Dogwood Festival 2016

Kevin couldn't make it this year, but Gammy joined us for an evening of fun:

Math and PE Night

Greenbrier team billed it as a "muscles and measurement" event.  The kids did various activities and then measured their own results with tape measures:

K Fest

Right after Benji's birthday party, we had to turn around and get ready for another big event -- the first annual KFest Scholarship Bash. Last year, Kris's friends and family came together to create a scholarship in his memory. This scholarship is to be awarded annually to a student who, like Kris, brings together people across communities on campus. As a way to build community around the scholarship, we have been planning an annual event to include the scholarship nominees and folks from all the different parts of Kris's life. The event included crafts for the kids (Abby and Julia volunteered to man the craft table on the Pavilion V courtyard), games and sports on the lawn (which Kevin and I set up and nominally manned), food, photos, and a performance by the Virginia Gentlemen. We ended up with a beautiful day and the 4 hour event went off without a hitch:

Benji's Birthday, part 3: A Half-Blood Party

Benji asked for a Percy Jackson and The Olympians-themed birthday party this year, and we were happy to oblige.  The preparations:

Enter and be claimed as a demigod

Blue Candy buffet

Blue food (this is an inside joke from the books)

Poseidon cake

Training schedule: Sort by Cabin (cake walk); Quest for the Golden Fleece (scavenger hunt)l Make ocean slime; Slay the Minotaur (pinata); Capture the flag; Medusa freeze tag

Forgot to add this to the training schedule

 

Treasure maps

Set up to make slime

The kids had a good time and all of the activities went well:

Examining the first treasure map

Second map

Off again

Finding treasure

Cake walk

The girls were a big help with the prize table

Making slime

Lined up for the pinata

Candy fall

Benji with the Poseidon flag for Capture the Flag

Pin the Eye on the Cyclops

And that's a wrap