Yesterday I was opening the mail that had piled up last week while we were all away at the American Camp Association Conference in New Orleans. I opened a hand drawn Illahee pine branch with Thank You on the front. The letter from our 5th grade camper began, Dear Camp Illahee Staff…..Thank you…. Every day at … Continued
What do generations of Illahee girls have in common? Swimming! For decades, Illahee girls have taken swimming until they have completed Illahee’s Level Six (based on the American Red Cross program.) Swimming has been a required camp activity because it is one of the most important life skills to have. Not only does it help … Continued
Camp Illahee alumnae (who are over 21) are invited to return to the heavenly world for the weekend of May 29th! Plan to arrive between three and five on Friday to begin a festive weekend! Delicious meals will be served in Tilley Lodge. Evening programs include skits, camp movies, songs around the campfire and time … Continued
It’s Camp Illahee’s 95th birthday this year and she is getting a serious facelift along the canoe lake. It’s only fitting that the heart of camp gets spruced up for this big occasion. The swim lake is filling back up after having been drained for access to the McLeod Lodge foundation. We did find tracks … Continued
Laurie and Gretchen wrapped up some pre-holiday travel last week in Columbia, SC, Richmond and Alexandria, VA. There seemed to be added energy around the holiday festivities. Laurie enjoyed a multi-generational camp gathering in Richmond and visited with recent staff members who work in the city as well as current University of Richmond counselors taking … Continued
Laurie and Gretchen visited campers, counselors and even a few alumnae in 6 cities in the last week! Laurie enjoyed five flights on her tour (and four airlines) starting in Dallas on Sunday and then travelling to Houston, Tampa, and Mobile returning to camp on Saturday. Gretchen elected to drive the “bus-burban” across state making stops … Continued
Illahee is celebrating its 95th summer during the 2015 season and we are gearing up for BIG Fun! Plans are underway for an alumnae reunion weekend the last weekend of May and there will undoubtedly be plenty of “birthday” fun throughout the summer. Whether planning a reunion or planning to attend a reunion, the word … Continued
This season we’ll be celebrating Illahee’s 95th anniversary and the 10th year of the Junior Session! Since 2005, the last week of the camp season has brought some of the most excited campers to Illahee! These campers have been counting down the days to the session and for many, it is their first week away … Continued
What is it about the magic of Halloween? I’ve never been much for ghosts and goblins, but I loved waiting in line to vote today next to a five year old fireman. Gretchen’s son, Ezra has been wearing his Star Wars ARFtrooper costume since his birthday earlier this month, and last Sunday we hiked up … Continued
There has been a lot going on in the Heavenly World since 2015 applications went “live” on August 3rd! All sessions with the exception of the Junior Session are filled with waiting lists! Illahee girls are registered from 29 states and 7 foreign countries. A trend toward older returning campers (who can’t imagine an Illahee-free … Continued
