Long after the young girls left camp, the smells of the lodge and cabins, the fresh smell of the piney woods, the sound of the Loons and the lap of the waves on the lake left an indelible mark in their minds. So much so that the great outdoors called to them in many ways. […]
Karen Cox
What I Missed At Home #2
They missed family members, pets, and summers that continued on without them, but those feelings were not so overwhelming that the girls wanted to return home. Some, like JoAnn Kern (1953,) said she was ready to go home after her two weeks at camp. She always felt like she was missing out on her summer […]
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, […]
Synchronized Swimming, Water Ballet and Activities
Swimming was a large part of Molly Olson’s growing up years at camp in the forties and she learned at her grandmother’s pool club. She excelled at synchronized swimming at camp and it remained a part of her high school career, as well as performing on the swim team. She was proficient enough to swim […]
Directors #7
“I was the director for three years and I always regretted that I did not go back, but life circumstances, plus searching for a permanent teaching job kept me away,” said Beanie (Barbara Haggart) a little wistfully. “My years at Maqua were the happiest of my life. People who have not experienced the camaraderie missed […]
And Now To Find Counselors–
Counselors had entirely different reasons for attending camp. Some had been counselors at other camps, as Nancy and Tricia Sautter had, before their years at Maqua (1968-70), but many had never been to camp. A summer job on a lake was enticing, but also utilized skills and talents they possessed that were geared toward […]