Winterpalooza 2008 Theme Announced

Winterpalooza, our annual winter retreat for campers and friends, will be held December 30, 2008 through Januar 1, 2009. This retreat's theme is "Ultimate SuperFan", and all campers and staff should be prepared to dress as a SuperFan of their favorite team - we're talking jersey, hat, striped socks, feather boa, whatever it takes - to show that they deserve the title of Ultimate SuperFan. We all love different sports teams and activities, so let's show it!
If you're interested in signing up for Winterpalooza, the registration forms will be available at www.ligoniercamp.org.

Spaces are limited, so register as soon as possible!

Our Wonderful Kitchen

Well, it's not really the kitchen that is great - it's our kitchen manager, April! She does an amazing job planning meals for the Next Level camp in the summer, and all of our outside groups that come for retreats. And most importantly (ha ha), she prepares food for the year-round staff. Just kidding -but that is one of the great perks of having a great chef like April around. Not only does she have initiative - she wrote an essay that won Ligonier camp 1000 dollars AND a free kitchen deep-clean from the Dawn company - but she gets free samples to try out on our staff. So far we've experienced whole-weat Pop-Tarts, deep fried green beans & cheesecake bites, mini pork chops, and much more. We're always looking for new, healthier options for our campers, as well as a few items that make great treats. While fried green beans may never make the cut, the whole-grain Pop-tarts have been a big hit on breakfast-in-bed day!
Just today, April made a great breakfast and many of us were able to sit down and enjoy it together - eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast, OJ and fresh coffee - what a treat! It's always a fun surprise to be able to sit and talk to everyone while enjoying a hot breakfast.
Thanks, April - you do a great job!

Weather report: snow!

This week, the weather report is calling for snow to fall on Ligonier - today, in fact! Our prayer is that the snow and ground freeze will both hold off a while longer. Our wonderful contractors and engineers are working so hard to get the essentials of the new dining hall finished before the ground freezes and snow takes over - so we're not quite ready for the flurries to fly.
It looks as if we won't have any "problem" snow this week - just some light flakes falling lazily to the ground, if they're lucky enough to make it without melting!
That said, snow is a beautiful event up here - everything gets quiet, and there's a little extra chill in the air, and we all curl up in our houses with our fireplaces roaring to enjoy a relaxed "mountain" evening at home. While snow definitely causes all kinds of concerns - driving, salting, plowing, freezing - it also has some pretty great perks!

Progress

Hello, camp friends! I wanted to post some updated pictures from the dining hall construction. The walls are going up so quickly. And we've even gotten used to the noise, except for when we need to use the phone - then it can be hard sometimes.
Thank you all for your prayers and support during this building process - please, come up and see how things are going! Call the camp at 724-238-6428 if you'd like to stop by.

This is how close the new dining hall will be to the lodge!

The east-west running center wall, separating level one and level two

Our tallest wall (the west wall)

Fall Work Day!

On November 1, 2008, Ligonier will hold a Fall Work Day. Beginning at 9:00 am, staff and volunteers will tackle a number of work projects around the camp, including raking, cleaning, and basic handy-man work. Ligonier is looking for volunteers to come and help to get camp ready for the winter. Lunch will be provided for all volunteers, and the day should wrap up around 3:00 pm.
Interested? Call Wayne Faber at 724-238-6428 x 110.

We'd love to see you there!

Walls!

Attention, Ligonier Camp: The dining hall has walls! Granted, they're not complete, and they're made of concrete blocks, but they are walls. It's so fun to see them going up quickly to prepare for next summer (but first, for the hours and hours of work to make it look like a dining hall!).

As soon as the camera is available, we'll have some more photos up to show how quickly these guys are working! Here's a big shout-out to the guys at Burchick construction who are doing an amazing job, as well as the architects and designers at Machlachlan, Cornelius, & Filoni. We coudln't do this without you!

Fort Ligonier Days

Many of you who have been here in the summer are probably curious as to how we are all able to survive the year in a relatively quiet, small town after all the hustle and bustle of summer camp.
Well, I'm going to let you in on a little secret.

Fort Ligonier Days.

Fort Days, as the locals call it, is a chance for everyone in the town of Ligonier to either get out or get pumped for the more than one hundred thousand people that will come into town this weekend. From craft booths to food vendors to strolling musicians, Fort Days provides the opportunity to do what we all love best - wander around eating food and looking at things we don't need. It's also a wonderful chance to catch up with family because the local school district takes a day off, and families can choose to enjoy the day together. While Friday is less crowded, Saturday is the day that takes the cake. From an early morning pancake breakfast to an 11 am parade that lasts two hours to the final cheesecake served from Sand Hill Berries, Saturday is action-packed and entertaining. It's one of the things that makes this town great - and it's wonderful to have so many groups here taking advantage of the facilites that Ligonier Camp has to offer while enjoying one of the great events in the town of Ligonier. If you're in town this weekend, look for some LCCC staff members selling halushki, buffalo burgers, or great crafts as we get in on all the fun.
See you there!

Ligonier accepts that technology is real

Ha ha! Just teasing. As with many camps, Ligonier is definitely not as progressive in technology as much of the world. But no more - Ligonier will be launching a brand new website before the new year! Keep an eye out for great new things that will be available online - including online registrations!

Golf Outing!

The Ligonier Camp Golf Outing is coming up this Monday, October 6, 2008. We have 100 golfers signed up for the event, as well as tons of tee, green and prize sponsors, as well as many caring and generous monetary sponsors. This event is going to be a blast! Skill competitions include: closest to the pin, longest drive, hole in one, and "beat the directors". It should be a great, fun-filled day. The best part? The weatherman is calling for sunny and a high of 72! So not only do we get to celebrate our ministry, but we get to do so in beautiful weather.
If you're coming out Monday, we're looking forward to seeing you!