How is it time moves so quickly at camp? Before we know it, a session filled with so many memorable activities is already drawing to a close.
‘Camp Presentation Day’ at Centauri always happens on the last full day of camp, and is a flurry of activity. Presentations began this session at 10.30am with our dancers performing for us all in the Odyssey Theatre. After lunch it was back into the Odyssey for a concert by our music campers, followed by performances by our actors and clowns. Our campers are always enthusiastic, exploding in applause at the end of every show.
When the afternoon presentations ended, we moved into free time… and the last dorm hour of the session, when campers made their final memories with dorm mates, in activities that included the sharing of letters, a replaying of favourite camp moments, the creation of original songs or cheers, and much more.
Our final dinner at Centauri is a very special time, with joyful (and crazy!) traditions that have evolved over the past two decades. We always sing and dance to the Beach Boys, and dessert is always “make-your-own ice cream sundae”. There’s cheering, dancing, dorm performances and a lot of wild fun.
After dinner, we moved into our second set of presentations, as always. We ran our first ever “Writing for Film” program this session, and campers pitched their movie concepts to us in a frantic and fun rotation across the field. Our “Artistic Spirit” writing group performed as the sun went down, in a beautiful spot along the river.
Once all the work was done, it was time to celebrate! As always, we held a party in the Odyssey Theatre, with the option of a calmer celebration in the dining hall for anyone wanting it. Then, an hour in, the music stopped suddenly, the staff began singing the camp song over the mics, and as it has been for two decades, this was the cue for campers to run quickly to the sports pad and assemble for the camp’s Secret Ceremony.
What is the Secret Ceremony? It’s a special part of Centauri – a chance to be together as a community, around the campfire, with candlelight, music and memories. It’s a chance to reflect on all we have loved, gained and achieved throughout the session. And it’s a chance, symbolically, to move on, saying goodbye to friends and moving into whatever comes next in our lives. The Secret Ceremony is what links us as a community, across the sessions and the years, because every camper and staff member who ever comes to Centauri is a part of it.
This session, we faced a unique challenge – this summer is an excessively dry one here in the Niagara Region. We have been holding song circles in place of campfires all session because there is a fire ban in place. So how were we going to make the ceremony feel special, without a fire to gather around? Believe it or not, I can only think of 2 times in 22 years when the ceremony has been held indoors due to rain – so the fire is incredibly important.
Katie (our assistance director) and Aaron (our art director) rose to the challenge. They used a mixture of glow sticks, flashlights, logs and tissue paper to construct a beautiful light sculpture in the middle of the fire pit. It might not have been a real fire, but it was every bit as magical, and this Secret Ceremony will go down in camp legend as special for that reason.
There were many tears as the evening came to an end, under a sky peppered with glorious stars. We have an important song we end the ceremony with, and here’s a sight I just love watching every year: campers leaving the fire, heading across the field towards the dorm buildings, their arms around their friends, their voices singing softly under a white moon.
There were hugs, tears of goodbye, and everyone went to bed.
Just moments later, the lights were off, and camp was silent.
Only Departure Day remains, then session one is over. Thank you to all the wonderful campers and staff who made this session such as special one for us all.
Julie Hartley
Director, Centauri Arts Camp