Color War Breakouts

| teams | generals | hatchet spots |

Year How it broke
1963 While the kids slept, bunk pictures were pasted on the wall next to the screen door on the porch of every bunk in camp. Known as a "slow break" the kids would notice the photos, and then see that below their faces were either a blue tape or a white tape..
1964 During rest hour, a fire truck came screaming through camp to put out a fire in the pit. Bill Heft was on the back of the fire truck. A series of loud bombs coincided with the truck.
1965 A low flying plane dropped papers for a fake out...later that evening, right after dinner, the real break happened with bombs & fireworks by the girls dock (Boating).
1966 Twenty minutes after taps, every car in camp lined up at the bottom of boys campus, completing the semi circle started by the configuration of bunks. At this point a series of VERY loud bombs went off for more than 2 minutes as the cars all turned on their lights at once, bathing the campus in light.
1967 "Mail Break": Draft notices were simultaneously delivered by the counselors at rest hour, asking campers to participate in the war of Blue and White. Then the bombs went off and everyone was scattered all over campus.
1968 The entire camp of about 700 people was crammed into the social hall for movie night. The feature was "King Solomon's Mines" and in the middle of the movie the film broke. Then a slide flashed on the screen "Color War 1968" and a real circus cannon fired blue and white slips of paper over the crowd from the door close the ceiling in the back of the social hall. Then fireworks and bombs went off on the boys tennis courts (Upper Tennis) as campers and counselors rushed out the doors.
1969 Before reveille, a chopper buzzed the camp and dropped the rosters onto the camp as bombs went off.
1970 Real newspapers with the teams were used.
1971 A "Slow Break" similar to 1963.
1972 The break was supposed to be in the fortune cookies...but word leaked out, so it was the fake out. The real break involved a staged fight on the basketball court under the lights, followed by a blackout.
1973 "Bombs" and sirens went off at night, girls headed over to boys campus, where a low flying air plane dropped ping pong balls with each camper's name and team on an individual ball.
1981 Skydivers landed in the middle of boys side, accompanied by fireworks and a Wayne County news paper, with the team lists and names on the front page.
1985 Instead of reveille, "The Ride of the Valkries" which was used during the chopper attack sequence in "Apocalypse Now", woke up camp. With everyone out of their bunks, still in pajamas, Artie Sunshine & Paul Sundick dropped 1000 blue and white ping pong balls from a helicopter. Each ball had a camper's name on it. This was followed by bombs.
1986 A supposed Harlem Wizards vs. Tyler Hill Counselor b-ball game on the main court. The whole camp gathered. Wizards were "late", and the counselors were practicing their dunks. The rim tore off the backboard. Sy Sundick climbed up to fix it, but instead unscrewed the entire backboard, under which read "COLOR WAR 1986" Fireworks, etc., etc.
1988 Skydivers onto boys campus. Real newspapers with Color War teams were handed out.
1989 Firecrackers before a supposed counselor softball game.
1990 Hot air balloon landed on soccer field closest to the gate, with the generals of both teams on board. Firecrackers went off right after reveille.
1991 Jason Priestly, from Beverly Hill 90210, was driven in a limousine to the basketball court. Firecrackers went off moments after he left.
1992 Nitro and Ice of American Gladiators came during a mock Gladiator event on Boys campus.
1993 Charles Barkley came to the basketball court.
1994 Hakeem Alajewan came after a short fakeout by Marshall Gollance pretending to be Trent Tucker.
1995 Matthew Perry from "Friends" came along with a fake Lance Ito during a mock trial.
1996 Two Tom Cruise look-a-likes came. The first one came by a van. The second was flown in by helicopter.
1997 Antonio Sabato Jr. and Tyra Banks graced the stage of the Social Hall during a fashion show
1998 "Stone Cold" Steve Austin busted out on the stage of the Social Hall.
1999 Shaquille O'Neil came during a camper all star basketball game.
2000 After a fake out concert in the Social Hall by SYNC 'N, Justin Timberlake from N'SYNC answered Jay Jacobs question of "Who's it gonna be?"
2001 After an initial fake out, where the campers dressed up as the celebrity they wanted to break color war, Carson Daly came as the campers sang Lee Kweller songs.
2002 Campers awoke to find a copy of The Wayne Independent on the porch with the headline "Color War Declared at Tyler Hill Camp".  Moments after Reveille, a helicopter circled boys camp, alerting both boys and girls camp.  Once girls side made it over to boys side, Big Al threw newspaper pamphlets with the team rosters from the helicopter. Later on in the day during Opening Ceremonies on girls campus, a masked "Spiderman" intruded on the hatchet ceremony and it was revealed that it was Jay Jacobs in disguise.  Tobey Maguire, star of Spiderman, surprised the entire camp when he casually strolled out of the Arts and Crafts building.
2003 During an "American Idol" competition in the Tylerdome, Big Al surprised the camp when he brought out AI contestant and runner-up, Clay Aiken. The group O-Town also surprised the camp during the opening day festivities.
2004 During snack, Division Leaders delivered boxes of blue and white cupcakes to each bunk. Once the box was opened, the Color War Booklet alerted the campers Color War has officially begun.  Campers also received individual letters, which included the team rosters. During a "team meeting" the following day in the social hall, pro skateboarder Chad Muska and star of The Simple Life Paris Hilton, surprised the camp and participated in a Q&A.
2005 During a camper DVD presentation in the social hall hosted by the "Vide-Yo" specialist Yotam Dor, the generals for both teams broke through the projection screen, throwing the color war rosters out to the awaiting audience. Fergie, member of the Black Eyed Peas, was a special guest at a color war event that followed.
2006 After a fake-out during breakfast, where Andy Siegel rode through boys campus on an elephant, sirens blared, a plane flew overhead and skydivers dressed as Spiderman and Batman flew down to the soccer field.
2007 Proceeding a camp-wide "fruit protest" by lower camp, the camp gathered down by the Pavilion on boys side, where a old, run-down red car was randomly parked. After no one claimed to be the owner, a large silver tank wheeled out from the pit. Rising from the tank was Megasaurus, a large mechanical fire-breathing dinosaur,  which completely devoured the car in front of the entire camp. Once the car was left in pieces, a hay tractor pulled up with the color war banners and the team rosters were thrown in the air.
2008 During cleanup, fireworks went off on the boating hill, alerting all campers to run down to the boating lake. Once there, fireworks went off at the waterski lake, sending the campers up to boys campus. Finally, fireworks went off again on the soccer field, sending the campers up to the fields. Andy Siegel gathered the entire camp on the basketball court to get to the bottom of the those setting off the fireworks. When no one would stand up, he called for reinforcement, which signaled an actual Black Hawk chopper to land on the soccer field sending the campers in a frenzy, as the color war papers flew in the air.
2009 The camp was awoken before Reveille and instructed to head down to the boating lake, where they were greeted by a mechanical Loch Ness monster, who now made residence in Laurel Lake. After several flares were shot in the air, a low-flying plane passed over and dropped the color war papers.
2010 After Friday Night STARFISH services, the Cisco Kid appeared looking for her sombrero and led the entire camp down to boys campus, where a new shed mysteriously appeared near the dinning room a few days earlier. Once everyone arrived and saw the Cisco's sombrero hanging from outside the shed, the Hawk came out of the shed and announced he was going to be moving in. At the very same moment, a limo drove down in front of the dinning room, where Wonder Woman came out and demanded that anyone else in the shed had to come out. Just then, Buzz Lightyear came out and once he removed his mask, it was revealed to be Justin Mayer, former THC assistant director, who declared Color War had begun.
2011 After Friday Night STARFISH services down near the new camp-a-theater, a blue and white knight arrived on horses and competed in a jousting competition. Shortly after, astronauts arrived on a golf cart and the papers were thrown out to the awaiting campers.
2012 During the wedding ceremony between Michael Davidowitz & Deanna Kennedy, under the gazebo down by Silver Lake, Robin Kornfeld objected to the ceremony. This led to a throwdown between Deanna and Robin, which ended up leaving the bride and groom smashing into their wedding cake, as the color war papers were thrown out to the guests.
2013 After a typical Friday night STARFISH ceremony on the upper basketball courts, the camp was surprised when Air Elite took center court to put on a basketball stunt show. Once Air Elite finished their performance, live music began playing from the Camp-a-theater, leading the entire camp to rush across campus, down towards the lake. Once they arrived, Ron Dagan put on a musical performance and sing-a-long, shortly before fireworks went off and the papers were thrown out to the crowd.


created by scott brenner