One of Camp Foley’s best traditions (in my professional opinion) is its birthday tradition. I love it when the entire Dining Hall sings “happy birthday” to someone as they stand on a milk crate and followed by the counselors surrounding the birthday camper and singing the staff birthday song. Who can resist ominously chanting, “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, we hate to do it, but we must we must,” as campers and counselors follow the birthday boy or girl to the lake to be thrown in by his or her counselors? Follow all of this up with a special Foley birthday cake – amazing! Guest blogger and 2013 counselor Melissa Martutartus recalls the birthday of one of her 2012 campers.
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| Melissa helping to throw Jessica into Whitefish Lake. |
I have many favorite moments that I can recall from my first summer at Foley. I love the fact that there are so many traditions that one would only understand having gone to Foley. One of which is to be thrown in the lake on your birthday. It was one of my favorite moments, being a new counselor, that I was a part of throwing my camper into the lake. It made me feel like I helped make Jessica’s day even though she knew it was coming. However, it made my day even more because the entire camp was watching. I felt as though it is an honor to throw someone into the lake. And since Jessica was a member of my cabin, we were able to laugh as a cabin about it that night together!
-Melissa Martutartus
Have you ever celebrated a birthday at Foley, or might you be a first-timer camper this summer and have this tradition to look forward to? Do you have another Foley tradition that’s your favorite?