Howdy Circle F Family,
Diana and I went to the American Camping Association National Convention again this year. The convention was held at Disney World so we did not have to go quite as far as last year. There were a ton of great classes on everything from new games, counseling skills, camper safety, creating communities, expanding the reach of camp, training staff, and making camp a year round philosophy. As you might imagine, we have a ton of great new ideas for the summer. Going to the convention always reminds us of the importance of camp in this new digital age.
It might seem that camp is just a fun place and that is the main ingredient. In truth, we design our programs to be both fun and to have a deeper impact on a persons life. At camp campers learn independence, creativity, self-confidence, decisions making, community living, and many other extremely valuable life lessons. Campers can explore themselves and try new things in an physically and emotionally safe environment. The best part is that we learn all of this while having an absolute blast. Diana and I truly believe in the power of camp to change lives and we see it happen every summer.
Our pregnant horse, Lightening, is showing signs that she is extremely close to giving birth. I am always checking in on her hoping to see her new baby. We will let you know as soon as she does and we will be sure to put up new pictures.
Also, as some of you may know, I have been raising chickens. My wife, Emily, and I have three hens (female chickens), two of which are laying eggs. The chickens are named Mary, Shirley and Flow (the three stooges). You will get a chance to meet the chickens this summer. I think the chickens love living at Circle F just as much as I do.
Fantastic Wishes,
Roger Hanafin
Assistant Director
Circle F Dude Ranch
Showing posts with label Circle F Dude Ranch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Circle F Dude Ranch. Show all posts
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
New Website!!! New Brochure!!!
Howdy Circle F Family,
We have a new website and new brochure!!!
We know you are going to love the new features of our website. We are now able to host all of our pictures on our website. This means you will not have to sign in to see your pictures and you can download them for free. We have a new translator that translates the website into over 20 languages. There is an interactive map feature that shows you camp from space. You can even see what counselors are coming back under the "meet the directors" page. There is also expanded information on our Family and Women's Weekends. Of course you will see a ton of pictures. To visit the new website go to www.circle-f-duderanch.com. We hope you enjoy the new site and we would love to hear your feedback.
The new brochure went out on Monday. It is a whole new design and is earth friendly. Be sure to look and see if you are in the brochure. Because the brochure came out after the January 31st early registration date, we have extended the early registration discount to February 20th. If you have not registered for camp yet, be sure to do it before the 20th to take advantage of the discount.
Happy Valentines Day,
Diana and Roger
We have a new website and new brochure!!!
We know you are going to love the new features of our website. We are now able to host all of our pictures on our website. This means you will not have to sign in to see your pictures and you can download them for free. We have a new translator that translates the website into over 20 languages. There is an interactive map feature that shows you camp from space. You can even see what counselors are coming back under the "meet the directors" page. There is also expanded information on our Family and Women's Weekends. Of course you will see a ton of pictures. To visit the new website go to www.circle-f-duderanch.com. We hope you enjoy the new site and we would love to hear your feedback.
The new brochure went out on Monday. It is a whole new design and is earth friendly. Be sure to look and see if you are in the brochure. Because the brochure came out after the January 31st early registration date, we have extended the early registration discount to February 20th. If you have not registered for camp yet, be sure to do it before the 20th to take advantage of the discount.
Happy Valentines Day,
Diana and Roger
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Happy Un-Birthday!!!
Howdy Circle F Family,
Happy Un-Birthday!!! Today is the Un-birthday dance (imagine a big birthday party). We had piñatas, party favors, pin the tail and the donkey, clowns and great music. Campers love the dances because it gives them a time to be silly and to have a lot of fun. Be sure to check out the pictures tomorrow to see the festivities.
One of the funnier moments of the day happened when the Buck 2 Girls (B2G) Cabin staged a protest to save a turtle. The girls had come up with signs, songs and chants to demand that a turtle that was caught in Nature Lore be set free. Of course the turtle was never really captured, but that did not matter to the B2G's who wanted to make sure that their little animal friend was treated kindly. It felt like we were at a 60’s protest. Things like this can only happen at camp. The protest did force Diana to make a proclamation declaring that all turtles will be treated with respect and love (lol).
Yesterday we had a visit from Howie Mandel and the models from Deal or No Deal (see picture). Campers were competing to win prizes ranging from Ice Cream for the Whole Camp, Choose a Counselor to Throw in the Lake to Pie in the Face and Get Squirted by the Hose.
There was a request for the evening program schedule so here it is:
Sunday: Carnival/Movie Night
Monday: Men’s Beauty Review
Tuesday: 80’s Masquerade Ball (Dance)
Wednesday: Counselor Showdown (Kind of like Newlywed Game)
Thursday: Swim Meet
Friday: 4th of July Celebration (Olympics/Water Battle/Red White & Blue Dance)
Saturday: Mid-Summer Campfire
Sunday: Build-A-Boat/Islands of Adventure/What’s the Movie
Monday: Nerd Dance
Tuesday: Earth Day
Wednesday: Circle F Feud
Thursday: MTV Night
Friday: Banquet and Final Dance
Saturday: Rodeo/Good Bye
Wow, I can’t believe we still have that much fun to have.
Fantastic Wishes,
Roger and the Gang
Friday, June 27, 2008
PATH (Pioneer Adventure Team-Building Hike)
Howdy Circle F Family,
As promised, here is a blog written by a couple campers. Five Year Camper, Serena Collins and, two year camper, Nicole Raabe, recentley took part in our PATH program. Here is a blog they wrote about their experience:
It began w/ a circle of frightened yet excited pioneer girls. As we all told each other who we are and where we lived the bond finally began. As we sat off on our 2 mile hike, we had a total of 3 stops, each that had team building activities. We each learned how to connect to the elements of nature, but soon learned as it started to pour, that water over-powered them all. However, the rain didnt stop us.
Our head-counselor Bri taught us many ways to survive in the outdoors. For example, we used garbage bags as raincoats, our backpacks as pillows, and a tarp as a shelter. As we reached our 3rd stop, we realized we had to prepare our own food, and transported the grill, wood, and coolers to our final destination, out shelter. As the rain let up, we all sat around the fire and ate our food. The night ended with a lot of laughter and an awesome story told by Bri.
As the rooster calls woke us up, we cleaned up our final ceremony. We each got a bracelet and a tribal sybol on our face to remind us of the bond we built with each of the cabins.
We set off on our hike back to camp where we made it just in for breakfast. All in all, PATH was a great experience that build a lot of character.
As promised, here is a blog written by a couple campers. Five Year Camper, Serena Collins and, two year camper, Nicole Raabe, recentley took part in our PATH program. Here is a blog they wrote about their experience:
It began w/ a circle of frightened yet excited pioneer girls. As we all told each other who we are and where we lived the bond finally began. As we sat off on our 2 mile hike, we had a total of 3 stops, each that had team building activities. We each learned how to connect to the elements of nature, but soon learned as it started to pour, that water over-powered them all. However, the rain didnt stop us.
Our head-counselor Bri taught us many ways to survive in the outdoors. For example, we used garbage bags as raincoats, our backpacks as pillows, and a tarp as a shelter. As we reached our 3rd stop, we realized we had to prepare our own food, and transported the grill, wood, and coolers to our final destination, out shelter. As the rain let up, we all sat around the fire and ate our food. The night ended with a lot of laughter and an awesome story told by Bri.
As the rooster calls woke us up, we cleaned up our final ceremony. We each got a bracelet and a tribal sybol on our face to remind us of the bond we built with each of the cabins.
We set off on our hike back to camp where we made it just in for breakfast. All in all, PATH was a great experience that build a lot of character.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Memorial Day Weekend & 2 Weeks to Camp
Hello Circle F Family,
We just finished our last family weekend of the Spring and it was a Fantastic time had by all. Thank you to all of our families for coming and sharing your time with us. It is extremely rewarding to see families grow closer over the course of a weekend. We hope to see you back again very soon.
The end of the family camp season means the beginning of the Summer Camp season. Two weeks from today there will be 200 campers and over 50 staff members at Circle F. We can not wait to see all of our old friends again and to welcome our new campers to the Circle F Family.
Tomorrow we will be posting the dance themes for each session. Be sure to check back.
Fantastic Wishes,
Diana and Roger
We just finished our last family weekend of the Spring and it was a Fantastic time had by all. Thank you to all of our families for coming and sharing your time with us. It is extremely rewarding to see families grow closer over the course of a weekend. We hope to see you back again very soon.
The end of the family camp season means the beginning of the Summer Camp season. Two weeks from today there will be 200 campers and over 50 staff members at Circle F. We can not wait to see all of our old friends again and to welcome our new campers to the Circle F Family.
Tomorrow we will be posting the dance themes for each session. Be sure to check back.
Fantastic Wishes,
Diana and Roger