From the fifties to the seventies, the “Loon” newsletter included the activities each session from each hut. Each cabin would contribute a few sentences, and the compilation of the different years added up to a diary (of sorts ) for the camp experience.

There was backwards day, tin can stove making on the rifle range, a banquet with entertainment, a historical parade and bragging rights from Hut 7 in 1950 when the entire cabin earned their blue caps in swimming. One hut hosted a fortune telling booth at the camp carnival in the lodge during another session that summer, while another had the distinction of having no Bay City girls in their hut.

There were cracker box sessions, where you could ask the counselor anything, and pennants for neat tables, hours of canasta on rainy days, scavenger hunts and marshmallow roasts. Girls bemoaned the fact they couldn’t get fires started on their cookstoves, or laughed when they had to sidestep cows on the path to Hale Park for their outing.

Some huts that summer bragged about the fact they all took tap dancing or arrived on the same bus to camp. Others were sad that their frogs did not win the frog contest, due to not being in top shape. Rain spoiled some activities, but inside the chains were finished for the Christmas in July tree. Jean Robinson’s mother had a cake sent up for her birthday to share with her cabin mates, and Jan Mosier and Shirley Miller won prizes for being the best dressed babies on Baby Night.

Gab sessions, tales of the Moms who attended, singing, hut rearranging, and gossip about the girls who were on a diet, counselors who missed their beaus and the girls who fell asleep early were topics in the newsletters. The girls wrote about how well they made friends and how energetic and contented they were.

In 1951 two campers from a hut had to have shots at the doctor’s office and when they stepped outside one of their friends was spotted riding a spotted black and white mare named Belle! One hut never had to get acquainted with each other, as they already knew each other! Others wrote of eating dinner in their canoes. Another hut had seven counselors in training—Ann Gunn, Pat O’Tool, Pat Parsons, Karen Temple, Jean Robinson and Judy Miller—all involved in creating the 16-18 ft. birch front gate sign.

Hut 9 had a “Hate Hut 9 Day” in which they said nothing but nasty things to each other, followed by a “Love Hut 9 Day”, where they expressed nice things. One hut in 1952 could not get over their counselor nonchalantly picking up spiders. Hut 2 laughed about going home with Texas accents with Chris as their counselor, while Hut 10’s claim to fame was three CIT’s—Nan O’Tool, Marsha Immerman and Shirley Blunden.

The sixties ushered in trips to the Hale Fire Tower, boy spotting while canoeing past Mahn-go-tah-see and one girl accidently sitting on a plate of potato salad. Retrieving firewood, singing with Kitty Frola on her guitar, short sheeting and taking photos of girls unaware made the news. Cabin B had a message in a bottle near their hut and Cabin C would sing for their supper and was accused of even humming in their sleep.

In 1977 the idea of staying for all the sessions all summer appealed to all the cabins, while Lynne and her cabin, for the first three days, watched rain as their main activity while it blew under the front door. Lynne was accused of “being chicken to sleep out, learned how to play tennis, gets mad when the campers get their beady little hands on her black crayons and was a pretty good all around counselor”.They made plans to make a plaque with their names on it, so Maqua would never forget them.

Cabin 3 had Cindy Knapp “Spaz” as their counselor and although the rain dampened their spirits, they made the best of it playing games in the lodge. One cabin snuck into the lodge for spice cake and another tent was scared when their counselor rubbed a tree branch along the outside. Two campers constructed private rooms within the hut for their own privacy, but all in all, Camp Maqua and the hut happenings were the stuff memories were made of for years and the girls created great friendships.

What type of hut happenings do you remember from your camping days?