Summer 2010 A Memory, Summer 2011 On The Way!

We said goodbye to Summer 2010 on August 14th as our Ozark for All campers made their way back home.  OFA was a fantastic way to wrap up an amazing summer.  Over the course of Ozark 2010, thousands of campers had the time of their life, learned valuable lessons about God's love for His children, made new, lifelong friends, and created thousands of lasting memories.

As we look back at 2010, we also begin to look forward to Ozark 2011.  We already have new plans in the works and new activities and events to think about.  As I type this, our recruiting staff is preparing to begin the first of many weeks on the road, traveling to colleges and universities to recruit the very best for our summer staff.  Others are preparing to travel from city to city to recruit new campers for the best camp on the planet, Camp Ozark!

Yes, as hard as it might be to believe, Ozark 2011 is rapidly approaching, and we hope you can all be a part of it!

Ozark For All Catches Disco Fever!

Thursday, another fine day here at Camp Ozark and for our Ozark for All campers!  We kicked it all off again with a rousing Morning Show, featuring the Tourney Pirate and the Tooth Fairy (for anyone who lost a tooth).  We also heard some announcements about the day AND a really funny skit about the upcoming Special Event, Disco Daze!  We also talked about our "Value of the Day," Teamwork.  We think it is very important for our campers to learn the art and value of real teamwork, because teamwork can used in so many areas of life.

Then, it was time for Tribal Competition, where the Osage and Caddo do battle out on the fields and courts.  Thus far it has been extremely close, with the Osage holding a slight edge.  On Thursday, this story repeated itself as the Osage squeaked by with a score of 69 to 67.  Heading into the Ultimate Solution, the score sits at 274-270 in favor of the Osage.  Tomorrows big race will determine the overall winner for Ozark for All.  Regardless of who wins, though, it has been a great session of competition, and the kids have really embraced to concepts of Maximum Effort, Maximum Enthusiasm and Maximum Sportsmanship.

After Tribal Competition, it was time for our campers to "chill out," and to relax a bit and cool down after some tough Tribal Comp sweating.  The store was open, the Waterfront was open, and some of the slides as well.  Mostly, though, the kids took advantage of the down time and just "chilled out" prior to their Morning Activities.

Speaking of Morning Activities, the campers went through another day of their activity rotation: Ropes Course, Climbing, Crafts, Woodshop, Dancing/Cheerleading, Water Slides, Waterfront...and more!  The kids seem to really love trying new things and new activities; plus, many of the kids are making projects that they will be able to take home, like teddy bears, woodshop projects, rockets, crafts, duct tape designs...awesome!

After lunch and rest period, it was time for Mish Mash once again!  Oh, the joy of the Waterfront during Mish Mash.  Almost every camper I talk to list the Waterfront or the Water Slides as his/her favorite thing. Not surpisingly, then, both places were super busy on Thursday.  Some campers spend their entire Mish Mash at these places, and that is fine with us!  Of course, there are other things to do during Mish Mash, and lots of kids do these things as well.  Archery and Riflery are popular, as is the Crafts Center.  Whatever the case, Mish Mash is the undisputed KING of the campers' day.

Finally, it was time for Disco Daze! Lots of the campers got dressed up in their best '70's outfit and boogied on up to the Field House for games, fun, music and, of course, BINGO, BINGO, BINGO!  We had tons of fun stuff going on besides Bingo, like the Atari games, a Cake Walk, Legos, Tinker Toys, PacMan, but Bingo was definitely the main gig.  We also had raffle prizes and, of course, "the Box."  Lots of great prizes were won and the kids had a great time.  To close it out, we turned off the lights, fired up the giant disco ball, and had a massive celebration to a few last awesome tunes...Good Times at Disco Daze!

Be sure to check in later for an update on Friday, the Ultimate Solution, and Totally Ozark!

4th of July and then Christmas...What A Couple of Days at Camp Ozark!

Hello everybody! We had a great day both yesterday and today at Camp Ozark. Let's get caught up on the action...

Tuesday - Red, White and Blue Day
Tuesday was Red, White and Blue day at Camp Ozark, so we started the day off with some great patriotic tunes as we headed to the Morning Show. There, the campers heard all sorts of announcements and opportunities, saw some funny skits and learned about our "Value of the Day," Self-Esteem. Our verse for Tuesday morning was, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." We want our campers to know that they are created and loved by God, and they should feel good about themselves. What a great lesson for these kids!

Afterwards, it was time for Tribal Competition. On Tuesday, the Osage pulled out another squeaker of a victory, 69-67. This brought the total score to 138-134, favor of the Osage. More importantly, our campers are learning about Maximum Effort, Maximum Enthusiasm and Maximum Sportsmanship. The games are fun, but the lessons they learn even more valuable. Go Caddo! Go Osage!

After Tribal Comp, it was time for Chill Out and then Morning Activities. Our campers get a variety of activities to attend, such as Arts and Crafts, the Climbing Tower and Ropes Course, the Wood Shop, the Water Slides, Outdoor Skills, and more. The campers really enjoy the variety of activities we have for them, especially the Water Slides! Too much fun riding the Curvy Slide and Speed Slides!

During Mish Mash today, when the campers can do anything they want, we had a trip to the lake for anyone interested. Guess what? We had over 50 campers go to the lake! That's right, 50+ kids out in the boats, riding the Water Weenie, learning to ski and wakeboard, and just having a great time on Lake Ouachita. Awesome! Of course, those kids that didn't go to the lake were having a blast as well, playing on the blobs, riding horses, learning the shoot archery, and, of course, riding those water slides again! Mish Mash rules! We also had some tournaments Tuesday. Some of our tournament winners were: Devin, Ishmael, AJ, Austin, Marco, William, Iosha, Laerykah and Brook in 3-on-3 Basketball, Callie in the Rock Climbing tournament, and Antwaun and Naomi in the Water Log tournament. Congrats to ALL tournament winners!

After an amazing Mish Mash, it was time for our old-fashioned 4th of July Red, White and Blue picnic, featuring burgers, chips, beans and tea. We then cranked up the celebration with an Egg Toss, Tug-O-War, Sack Races, games on the ballfields, parachute games, volleyball, a fishing derby, and more! To finish out the Red, White and Blue celebration, Carson and his team put on a magnificent fireworks display that had all of the campers "oooohhhh-ing" and "aaaahhhh-ing." What a truly incomparable way to finish off the day!

Wednesday - Christmas At Camp Ozark
After such a great day on Tuesday, what could we do on Wednesday to top it? Well, what about Christmas? That pretty much tops everything! Indeed, Wednesday was Christmas at Camp Ozark, so of course we started off with some Christmas tunes for wake-up.

Tribal Competition once again followed after the Morning Show and breakfast, and the Caddo finally took the day, 69-67. Very close! This makes the overall score a nail-biting close 205-203, advantage Osage (barely). All signs point to an amazing finish on Friday; we only have one day left of regular Tribal Competition before the Ultimate Solution, which determines the winner, on Friday. Wow, I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about it!

On to Morning Activities, where the kids had a blast doing all sorts of things things. Things like making a mini-chair at the Wood Shop, making a stuffed bear at Crafts, doing their best to reach the top of the Climbing Tower, shooting for a bullseye at the Rifle Range, or learning the Hoe Down Throw Down in Dance Studio.There are so many great things for these kids to do, they love it!

AFter lunch, time for Rest Period and then...Mish Mash, the greatest time of day! Anything and everything was open, and most of the kids hung out at the Waterfront and Water Slides. We also had another massive trip to the Lake (over 60 kids!) for a great time of skiing, riding the Water Weenie and hanging out.

After Mish Mash, it was time for dinner. But not just any dinner, it was Christmas Dinner! Turkey, dressing, and our world-famous Christmas Cookies were all the rage.

After dinner, it was time for our Special Event of the evening, Christmas Frolic. Here, the campers traveled as cabins from one crazy game to the next, trying to win tickets for the big drawing. The music was loud and rockin', and the energy was outta control...just how we like it! Everyone had a great time at the Frolic!

To finish the evening, it was time for our Christmas Lifeline, a time of worship, singing and hearing Sam speak. Christmas for many is about presents, and that's pretty cool, but Christmas is really about the biggest gift of all, God's Son Jesus. Sam talked about how Jesus is the biggest gift we can every receive, and Christmas is a celebration of His birth. The kids really seemed to enjoy Sam's talk, and the Christmas decorations and light. Yes, Christmas Lifeline is a VERY special time.

That brings us to the end of Wednesday. Be sure to check back tomorrow!

Pumpin' It Up for Ozark for All!

Hey, great day here at Camp Ozark for our Ozark For All campers. We started the day off with the Morning Show, a time for us to introduce the day to our campers, make some announcements, do some funny skits, and just have a good time getting things rolling. We also heard from Surfin' Sammy, our local Safety Expert. Sammy talked about some safety issues, such as lightning, and how we respond to such things. Of course, Sammy used his own surfer style to make it as interesting as possible. Hang loose, Sammy!

After breakfast, the campers began their first regular day of Tribal Competition. At Camp Ozark, all campers are divided into one of two tribes, the Caddo and the Osage. These two tribes are further divided into War Parties, teams of 7-10 kids who compete against another War Party of the same age. Each day these War Parties face off in a variety of games, and a running score is kept of who wins the games. Today, the Osage squeaked by with a close victory, winning 1 more game than the Caddo. This makes the score, after one day, 69-67, favor of the Osage. The main thing, however, during Tribal Competition is effort, enthusiasm and attitude. Winning is great, and we teach the kids to play to win, but winning is meaningless without the proper attitude and approach. Giving all you can, all the time...this is the main lesson we hope to teach during Tribal Competition.

Afterward, our campers enjoyed a brief down time, called Chill-Out, and then moved to their first of 3 Morning Activities. All cabins rotated through a selection of Ozark activities, and had a great time. Some of the activities our kids enjoyed today were Outdoor Skills (riflery, archery, skeet, laser tag and a trail ride on the horses), the Waterfront (including the Blobs and the waterslides!), the Ropes Course, Crafts, Game Day and Creative Skills (dance, gymnastics and cheerleading). The campers enjoyed all the activities and look forward to tomorrow when they get to try even more new activities.

After lunch, it was time for Rest Period, then Mish Mash! Mish Mash is a time of the day for the kids to do anything - anything at all - they want, as long as they do something. Almost all areas of camp were open, and the kids tried all sorts of activities: the waterfront, the waterslides, crafts, the ropes course, woodworking, Smashball, the Skatepark...it was ALL available. The kids certainly had a great time moving from one area to another, picking and choosing anything at all they wanted to do. No wonder Mish Mash is the campers' favorite time of the day!

Following dinner, it was time for Lifeline (for our younger kids) and Prime Time (for our older kids), our two worship services. The kids really enjoyed the skits and songs, and heard a great message from Ozark staff. Our worship times are very important, and we hope our kids learn a lot about God's love, his grace and his plans for us as His children.

After Mish Mash and dinner, we had our special event of the evening, Pump It Up. Featuring 11 inflatable games, like the Velcro Wall, the Moon Bounce, the Obstacle Course, Wrecking Ball and more, Pump It Up is a kid's dream. The Blobs were also open (since you must "pump them up" with air) and, of course, they were very popular. All during the event we played some fun music, ending with the Cupid Shuffle and some of the big hits for 2010, such as Ice Cream and Cake!

To end the day, the kids headed back to the cabin for showers and devotional, putting the perfect ending on a great day. Check back tomorrow!

Ozark for All 2010...The Race is On!

Camp Ozark is happy to announce the beginning of Ozark for All, Camp Ozark's "6th Session," a session specifically geared for kids who don't normally have the opportunity to experience things like Camp Ozark.  Many of our OFA campers have never been to summer camp, much less out of the state in which they live, much MUCH less to the woods of western Arkansas!  It is a real joy to host these campers, and the support and enthusiasm of our many wonderful sponsors and donors is a true blessing

On Sunday, around 3:00 pm, 8 buses began to arrive at Camp Ozark, bringing us campers from Houston, Dallas, Nashville and Little Rock.  It would be hard to describe the excitement with which our staff greeted these very special kids...everyone was totally pumped up to meet and get to know our new campers! It would also be hard to describe the excitement we saw the campers faces as well...wide eyed and ready to get things rolling!

After the campers stepped off the buses, they met up with their new cabin mates and counselors, and then headed to the waterfront for swim tests. After the swim test, some campers played basketball and other games, and some just walked around, getting to know their new friends and checking the place out. 

Shortly thereafter, it was time for the call to dinner, where we all enjoyed a fine Opening Day dinner.  Following dinner, it was time for Lifeline, our Opening Day worship service. This high energy, high volume time of singing, dancing, skits and speakers is really special. On the Opening Night, the kids are introduced to our spiritual theme, "Live Life Loud," and the concept of "F.I.T.", First Is Third. Here they learned that placing God first, others second and ourselves third, as taught in the Matthew 22:39, is the way to "win" in life. The kids really enjoyed singing the songs and hearing Sam, the owner of Camp Ozark, speak and are looking forward to the next few nights of Lifeline.

After Lifeline, it was time for Western Night! This party (we call them "Special Events"), of course, is based on a country/western theme, and featured lots of fun music, a hay ride, a wild bull ride (technically a barrel suspended by some chains, but you get the idea), Tumbleweed Tag, horse rides, and, most important, the Pig Chase! The campers had a great time dancing, riding the ponies, tangling with the wild bull, and chasing the little pigs. We closed it all out with some special songs, including the ever-popular Chicken Dance, and the Hoedown Throwdown.  Yes, Western Night was awesome!

Finally, after a long and eventful first day, we all headed back to the cabins for showers and cabin devotionals, a time of Christian sharing between the counselors and the campers. This brought our first day to an end!  Be sure to check in tomorrow for another update!