1920’s

Water Exhibitions and Carnivals

Published on by Kathy Baker

The Niedzielski sisters wrote about the  1947 “Water Carnival”, which took place on VisItor’s Sunday in front of campers and their friends and relatives by the boathouse. The carnival was directed by Ann Theilan and judged by Beth, Peg, Ann Thomas, Dona Johnson, K.J. Carroll and Mrs. Stuart.  Each of the nine huts made a float representing a different holiday. The winner was Hut 1, with their Fourth of July representation and the girls held big firecrackers.

There was an exhibition entitled “Susie Learns to Swim” demonstrated by the red caps to show their swimming ability. The green caps had balloon races with two teams, “The object was to blow up the balloon, swim from the green to the red raft and give the balloon to the next girl. She, in turn, had to blow up the balloon and swim back to the green raft with it,” it stated.

They also had pajama races, with the girls again divided into two teams, and the girls (dressed in pajamas) had to swim to the opposite raft, take them off and give them to the next girl, which left them “torn to shreds”, but was entertaining.

The blue caps had a canoe race, where they paddled their canoes out and around the third raft and back to shore with their paddles followed by the canoes being paddled out to the third raft and brooms were used instead of paddles to race back to shore. There were also rowboat races, examples of life saving and a beautiful water ballet, led by Gerry Folkert and Julie Ford, which included different strokes and surface diving.

“O’Tools Activities” by Nan O’Tool in 1950 included a summary of a Water Pagaent, which included boating events such as paddle boats with metal platters and brooms, canoe bobbing and water fights with canoes that were swamped. There were also swimming events with a beginner’s running race, newspaper race on backs and a greased watermelon race.

A boat decorating contest with the theme “The Sound Of Music” won Debbie Pennington’s cabin the top prize in the early sixties’. Her memory included using megaphones with something white on them as mountains.

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Music, Song and Dance–

Published on by Kathy Baker

598391_4029288701220_476360718_nMusic, dance, song and instruments played a huge part of the camp experience during every era, from the early years up until the closing. One of the earliest memories belonged to a camper who stopped by the lodge in 1987. A flood of nostalgia swept over her, as she sat down at the original camp piano and played some of the old Maqua songs.

“One thing that attacted me from the start was that we sang most of the time,”  said Meg Dahlem, twenties’ camper. “On the bus coming from Bay City, through Pinconning, Standish, Twining, Turner, Whittemore, and Hale, we sang loudly, so as to attract the attention of the townspeople, the same song over and over—from city limits to city limits. It was always, “Oh Camp Maqua, we sing to thee. The place where every girl longs to be. Among the girls and counselors gathered round. We are the CAMPERS. Are we a preppy crew? Well, yes, I guess! We are the same that put the aim and fame. Always game, in Camp Ma—qua!”

“We had some little blue covered songbooks, about the size of a checkbook, with the words to many of the songs we used, but of course, we knew most of them by heart after a few times around,” wrote Meg’s friend Harriet Crumb, twenties’ camper.  “Most of them had hand, arm or body motions to accompany the singing. We sang at the table, and around the campfire, either on the beach or by the big fireplace.”

“As I attended other girls’ camps during those years, I learned that part of the criteria for a good camp was the quality of these camp songs that were used. They were not school songs, nor popular dance tunes. They were CAMP songs. One very popular one, adjustable to the year, was: “1—-9—-2—-9, At Maqua Camp, No other year the same. Every girl a comrade true. Whatever school or name or fame. 1—9—-2—-9. At Maqua Camp, Sunset and evening glow. But it’s the inspiration most, That makes us love it so.”

“During one of the first two years that I was at Maqua, we put on a show for our own entertainment. It was such a success—at least we thought so, that we went to Hale and put it on for the townspeople! I cannot remember much about it. I was, of course, one of the younger girls. (Save that it featured a long song that was a parody of “Among my Souvenirs”), she wrote.

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Arts and Crafts–

Published on by Kathy Baker

Article Arts and Crafts 1955In 1927 the craft hut and boathouse were built, under the watchful eye of Mr. Clark, who chaired the construction committee. “He was ably assisted by Mr. Perry, Mr. Fifield, Mr. Davidson and Mr. Clift,” noted the minutes from that year. In 1936, the minutes contained a mention that a screened porch was needed on the “arts and crafts hut”, but it took a few years before it became a reality.

Maryetta Simmons wrote about handicrafts in the “Loon” of 1949, which was run by Jackie Dawson and Vicki Smukal. “The campers may buy craft strip bracelets, plastic belts, scotch purses, earrings, wooden plates, pill boxes, flowers and leather articles,” she wrote of the crafts that were usually made for parents. She remarked the craft hut was a great place to go on rainy days, because “there is a bright fire in the fireplace and happy girls”.

The craft hut was also a great place to take photos for publicity. Many postcards, brochures and feature articles in the Bay City Times displayed the photos of the girls sitting on the long bootstrap benches around the linoleum covered tables, working on their projects.

Mary Obey found herself in two copies of the Bay City Times, dated 1957, seated at a craft table, concentrating on a project. She laughed, saying,”I might be in the craft hut in that photo, but that part didn’t carry over into my adult years!”

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Overnight Camping-

Published on by Kathy Baker

EPSON MFP image

“What Is An Overnight?” The “Loon” issue from 1965 had an article that attempted to answer that question by an unknown author—“Some people can hardly wait for an overnight at camp. They have never been on one and wonder what it is going to be like. But, we experienced campers know. First, you are all excited because you want to ride in the truck. After you are on your way, your foot goes to sleep. You can’t move because you are so crowded. So, you just sit and grit your teeth. Then when you turn a corner, everyone piles into one corner. When you hit a bump someone’s foot goes into your stomach. Finally, you get to your destination and hurry to get out. When you try to stand up straight, you feel stiff from being cramped in one position for so long. Now, it’s time for supper, “ and the article heads into the direction of the actual campout. (We will return to the ending later–to be continued.)

An early twenties camper, Meg Dahlem, recalled her truck trip to the AuSable, where they would sleep on the ground on a hill. Nancy Michelson had a similar campout in the sixties when they trucked somewhere not far from Maqua. “We slept outside on the ground with tarps. I remember waking up to the dew and loving it, despite the wetness and coldness. I loved sleeping under the stars.”

Lucille Greenwald (1947-50) did not share the feelings of excitement for her campouts. “I never understood the overnight camping trips,” she said. “Inevitably, it would rain, and there we were sleeping on sticks and stones with soggy bedding in the woods. Then, back we would go to our huts with sopping wet bedding.”

Another camper shared an entry with the “Loon” in 1947 and it read; “Last night I went on an overnight hike, but I waited till today to tell you about it. Boy, did we have troubles. First of all, it rained the day before, so the wood was wet. Then, after we got the fire going, the pop was warm. And on top of all that, the bed was hard, the mosquitoes bit, and we practically froze to death when we woke up in the morning. I was taken back to camp wrapped in a blanket. P.S. I’m all tired out.”

“I took two overnight trips,” said Missy Plambeck (1968-78). “We walked into a big clearing with our sleeping bags and would sleep on top of plastic outside. One trip, where we had many younger kids, it rained and rained. I was a junior counselor and our tents would not stay up. I slept in the outhouse, which wasn’t as bad as it sounds, since it was fairly new and had space for my feet in the gravel. We were soaking wet. When it wasn’t raining, it was fun to look at the stars.”

Minette Immerman (1938-41) remembered the campout when she slept on the sand at Lake Huron in blankets and counselors cooked breakfast over a barrel with a grate. “One morning when I was waking up, I lifted my blanket up to ants. I did not like that one bit.”

Some girls happened to get lucky, like counselor Sue West (1975), who hiked for three days and was totally dry. The eight girls slept on the ground near some power lines and plotted their trails using compasses.

What kind of overnight camping experience did you have that did not involve a canoe trip?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just Add Water!

Published on by Kathy Baker

Maqua scnas_Aug73_35-2 Docks, floats, rafts and boathouse took on many shapes and forms to create swimming and boating areas on Loon Lake over the course of fifty-four years at Camp Maqua. Floats were made with drums fitted to them (donated by Imperial Oil) in 1933, according to notes in a ledger book

“Removed front half of the platform (ruined by lake ice) and moved it up to shore”, read committee notes in 1951 from the YWCA. A new raft was also built, 100 ft. of permanent dock was installed and six new rowboats, several paddles, a new job for the Snipe and new buoys completed the list of boathouse needs.

In other years, supports were added to the boathouse and pavilion that once graced the formidable structure. A wall of piles at the end of the pavilion served as a protection against the ice moving the supports during the cold winters.

In the early years there were boat competitions, according to Meg Dahlem (1925), where the winner received the Bracken Fern Award. Rowboats, sailboats, and canoes turned into parade floats. In the later years, kayaks were added to the boating fleet, and water skiing was taught.

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Swimming Across Loon Lake

Published on by Kathy Baker

t_loon-lakeIn August of 1929, an article entitled “Maqua Leader Swims Length of Loon Lake” appeared in a local paper. “Kathryn Gudscheinsky, a Camp Maqua counselor, swam two miles in fifty-one minutes to the opposite shore, but the high waves made the journey longer for her return. Without a pause on that shore, she made it back in one hour and fourteen minutes.”

Edna Young, who remembered her one-piece wool bathing suit in 1932 at camp, swam the entire length of the lake at age twelve “camp to camp”. As a junior counselor, she taught swimming and said many of the girls used to swim the lake, but very carefully. “I always wanted to swim and I knew how to swim and had great instructors. I got my junior lifesaving certification through the Red Cross program, ” said Edna.

Camper Marsha Immerman (1947-53) remembered the older girls swimming across the lake, accompanied by a rowboat. Still worrying about the weeds in the middle of the lake and the leeches, she managed to swim the length despite her fears.

“I learned to swim at the high school and I could walk there, so I was a good swimmer and I was always proud of that,” said Carolyn Stanton (1947). “I couldn’t see because I was nearsighted, but I didn’t need to see to swim. I think I got glasses around the sixth grade because I remember I was the tallest girl in the class and I had to sit in the front row to see the board. I never got any leeches on me, but I do remember I swam across the lake with another girl and a counselor rowing beside me.”

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