX
My husband Brett was diagnosed with cancer Jan. 7, 2010. He just turned 50 the day before. We don't know the primary cancer, but he has secondary tumors in his liver and abdominal lymphnodes plus a tumor that was removed from his spine on Jan 8th. He went through 2 weeks of radiation on his back and just yesterday had his second round of chemo. Because we don't have a primary cancer we don't have a true prognosis. Our prayer is that the chemo will completely eradicate the tumors and he will be cancer free.

Pray for the leadership of Camp Deer Run. Ty Ford is the Camp Director. He is the person in charge at Camp. Ty is in charge of the day to day operations that make Camp Deer Run function. There is also a Board of Directors. These are the people who are charged with making sure that Camp is always headed in the right direction. Pray that God instills wisdom on these people and pray that He continues to put people in these spots that want to serve Him in all they do.

Hail Dear Ol' Deer Run,
Sparky