Today’s 60 Seconds of Solitude features the sky and treetops above DuBois Center. One effective way to take time to breathe deeply and relax is to gaze up toward the heavens, especially when there are clouds in motion or the stars are bright. Relax your shoulders and back, perhaps while reaching toward the sky, and remember that God is always with us. Martin Luther wrote “God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.”
Watch for our weekly solitude postings on our website and Facebook page. We hope you enjoy this and future mini relaxation reminders.
This week on Facebook, Instagram and during our virtual campfire, we are celebrating DuBois Center 2019 campers and leaders from Week #2. Many were registered and excited about returning this summer… before the health crisis struck. We MISS YOU and have a bunk with your name on it for next summer! A big thumbs up to our Splash! – Trail Mix – Wrangle – Xplore campers!
We are also celebrating five graduating high school seniors this week. Congrats to Isaiah, Meredith, Paige, Sam and Wendy! All are long-time DuBois Center campers, and this would have been their last summer as DBC youth campers.
If you haven’t already done so, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to see more photos and stay connected.
We are highlighting week #2 in 2019 for this third week in 2020 because the sessions in weeks 2 & 3 swapped places between 2019 and 2020.
Join Pastor Skippy (Rev. John Holst), DuBois Center staff, volunteers and camp families for our THIRD virtual campfire this Tonight at 7pm. This week’s campfire will be packed with songs, skits, stories and family fun.
If you would like to be a part of the cast – create a goofy skit with your family or share your favorite silly jokes and riddles. Remember to SPEAK LOUDLY! Send videos or written jokes and riddles to our YouTube email address – dbcprogramoffice@gmail.com. Be sure to keep submissions clean and positive! No put-downs allowed! All items will be reviewed for appropriateness and some may be saved for upcoming editions. Your submission implies consent for DuBois Center to use the submission in items produced and shared by DuBois Center.
If all goes as planned, we hope to join together around the campfire on these Thursday nights – June 25, July 9 and 16. Each of these, except the last one, would have been the nights of our closing campfires this summer. We hope you’ll join us.
Timing an issue? Videos are available to view after the initial release, however the chat feature won’t be available.
Our first ever virtual campfire aired last Thursday night at 7pm and is now available to view online. Join us “live” this Thursday at 7pm for the second edition – even more staff and volunteers will be joining us. This week’s campfire will be packed with songs, skits, stories and family fun. We are adding a segment with silly jokes and riddles!
You can share your favorites by submitting them in video or written form to our YouTube email address – dbcprogramoffice@gmail.com. Be sure to keep the jokes clean and positive! No put-downs allowed! Remember to SPEAK LOUDLY! All submissions will be reviewed for appropriateness and some may be saved for later editions. Your submission implies consent for DuBois Center to use the submission in items produced and shared by DuBois Center.
If all goes as planned, we hope to join together around the campfire on these Thursday nights – June 18 and 25, July 2, 9 and 16. Each of these, except the last one, would have been the nights of our closing campfires this summer. We hope you’ll join us. Watch for details. The link will be available each Thursday.
One of the joys of Phase 3, is being able to expand our circle just a bit. On Saturday, Marty Kemper made the trek to DuBois Center to check out a number of areas around camp. If you have never met Marty, you are missing out. He is a biologist who recently retired from the Dept of Natural Resources. An avid birder, he is a founding member of the Green DuBois team and a long-time DuBois Center earth care volunteer.
The new grass and the accompanying weeds on the back side of the dam are growing. Now that a section of the trees and brush have been removed for the new spillway, we are developing a plan to keep the new growth under control. Some of this growth is very good, but some of it is definitely not. Pictured here is the stump of an Ash tree with new shoots. It needs to be cut back and the stump treated. Also pictured is a close-up of Spreading Dogbane, also found on the dam. It’s a keeper! This beautiful native plant is not especially common on our property, or anywhere in Illinois for that matter. In fact, this was the first time Marty had seen this specific variety.
Its close cousin, Hemp Dogbane, also known as Indian Hemp, is prolific at DuBois Center. The name of Indian Hemp comes from the fibrous strength of the stem. It was harvested by native peoples and used as twine or woven into rope and other items. One reason this is such a “good” plant, is its value as a rich source of nourishment for pollinators. Monarch butterflies love it!
As southern Illinois begins to slowly re-open, we hope to encourage small groups of volunteers to take on projects, such as the dam. Watch for details.
As reported earlier, DuBois Center’s newest residents survived their first winter. Now with all the blooming flowers and solitude, they are thriving! The bees were allowed to keep their honey stores over the winter and their diet was supplemented with nutrients and food to ensure they had ample supplies until spring. This strategy paid off. Even though the bees consumed most of their own honey over the winter, this year they have a head start. Much of the wax foundation has been laid on the frames, which makes it much easier to ramp up honey production. John Pawloski, our head beekeeper, will be especially busy the next couple of weeks. The queens need to be moved and the hives adapted to allow for greater honey production. To learn more about the specifics, click here for John’s full report.
Last year, our bees were very aggressive toward the beekeepers. This year, they have been more mellow. This may be due to more purposeful use of the smoker, which lays down smoke that disables the ability of bees to sound the alarm to one another. NOTE: For friendly visitors who stay at least 10′ away from the hives, aggressive behavior has not been an issue.
Beekeeper John is always looking for assistance to check up on our hives. In addition this summer, he is offering small family groups of four to five the opportunity to learn more about our bees up close and personal. We have some protective suits and will be purchasing more. Proper social distancing and other safety practices will be in place and maintained. “If you have never tasted honey straight from the hive, you are missing what might possibly be the most delicious treat on Earth.” No on-going commitment is required, but once you see bees up close and personal, you will likely be hooked. Check out the video to see John in action.
For more information about helping with the hives, contact John directly at JPawloski@MSN.com. For information about the summer educational sessions for families, contact DuBois Center at dcinfo@DuBoisCenter.org. These sessions will be available beginning later this month, and there will be no charge for them, although donations are always gratefully accepted. Priority will be given to UCC church members and DuBois Center campers.
This week on Facebook and Instagram, we are celebrating DuBois Center 2019 campers and leaders from Week #1. Many were registered and excited about returning this summer… before the health crisis struck. We MISS YOU and have a bunk with your name on it for next summer!
A big thumbs up to our Just You & Me, Quest, Settler, Horsin’ Around and Trekkin’ It campers! If you haven’t already done so, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to stay connected.
Today we share another edition of 60 Seconds of Solitude from DuBois Center. It’s often difficult to take time to breathe deeply, relax ones’ shoulders and back, and remember that God is always with us. We hope these short videos of sacred scenes from around camp will help.
Today we are joining the herd for some rest and relaxation. Since there are no rides scheduled at this time, our horses are spending some of their days soaking up the sun and enjoying fresh grass in the Deer Run pasture. Watch for our weekly solitude postings on our website and Facebook page. We hope you enjoy this and future mini relaxation reminders.
Miss the crackle of the campfire? Singing silly songs with your counselors? Making s’mores with friends? Listening to inspiring words from chaplains? Praying together under the stars? SO DO WE!!
It won’t be the same, but staff and volunteers are working on creative ways to share some of these favorites with campers and their families via virtual campfires. The first release is scheduled for 7 pm on Thursday, June 11. That would have been the first closing campfire of Summer 2020. We hope you’ll join us.
