Hunts, Captures and Elves–

Published on January 10, 2018January 8, 2018 by Kathy Baker

The A-Z Scavenger Hunt in 1947 utilized a paper bag, white paper and a crayon with the directions for collecting items from nature with each letter of the alphabet. (Usually q,u, x, y and z were difficult, ( “But to my amazement,” noted the “Loon”,”Cabin B did get all of them!~ Many of the girls came up with the argument that everything came from nature in the beginning and as a biology major I agree, but for purposes here, it must be nature as we find it out of doors or on their person.”)

On Monday the juniors had a scavenger hunt and the hut winners received camp stickers. They had to find a purple sweater, ten empty bullet cartridges, a striped sock, an Eversharp pen, a snail shell, a bar of Lux soap, a piece of green Kleenex, a picture of Guy Madison (actor), a signature of someone over twenty, a four leaf clover, a flowered kerchief, a yellow flower, a nail, a piece of flowered stationary, an out of state letter, an ID bracelet, an orange pencil, and a needle and blue thread.

Every year had its own brand of activities, either dreamed up by the program/activity director, or a tradition that had been passed down through the ages. In 1950, the “Loon” noted there was a fashion show, backwards day, talent scouts, story telling, a P.J. party, and a scavenger hunt.

Geraldine McDonald camped in 1954. “There were several parties in there. I remember one where they blindfolded us and we had to stick our hands into the bag and guess what was in there. I felt slimy worms or nightcrawlers in the bag, but it was really just spaghetti. There were skits and scavenger hunts that started in the main lodge. We had to hunt for these treasures and it was all about nature. We had everything, except the lightning bug, so one of the girls put on a white shirt and we tucked a lit flashlight up her shirt!”

Judy Crissey also camped in 1954 and loved the scavenger hunts. “We had a small group and followed all the clues, all outdoors, of course. I was probably not very good at it, but ii is one of my best memories.”

Pow-Wows and Events Under Toni Young

Published on January 2, 2018January 2, 2018 by Kathy Baker

Special events included Worldwide Fellowship, which was celebrated in the first session in conjunction with the 4th of July. On Sunday at the Chapel Hill vespers and services, the series would begin. It was a day set aside for friendship and fellowship on a state and local level.

There was a traditional picnic, but the girls dressed as colonial or famous Americans, which challenged their creativity. Prizes were given for prettiest, most original and funniest. In the evening, the girls were divided into teams in preparation for International Night, which was a Tuesday. France, the Congo, the Netherlands, USA, Argentina, Mexico and Thailand were represented and each “country” dressed accordingly with tables decorated. (The Y sent blue and white placemats.) They made up a song and had an accusation from the World Court, which was similar to the Kangaroo Court. Toni then asked if the girls could share something of themselves, so a fellowship offering was taken up and it was usually the price of an ice cream or candy bar the girls were giving up and donated.

A circus was held second period and each cabin was given a special part. Clowns, acrobats, horses and riders, elephants and trainer, poodles, a circus band, lions, tigers and trainer, tightrope walker and jugglers were represented with costumes. They had Monday night to invent and create and presented their performances on Tuesday with popcorn and punch for snacks.

Program Director–Toni Young

Published on January 1, 2018December 28, 2017 by Kathy Baker

Activity night, cabin night, skits, puppet shows, scavenger hunts, themed parties, races and plays embodied Camp Maqua’s reputation as a happy camp. Program and activity directors were selected for their ability to encompass that fun into programs the girls could enjoy every night of their session.

Toni Young was the only program director whose report in 1966 was in the files at the Bay City YWCA. It was a detailed report and she wrote that she had done most of her planning before camp began. It was a great synopsis of what types of activities were formulated for the campers.

“The heart of each program and its success depended to a great extent on the staff, so the planning was not completed until I knew the staff and was able to recognize their talents and their areas of interest and support,” wrote Toni.

It was a hot summer, according to her report, so she substituted free swims and more quiet activities instead of more active programs. Free swim or open house on Sunday night, with snacks every night after the evening activity. The staff was introduced and vespers were conducted with songs, dismissing four cabins after two songs, four more after the next few, etc. There was a friendship circle in Senior Village, followed by bed and “Taps”.

On Mondays and Tuesdays, it was the first all-camp activity. Wednesday was cabin or unit night. Thursday was unit or cabin night—whichever one they did not do the night before. Friday all camp activity, since half the counselors have their time off. Saturday was cabin day and all the other staff took off and the rest do skits.

Eek! Snakes! Lizards!

Published on December 27, 2017December 27, 2017 by Kathy Baker

The girls either learned to have an appreciation for snakes or they left camp still hating them. Maureen Moore (1968-70) learned to appreciate snakes during her trips to the nature hut, but, some girls played with them at camp and later developed a fear, like Karen Magidsohn (1965) or Barb Krohn (1970-72), who just avoided the nature activities.

In Valerie Monto’s (1964-68) neighborhood, there were many empty lots that were not developed, filled with bees and garter snakes. “We were city kids, but not inexperienced with nature. I would pick up garter snakes by the tail and was not afraid. I remember one girl was so freaked out by even seeing them.”

Diane Dudley (1957-63) learned her lesson when she wanted to see what was down inside a log, so she stuck her hand in and came up with a snake bite, featuring three holes on her finger! Carla Wilhelm (1945-49) was taken by surprise when a garter snake bit her, because she had no idea snakes could bite!

Cindy Rose (1968-70) had a vivid memory of standing on a path at Maqua watching a snake eat a frog and that very same scene was a bad memory for Jan Mosier (1947-52). She watched a counselor feed frogs to the snakes and was horrified as the frog slithered down inside the snake’s body.

Strays and Pets—

Published on December 25, 2017December 20, 2017 by Kathy Baker

Chipmunks—those cute little critters that scamper around the camp like little adorable pets—but can create such damage! Randi Wynne-Parry was totally obsessed with them while she was camping 1969-73, and still owns her fuzzy, faded photos of the chipmunks she fed.

Chipmunks would find their way into the huts and create havoc. “One morning we went to breakfast and when we came back, our hut had been ransacked by a chipmunk! We couldn’t figure out how it got in and we couldn’t figure out how it got out, but it made a disaster! We were petrified,” said Brooke Sauve (1949-51), who is still afraid of animals to this day.

Sally Allen (1968-73) felt just the opposite. She loved the nature hut and all the critters. “We were able to get up close and personal with the chipmunks and squirrels. They were captured humanely and let go after two weeks,” she said of the snakes, frog and turtles.

“Those little guys sounded like a herd of elephants in the morning as they crunched the leaves, and we could not sleep through it,” said Carol Wahl (1974-75) of the chipmunks.

Of course, there were samples of nature that were not as large, but brought much interest to the girls. Nature itself was the classroom, as paper wasps’ nests and cocoons from moths and butterflies came under scrutiny, with the intent not to harm them or get stung in the process.

Tricia Sautter recalled a little camper in her second year (1969) who caught a baby bird and it was covered in lice. “When she brought it to the nature center, the whole place had to be fumigated by a company that sealed it up and set off a big “bug bomb”.

“The Farm”, by Brad Funk, was the title of an article in the “Loon” in the late seventies’. “Wednesday, the 6th of July, Maquois started a farm they hope to have finished by the end of the week. Our first animal to join the farm is a goat by the name of Billy. He is presently kept at the nature hut. We hope to have a pen for him at the old horse stable. Also, we hope to add some other kinds of animals, such as a bull calf, two ducks, one rabbit, one pig, two guinea pigs and a pony.”

Wild Things–

Published on December 20, 2017December 20, 2017 by Kathy Baker

Aside from checking your shoes for Daddy Long Legs, swatting mosquitoes, ducking bees and wasps, hearing the Loons, observing fish and knowing a leech would find you at least once during your camping sessions, there were other wild things that were expected and some not so expected!

Zoe McGrath had been a member of the Bay City YWCA all through high school and loved going to camp from 1956-57. She loved the lake, Loons, canoeing, and camping with bedrolls at the Lumberman’s Monument, and later became the camp nurse in 1967. “One night I woke up in the middle of the night with an animal crawling all over me. It was either a porcupine or a raccoon.”

“There was a huge field on the right side of the camp with trees and fence by the water,” said Penny Mitchell (1951-54). “It was a wide-open property with cow patties all over it. There was a time between sessions, so our counselor had this idea that we should look for porcupine quills. We put potatoes on the end of sticks to protect ourselves if the porcupines came after us, but I think she was trying to keep us busy.”

The year Cynthia Gregory (1960-65) was in Senior Village, the girls did awake to cows that had wandered into camp from a nearby farm. “We were told not to leave, but we pulled the ropes open on the shutters to look out to see them all outside our hut,” she laughed.

Nancy Neumyer (1975-78) ran into skunks on the wilderness survival trip. Diane Dudley not only ran into a skunk, but it was a skunk of another color! “I always liked snakes and mice. When I was at camp walking back from cabin seven at night, I saw an albino skunk walk right in front of me. I ran to tell the counselors that I had seen a huge albino skunk and it was unmistakeable! Of course, they didn’t believe me until one of the counselors saw it.”

Girls of Camp Maqua

My Book ~ Your Story

1960’s