Wednesday morning reveille was at 7:00. Everyone came directly to the Shul and began davening. After davening and a quick breakfast, we boarded the buses and headed off to The Great Escape!
Around 12:30 we arrived at the park. Everyone lined up outside the park. The counselors gave out snacks, and began breaking up the children into groups of three or four. All staff members, not just counselors, took a group of children.
The weather was perfect for a Grand Trip – overcast and drizzly, so there were very few visitors at the park. Lines were almost non -existent. One group went on a water ride six times in a row, without stopping. Another group went on a roller coaster five times in a row. Just at the time lunch was scheduled to begin, it began to rain hard. During lunch, Head Counselor Yudi Steiner said that the bunk in which every member ate nicely, sang nicely, and smiled would receive every Rebbe picture that was given out yet, a total of 25 pictures. As time went on the stakes rose to 48 pictures. Bunks Yud and Yub-Bais almost made it, but in the end, nobody won. As lunch was ending, the rain continued falling. Yudi Steiner predicted that if the whole camp would say Ad Mosai nine times it would stop raining. First, every person in the tent needed to get on a bench (or table.) It took quite a while, but in the end, every single person (even the staff) got onto a bench. Then Yudi led the cries of Ad Mosai, each time louder than the last. After the ninth Ad Mosai, the sun could be seen shining from behind the clouds. After only a couple of minutes the rain stopped.
Throughout the day shouts of “CGI! CGI” and “Wherever we go!” Night Activity Director Dovid Taub prepared a scavenger hunt to do in the park. Among the things to do was to get the majority of the line to shout “CGI!”, to get people from foreign states to sign a paper, and to put tefilin on with a Jewish visitor. Over 25 people put on tefilin, at least seven of them for the first time. Dovid Taub’s puppet, Itche Kadoozy put on a show on one the park’s stages. A large audience, from camp and not from camp, gathered to watch the hilarious show. Although the show was not videoed, you can watch other Itche Kadoozy productions at www.itchekadoozy.com.
At 7:00, it was time to gather outside the park and daven Mincha. Just then, rain started pouring. The tent was rather small, and just barely fit the entire camp. After Mincha, everyone loaded onto the buses. Supper was eaten on the bus. At 11:45, the buses pulled into camp. We davened Maariv and went to sleep.