“Manners make a person nice to know.” Or rather I should clarify that good manners make a person nice to know! And at Illahee, one area that we practice kindness and putting others first -is in Tilley Lodge, our dining hall. I figure that the community spends about three hours a day gathered in the … Continued
Cabin life is a big part of the Camp Illahee experience. We like to think of the cabin group as a “family at camp.” When a camper arrives on opening day, Kris greets her at the gate with her cabin assignment. Girls are often full of emotion as they hop out of their car to … Continued
Over the course of two days in late February, Camp Illahee got almost ten inches of beautiful snow. Enjoy snowy scenes from camp!
Had someone told me that I would be a camp director, I never would have believed it. I would have had difficulty imagining such an incredible job with its Peter Pan like existence. The counselors aren’t exactly the “lost boys,” but living for 25 years among college students and campers does lead to a prolonged … Continued
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
