New Illahee Brochure Debuts!

New Illahee Brochure Debuts!

Sunday, January 23, 2005

We are getting rave reviews from those who have seen our new Illahee brochure! It is super-sleek! Be sure and click on the picture of it to the right and take a look at our online version to see if you are in it! Cooold finally returned to the Heavenly World this weekend, but it look sas if it may be short-lived. It is supposed to warm up tomorrow morning and stay pretty and unseasonably warm for the rest of the week. Before turning to this page, I moved over from getting some alumnae reunion information together for our May weekend when we will kick off Illahee's 85th with all those campers who have loved her through the years...it should be a gas! Can you imagine seeing your mom head down the streak?! or take a swing on the Tarzan rope? We promise we won't take incriminating pictures! We hope we have a terrific turnout and look forward to welcoming both alumnae and staff alumni back to the Heavenly World.

I was too busy maneuvering the tractor to help unload 3 new monster poles that arrived on Friday for our new ropes course elements to take pictures. Soup and James can't wait to climb 'em and start building! (I told them that they have to wait until they're in the ground first!) We may even talk Jimmy Bennett (who's back in town with bride Lauren Eversoll Bennett) to help us continue the project! There's a bunch going on in the Heavenly World these days and we can't wait til you all join us in four short months!

Staff Recruiting in Full Swing!

Staff Recruiting in Full Swing!

Monday, January 17, 2005

We are in high gear talking to all sorts of neat staff prospects who are interested in being at the very BEST camp in 2005! You guessed it...Camp Illahee! We also have been in contact with lots of superstar counselors from last summer who can't wait to get back to the Heavenly World for its 85th birthday!

Soup, James and Gordon have been out and about in camp working on Pinecrest, doing tree work, and getting things ship shape for spring and summer. Laurie, Gretchen and Kris have been busy doing all sorts of things in the office.

We are all super-excited about our brand new Illahee brochure! They arrived on Friday, and we are tickled with the way they turned out! Be sure and thumb through our online version to see if you made it in to the pages! Be patient, because it is 20 pages long and it may take a while to download.

The entire staff gathered around the kitchen the other day when James gave us a few lessons as we baked some treats for counselors...we had a lot of fun getting covered in flour and sampling the goodies.

This Wednesday, three more monster poles will arrive for the high ropes course...we still haven't decided what elements to build, but they will be super fun and just a little bit challenging at first. Email Gordon if you have a favorite element you have done on another ropes course. We miss all of you a bunch. It won't be long before we gather again in the HeavenlyWorld for another summer of fun and friendship!

Happy New Year 2005!

Happy New Year 2005!

Tuesday, January 04, 2005

Happy New Year and Back to School to all our Illahee friends! As we turn the corner to 2005, we can't help but turn our thoughts to summer and all that it holds! Illahee will turn 85 years old this summer! This summer's campers will join a long line of terrific Illahee girls from multiple generations. It is going to be the best summer ever! It's always a little sad to see the Christmas tree go. It is our family's tradition to take it down around the new year. As we packed away decorations for another year, the mercury in Brevard hit 71 degrees, and it felt more like camp could start next week rather than the middle of winter. The Strayhorns spent Chritsmas with Gordon's family in Nashville. The week before Christmas was a very different story with 10 degree lows, and an ice storm to greet us on arrival. We were without power for our first two days, which is always a test of family togetherness, but it is always fun to spend time with old friends and family during the holidays.

We are finishing up a couple of big projects at camp. We have a brand new catalog to send to prospective campers and staff that is hot off the press. We will post an online copy here in a few days so that you can check to see if you are in it!. We are very excited to have this new promotional piece. The back cover has a slot in it to hold our DVD and application as well. We also have been in an ordering frenzy...3 new potters wheels and a clay slab roller, new gymnastics mats, new canoes, lots of great items for the Ship's Store, and 3 huge telephone poles to add some new elements to the Ropes Course. Just writing this makes me super excited for camp! Yippeee! It's right around the corner!