The sun smiled on us for our big celebration, with over eighty former campers, staff, residents, and their families, plus volunteers from the Plainfield Township Historical Commission. The guests enjoyed guided tours around the lodge, property walkabouts, and visits to three huts. The archives were on loan from the Bay City Historical Museum and were […]
Barbara Haggart
Merry Variant Christmas 2021!
I am sure we all thought the Covid virus would be in the rearview mirror by the time we headed into 2022, but it is beginning to look a lot like a Merry Variant Christmas. Like an atom that keeps on splitting, the world is cautiously on watch once more for the mutations that threaten […]
Camp Developed Independence–
Independence—we all long for that feeling that we can do it on our own. Camp was the perfect place to try out new activities, learn new skills, and to leave home and enter a safe, nurturing environment. “I wasn’t a girlie girl,” said seventies camper Helen McLogan,” and I was a rule-follower. I think going […]
Camp As A Confidence Builder–
Whether it was gaining confidence, being nurtured for the first time, or learning new skills in activities unknown to young girls before their arrival at camp, Maqua always had a reputation for their incredible staff leadership from the top down. “Camp was all about confidence in terms of getting along with people,” said Elaine […]
Judith Moore– Camp Influence
Judith Moore’s (center front row) stay at Maqua was only two years—1970 and 1971, as an assistant director to Barb Haggart, “catching, fielding, and doing whatever had to be done for Beanie.” She had played sports at Western Michigan University with Sue Wiegand, Nancy Sautter, and Barb and was recruited from the physical education pool. […]
Nicknames–
Nicknames were a way to make girls feel included with a sense of intimacy and camaraderie. “Magot” (or maybe Maggot) would not be the cutesy nickname a young girl would pick, but Karen Magidsohn won that name. It was very common for girls to be christened with new or short names at camp. Sue Purdue, […]