Women's Dinner & Camp Director Luke Benton

Today on the Camp Balcones Springs blog, we are going to highlight Thursday’s elegant Women’s Dinner theme night and all of the wonderful things our director Luke Benton is bringing to CBS to make us the best summer camp for kids in Texas!

One of the most popular events at CBS that makes us a sought-after summer camp for girls is our Women’s Dinner event. Each term, girl campers get the entire front property to themselves for an elegant evening of fine dining, inspirational learning, and bonding with their fellow girl cabinmates and counselors. The night begins when girl campers gather in our Rio Grande Dining Hall in their pajamas. Tiaras are available at every table (though by no means required!) as campers gather with their cabins to feast on an array of fancy appetizers – shrimp kabobs, cheese boards, and fruit plates, just to name a few! The evening’s main course consists of chef-special artizen pizzas made-to-order for each cabin. Campers dance and sing along to hits like “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and enjoy the fan-favorite “Dirt” dessert cups (chocolate icecream with oreos and gummy worms) to cap off the meal.

As a Christian summer camp, we strive to help inspire and empower campers to be strong, caring, and courageous citizens, no matter their gender. So after every Women’s Dinner, campers gather around for an inspirational talk about female empowerment. Every term, a select member of our full-time staff speaks to the campers about the challenges and gifts of being a woman, citing powerful and influential women from history and seeking to encourage girl campers in their identities. The speaker aims to remind girl campers that they have the power to make the world a better place and to become role models for other girls just as the women mentioned are people they can look up to.

Girls camp ends the night watching a movie together with their sleeping bags and pillows.

Girl campers weren’t the only ones having fun at camp yesterday, however! Director Luke Benton has been teaching a fun beach class to some of our youngest boy campers. Down in the shores of spring-fed Lake Ted, Luke instructed boy campers on stand-up paddle boarding techniques, including safety, sharing the water, and how to effectively maneuver a board.

Before joining Camp Balcones Springs, Luke worked at Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch in Boys Ranch, Texas, where he held several positions, including Director of the Adventure Department. Luke was also a challenge course trainer with Rope Works Inc., whom CBS employs to train and certify our own ropes department staff. Since coming to CBS, he has transformed our Outdoors Program, elevating our riflery, archery, and fishing departments and making Camp Balcones Springs a truly magical summer camp for kids, especially those who wish to explore the arts of outdoor adventure.

In addition to his amazing experience and the creativity he brings to classes, Luke is a fire man and father of an 8 and 10-year-old, so he brings with him a personal understanding of children, adventure, safety, and how the three interact with each other. We are so grateful for Luke and are excited to see what he dreams up for the other classes he will be teaching this summer!