Thursday Night's Departure
The ICYBA met at 5pm on Thursday and began getting organized
for departure. Bart Maderios, Marianne Kelly, Andrew Maderios, Mary-Lynne Maderios, and countless others were scattered frantically
trying to get things perfect. 186 people gathered excitedly as Bart made his speech to the kids who were all sitting
together in the bleachers, and some great pictures of the group were taken!
The 4 coach busses arrived and were loaded and the ICYBA began their journey about 6:30pm EST. The 13 hour
ride was uneventful and there were no problems. Thanks to the amazing organization of the director, Bart Maderios, we made
it through customs in less than 2 minutes time. Thanks, Bart!
Friday, the Day of Rest
We arrived at Smitty's in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and piled
in the restaraunt, and everyone enjoyed a relaxing meal. We moved on to the hotel, where the extra staff was working hard
to get all the rooms ready. Most were already ready for us! A big thank you to Tammy Smeltzer and the staff of the Dartmouth Future
Inns for doing such a great job for us! Once unpacked, kids and adults enjoyed the day relaxing, shopping at the mall, or
hanging around the hotel.
The wonderful parents and other various adults got dinner ready for the group about a half mile away from
the hotel as the rest of the group made the walk over. The coaches met while everyone else ate, which was followed by Bart's
speech about the events that would come later that night as well as Saturday. Probably the most important and controversial
part of this speech was the announcement that the bowling centres had flat gutters. You should have seen the look on Mike
Carrington's face! Bart and and Andrew skillfully answered questions and concerns, as most kids and adults were put to
ease, knowing the whole situation. On a lighter note, Bart made sure everyone put a time down for a wake-up call, otherwise
he vowed to call them at 4:30AM!!! And trust me, he was not joking!
To finish off the day, many kids and parents headed off to the Dartmouth Sportsplex for a night out in their
HUGE indoor swimming pools, hot tub, sauna, and of course the always exciting water slides! Friends joked, smiled, and had
a blast swimming the evening away. I think we all know that I, Andrew Maderios, defended my title of most air off of the big
rope swing!!! (hey I get some leeway as to what I can write... I'm the one who runs this site!) Some chose to stay at the
hotel and relax, but the swimmers of the group returned to the hotel exhausted! Little did some know how much the sleep would
be needed by the time the end of Saturday came! It didn't help much that there was a leak in the hotel sprinkler system, which
set off the fire alarm and woke most everyone up at 2:45AM! Aside from that, once again there were no problems at all! This
group is spectacular!
