Lower Council Fire

After a series of high-energy and extravagant evening programs, camp settled in last night for an evening that was a bit more traditional. Rather than changing into our most extravagant costumes, painting our faces, or donning an old pair of overalls, we simply reported to the back field and assembled on the benches there. Beyond the numerous Crazy Creeks and a small assemblage of instruments, campers and staff came with lighter loads than the past two nights.

We were gathered for our Lower Council Fire—the less reverent, more relaxed counterpart to our beginning and ending Upper Council Fires—where campers and staff could perform music, tell stories, and sing along to camp hits like John Prine’s “Paradise” (last night, this song was performed by a staggeringly large ensemble—16 musicians and singers, according to one observant audience member) or “Rocky Raccoon.” To kick us off, a staff member demonstrates the process of making a fire as campers look on.

This evening program, though it is a simpler one, nevertheless remains a camp favorite. It is a night of enjoying each other’s company, creating and celebrating art, and fostering creativity, community, and laughter through a classic and timeless medium. Sitting around a fire, being present with community, and making space for joy—although, regrettably, s’mores are not a feature of this particular night—makes for closer bonds, forged from a place of relative stillness and simplicity. And we hope, although this evening program lacks the extravagance of some others, that campers might carry home with them a fondness for this unadorned evening, and for a night driven by music, stories, and friendship.

Story by Katherine Poore & Photos by Brandon S. Marshall