By Asa Gallagher

Another Classic Burgess Summer

Another classic Burgess summer has passed. We wrapped up the season over on the Hayward side with the wonderful campers, staff and volunteers of the “Friendship Home”, an organization based out of Norwell, MA that provides a wide range of enrichment services for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.  It continues to be one of our favorite weeks of the summer. And after some rest and vacation with my family, I am back at the office getting ready for another year as Burgess Director.  This was indeed a “classic” Burgess summer, one for the ages.  Our staff went above and beyond to turn a traditional overnight camping experience into something truly unique.  We set a goal for ourselves during staff training to be great every day, to push the boundaries of what is possible at summer camp, and to provide the most memorable experience we could for our campers.  And that’s exactly what we did.

We used the property in new ways. The fires, forts, shelters and strange woodsy contraptions were massive and numerous.  We explored the far reaches of Spectacle and Triangle Ponds, played games that have never been seen before, climbed the new ropes course and launched just about anything we could across the water.  We ate like mad men.  Lois and the kitchen staff cooked incredible meals every day.  The pizza parties were legendary, often going late into the night.  And of course we cooked stakes at the fire, learned how to cook cupcakes, ate gourmet pizza from the outdoor oven, fresh veggies from the farm, and way too much candy.  We sailed the “Pride of Burgess” for the first time, its bright colors seen from all parts of the land.  We sang as loud as ever.  From anywhere on site, our voices could be heard through the woods and down the streets.  Our staff and campers brought incredible amounts of energy and spirit this summer, always there for each other, always excited for a new day.  It was impossible to contain, and why would we ever want to.  To all who chose Burgess in 2014 as a place to be themselves and to truly enjoy the beauty of a Cape Cod summer, I hope you have all had a great start to your next step in life – school, work, family – whatever your lot in life may be.  I hope to see you again soon.  Look out for more “Burgess Blogs” to come.