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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

Again, a big story this entire week has been Tribal Competition. This was our last day of regular Tribal Competition, since the Ultimate Solution is on Friday.  On this final day, the Caddo once again extended their slight lead by winning the day 135-129.  This means that heading into Friday's final event, the Caddo cling to a small overall lead, 1124-1111.  Tomorrow's big race will determine the overall winner for 5th Session as well as for bragging rights for the summer (seeing as how the Caddo and Osage are tied 2-2 after 4 sessions.)  The Ultimate Solution should be VERY exciting!

We also enjoyed our last day of Morning Activities, so the kids were busy trying to earn that final Archery pin or Riflery badge, putting the final touches on their pottery or ceramic project.  The guys in the baseball class were working on catching balls hit over their head (the "homerun rob"), and the Tennis class was working on serve and volley.  Our talented tennis instructors were sure making the class a lot of fun!

After an awesome lunch and Rest Period, we rolled on down the hill to Mish Mash, that golden time of the day.  We had several tournaments (Speed Slides, Camper/Counselor Newcomb and Riflery) and some EDGE activities (Swim and Run).  As usual, though, the big attraction during Mish Mash was the simple concept of doing ANYTHING at all...whatever you want!  Waterfront, slides, ropes, Trail Ride, Crafts...the possibilities are practically endless.  Some of the 1st year girls in Cabin 11 (Katie and Nicole) went to the Crafts Center to paint on their projects, while others went on a trail ride.  A bunch of guys from the Cabin Square went to the waterslides and spend almost an hour just racing up and down...total FUN for those guys!  Wacky World was very busy as our campers 10 years old and younger got to enjoy the Wacky World Blob, water trampolines and Rockit all to themselves (no older kids allowed!)  The Wood Shop was also very, very busy as campers finished up their projects, putting the final touches on their battleships, rocking chairs, welcome signs, etc.  So many great projects come out of the Ozark Woodshop!  Yes, Thursday's Mish Mash was totally, completely, amazingly awesome!

After dinner we had our final round of split worship services...Lifeline, Prime Time and Ozone (tomorrow's worship is an all-together affair).  Great singing, great fun and great messages about God's love for us characterize Camp Ozark worship services, and Thursday was no exception.  The older kids in Ozone learned a little bit about how to take home some of the things they've learned over the past 2 weeks.  The Lifeline campers got to enjoy the final chapter of Ozark Tales.

After worship, it was time to party down at Disco Daze!  Everyone 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!

Our Morning Activity classes are going great, as well.  Even though it has been pretty hot lately, nothing slows these kids down!  Many of our younger kids are in a specialty class called "Debut," wherein they get to do a lot of fun things around camp...think of Debut as an Intro class to the Camp Ozark experience.  On Wednesday the Debut class got to try out the Barn Swing, and boy did they have fun!  Debut is awesome!

Our other classes were incomparable as well...Skeet shooting, Horsemanship, Pottery, Ceramics, Skateboard Design, Rocketry (get to launch rockets on Thursday!), Guitar, Lacrosse, Tennis, Skateboarding, Digital Photography...the list goes on and on! Needless to say, the campers really enjoy their Morning Activity classes and learn a ton while have fun.  Awesome!

After Morning Activities, it was time for another rockin' Ozark lunch, and the Rest Period.  Whether they rest, play quiet games, visit or just hang out, Rest Period is a very important time of the day and allows our kids to catch their breath before...

MISH MASH!  Oh, the joys of this golden time of day are hard to express.  The kids get to do ANYTHING they want during Mish Mash (as long as they are doing something), and, for the child, such freedom is hard to comprehend.  It's all open during Mish Mash...the waterfront and slides, Wacky World, Mini-golf, the Climbing Tower, the Crafts Center, the Skatepark, Riflery...everything!  Even Smashball, one of the all-time most popular activities we've ever had at Camp Ozark.  What makes Smashball so amazing, you might ask?  Well, it's fast paced, high-energy, and anyone can play. No wonder Smashball is so...smashing!

We also had a few tournaments on Wednesday: Street Skate, Camper/Counselor Newcomb, Mini-Golf, and (yes!) Smashball.  Tournaments are a great way for our kids to compete, have fun and try some new things.

After Mish Mash and dinner, it was time for Worship...Lifeline, Prime Time and Ozone.  Each service has its own feel, tempo and vibe, but all three are high energy and feature a great message for our kids.  On Wednesday, our Lifeline kids watched Episode 3 of Ozark Tales, featuring Meme (May-May) and her friends.  Our Prime Time campers were able to enjoy a visit from Patrick Hoercher (the smartest man at Camp Ozark), who talked about faith and doubt. We also talked about our "Value of the Day," self-confidence.  At Camp Ozark, we want our campers to feel empowered to try anything they want, to feel strong and confident about who they are and what they can accomplish.

Our final treat of the day was our Special Event of the evening, Wacky Tacky.  The clothes?  Wacky and Tacky.  The music?  Ditto.  The games?  Over the top wacky, tacky, fun and crazy!  This event pitted the guys against the girls in a series of crazy, wild and fun games.  A score was kept and in the end, the winner was....the Guys!  Whoa, way to go boys, although the girls DID win the Dance Contest at the end (of course).

After Wacky Tacky, it was off to bed....wait, not so fast.  As the campers were leaving the Field House, the familiar strains of "da, da, da da da, da..." came over the loudspeakers...it was Mission Impossible!  Yes, the single most anticipated moment of the entire session had begun.  All the campers hustled back to their cabins to don camo pants, paint their faces and put on bug spray.  Once the signal was given, the campers then sneaked their way out into the fields to try to recover their flags, all the while avoiding the dreaded Top Staff Patrols.  Once back safely with their flags, each cabin enjoyed the spoils of their mission, a nice cold drink from the store.

What a way to end the day!  Be sure to check back tomorrow!

Starting with the Morning Show and then breakfast, we then moved on to Tribal Competition.  It was a RED day as the Caddo came out in front, 135-129.  This brings the total score to a mind-numbing 854-853, in favor of the Caddo.  That's right...a SINGLE point separates the Caddo and Osage as we head into the final two days of Tribal Competition!  Man oh man, it just doesn't get any tighter than this...the Ultimate Solution on Friday is going to be AMAZING!

Following Tribal Competition, we had a brief 20 minutes for "Chill Out," a time for the kids to jump in the water, get some cold water, catch their breath after Tribal Comp, and, well...simply Chill Out.

After Chill Out, the kids headed to the first of their three Morning Activity classes.  Tuesday was the second day of activities for this week, and the kids were excited to go back to their classes.  The Volleyball class worked on their "bump, set, spike" drill, and the instructors helped the girls learn to move the ball around the court to set up for a good shot.  Our Dance classes spent this second day going through the routines, making sure everyone knew the steps and choreography.  Out at the skeet range, some of our older campers practiced "multiples,"  trying to shoot 2 or even 3 skeet launched at the same time.  All over camp, campers were playing baseball, catching fish, learning lacrosse, earning Riflery patches, riding Mt. Bikes, hiking, writing stories...so much goes on during Morning Activities, it's awesome!

After our third period class, it was time for lunch, and then Rest Period.  Then, finally(!), it was time for Mish Mash, that golden time of the day!  As usual, almost everything we offer was open and available for the kiddos...Crafts, Ropes, Water, Riflery, Skeet, Barn Swing, Trail Rides (3 of them!), basketball, water slides, tennis, kayaking...whew!  It has GOT to be fun to be a kid at Mish Mash!  Since it was quite warm today, lots and lots of kids enjoyed the Waterfront, where the water always runs cold.  The slides, Water Activity Centers, and blobs were all very busy.  Also busy was the Crafts Center, where the kids worked on projects already begun, or started brand new ones.

After Mish Mash, there was a buzz in the air...who could it be?  Suddenly, arriving at Camp Ozark was the man himself, the President of the United States!!  Mr. President rode through camp on his luxurious limousine (also knows as the camp Suburban), and all of camp rolled out to greet him.  As the President passed through camp, everyone cheered and followed him out to the picnic area for our Red, White and Blue picnic...burgers, sweet tea, baked beans, watermelon...classic Americana!  Following the picnic, we kicked of the celebration of Red, White and Blue.  We had games on the Football Field, Frisbee, soccer, the Egg Toss, a pie-eating contest, watermelon, volleyball, sack races, a tug-o-war...all the classics.

After the fun and games, we then moved on to Ozark Idol, our version of American Idol (without all of the snarky comments)!  Our camper displayed their talent by singing, dancing, playing musical instruments...all sorts of awesome things.  Yes, Ozark Idol is truly great thing to watch, and I am always amazed by the talented kids that come to Camp Ozark.

To wrap it all up, everyone moved to the Central Park for our big finale', a massive Red, White and Blue fireworks display!  Carson and his crew pulled out all the stops as the massive show featured scores of brightly colored (and loud!) fireworks, worthy of any big-time show.

After the fireworks, it was time for devotionals, showers and bed.  Thus ended RWB, a stellar, unforgettable day here at Camp Ozark.  Be sure to check back tomorrow!

We started the day off with a rousing Morning Show where our campers were introduced to our safety adviser, the Safety Dancer, who went over a few safety tips for our new campers.  We were also  treated to appearances by Tourney Pirate and Eduardo the EDGE guru, who introduced us today's Mish Mash Tournaments (Camper/Counselor Tennis, 2-on-2 Basketball, and 2-on-2 Indoor Soccer) and our EDGE program (Every Day Go Extreme).  Both programs are great ways for our campers to get in some fun and exercise during the day.  Monday's EDGE activities were Swimming and Aerobic Conditioning.

After the Morning Show and Breakfast, it was off to Tribal Competition.  The Caddo and Osage faced off again in a variety of games and competition.  Although not THE most important thing we do, we are firm believers in the value of learning about maximum effort, maximum enthusiasm, and maximum sportsmanship (the "3 flames" of Tribal Competition).  For many of our 1st year campers it was their first experience with Tribal Competition, but we are sure they enjoyed it and are well on their way to learning some very valuable lessons about life.  Our Game of the Day featured the Pumas and Muskrats (girl's cabins S-6 and S-7).  These girls played an intense game of Team Handball, hustling and working to the end.  At the end of the game, the score was a tie, so the girls went to a shootout.  After seven shooters, it was still even, until the next round when the Caddo found the back of the net, and prevented an Osage goal.  Whew, what an exciting game...way to go girls!

The score in Tribal Comp on Monday was 135-129, favor of the Caddo.  The overall score, with 3 days remaining, is 727-716 Caddo.  It's a very close score, and could go either way heading into the Ultimate Solution on Friday!

Next up was a new round of Morning Activities for all campers, both 2-week and 1-week.  Our Morning Activities are designed to be fun and exciting while also teaching (or improving) skills and abilities.  Whether it's our Lacrosse class, Advanced Basketball, Pottery, Horsemanship...you name it...our campers love the opportunities they have to have fun while improving their skills.  I checked in on the Ropes Course class and watched as campers did the Basic and Intermediate Courses, the Advanced Course, the Super Swing, and the Pamper Poles.  For some of our campers, this was their first experience in a Ropes Course, and everyone was having a great time.

I also went by the Barn where our Beginning Horsemanship class was getting to know the horses and practicing leading the horses by their halter.  The Camp Ozark horsemanship classes are awesome!

The afternoon, of course, was all about the Mash.  Mish Mash, that is.  Oh man oh man, it is hard to overstate the sheer JOY our campers feel when the classic Mish Mash song ("I'm free") comes over the speakers.  Everyone swarms out to the various places in camp to do, well, whatever it is they want:  Ropes Course, Crafts, Waterfront, Blobs, mini-golf, Tennis, Skatepark, Climbing Tower...it's ALL open!  A new activity at Camp Ozark is the Barn Swing, and it was jumping (pardon the pun)!  (Think of a giant swing around a pivot point, where the campers try to land back on the platform after a few rotations.) Kids start out with the Beginner level and try to advance to the Advanced level.  Pretty cool, the new Barn Swing.  Just another reason why the Mash is so awesome...nothing, NOTHING, beats Mish Mash!

Then is was Lifeline, Ozone and Prime Time, our 3 worship times.  Our younger campers get to enjoy Lifeline, our Jr. High kids go to Prime Time, while our older campers go to Ozone.  All services are tailored to the particular age group and are really a great time for our campers to learn about God and his Love for us.  Of course, our older campers go much deeper than our younger campers, but all the kids learn a great deal during this time of the day.

Finally, the last part of the day, Escape to Neverland.  This new event is a Disney-themed party with all sorts of activities, games, fun and, of course, Disney music.  The kids are free to try any of the many things this event offers, such as Typhoon Lagoon at the Waterfront, The Sports Zone at the Sports Park, Fantasy Land at the Ropes Course, and much more.  To conclude, we all gathered for the closing Disney Drama featuring Hook, Rufio, Tinkerbell, Peter Pan, Pumba and Timone, Mary Poppins, Pocahontas, and Beauty and the Beast.  All this accompanied by great Disney music and fireworks! Yes, it's good to Escape to Neverland!

Be sure to check back in tomorrow!

The started, however, with our 2-week campers taking part in one of those classic, super-traditional Ozark activities, the hike to the Cross.  Each middle weekend, all of Camp Ozark makes the hike up to the Cross, located on a ridge high above the Ouachita River and overlooking Camp Ozark.  From there, we enjoy a Sunday morning worship service and singing. The view, the location, the whole experience is really a special time for all Ozark campers, and is certainly one of the "signature" events that take place during a 2-week session.

After the Cross, our 2-week campers enjoyed some down time prior to lunch as we awaited the arrival of our new campers, Session 5F.  At about 12:30 pm, we threw open the gates and welcomed hundred of new campers, many of whom were coming to Camp Ozark for the very first time!  We had buses, cars, lots of smiling faces, tons of energy and excitement...it really was a great time welcoming our new campers.

Once here, our Session 5F campers got moved into their cabins and then proceeded to Opening Day Games, Tribal Initiation and then, wonderfully, Mish Mash!  Soon enough, all Ozark campers, both 1-week and 2-week, were having the time of their lives, enjoying another Ozark Mish Mash, trying out all sorts of activities and having a total blast!

After Mish Mash, we all moved on the dinner.  But, on this day we don't just sit down for any 'ole dinner.  No, on Sunday we had Planet Ozark dinner!  Loud tunes in the dining hall, dancing on the benches, Charlie's Pizza, salad, Coke/Diet Coke...it was quite a party for dinner on Planet Ozark.  The kids loved it, and the Dining Halls were loud and ROCKIN'!

Afterward, our Session 5F campers went to their first Lifeline where we explained our spiritual theme for the summer, "Live Life Loud."  Basically, we believe that God wants us to live our lives full speed, out loud, giving all we can as Christians, as friends, as students...everything!  We want to honor God by "Living Out Loud" in all we do!

Following Lifeline, it was time for Planet Ozark, the hippest, craziest, loudest Special Event we offer!  All the great tunes, from Justin Beiber to Taylor Swift to Miley Cyrus to MC Hammer...and all the great games, from Smashball to Karaoke to Laser Tag to Pop-A-Shot to the Velcro Wall...are found at Planet Ozark.  It's loud, it's fun, it's non-stop fun as we kick it to classic '90's tunes, modern-day hits, and everything in between.  It's almost a shame how awesome this event is, and how much fun the kids have.  In the end, we closed Planet Ozark out with a rousing dance to Ice Cream and Cake, and then moved back to the cabins after a long, but awesome day.

All in all, Sunday was an amazing day: new campers, a hike to the Cross, an awesome Mish Mash, and Planet Ozark.  It hardly gets any better at Camp Ozark!  Be sure to check in tomorrow for another update!