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Hyde Bay Camp For Boys Home Letter Vol. 11, No. 2, 1938 |
Back to The Lodge
VOLUME XI NUMBER TWO. Saturday, July 16, 1938 SETTING. A man hunt rages as I write. More of that next week. It is a cold night after a hot day. HEALTH. The U. L.’s with some ringers, put on a play after the Greek fashion last Friday night. It was a long ways after the Greek fashion. The title was “The Greeks Did Not Have a Name for U.L.” Socrates Young and his disciples, Frank Beury, Bob Zeugner and Charley Bagley had sundry experiences with Diogenes Chas. Gillet and the honest man he eventually found in the person of Harry Middendorf, not to mention, (which we have,) Howdy Bubert as Demosthenes attended by a curious creature. Messers. Campbell, Stockbridge, Supplee and Stewart of the actual U.L. did a job of loading which brought cold chills to the spine of the director. A shovel with a shelf to lean on was a feature as was the scene where dirt was actually shoveled much faster on the stage than ever off those boards. Huidy. Here for a day or so, gave his justly famous Donny Bain and a hill-billy quartet of tuneful council members gave us a very original song. SCAVENGER HUNT REVAMPED. On Saturday and Sunday, we had a purified form of the awful scavenger hunt. This time, the objects were all in the realm of nature, and much was learned by the contestants. Dave Barton won. Bobby Dodson not only took off second, but also the special prize for boys of twelve and under. Sparkey Barker was the third place man. YOUNG BECALMED. Bravely, Jack Young and a crew went down the lake in the Turtle, as our old sailboat seems to be termed. Sheepishly the voyageurs were towed in by Sunshine in time for supper. You cannot sail without wind. LEATHERSTOCKING-NOVEL TRIP. George Chandlee and Jack Young took four canvas canoes around the lake. A swim and milk and crackers at the curious Kingfisher’s tower. Natty Bumpo’s cave was explored, lunch cooked on the shore, council rock and the Clinton Dam Marker visited. After a trip down the Susquehanna to the first dam, back home by the opposite side of the lake. Down against a fierce head wind and back with ponchos for sails, George and Frank Supplee took the same trip. SUNKEN ISLANDS. To those who read their Cooper, it will be familiar that the castle of Hutter was built on sunken Islands. They lie a mile or so directly off camp. Canoe parties go out frequently and enjoy standing up in the midst of Lake Otsego. TALKIES. Several parties have been taken to Cooperstown to satisfy their low taste for the commercial movies. Sodas at Sherry’s complete these trips. At camp, our new talkie machine has shown five cartoons to an enthusiastic audience. A regular program will be given at camp of all sorts of films. The showings will average twice per week. The first big feature will be the British film, “Rhodes the Empire Builder” on Wednesday next. A delegation of a dozen girls from Pathfinders were our guests again at the talkies. NANCY. One of our horses, Nancy by name, hurt her leg in her eagerness to rejoin her equine companions and her disregard for a fence. It has been necessary to call a vet, and she is out of commission for a few days. TENT PLAYS. Six tents gave plays on Friday night. The judges awarded the prize to Al Kerr’s tent of Bob Stringer, a colored maid of great proportions, Tommy Tomkins as the hero, Bill Maltbie, the villain, Billy Middendorf the sheriff, and the best actor of the group, Garnet Prentiss as the heroine. It was called Lily of the Alley. Popular award went to Jake and his gang in the Seven Dwarfs (abridged). Jake’s impersonation of the witch was the hit of the show. The Three Little Pigs, to wit Lanier; Walter, and Guy with the clever set of three small houses and Mother Pig Travers and Wolf Bobby Pickett, came in for favorable mention. Space does not allow mention of three other very good plays. Gordon and Frank helped with the make-up. Costumes were by the ladies of Hyde Bay and the whole affair was directed by Mrs. Dresser. Our best tent plays so far. SWAMP ANGLES. A stirring game of ball was played on Double-marsh field as our discerning head councillor has named it. Carl made his second consecutive home-run. COMETS. Six boys have so far passed into the realm of the major luminaries by learning to sail the comet. Sandy, Pittsy, Teddy, Kennedy, Sparky and Benjy are the accomplished sailors. They race Pathfinders and two other boats on Sunday. The Turtle serves as training ship and we hope to pass all the boys through the course. HADDA-WENTA. Our lamb has gone back to its owner. Its affection for the small boy who sold it to us was too much for our soft hearts. We took it back and told the owners never to sell it again. Hadda was lonely and vocally so at improper hours. IN AND OUT. Richard Lacy left for Maine at the end of ten days of camp life. Albert Wampole, or Wam-bang, as he is known at Hyde Bay, came in in a shower of rain a few days later. MOTERING. The ST37 continues to be as popular as ever. A queue or cue, or line of boys is always waiting on the dock for the return of the craft. The larger boat frequently has pulled the aquaplane when not towing in Jack Young. NOT MOTORING BUT SAVING SPACE. Hal has his museum about done and will presently lead forth a band in search of the elusive bug and beast of Otsego. SLIPS. The humble cutter of stencils wishes to point out that the second paragraph should be headed PLAY, while HEALTH went as follows: We are having a few slight colds. Some noses require servicing, and the gargle is heard in the land. Not serious. No one in bed this week. |