Category Archives: News

Staff Talent Show

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The first few days of the CLC Summer of 2015 have been full of energy and excitement. Campers and staff have been spending time getting to know each other and enjoying all of the fun activities that CLC has to offer. One of the activities that campers always look forward to is our Staff Talent Show. Our staff never disappoint when it comes to entertainment. This year, there were a variety of performances ranging from musical numbers to choreographed dances and other crazy acts! Highlights of the evening included the performance of the Beyonce hit “Single Ladies.” Many of the campers said it was one of their favorites!

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Our campers are now very excited to put on their own Talent Show next week.

CLC Opening Campfire 2015

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The lighting of Opening Campfire officially signals that our summer family is back together. This summer’s Opening Campfire had more spirit and energy than ever before! As we all gathered at the Campfire Site, everyone was singing, laughing and dancing as they waited for the special moment to begin.

Every Opening Campfire at Chestnut Lake actually starts when we say goodbye the summer before. The ashes from Closing Campfire are gathered in a container and buried, waiting in the ground until the following summer’s Opening Campfire.

During our first day of camp, each age division was given a special piece of wood that every camper and counselor was asked to sign. They talked about what Chestnut Lake means to them. These planks of wood were then added to the campfire. u472085_p15052934

At Opening Campfire, CLC’s youngest campers dug up the ashes and during Debbi and Paul’s welcome speech, they sprinkled the previous summer’s ashes onto the fire. This represents how each and every camper’s spirit carries forward summer after summer. As we always say, once you’re a part of Chestnut Lake, Chestnut Lake is a part of you. Since the Ciqala dug the ashes up last summer, the Yazhi received the privilege this summer. All of camp anxiously awaited as the Yazhi located the spot where the ashes were buried and pulled them from the ground.

After Debbi, Paul, Masey, Kelsie, Dan, Niki and Mike welcomed the campers, Varsity led the entire camp in the CLC alma mater. As alma mater ended, Garin lit the traditional “Hello 2015” sign and camp broke out into our favorite chant, “Chestnut ‘til I Die!” We are all looking forward to another amazing summer at Chestnut Lake Camp.

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Brotherly Love at Chestnut Lake Summer Camp

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What could be better than riding the bus through the gates of Chestnut Lake Summer Camp for the start of summer 2015? Sharing that experience with your brother, of course! Xander Arnold is returning to his summer home and this time his younger brother, Drake, is along for the ride. Drake came to visit Xander on Visiting Day last year and decided that he wanted to join him at camp this summer. They are both very excited to be sharing this experience together and look forward to making memories that will last a lifetime. We asked the Arnold brothers to tell us a little more about themselves and what they love most about camp.

Xander:

My name is Xander Arnold and I am 9 years old. I am a rising 4th grader at The Bullis School. I live in Rockville, MD. I love to play and watch basketball and football.

Your favorite camp memories:

My favorite camp memories are being at tribal campfire, woodshop, the lake and banquet. As you can see…I have a lot of great memories.

How did you know Chestnut Lake Summer Camp was the right camp for you:

I love how organized everything was when I visited the camp. Paul and Debbi were so nice when I visited.

Favorite camp activity:

I love anything at the lake!

Favorite Camp Food(s):

French fries and green beans.

Favorite Sports Team:

Seattle Seahawks

Favorite Band/Musician:

Avicii, Pitbull and Ne-Yo

Favorite Book:

The Spiderwick Chronicles

Describe Chestnut Lake in 4 words:

Amazing, Summertime, New Friends, Home

Drake:

My name is Drake Arnold and I am 7 years old. I can’t wait to be with my big brother Xander at camp this summer. I love to play Minecraft, soccer and track. I like to swim, play basketball and be with my friends.

What are you looking forward to most about Camp?

I can’t wait to do the flying squirrel and lake activities.

How do feel about being the youngest Chestnut Lake Summer Camper this summer?

Amazing, awesome and extraordinary! I can’t wait to be everyone’s little buddy!

Favorite Food(s):

Hot dogs, chicken nuggets, tacos, pizza and rice & beans.

Favorite Sports Team:

Redskins (shhhh)

Favorite Band/Musician:

Bastellie (Pompaii), Maroon 5

Favorite Book:

Big Hero 6

Describe Chestnut Lake in 4 words:

I CAN NOT WAIT!

Brotherly Love at Chestnut Lake Summer Camp!

Chestnut Lake Discovery Camp – A Family Tradition!

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Going to summer camp for the first time can be an anxious experience for a child. Chestnut Lake strives to make the transition to camp life easier by offering campers the opportunity to participate in an introductory experience to Chestnut Lake called Discovery Camp. Chestnut Lake Discovery Camp introduces campers to life at CLC and all of the exciting things that Chestnut Lake has to offer. Jordyn and Henry Faragalli participated in Discovery Camp last year after hearing about Chestnut Lake from their cousins, Noah Grossman (6 years at CLC), Abby Grossman (4 years at CLC) and Aaron Grossman (2nd summer at CLC) This summer, Jordyn will be returning as a first year camper in the Yazhi Division and Henry will be returning for Discovery Camp along with his younger brother Zachary. Jordyn, Henry and Zachary shared some information about themselves and their thoughts on the upcoming summer at Chestnut Lake Camp.

Jordyn:

My name is Jordyn Faragalli. I live in Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania. I’m 9 years old and currently in 3rd grade at the Shipley School. I have an older sister, a twin brother and a younger brother. I also have a dog named Lola. I love doing gymnastics and riding roller coasters and water slides .
My cousins went to Chestnut Lake Camp and said how great it was……best summers!
This will be my first summer at Chestnut Lake and I’m so excited. I can’t wait to do gymnastics, swim in the lake and ride the flying squirrel and the zip line. I went to Discovery Camp last year and knew Chestnut Lake was a great place. The activities were so much fun. All the counselors were so nice and my Big Sisterss were great,too! I loved everything about my experience at Discovery Camp and now I can’t wait to spend my first summer away at CLC.

Favorite Song: Uptown Funk

Favorite Book: Like Bug Juice on a Burger

Favorite Foods: Grilled Cheese, Yogurt, Fruit, S’mores and Cake

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Jordyn at Discovery Camp with her CLC Big Sisters, Sabrina and Berenice

Henry:

My name is Henry Faragalli. I’m 9 years old and I’m currently in 3rd grade. I have two sisters (one of which is my twin), a younger brother and a dog named Lola . I love to play basketball and swim.
This will be my second time at Discovery Camp. I can’t wait to ride mountain bikes and the banana boat, too! Also, my younger brother is going to Discovery Camp which will be awesome!

Favorite Sports Team: Philadelphia Eagles

Favorite Foods: Grilled cheese, chicken

sandwiches, pizza and waffles

Favorite singer: Nick Jonas

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Henry at Discovery Camp with his CLC Big Brother, Ben

Zach:

My name is Zach Faragalli. I’m 7 years old and currently in 1st grade at The Haverford School. I am the youngest of 4 kids. I have 2 older sisters and an older brother. And I can’t forget our dog Lola! I love to play football, basketball and baseball. I’m so excited about Discovery Camp. It’s my first time and I can’t wait to ride the banana boat!!

Favorite Sports Team: New England Patriots (Tom Brady is awesome-I think I throw a spiral just like him)

Favorite Foods: Pizza and ice cream

Favorite band: Imagine Dragons

The Faragalli Foursome-Sydni, Henry, Zach and Jordyn

Catching Up With Chestnut Lake Staff: Niki & Curtis

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Howdy Chestnut Lake!

Niki and Curtis here. We hope 2015 has brought you all only great things so far and a lot of snow. Ok only kidding about the snow, I think everyone has gotten his or her fair share of it!

We have been keeping busy down in Missouri. Curtis has been busy working at an elementary school and playing his guitar. I have been splitting time teaching 6^th grade health and girls high school PE. When we’re not in a classroom, we are on the field coaching soccer at rival high schools. Curtis and I are both in the process of earning our Masters Degrees! My degree will be Secondary Administration and Curtis’ will be in Special Education. When we are not juggling school and work you can find us planning our WEDDING! Our plates are full but we wouldn’t change anything!

As most of you know, last summer was very exciting in more ways then one. Since becoming engaged at Chestnut Lake and returning home, we have been planning, planning, and planning. It takes a lot of work! Although it is a long process to say the least, we have made a lot of progress. We are still so happy we got to share this life changing moment with our camp family!

Speaking of our camp family, we could not be more excited for Summer 2015 at Chestnut Lake! This will mark Curtis’s 7^th summer (4th year as Mato Division Leader) and my 6^th summer (3^rd as Varsity Girls Head Counselor) at Chestnut Lake! Camp will be here before we know it, and we are both super excited for what’s to come! The Movie Theater and Canteen are two huge additions that are going to be fantastic for camp. We have many great ideas and activities planned as well! Summer 2014 was amazing but we can’t wait to see what Summer 2015 will bring.

118 Days until opening campfire!

CHESTNUT TIL I DIE!

Check Out The All New www.ChestnutLakeCamp.com!

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We are excited to announce the launch of our totally redesigned website www.chestnutlakecamp.com! The new website has been designed for Current Families, Prospective Families, Staff and Alumni and contains new and improved features including an Interactive Map, CLC Memories page and Alumni section.

CURRENT FAMILIES

Current campers and parents will enjoy checking out all the new photos, the new Camp Store and CLC Memories page that includes highlights of every amazing CLC summer. The Current Families page will still be home to the MY CLC login which is the gateway to web photos, emailing your child, CLC newsletters, signing up for summer phone calls and more. The new website was designed to provide our current families with up-to-the-minute news year round through our Blog, The Tribal Times, as well as links to Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

PROSPECTIVE FAMILIES

We understand how important it is to find the best match for your child when choosing a summer camp. The All About CLC section conveys the Spirit and Tradition of Chestnut Lake and provides information about our Program, Philosophy and much more. We invite you to explore our premier facilities through our Interactive Map and watch our Video to learn all about the Chestnut Lake Camp experience. Of course, the website can only tell you so much about Chestnut Lake, and we encourage you to meet us in person. Through the new website, you can schedule a summer tour on the Tour CLC page, use the Contact page to schedule a Home Visit and enroll in our two day experience designed specifically for future campers on our Discovery Camp page.

STAFF

On the Work at CLC section, potential staff can watch a Video about the staff experience at Chestnut Lake, find out what a Typical Day is like and Apply online. Current staff can use the Staff Login to submit forms, update personal information and relive their previous summers through the summer photos.

ALUMNI

I’m Chestnut ‘til I die,

I know I am, I’m sure I am,

I’m Chestnut ‘til I die!

Once you’re a part of Chestnut Lake, Chestnut Lake is a part of you. We invite our former campers and staff to use the Alumni Registration. The Alumni Section allows you to connect with other Alumni, relive your summers through the CLC Memories page and stay current on all the great things happening at CLC through our Blog, The Tribal Times, as well as links to Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

A Weekend Full of Friends & Fun!

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As each CLC summer comes to an end, campers say their goodbyes to staff and friends and immediately start looking forward to the next time we’ll be together as a camp family: our winter reunions!

December not only marks the beginning of the Holidays, but it also means the Chestnut Lake Camp reunions are just around the corner! We recently hosted our winter reunions in New Jersey and all of our Division Leaders and Head Counselors flew in from all across the country just to spend the special weekend with their campers!

The weekend started off on Saturday as we spent the afternoon at The Fun Plex with our campers currently in 7^th-11^th grades. Everybody had a great time hanging out together, riding go-carts and playing games. As much fun as the games were, the highlight was reliving the summer of 2014 as we watched the 2014 Video Yearbook together.

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On Sunday, the CLC staff spent the morning bowling with our campers currently in 1st – 6th grades. The reunion started off with warm welcomes from Debbi and Paul followed by some activities and games led by the Division Leaders. It’s always great seeing how excited our returning campers are to welcome new campers into the CLC Family. After bowling and pizza, the campers came together for a raffle. Campers won prizes such as an ice cream party for their bunk, golf cart ride by Paul and a pizza party for the entire bunk in the brand new Canteen! Being able to spend time with our Chestnut Lake family makes us look forward to Opening Campfire 2015 even more…only 188 more days!

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After the Holidays, we will be hosting two more reunions in Maryland and Florida. To get more information on these events, please click on the invitations below.

We will continue sharing highlights of the 2015 summer with you via The Tribal Times, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We wish you and your family Happy Holidays and a Happy and Healthy New Year!

LOOKING AHEAD…Chestnut Lake Camp 2015!

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As the leaves change colors and cold weather is right around the corner, we are already looking forward to the sunshine of the summer of 2015. Below are some exciting camp events and changes we have planned for the upcoming year.

HALLOWEEN CONTEST – We are excited to announce our annual Halloween Costume contest for campers and staff alike! Email Debbi a photo of yourself in costume by November 3rd to be entered in a raffle to win a Chestnut Lake Camp prize pack! The lucky staff member and lucky camper will be announced via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter early November. Looking forward to seeing everyone all dressed up! CLC_Halloween_eblast

WINTER REUNIONS – NEW LOCATIONS!!!
Please join us for friends, food and fun at the annual CLC winter reunions. The winter reunions are the perfect opportunity to reconnect with camp friends as well as welcome new campers to the CLC family! The Head Counselors and Division Leaders will all be at the New Jersey/New York reunions on December 6th and 7th where we will premier the 2014 Video Yearbook.

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Save the date for our Maryland reunion on January 25th and our Florida reunion on February 21st!

BRAND NEW CANTEEN – During the summer, there was a lot of excitement over the plans for the new canteen building. As soon as camp was over, we broke ground and began construction. It’s been very exciting seeing the building going up, and we can’t wait to show you the finished product!

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BRAND NEW MOVIE HOUSE – Along with the canteen, the new movie house is also under construction. The movie house will be the headquarters for our videography program where campers will be able to watch and edit the movies they create. It will also be a great location to watch special events or catch a movie on a rainy day. movie theater

Don’t forget to send Paul pictures of your own mini CLC reunions and special events throughout the year and they will be posted on Chestnut Lake’s Instagram, Twitter and Facebook feeds!

We wish everyone a Happy Halloween and hope to see you at the winter reunions.

Discovery Camp at Chestnut Lake

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Chestnut Lake Discovery Camp is one of our favorite weekends at Chestnut Lake. Discovery Camp offers future CLC campers the opportunity to spend a weekend with us and discover what the Chestnut Lake Camp experience is all about!

This past weekend our Discovery Camp Campers arrived and had the opportunity to experience what it’s like being part of the Chestnut Lake family. Upon arrival, each Discoverer was given a CLC big sister or big brother. Siblings, cousins, friends from home and CLC Big Brothers and Sisters gave them a spirited CLC welcome as they came off the Discovery Camp bus. The first thing they did was visit their bunks and receive their special Discovery Camp t-shirts. Then the CLC Big Brothers and Sisters gave them a tour around camp.

Discovery Camp, Best Summer Camp, Best Sleepaway Camp, Summer Camp, Summer Camp Experience, 2 Hours from New York City, 2 Hours from NYC, Northeast Premier Summer Camp, Premier Summer Camp, Premier Summer Camp 2 Hours from New York City, Premier Summer Camp 2 Hours from NYC, Premier Sleepaway Camp

After they had lunch, the Discoverers started in on all the great activities that CLC has to offer. Discovery Camp Campers could be seen around camp flying through the air on the zip line and flying squirrel, making special projects at Arts & Crafts and skimming across the water on the banana boat. After dinner, the Discovery Camp Campers were introduced to the whole camp at line-up. As the guests of honor, they were given the privilege of lowering the flag. Then they enjoyed S’mores at the Campfire site. After S’mores, they were introduced to one of the many traditions at Chestnut Lake, Nancy Tucker. Nancy Tucker is always a huge hit at CLC as she plays her guitar and sings Chestnut favorites such as “Jelly Fish”, “One Meatball” and “To Stop the Train”.

By Sunday morning, the only way you could tell the Discovery Camp Campers apart from the rest of the CLC campers was from their special tie-dye Discovery shirts! They continued their CLC weekend with activities like gymnastics, gaga, swimming at the pool and Outdoor Adventure. After lunch, they participated in a special scavenger hunt led by their CLC big brother or sister.

After “discovering” what it means to be part of the Chestnut Lake family, the Discovery Camp Campers were all saying the same thing: “We can’t wait until next summer!”

And we can’t wait to see them!

Camper Talent Show and Flego

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We have had a whirlwind of thrilling activities happening at CLC!

Last week, campers were invited to showcase their unique skills at the Camper Talent Show. We saw entire bunk performances, small group acts and there were also some individual performances. This year’s acts included stand up comedy and live vocal performances.

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Another big event at camp was Flego. What is Flego? The name comes from the pro Square Dance instructors, Lou and Sue Flego. During staff training, Lou and Sue taught our staff the basics of the exhilarating country-dance. Then they came back to instruct the campers. The staff were available to help out when extra instruction was needed. The campers got to take the learning experience one step further…There was a huge Flego competition at the end! In the crowd of campers there were plenty of pig tails and plaid shirts which helped put everyone in the country- dancing spirit.

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And the best part is…. there are so many more amazing activities to come for the campers!