The summer memories that many Girl Scouts or young girls from the South Side of Chicago would never forget included good 'ole Camp Palos. Camps Palos is located off of Will Cook Road in Palos Park, IL and had girls from Chicago, Orland Park, Homewood, Crestwood, Oak Lawn, Joliet and Tinley Park. Girls of all ages would come here to enjoy a day camp full of songs, crafts, games and outdoor activities throughout 80 acres of wooden land. Now things have changed a bit since my friends and I were campers like the week themes, field trips, grade levels and overnight stays. But we can all admit that between the buggy bathrooms or long walks to get to one unit from another we learned outdoor and communication skills, the buddy system, how to make friends and leadership. Whether you were a Girl Scout or not you probably have flashbacks of the closing ceremonies performed by a different unit each day or playing drip drip drop. Those are the memories I am thankful for each day and I hope that the young ladies attending camp at this very moment are making. Here are a bunch of memories we all have from the summers that never ended at Camp Palos between the years of 2001-2006.
1. You were always nervous on Monday since you got different counselors and sometimes a different unit.
2. It was crucial to choose a good theme week to attend.
3. We spent our days making friendship pins for our shoes, lanyards for the keys we did not have and friendship bracelets that would never fall off.
4. You had the choice of red bug juice or yellow bug juice at lunch.
5. On the hottest days of the summer you would pray that it rains to go inside the cabins.
6. Each morning after you were dropped off started with camp songs- Um Ah Went The Little Green Frog.
7. You were allowed to be creative and messy.
8. No sharing at lunch was super strict, especially when someone in every unit had a peanut allergy,
9. The only air conditioned cabin was the Troop House.
10. Every day you learned the importance of service and volunteering in your community.
11. Having a great bus driver made the mornings a lot easier, thanks Mrs. Barb!
12. You begged your parents for a summer session t-shirt.
13. The off-site field trip was always to the local water park with the slimy locker room floors and the best lemon chillers.
14. The walk from Ranch house to Rustic house took forever.
15. You were always jealous of the girls in unit 3 at the Platform Tents since they had the bathroom station right at their finger tips.
16. Girls and my self included would always try to guess our counselors real name. Stix, Cornbread, Amp and Stewy were not going to trick us.
17. Going to North Shelter always meant it was the end of another week/session.
18. Puffy paint, paper mache and clay were your specialties each week.
19. You were always nervous when it was your units turn for the closing ceremony.
20. Fusion Beads. Enough Said.
21. Digging through the black garbage bag to find the sunscreen and bug spray with your name on it was always a hassle.
22. You would drag your parents too the craft stores to buy you items to make your own camp for you and your siblings.
23. You either hated or loved the water weeks.
24. On tie-dye days you brought everything 'white' you owned.
25. Daddy Long Legged Spiders became your friends after awhile.
26. You always made job plans for when you were old enough to come back and be a counselor.
27. The buddy system was a must everywhere you went.
28. You learned how to make duct tape purses, flower pens and wallets so that you can open a little duct tape shop in your neighborhood.
29. The best feeling in the world was getting into your parents air conditioned car after a long day outside.
30. You knew all the trails and short cuts.
I fully believe that Girl Scout Camp provides all girls with a fun and rewarding experience that sets a foundation fro the growth of courage, confidence and character. Whether you attended for one session/week or several these were the memories that you could not wait to tell your parents about or write about at your first day of school. Like I said I often reflect on those summers and the people that entered my life at Camp Palos and I would not have it any other way. I hope to find something just as good for my kids one day but if not it goes to show Camp Palos is the best at building young girls up and giving them lifelong tools and memories for years to come.
