Director's Corner - Monday, July 7, 2025
July 7, 2025
Walking on Sunshine
I'm walking on sunshine, wooah
I'm walking on sunshine, woooah
I'm walking on sunshine, woooah
And don't it feel good
Happy Mukwonago Monday! Today we had the perfect sunny sky and temperatures. Campers had a blast with two cabin activities, and our bunks are now enjoying their final rounds of all our activities.
This was the 3rd day of the final round of hobbies so there is a feeling that it is winding down. Campers navigated to their activities with ease, staff took attendance efficiently, and everyone had a blast. Our biking enthusiasts hit the trails for an exciting adventure, while our dancers perfected their routines. The musical campers are busy adding the finishing touches to their production of “The Wizard of Oz,” and I can't wait to see it tomorrow. One really cool hobby I spent some time at today was synchronized swimming. It is not easy to learn the skill of treading water to keep your body near the surface and then proper breath support to maintain buoyancy but they were certainly making progress. I am told they made a video for tonight's Fine Arts Fest, and I cannot wait to see it.
Perhaps one of the coolest new cabin activities today was Beber History. This exclusive cabin activity for CITs was started a couple of years ago by Cheryl Kaplan (44 summers) and Kimberly (Kaplan) Bird (42 summers). The CITs start by getting a short history of how the Kaplan Family first came to Beber and some of the background of early Beber summers and then begin a tour of areas of camp that they may have never seen before as well as a walking tour of camp talking about former buildings and fixtures at camp. They end their tour in the famous Kaplan apartment above Crown Hall where they view a slideshow of Beber’s past facilities and hear stories from our 50 year history. They get to ask questions and even get to try on an original 5 year jacket, the first and only 10 year winter jacket, and the original 10 year blanket. Today the CITs were so engrossed in the history that they decided to skip shower hour just to hear more. Kim said that 40 years from now they could be leading the same activity, sharing their history here at camp.
Meals:
Breakfast: Eggs, hash browns and biscuits
Lunch: Fried Mac and Cheese bites, onion rings, and roasted broccoli
Dinner: Brisket sandwiches on pretzel rolls with curly fries and corn
After a delightful dinner of brisket sandwiches, campers enjoyed General Activities (GA). It was heartwarming to see so many campers playing games, chatting with friends, or relaxing on the Blue Swing, a beloved fixture at camp since Burr Oaks (the camp that was on grounds before Beber). My favorite GA activity is Baggo (aka Cornhole, Bags, Bean Bag Toss). I often jump in to play a few rounds with the campers.
Speaking of camp fixtures, you might have heard about the 72 steps—yes, there really are 72 of them, always a fun count going up or down. Another iconic spot is the Hobby Wheel, a wooden wheel where campers gather in lower camp to break out for hobbies. A recent addition, the Giant Green Chair overlooking Lake Beulah, has quickly become a favorite photo spot. We recently expanded our camp fixtures with a playground and hammock area. The hammock area, built by myself and Swany, has become a popular relaxation spot, while the playground buzzes with activity around the tables and jungle gym, offering a cool photo op with campers hanging out at the top.
Senior Ramot enjoyed a special trip to Lake Geneva this afternoon for some group shopping and bonding time off camp. They ended their special rite of passage day at the Elegant Farmer where they experienced a hayride, tour of the facilities and a grilled cheese dinner. They of course got an opportunity to shop in the market and many campers enjoyed a slice of their world famous apple pie with ice cream or a Beber Camp, t-shirt shaped cookie.
Tonight’s evening program featured our incredible Fine Arts Festival. This is a culminating event where campers showcase the talents they’ve developed in hobbies throughout the session. Dancers lit up the stage with choreographed routines, rock bands played in front of a live audience, and our budding filmmakers premiered their short videos for the whole camp to enjoy.
We had four rock bands perform tonight, and one all-Makor band brought the house down with a powerful cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” The Ramot band followed with a phenomenal rendition of Gracie Abrams’ “That’s So True!” It’s amazing to think that in just five days, campers learn to play real instruments and prepare for a live performance.
The energy kept building with a high-energy dance to “Hoe Down Throw Down” from Hannah Montana and a stunning performance set to Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra.” I finally had the chance to watch the synchronized swimming video, and it did not disappoint!
Campers also premiered two Movie Making videos, both centered on camp-themed mysteries cleverly solved by the young filmmakers themselves. We were even treated to a short video featuring the model rocketry hobby launching their rocket!
To top it all off, we enjoyed a compilation of songs from our recording studio hobbies and the original creations from the songwriting hobby, led by our artist-in-residence, Brett Fromson. The creativity, teamwork, and growth our campers displayed tonight were simply remarkable. I’m equally proud of the hobby leaders whose guidance and inspiration made it all possible.
As the camp is feeling that time here is coming to an end, they capitalize on every moment together. Tonight there have been several late night adventures from a dance part to a pool party to late night gaga. I myself was involved in a casino night with some Kesher boys cabins! We may be “Walkin’ on Sunshine” all day but it pushes us well into the night as well!
Peace, Love, 3BC,
Michael
Today’s Trivia: Who sang “Walkin’ on Sunshine?” Email your answer to trivia@bebercamp.com for a chance to be featured in tomorrow’s blog!
Yesterday’s Trivia Answer: 3 Dog Night sang “Celebrate.” Congrats to:
- Anne Reaven