Born in Flint, Sheryl Biesman was eight years old when she camped for the first time in 1973 and it closed before she could ever have a leadership position in 1978. Karen Selby was one counselor she could remember from that “wholesome camp” that closed with little fanfare to the campers who were there the […]
Rhonda Thayer
Ken Dike—Last Director
When the decision was made between the YWCA and the YMCA to merge Camp Maqua with Camp Iroquois on Sand Lake, David Bast was the camp director at the boys’ camp. He was designated to be the director of the combined effort, but was offered a job in Alabama. Ken Dike was the program director […]
Maqua Declares War–
“One of the years I think some of the pranks got out of hand with the boys from Camp Mahn-go-tah-see. We had never had any official activities with them, but this one summer there was a mixer, so we got to know some of the boys. We would wave to them when we saw them […]
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, […]
Funny Stories–
What is it about peeing and stories about peeing that can bring girls to hysterics? One of the funniest things Sandy Indianer (1967) learned at camp that stayed with her forever was to learn to pee outside in the woods. She was not alone, as many campers felt like that was an important fear to […]