BORDENTOWN: 1,000 campers engage in color war

Liberty Lake hosts annual spirit games

By Jennifer Kohlhepp, Managing Editor
    What a joust can’t settle, a color war will.
    Three knights dueled on horseback before drawing swords on the grounds of Liberty Lake Day Camp in Bordentown on July 19. When the battle between the red, white and blue knights ended in a stalemate, the master of ceremonies declared a color war to determine the victor.
    Every year, Liberty Lake Day Camp hosts three days of spirit games called a color war, and each year, camp organizers keep the kickoff date a secret from campers. Members of the New Jersey Renaissance Faire surprised campers with the announcement this year after their jousting tournament ended in a draw.
    “The kids never know when it’s going to start,” said Renee Eugene, a camp division leader. “This is my seventh year here, and this is the earliest we’ve ever had it.”
    During the color war, campers separate into three teams. The red, white and blue teams create songs and cheers based on their color and the theme of the color war. This year’s theme is decades with the white team representing the ‘90s, the red team signifying the ‘70s and the blue team embodying the ‘80s. Each group tries to show the most spirit while cheering their members on in various games.
    The color war culminates with relays in which senior campers compete in 120 events. Teams score points for winning events, for showing team spirit and for good sportsmanship. On the final day, a panel of judges chooses the overall winning team.
    “The color war really brings the campers together,” Ms. Eugene said. “Even though it’s a competition, it’s a friendly competition. The kids do a lot to practice good sportsmanship because, at the end, they’re still here, they’re still campers, and they’re still friends.”
    There are 1,000 campers between the ages of 4 and 15 at Liberty Lake Day Camp this summer. They have enrolled for two weeks up to 10 weeks, and while they’re there, the camp aims to teach and inspire them.
    Shelli Buttons, an aerialist with the New Jersey Renaissance Faire, topped off a week of teaching campers circus skills with an acrobatic performance after the joust. She juggled knives and did a multitude of balancing acts.
    “It’s very, very amazing,” Ms. Buttons said. “The camp is . . . a great big love fest. It’s very exciting because the campers learn life skills here. It’s not just, ‘let’s have fun’ or ‘here, babysit my kid for a week.’”
    The camp continuously strives to enhance its programs and discover the newest and coolest activities for kids to do each summer, according to Andy Pritkin, owner and director.
    Mr. Pritkin said this is the 12th camping season at the 60-acre site that features the 7-acre Liberty Lake.
    “Liberty Lake has been around for 50 years hosting family and corporate picnics,” Mr. Pritkin said. “We started the camp here in 2002.”
    The lake is surrounded by grottos of trees, which provide children with shaded areas to enjoy state-of- the-art facilities such as the high ropes adventure course, two 80-foot pools with double-barrel slides, an outdoor laser tag course, a miniature golf course, a skate park, athletic fields, the Turtle Town preschool play village, a lake-traversing zipline and a lakeside amphitheater.
    Liberty Lake campers come from Burlington, Mercer, Camden, Monmouth and Ocean counties in New Jersey, as well as Bucks and Philadelphia counties in Pennsylvania. The all-inclusive and flexible basic tuition covers all equipment and materials use, plus transportation, trips, extended hours (from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.), lunch and snacks as well as a Liberty Lake backpack and T-shirt.
    Discounts are available for siblings, military, early enrollment, parent transportation, early payment and more.
    Liberty Lake is one of 2,500 camps nationwide that are accredited by the American Camp Association, which evaluates more than 300 specific aspects of camp, including health, safety, programming, staff development and emergency response practices.
    The camp offers personalized tours between January and May. To schedule a tour or for more information, call 609-499-7820 or visit libertylakedaycamp.com.