Memorial Day brought a flurry of activity to the campground as the Portland congregation gathered to ready the property for camp meeting. The weather was perfect—the day began nice and cool, and no rain was in the forecast.

Cabin cleaning team leaders began arriving before 8:00 a.m., picking up their lists of tasks, buckets, and rags. As the morning progressed, many volunteers arrived, eager to help. The procedure in each cabin included sweeping floors and rafters, washing all surfaces, and hanging curtains. (pictured below: Savannah Lee and Nikita Jones, off to clean cabins.)

A mid-morning coffee and donut break helped keep energy and motivation high, and as some of the workers snacked, they shared stories about items of interest found around the campground, such as impressively sized spiders and other wildlife. Not to worry—all was cleared, and the campground can now be navigated without trepidation.

Other teams were busy cleaning kitchenettes, prepping the fountains, spreading fresh mulch over the flower beds, cleaning the camp office, and staining newly built shelves for the tabernacle music room. In the Fellowship Lodge, people collected desserts that were dropped off by workers and prepared the lunch.

With so many workers, the 247 cabins were cleaned well before lunch, and the other projects were completed as well. The weather warmed as the sun came out, and those on the campground enjoyed an unanticipated feature of the day: a formation of vintage airplanes repeatedly flew overhead!

A highlight of every Memorial Day is the lunchtime band. They played “Star-Spangled Banner,” “Stars and Stripes Forever,” and other favorite patriotic songs as a number of “guest directors” (all children) took turns with the conductor’s baton. Workers enjoyed the music as they passed through the lunch line to get their meals. Hot dogs and hamburgers with all the fixings were on the menu, along with salads, watermelon, and a variety of desserts.

With camp meeting just a few weeks away, we look forward to seeing our guests soon!