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Volume 34 July 18, 1960 Number 4
CHANGEOVER: Friday, July 22nd marks the end of the first four weeks of camp, and the beginning of the last four of the 1960 season. There will be much coming and going this day. As answers are still coming in it is not possible to give accurate figures. It seems probable that we will have about the same enro11ment in the second half. Some of us feel that we shou1d not take second-half boys because departures disturb boys who would otherwise be enthusiastically content. On the other hand four weeks seems to fit into the plans of many parents. It gives us a larger number of boys who have experienced Hyde Bay. Every year many of these develop into full—time campers the next year. Our flexibility enables us to keep some boys for a week or two beyond the 22nd of July. This is another example of our ambition to run the camp in the best interests of the boys and their parents.
TENT PLAYS: This next week will have a breather for the dramatic coaches who have been doing such splendid work. There will be no formal tent play contest. But I dare say these ingenious people will come up with some interesting entertainment. We regret that last week we forgot to mention the list of tents producing plays. We did however have a nice group of admiring parents. They saw perhaps our best series of tent plays with elaborate and attractive scenery and acting quite remarkable for boys so young and with such a short rehersal period. It is always less than a week, you may recall.
Impresario Main’s tent #53A won the candy. Scott Phillips was considered the best actor with Doug Cornish the best actress. As usual parents of the actors will receive copies of the program. This series was by our youngest campers who once more demonstrated the native dramatic ability of boys that age.
HONOR ROLL: Campers Cornish, Pope, and Binky Armistead passed their “D” test while Brax Andrews conquered the “E” test. One parent has remarked that reference to these tests by letter means very little to her. We now elucidate. They work gradually from “E” to “A”.
“E” = out around the float and back, maybe 25 yards.
“D” = out around the tower and back, probably better than 150 yards.
“C” = a still longer swim, off down towards Cooperstown. Diving.
“B” = a yet longer swim with considerable emphasis on mastering certain strokes, Previous tests are “free style” in fact, very free sometimes, Diving.
“A” = the climax of the summer swimming. The adventurer is rowed over to Clark’s Point. about 3/4th of a mile from camp He then swims back, accompanied by the boat.
JULY 11th: welcome warmth: Bob Pickett, assisted by counci1or Steinzig, Pine and Coupe, took out our famous Trenton Falls trip. In another letter we will describe what this means. There was much swimming and aquaplaning in the morning. There were several trips to the Sunken Islands. (This is a shallow spot in the lake where the vivid imagination of Cooper placed Hutter’s Castle.) Boys went in our 12 ft. dinghy,
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known as the “S T”, to the third oldest golf course in America, where we have held camp membership for over 30 years. Coach Mercer’s softball team won a dramatic victory over Chenango, 13—12. Steve Cunningham rushing in from a tutoring appointment, at the last minute, broke the tie with a magnificent triple. Battery, Moore and Ricky Coupe. Gravelly was infested this night by councilors McEwan and Singley with their devoted followers. (Gravelly is an attractive point a mile or two down the lake where we go for overnight trips with the kind permission of the owner.) Swimming tests passed this day left only three non—swimmers and three “E” testers in camp. Considering the record breaking cold water this is remarkable.
TUESDAY: Another warm one with consequent swimming. More Sunken Islands. Councilor Hilliard discovered some remarkably fine clay up “Shadow Brook”. You will see the finished product later on. Captain King’s Eagles routed Rusty’s Robins 13—3 in softball. Cooper Winston’s evening address was Gravelly Point, where his tent mates also could be reached by water mail.
LUCKY THIRTEEH: Hot, cooled by rain at night. More swimming, Sunken Islands, water—skiing, and aquaplaning. Back came the Trenton Falls trip, tired, dirty, and enthusiastic. The movie Gun Glory rejuvinated them and amused the rest of the camp that night.
BASTILLE DAY: A little rain, a lot of warmth. We shuttled a lot of boys to the Baseball, and Farmer’s museums in town. Toward evening it cleared. Many fish endured the hook, the ordeal of being cleaned, and the final ignominy of cooking. Horseman Day took three boys out to eat breakfast despite the rain. The Director and Directoress took a long journey to bring back a new aluminum canoe. Mrs. Garver enlivened the day with a remarkable Bastille Day address in the purest French. One could almost see Madam LaFarge knitting on the sidelines.
BASTILLE PLUS ONE: Colder. Boys engaged in polishing up their minds in the summer school took a Susquehanna trip under the direction of Councilor Hilliard and associates. Bill McEwan and supporting cast including Cindy, the Beagle, spent the night on Lookout. Gravelly welcomed councilors Winston, Allen and Koppisch with their devoted tentmates. U.L.s went to town to see a commercial movie. An exciting game of “Find the Councilor” enlivened the evening. There was a display of Northern Lights in the sky. Bob Pickett dashed off down the Susquehanna to bring back Tony Wagner who lacerated his finger.
SATURDAY: A lovely day. Another trip by councilor Day to Lookout for breakfast. The trips came back. Chenango beat us 9—2 in baseball. Better pitching, worse fielding. Mulvenny the star.
SUNDAY: Clear and warm. Mouldy, as Bob Pickett is known at camp, conducted our church service, talking stimultingly on Sportsmanship, illustrated by David’s sparing Saul as recorded in the book of Samuel. Rain interrupted our sailing races. Our neatest tents, #1 and #9 went to town with the mail once more. A Grand swimming meet found McEwan’s “Mob” defeating Singley’s Squids 42-25. A remarkably fine film on the story of American transportation, supplemented one on Wheat closed the day.
FORECAST: If your son is in tent #4, #5, #10, or #53B, comee to see him on the boards of our theater July 30th. If he lives in #l4, #17, or Mouldy City, visit us on August 6th.
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