Camp Vega is known for many things – its beauty, its activities, its staff – but perhaps above all we are known for our traditions.  Having been around since 1936, we uphold many of the traditions that have been passed along through the years.  Sunset Circle is our greatest example of a tradition that we hold close, as do the campers.  We look forward to sitting in the circle of unity with all of camp to celebrate and appreciate our time together in one of the most scenic places in Maine.  But why are our traditions so important?

Traditions anchor us to one another. Tradition is defined as the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction.  It is arguable that an important function of traditions is to make occasions memorable, to distinguish certain events so they last years and year in the memories of those participating, thus providing a sense of continuity and belonging. 

Perhaps the greatest tradition of all is the joy that we share every day as a summer family living and playing harmoniously together.  As put so beautifully by Vega’s founder, Ruth Cohen Steiner in a 1976 memoir, “Indeed, on a bright Maine day…the sense of my huge family, busy and content in the cool sun and shade of the grounds, or on the blue, pine-fringed lake, could produce in me a euphoria that was in large part sheer thankfulness.” 

We are proud of the many Vega traditions that we share summer after summer: the songs that we sing, the bunks that we share, the activities we get to choose, the special events that we participate in, the beauty of the Vega grounds.  We are proud that so many of you, our Vega family, value you the traditions that are important at Vega and continue to pass them along with enthusiasm.  We are proud to be a place that provides rich traditions with substance and value.  We are proud of the community we have built around traditions and the meaning that so many of our traditions give to our campers.

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