A Cemented Legacy
By CDG Staff
CDG Marching Band wakeup
Camp is a place of smiles, fun, excitement, joy, friendship, sunshine, creativity, adventures, and so much more. We don’t often think of camp in terms of destiny, legacy, and life. But for so many, their summers in camp have had a profound effect upon their life decisions and their lives in general. Sometimes it’s about feeling accepted and loved, sometimes it’s about being able to hone in on untapped talent, sometimes it’s about being able to shine for the first time, and sometimes it’s all of the above. But so many lives have been forever positively impacted by the summers they spent in camp.
Yesterday was a celebration of 100 years—not just of fun and sun, but of lives profoundly impacted. 100 years ago, in a different generation and in a very different world the vision of one special woman began to take fruition. Mrs. Dora Golding was committed to sending every camper to a summer camp to have fun in a Jewish setting. Although Camp Deal became Camp Dora Golding and only moved to its current grounds in East Stroudsburg, PA in 1971, her vision of loving dedication has never wavered. Perhaps our official mantra is no longer “Torah, Middos, and the Poconos” as it once was, but CDG will always be dedicated to Torah and middosin the fun of the Poconos.
Since last summer as we began to anticipate the 100-year celebration, we began to increasingly feel that we were part of something bigger. When we first announced the special celebration, we simply said it would be “something big.” To be honest, we weren’t exactly sure what it would be, but we knew it had to be a fitting celebration.
Yesterday was more than fitting; it was epic.
It began with a marching band on the hill. Camp was awakened by the sounds of a bugle, just as campers were awakened decades ago. Bleary-eyed campers emerged from their bunkhouses to see and hear the band marching past their bunks. Campers quickly dressed and joined the march going from bunk to bunk.
After Shacharis we all headed to the theater for a Camp/Torah game show with the famous gameshow host, Baruch Perlowitz. We kicked off the show with passionate dancing to celebrate. then every camper was given his own buzzer to answer the CDG trivia and the Torah questions. It was a fabulous show and we had tons of fun answering CDG trivia and answering surveys about what we love most about camp.
As soon as the show ended, the energetic and hysterical Schnitzel Guys popped onto the stage in their bright colored suits. They revved us up before hurrying us down to the valley baseball field for our first event of the day—The BMX show.
Every event yesterday could have—and at times has been—its own attraction for a day or night event in camp. But at CDG-100 it was one none-stop party.
The BMX show featured insane motorcycle jumps way up in the air. If that wasn’t insane enough there was also a Parkour show where the performers did crazy flips and jumps.
From the valley the crowd headed towards the main shul, only to be greeted by Macaroni the Clown, casually mingling with everyone, bringing further laughs and fun to the crowds. Outside the shul there was a karaoke set up with professional DJ Yitzy Wadiche. Campers had a blast singing along camp songs and other famous songs.
Next to the karaoke was a petting zoo, with llamas, goats, and a snake that could be wrapped around your neck, and horse rides. The monkey show nearby was very cute and enjoyable as well.
The gala lunch provided by Chef Amram really hit the spot. Fresh salmon, pizza, pasta, and 4 different types of salad were also delicious.
During the afternoon there was a gala sushi station available. Later on, lines gathered outside the free ice cream truck.
Let’s not forget about the very moving and beautiful CDG history video shown throughout the day in the theater.
One of the special parts of the day was the visit by many of our alumni. What an honor and pleasure it was to see former campers and staff members, many now with families of their own, return to their old stomping grounds for a few blissful hours. Many reported a wave of nostalgia wash over them as they passed Country Kettle and drove up windy Craigs Meadow Rd. They were blown away by the many positive upgrades and improvements that camp has added and built throughout the years since they were last here.
As part of the day’s programming, we invited our alumni to play baseball against our current administration. It was a lot of fun playing with and against some of our friends from years and even decades ago.
All that would be enough to consider the day incredible. But we weren’t done yet. In the late afternoon New York Knicks star, Miles McBride, joined us in our gym. He talked some basketball and delighted us by taking a few shots before sitting down to sign autographs and take pictures.
(The one challenge of our day was our many wonderful parents and campers who waited eagerly yet patiently to meet Miles McBride but didn’t have the opportunity because he had to leave. Please accept our sincerest apologies. We tried our hardest.
When our guests and parents left, our celebration continued. The “brontosaurus barbecue” was awesome and we enjoyed, hotdogs, hamburgers, fries, and some kielbasa too.
Then it was back to the theater for the grand finale. One of our favorite night activities of the summer—CDG’s Got Talent—was a perfect way to cap off the day. We watched fellow campers showcase their talents on stage. Singers, illusionist, solving Rubiks cubes, handstands, beat boxing, keyboard player, Diablo masters, and CIT lip sync were just some of the masterful performances.
Our night ended with DJ Wadiche bringing the house down as we danced together to pumping music.
What a day! With the everlasting help and kindness of Hashem, it was truly epic and a worthy celebration.
What made the day really special wasn’t any or even all the events. It was those who joined. It was a celebration of our campers—current and past and friends as well as a celebration of what we stood and continue to stand for.
Thank you for being part of the CDG family for the past 100 years…. and for the next 100 years as well!
