It has been almost two months since the buses pulled away and camp grew quiet. And like we do every year, we have been sitting with it, thinking about just how much this summer gave us.
Summer 2026 was something special. Every camper, every parent, and every staff member who was here felt it. So instead of one long recap, we wanted to do what feels most natural: say thank you, line by line, for everything that made this summer unforgettable.
It Started With the Knicks
Outdoor Adventure and Waterfront staff arrived for Orientation on June 12th. The very next night, “KNICKS IN 5!” was born.
So, thank you New York Knicks, for showing our campers and staff (even those who had never watched a single minute of basketball in their lives) what a true team looks like. You taught all of us how to keep going when the going gets tough.
That energy stayed with us all summer long.
WATCH: The wait is over. Camp Pontiac is officially HOME again
Thank You, Color War
To watch Red and White take the field during Color War is to see Camp Pontiac at its very best: a loud, beautiful, teary-eyed celebration of tradition, spirit, and lifelong friendship that stays tucked in your heart long after the trunk is packed and the fires go out.
Thank you Red Abyss, for not giving up after Day 2.
Thank you White Sahara, for not giving up after Day 4.
Thank you Color War Break. Every. Single. Year.
Thank you Hatchet, for cooperating and not getting stuck in the red and white stump.
Color War is not just a competition. It is the moment a 10-year-old learns what it feels like to dig deep for their team. It is one of the fun activities at summer camp that kids talk about for years, and Summer 2026 delivered everything we love about it.
The Performances, the Championships, the Memories
Thank you to our 43 “School of Rock” campers and 54 “Frozen Jr.” campers, along with every incredible staff member who helped bring those productions to life. You showed everyone in that audience how cool it is to perform on stage. Our theater program never stops giving us chills, and this summer was no exception.
Thank you Horowitz basketball team, for keeping that trophy exactly where it belongs.
Thank you Climbing Team, for doing your best Spiderman impressions and winning Pontiac’s very first climbing championship. That one goes in the history books.
Thank you Palace, for home court advantage all summer long.
Thank you every camper who showed up for Kona Ices, Super Soaker Saturday, Silent Disco, and Game Show Night. Thank you for your podcast recordings and your ceramics creations. These are the kinds of fun summer camp moments that become the stories kids retell at the dinner table for months, and sometimes for years.
And thank you Feach. Despite the heat.
The People Who Make It All Happen
A summer like this one does not happen on its own. It happens because of people who show up every single day for the kids in their care.
Thank you Howard “H” Scoffield, for THIRTY YEARS of keeping Camp Pontiac safe and running the site like a well-oiled machine, including keeping our buildings cool during this summer’s relentless heat wave. Thirty years is not just a career. It is a lifelong commitment to every child who has ever called this place home.
Thank you Trish and Sheryl, for being the moms that all our kids need every summer.
Thank you to our incomparable Group Leaders for being the backbone of every camper’s daily experience.
Thank you CAT, for stepping up and caring for the campers and staff who needed it most.
Thank you nurses, doctors, and GOBS for keeping our community healthy and protected all summer long.
Thank you kitchen staff, for those incredible steak dinners.
Thank you Office staff, for being Command Central through every curveball the summer threw at us.
Thank you media team, for shooting, editing, and uploading the reels, photos, and updates all summer long. You kept our parents, alumni, and future Pontiac families connected to every moment.
Thank you Serge, for being the soundtrack to our summer.
WATCH: Introducing Camp Pontiac 2026 Staff
Thank you every staff member who comes back summer after summer. You are a huge reason our campers feel like they are home the moment they step off the bus.
Thank you first-time staff members for making Pontiac your home from the very start and sticking it out through those first pangs of homesickness. It takes courage, and it made a real difference.
Thank you CIT Boys for being a model division for future generations of campers.
Thank you CIT Girls for bringing the huge spirit vibes.
Thank you Canteen and Ice Cream Shoppe teams for making our nights something to look forward to.
WATCH: What Makes Camp Pontiac Different?
Thank You to Every Family
This is the part that always gets us.
Thank you to our first-time camp families who took the leap this summer and trusted us with something so big. Sending your child to sleepaway camp for the first time is not a small thing. We do not take that trust lightly, and we never will.
Thank you to our returning camp families for being patient, generous, and welcoming to every new camper and parent who walked through our gates this summer. You are a huge part of why this community is what it is.
Thank you to our multi-generational Pontiac families who keep bringing your kids back to where it all started for you. There is nothing quite like watching a parent’s child discover what their parent already knows.
And thank you to everyone who roasted s’mores, bounced around the Water Park, committed to private tennis lessons before Reveille, won free Canteen, cruised around camp on a golf cart, spent their first night in a bunk, and belted out “Don’t go away, don’t say goodbye…”
See You in 2027!
We cannot wait to welcome everyone back!
Summer 2026 was something worth holding onto. Kids who had never been away from home made friendships that will last for years. Campers figured out things about themselves that a school year never would have surfaced. And all of it happened here, in Camp Pontiac, at a place that has been giving families exactly this kind of summer camp experience for generations.
That is the whole point.
With love, gratitude, and Pontiac pride…
Always a friend,
The Etra Family and the entire Camp Pontiac Team
