The daily activity schedules were usually confined to Mondays through Fridays, allowing the weekends for schedules planned by campers and counselors. It is unclear when this format began, but it was a great way to expose campers to as many activities as possible. The first week was all the different activities (in the sixties’), and the second week campers chose which activity they wanted and would sign up in advance.
On Saturdays, campers had “Cabin Day” where staff and campers carried out the plans that their cabins had pre-planned on Wednesay. Some cabins took alpine hikes, had cookouts in Primitive, picked strawberries or made dinner in Hale Park. Some elected to sleep in, skip breakfast, go to Lumberman’s Monument or take an overnight canoe trip.
The evening programs were always popular and a paragraph from the “Loon” in 1966 read: “The 4th dawned dark and dreary this year. Classes went on as usual. For the evening meal, we dressed up in patriotic costumes and had a picnic on the volleyball court. We ate tasty hot dogs, smothered with mustard, ketchup and dill pickles. Costumes were judged in categories of the prettiest, funniest and most original.”
There was Gypsy Night, Christmas in July, Western Day, camp fairs, and Circus Nights with counselors as ringmasters for the circus acts. “I remember someone making a wanted poster during the western event, and she was wanted for taking a bath,” laughed fifties’ camper Janet Dixon, who felt like those events encouraged the girls to be very creative.
Christmas in July 1961 involved Christmas cards, table decorations, songs and fun in the lodge. The girls hopped into their pyjamas, sat around the fireplace, singing carols and eating snacks. Phyllis Finn helped with a shadow scene, while Joan Hopkins read from the Bible and Suzy White read her favorite story “Why The Chimes Rang”.
In her third year, one of the cabin mates of Jodi Tripp (1957+) was a girl nicknamed “Dodo”, who had dressed up with the enthusiastic help of counselors, for a talent and beauty contest in the lodge. “I played the piano for my talent and “Dodo” was all dressed up. I had the talent and she had the beauty. She won and I just remember being so jealous!” said Jodi. (Her competition was Diane Dudley.)
Mary Beth Morton (1967-72) had a great memory of sitting in a circle in the lodge. “A counselor named Mary passed around a ping-pong paddle and asked us to tell her what it was. It was passed and she would say what is it and it would get passed again and again. Everyone said ping-pong paddle and finally someone said mirror and another one said pancake flapper and on and on. We finally caught on.”
What types of activities or themed events stand out in your mind?