A Celebration of Achievement and Community
Banquet Night at Camp Jeanne d’Arc is nothing short of magical. At the end of each summer, counselors and staff plan a celebration of achievement and community while at the same time create an evening to remember.
Campers spend the afternoon with their cabins enjoying picnic lunch and a laid-back schedule. They then shower up, spend some extra time styling their hair, applying a little make-up, or adding glitter to their cheeks. Butterflies begin to flutter in stomachs and excitement buzzes among the cabins.
As the campers enter the Hearth, they are shocked. What had been the ordinary mess hall is completely transformed into a glimmering wonderland displaying the unique theme of the summer. The standard wooden dining tables are upgraded with white tablecloths, candles, and centerpieces. Fairy lights and banners adorn the walls. And we celebrate! We celebrate campers and their achievements, growth, leadership, camp spirit, and the culmination of an amazing summer.
As campers look back, years from now, they’ll remember Banquet Night as a time to celebrate the simple things like gathering around a campfire singing songs, running down the great lawn arm in arm with their camp besties, and the pure friendships that camp uniquely fosters.
What is in a theme?
The theme is always kept secret until Banquet Night. There is mystery and excitement and wonder surrounding the theme choice. Each year’s theme takes some element of camp and turns it into a full blown aesthetic!
Examples of themes throughout the years:
A Night in the Forest
Carousel of Time
Wish Upon a Star
Summer Sisters
Wake Up to Our World
Somewhere Only We Know
What Dreams are Made Of
Enchanted Summer
Stars Around the World
Rainbows Can Always Be Found
This is the Time
Days of Silver and Gold
Climb Every Mountain
Our Kites are Flying High Together
Seasons in the Sun
Teammates Across the Water
A Friend is Near
A Necessary Detour
A Night to Remember
Our Golden Summer
And Through Time
Dance in Golden Beams
Under the Same Stars
One World
More than Achievements
The theme sets up an evening worth remembering. Banquet Night recognizes campers who earned entrance into clubs, the campers who were honored with leadership awards, the teams who won the Leahy Cup and the Crown Trophy, the campers who won archery awards, riflery awards, the Polar Bear club, etc. And while there are sometimes tears of disappointment – campers who were striving for entrance into a club or wanted to earn a pin or an award and may have come up short – there are also wonderful displays of support that campers have for each other.
It’s almost like the campers recognize that they experienced something magical this summer. They experienced growth. They stepped outside their comfort zones. They learned skills. They made friends. They became a community, a family. They transformed this little place in the Adirondack mountains into their home. And they will be forever changed by it.
This is what Banquet Night is about — celebrating the ups and downs, about creating something special and memorable. It’s about seeing the seasons go round and round while holding the simple joys of camp in our hearts.