Camp Morning Star Traditions
I went to a week-long summer camp as a kid and I can recall a few odd traditions...

Any councelor spotted with their elbows on the table at mealtimes had to be subjected to "Get your elbows off the table Mr/Ms ____/Now we've seen it once or twice and it isn't very nice, get your elbows off the table Mr/Ms ____! 'Round the table you must go, you were naughty!" and run around the table, and then they were taunted with "No, no, not that way, go around the other way!" This happened at least twice a day, or more if it was the end of the week.

There's a song we sang called "I've Got six Pence" that was NEVER sung right. The chorus should go "Rolling home (rolling home)/Oh happy is the day when my cares go away" but what we actually sang was "rolling home (STUPID BOYS/GIRLS!!)/ Oh happy is the day WHEN THE BOYS/GIRLS GO AWAY!!" (shouted at the top of the appropriate genders' lungs) They never changed the printed lyrics and we never sang them, so I guess that qualifies as a tradition.

We also sang "Taps" at the end of the day, replacing "God is nigh" with "Camp goodnight" because we weren't Christian (I didn't catch on to that until I heard the "right" version at another camp in 6th grade).

All new staff people had to be caught by surprise and dunked in the (icy cold) pool.

For their last year at camp, the eldest kids had to make at least one meal and got to make tie-dye shirts.

And of course there's the usual prank war between the girls and the boys (I never got involved in that, unfortunately).

I've often wondered if Christian youth groups ever used this camp (Morningstar being another name for Satan)...
(Kitsune-chan I'm not a bunny I'm a grownup girl, Thu 28 Jul 2005, 21:19, Reply)