Cookouts at Maine Camps and Beyond

We at Maine Camp Experience know we are not alone in our shock that we are already in the middle of August! But we want to remind our Maine Camp Experience (MCE) families, that summer is not over yet! While the weather is still warm, and we can enjoy the outdoors, we at MCE love to get out and grill. And, like so many things do, grilling up burgers and hotdogs always reminds us of camp! MCE Blogger Emma says: “This summer, as my family has been eating our meals at home more than usual, we have loved taking advantage of the beautiful weather and setting up barbeques outside. Of course, this reminds me of camp, and our cookouts every Wednesday and Sunday! At my Maine camp, cookouts were ‘Color Nights’ where we were allowed to get dressed up out of uniform and sit with our bunks outside at the picnic tables, eating hotdogs, hamburgers, and our other favorite cookout foods. This tradition was always a fun highlight of the week, and felt exciting every time! No matter where I am, barbeques will always remind me of some of my favorite camp meals with friends.” For MCE blogger Ali, Sunday cookout at camps was one of her favorite weekly traditions. She loved cookouts because they broke up the structure of the normal dining room experience. In contrast to weeknight dinners, Sundas was a time when no camper was on a trip and the entire camp was together. As both a camper and counselor she loved sitting amongst camp friends reflecting on the week with a smile. She also thinks back fondly on the time between eating the cookout dinner and the always anticipated ice cream truck arrival. This is when campers were free to do whatever they love the most. For some campers this meant starting a game of volleyball or soccer while they were waiting for ice cream. For others this mean cartwheeling on the grass, playing cards or just sitting and laughing with friends. Ali thinks back to Sunday nights fondly, and believes that this love for cookouts at camp have bled into her current love for family and friend cookouts. We at MCE can’t think of anything more quintessential than a summer cookout. We encourage our MCE family to take advantage of the moments of summer, and organize a cookout! Cookouts are an awesome way to get together with family and friends —  and the outdoors are the perfect social distancing spot. So, grill up your favorite cookout meal and ask your camper for some help!