Water Sports Saturday shaped up to be an extensive day-long performance for the parents to showcase all of Pasquaney’s activities and rituals for the visiting parents, families, and friends. From Reveille to Taps, campers and counsellors alike had all hands on deck to smoothly facilitate the many events for our guests. The day kicked off after breakfast with what has come to be known as Super Duties, where all boys meticulously tended to their assigned spaces to prepare the hillside for the action-packed day. A steady stream of campers flowed through the office after each duty finished, and each set of hands were reassigned to a new duty until every corner of the hillside was ship-shaped and dressed to impress. After an hour and a half of hard work, the boys made their way down the impeccably clean hillside to the waterfront to impeccably clean themselves at tub. Inspection followed shortly after, in which the Birch boys took a first place in the final inspection and leading dorm Stanwood placed, surprisingly, in last place. After an efficient lunch and short rest, the community was ready to receive our guests. Families and friends flowed onto the Bathhouse dock and enjoyed a rapid-fire demonstration of all our Water Sports activities, complete with obstacle races, canoe tilts, an exhibition dive, crew boat show, canoe races, and more. Once they were released from the bathhouse and boathouse, the boys rushed towards their families with hugs and gratitude flying in all directions. The floodgates opened from the waterfront, and a tide of campers began milling around the hillside, showing the families all the fond memories from the summer. The hour was full to the brim with new introductions, cookies at Eastbourne, a shop project showcase, exhibition tennis matches, and a complete summer slideshow. The day of performances continued as shortened Tree Talks and the Glade Play: All In The Timing, soon followed. After a delicious buffet dinner, the guests filed into the theater, where campers and counsellors led an improvised music show to entertain before the Theater Play, Fools, began. After a joyful evening in the Watson Theater, the bonfire was lit; a tall tower shaped like a rainstorm to represent our relentless early summer storms, burned brightly to light up the faces of the community at Baird Hall during the singing performance. With a plethora of camp songs finished, railroads for our guests and Pasquaney concluded the night for our guests. As the parents made their way down the lamp-lit hillside, campers and counsellors convened in Baird hall for the character cup awards and the 16 year old lamp ceremony. Malik Foster-Thomas and Ben Hubbard were awarded Mr. Teddy’s Cup, Matt O’Reilly earned the Mauran Cup for his humble service all summer, and Grey Durham was awarded Most Faithful Boy. After thanking the 16 year olds for their service and dedication to Pasquaney, and presenting them with their lamps, the boys shared a long final moment of silence during prayers, just as the skies opened into a torrential downpour. In the dry safety of our dorms, Circles extended late into the night as boys cheerfully and melancholically reflected on the summer behind them. With an action-packed day at our backs and our Saturday ceremonies completed, we rested easy in our bunks for the final night of the summer.
