Camp Blog

The Agawak Energy Is Explosive

by: 
Camp Director

Once again, our Agawak dancers were the stars of Minocqua’s Fourth of July parade. Their explosive energy and passion had the crowds cheering wildly during their hour-and-a-half long procession along the town’s main avenue, moving in synchrony to “Kill The Lights”.

It was a flawless summer afternoon bathed in sunlight, though nothing shined brighter than your daughters.

This annual celebration is packed with hundreds of Fourth of July revelers of all ages, who set down their chairs along the parade route starting at 2 and 3 a.m., so they can secure ringside seats.

Many of the locals tell us each year that it is the Agawak girls, 180 of them, skillfully dancing and smiling their biggest smiles, that are the highlight of the historic parade.

I stood with some townspeople who noticed my Agawak Staff shirt and said to me: “Your girls can REALLY dance! They look so happy. What do you do over at that camp to make them smile like that?”

Of course, dancing well comes with lessons and practice. Yet, there is no precise formula to create a happy child, as every parent knows. But there is one quality we do know that definitely contributes to those huge smiles and sense of well-being. And that is, we make sure that each camper knows that Agawak is a safe place, a place where she is heard, a place where she is loved.

Knowing you are loved and supported is that spark that makes for a well-adjusted and energetic camper, one who can dance tirelessly through the streets, revving up the crowds. The younger girls were sitting together on the curb, and their cheers of support were the loudest of all.

We did not dance down the main street of Minocqua when I was a camper in the 1960s. Though we were proudly Agawak girls like this generation of girls: cheering each other on and giving each other confidence. And most of the summer we also couldn’t stop smiling like those beaming campers that wow the Minocqua parade-goers year after year.

It is this extraordinary web of friendship and support that pulls your children back to Agawak year after year. I can attest to that – I’m still here – more than a half-a-century later!

We are super excited to greet you on Parents Weekend where your arrival will bring on camper smiles that will be brighter than ever. You will see for yourselves why your daughters are filled with infectious energy and love, and why they just can’t stop dancing!