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I realized I've never posted a completed photo of the dining hall. There are still some minor improvements to complete inside, as well as the construction of the climbing wall, but this is the final product (although there's more grass grown in now!)Thanks to all of you whose prayers and giving made this dream a reality.
What do you think?

New Dining Hall Photos

Isn't it beautiful? You should see the inside! (And yes, we'll post indoor photos as soon as we can!)


That little "porch" is where Next Level campers will enter the new dining hall.

Twin Zip Line Construction

Sorry for the long time between updates! But there's something fun, at least: the first ever pictures of the new 1300 ft. twin zip lines! Actually, there aren't any "lines" up yet, but you can see the poles. After generous donations from staff and camper alumni, the zip line that had only been a dream is now becoming reality!
For those of you familiar with the camp, the zip lines will begin up near the pamper jump & main campfire area and stretch all the way across the open hillside until its termination on the hill just above the boy's kybo. It's going to be amazing!
Here are some photos from the first day of construction:

Yet another dining hall update...

Whoa! I realized that I haven't updated this blog with recent photos of the dining hall project. It looks great. I mean, I wouldn't necessarily want to eat in it yet, but the construction is happening so quickly, and the building is so much bigger than I thought. As you look at the pictures, remember that this is only the first floor (aka the basement that will hold storage space, our elevator, loading dock, and intern apartments). The second floor will look very different, and will be where campers eat their meals!
I hope you enjoy.

Everyone in the Ligonier office got excited about the above photo.

"Look, it's a door! It's a real, live door!"
(note: door is on backward. there's a purpose for that, they say. it'll be fixed for camp!)

Look how gigantic this facility is! It already is taller than the lodge, and it's only the first floor!

The indoor climbing tower is currently covered in plastic. We told Jim that was
because people were climbing in there, and he believed us, but only briefly!
(there aren't any holds!)

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)

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!

Construction update

Hey, everyone! I hope you're all as excited as we are about the construction. It's getting noisier out there every day, which is a great sign! Today, we have a lot of large equipment here that's been leveling the ground and doing...other things. (This is Leeanne typing today, and I just don't know a lot about construction, but the place looks great!).
Here are some photos of today. I took some of them up toward the chapel of the pines, some toward the rec deck, one toward the pavilion, and one in the direction of the dining hall.

Isn't it amazing to see this place changing? I remember being a camper when they built the climbing tower - we had to watch it be "halfway" done for a summer, and then it was such a big deal to have a tower! I remember the rec deck being done and having Bible Studies there and "girl talk" during Action Options. This new dining hall is an amazing thing! I am so ready to see kids sitting around the tables, watching run-on skits where everyone can see them (not like now, when Unit 1 girls can't see! sorry ladies), eating delicious food, and making it easier on our kitchen staff & CITs to prepare and clean up our meals by having a brand new kitchen.

So what are you excited about with the new dining hall? Leave a comment!
(Note: all comments are moderated, so it will take a little bit for them to show up - safety first!)









Will you guys be in prayer for us for a few things?:

• That the weather will cooperate with this project so it can be done on time
• That we would continue moving toward our 5.5 million dollar goal for the campaign
• That we would be constantly remembering that God is in control
• That we are able to work efficiently and cheerfully despite noisy distractions
• And finally, praise God for the blessings at this time at Ligonier Camp.

Thanks, everyone! Have a wonderful day.