Camp Influences

The Music Is Tucked In My Heart–

Published on by Kathy Baker

Maqua scans_Aug73_1-2Sheryl Biesman, contacted me after googling Camp Maqua, ( after finding the article from the Bay City Times), and belongs to a writers’ group and has always been interested in writing. Some of her writings are centered on camp memories.

“I wrote about the music, because the camp songs were trapped inside my head. It was a time in my life that music influenced my life. I have been searching for a cassette tape that I captured as a twelve-year old at the final ceremony. I love to record everything. (Photos, music, etc.) When I listened to it, I realized someone had whispered in it—hope to see you next year,” said Sheryl, who realized that it would never happen since the camp closed. She carried the memories and songs and friendships in her mind, as well as her pen-pal relationships.

With her career in marketing and degree from U of M in communications, Sheryl was an early adopter of technology.  When camp closed in 1978, the internet was already in process, with e-mail not far behind in 1995, according to Sheryl. “There were twenty years with music in my head. Napster rolled around and I searched and found the songs from camp. It was my first experience hearing them since camp and it was incredible. With YouTube, I could see many of the songs being sung. Hundreds of camp songs. There was nothing I could not find on YouTube. It was a major revelation when I googled this wacky song by Tom Lehrer in 1962, who turned out to be a folk artist who sang this song “Rickity Tickity Tin”, It was also a revelation to me that all these songs we sang at camp were covers for popular songs like Peter, Paul and Mary’s songs. I can remember a Spiders Web song, but I can’t find the origin.”

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Even The Walls Sing!

Published on by Kathy Baker

553620_3521084516433_30991956_n“We were always singing,” said Kimela Peck (1966-74), who said she could still see “Beanie” with her guitar by the fireplace and the girls in their “whites” swaying back and forth to “High On Chapel Hill”.

“The lodge was filled with kids all summer long from Bay City, Saginaw, Flint and Detroit and everyone seemed to have a good time,” said Nancy Sautter (1968-70). “The staff worked hard to make it fun. Everyone sang. I played a guitar, but poorly, but I remember Barb (Haggart), her guitar and her ‘Montague” routine and singine “Adelina”. We had such fun!”

“I was not not a picky eater and I ate everything and I loved being in the lodge,” said Jenifer Penzien (1969-71). “I can still see the words to the songs on big pieces of paper on the wall and “Beanie” leading us in songs. Two songs I still remember are the “Ram Sam Sam” song and “Little Bunny FooFoo”.

“Beanie” (Barbara Haggart) made up all the activities, led the songs and played her guitar. “We sang after lunch and after dinner. I wrote out some of the songs on big poster boards and tacked them to the lodge walls. I later mimeographed them into a songbook for the staff. I think I still have them.”

“I was an only child. I went to camp late in life at age thirteen and was only supposed to stay for two weeks, but I called home and asked to stay the whole summer. I was always interested in sports, sang in church choirs and in college and learned the baritone ukulele while I was living in the dorm,” said Barbara.  It would turn out that her favorite interests would be what created the perfect counselor and director, where she would be remembered for her singing, her love of the sporting activities and her fairness as a director.

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Music, Music, Music—

Published on by Kathy Baker

23505_115400755153605_1775792_nPicture a sheet music with notes, and then picture the notes of music leaving the page—floating over the camp, through the lodge dining hall, past the flagpole, down to the campfire, back up to Chapel Hill and down through the cabins of all the little campers. Music tied the camp together and those notes were not invisible. They poured forth from every girl who attended camp and they left lasting impressions. The piano, phonograph and music were at home in the lodge, and many girls learned their first tunes there.

The piano was a memory for Kerry Weber (1952), who decided no one knew any other song except “Chopsticks”, but the happy songs remain in her mind. When friends threw her a surprise party for her fiftieth birthday, someone mentioned Camp Maqua and ten girls stood up and proceeded to sing “We Are The Girls From Camp Maqua”.

Barb Ballor (1951-55) asked me to picture five elderly ladies singing as she and her four girlfriends met recently in Florida for a get-together– all in the kitchen singing the same song.

The rendition of one of the Camp Maqua songs came to me from Maribeth Morton (1974-75). “We welcome you to Camp Maqua, We’re mighty glad you’re here. We’ll send the air reverberating with our cheer. We’ll sing you in, we’ll sing you out, To you we raise a mighty shout: Hail, hail, the gangs all here, and you’re welcome to Camp Maqua”.

Mary Jane Keschman (1944-54) hated getting up early to raise the flag, but she loved the evenings at camp when the counselors would begin at the caretaker’s cottage and walk around to serenade all the cabins with slow, sad songs.

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Load and Fire!

Published on by Kathy Baker

 

Riflery was held in a “covered car part building”, which contained seven mattresses and the target was a backboard fifty feet ahead of the lean-to. The building had been enlarged and moved in 1950, due to the proximity of the range to the cottages. (It is unclear where the shooting range was located during earlier years, but there were archival photos of riflery classes.)

According to Linda Lee Harp’s 1969 directors’ reports, there were only seven guns, so only seven could attend class at one time. The guns were in a riflery cabinet that was locked at all times. The camp charged seven cents a round, which bought a round of five cartridges, so the girls knew not to charge up too high, knowing it was going on their store bill.

The safety procedures in place included a red flag to let anyone in the area know that shooting was in progress. The horse trail ran past the range and firing had to cease when the riders went through.The correct way to hold a gun, how to site in, and the positions were taught, as well as the certificate process. Each student moved at their own rate according to their mastery of their guns and the director and her assistant kept good records for certification.

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Bullets and Bows–

Published on by Kathy Baker

EPSON MFP image

“I loved the riflery and still have my NRA diplomas and archery certificates from camp, “ said Diane “Dodo” Dudley (1957-63). “I still shoot and use my pellet guns to shoot at balloons or targets. I am not much for the rifles anymore, since they make too much noise, but I have been back and forth across the country about four times camping, so Maqua did influence me.”

Many of the girls learned new skills that came with these sports, bearing bruises as badges. Kathleen Clements (1961-62) decided after the welt on her forearm from archery, it was not for her, but it did not deter Chris Lambert (1958), who later taught the skills to others at camp.

“I loved riflery and my grandfather had given me a 22 when I was fairly young. I loved learning to shoot standing up, sitting down and laying down. I liked archery, but in the beginning my arm would be all black and blue, so I took an archery class before I taught it, so I could hold it the right way.”

Kim Wynne-Parry (1963-68) felt archery and riflery broadened her horizons and was pleased at how proud her Dad was when she came home from camp with her awards. Rosemary Orgren (1956-58) had to be encouraged to try archery and riflery, but loved that she could hit a target. “My Dad was a hunter and I had learned to shoot tin cans off a log, but the archery always bruised my arm.”

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Janet Dixon’s Personal Camp Swimming Story

Published on by Kathy Baker

janet-dixon-summer-1951“I learned to swim at Camp Maqua, and for me it was a life altering event. Truly! When I went to camp, I was very frustrated that I could not swim. I couldn’t figure out why, since I was good at everything else I tried. I couldn’t do this. But, swimming, like most abilities at that time, was viewed mostly as some sort of innate ability. You either had it or you didn’t. All of the children I knew who could swim were never taught, and all of my family and friends seemed to feel I was just one of those people who would never learn to swim. It left me feeling powerless.

As a non-swimmer, I had to stay next to the dock in the shallow water. Now, my swimming instructor, who was probably a bit bored being stuck with the non-swimmers, seemed to share the “swimming is innate” attitude. She would have us hang on to the dock and practice our kick and our “rhythmic breathing” while she rubbed sun tan oil on and lay on the dock.

One day the swimming instructor was sick, or something, and we had a substitute. The sub told me to float, and of course I told her I couldn’t. What was she? Nuts or something? Didn’t she know it was innate? But, she just said,”Oh, of course you can!” and then she did the first thing that made all the difference. She got in the water with me!

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