Director’s Reports

The Aura of Kingswood

August 14, 2026

The Aura of Kingswood

August 14, 2026

“There is an obvious aura to Kingswood,” said a parent to me at the start of the session. “It is much needed but hard to find” he expanded.

Look, I had to agree with this person and responded, “You can’t order it or pay for it.” A few seconds later I added “Nor can you fake it.”

This is Kingswood. Everyone knows it. Check my lengthy photo album just posted, largely unedited, and maybe you can capture some of that glow which is so special to so many.

OK, so I am proselytizing.

Sara and others have posted pix of the Clutch Relays of yesterday afternoon. Eight groups of campers holding onto a rope took off from home plate of Mem Field, one at a time. The entourages stopped at stations along the way where someone let go of the rope to perform some mandated task.

I overheard this radio communication, “The senior rope is stalled at croquet” and had a huge chuckle.

Not only is each rope team clocked, but no one knows the final times until they are announced at the end of Songfest. Loads of points are on the line, and never is the ultimate outcome of Bow and Arrow a certainty until those times are known.

My featured photo for this blog is the Arrows. Did they win or lose, can you guess from this picture? At Kingswood, you are advised not to come to conclusions too hurriedly. The Bows won.

Not by much. 59 neutrals made up the voting jury for the two Songfest performances and one of the votes was 30 to 29. A reversal would not have changed the outcome but made it a real squeaker.

The tradition of the neutrals dressing up goes back to our first summer in 1985 when we tried to add some levity to a situation that had become far too tense. That does not happen any more.

Nonetheless, one of my favorite moments of any summer is the arrival of the teams to the Dining Room and the looks on boys’ faces as they take their seats. I would use the word “exciting” to describe this entrance.

Sam and Fiona made terrific speeches at the conclusion and Officer Mark Skidd threatened me with a citation for allowing children to stay up so late! I looked at his mustache and told him he was a phony.

Many of you will be our guests starting in just a few hours. You will not need to point a licked finger into the air to gauge the aura of camp.