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Home Letter Volume 31, July 16, 1957 No. 3

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VOLUME 31             July 16, 1957                   No. 3

IMPENDING REVOLUTION: Tuesday, July 23rd is the date of the great upheaval. Boys will be coming and going on that day. For convenience we will divide them into two classes. OUT: To make room for the campers scheduled for the second half, we regretfully bid farewell to an equal number. On the enclosed card, will the “Outs” please advise us of the arrangements made for the departure of their children. IN: The replacements will find enclosed in their letters a card on which to advise us as to the time and method of their arrival at camp. Our lunch is at 1:30 p.m., supper at 6:15 p.m. The “Ins” will also find a health blank, insurance application, stickers to identify their pieces of baggage and a list of equipment needed at tamp. All clothes must be well marked.

HEALTH: This has been a week where fate has been extremely kind to us. Injuries and illnesses have both been mild. Councilor Jack Garver visited the hospital for a bruised pedal. He was accompanied by Rusty Pickett whose sole was stitched up by one of the doctors. Some minor ills also, recorded on individual reports.

WEEK’S START: Clear and warm, favorable to the Junior Life Saving tests which were given this day. Bry Danner, assisted by councilors Cravener and Smith, set off on a Susquehanna trip. Toward nightfall, Councilors Classen and Scharf took their tents for a night on Gravelly. The brand new motor for the small boat, known for many years as the S T 37, was put into action and has been busy at scheduled times ever since.

THEN TUESDAY: Overcast as we arose, the day relented to become clear and breezy. Venerable councilors Garver and Parker took the first “up—the—lake” trip in Hyde Bay history. Transported by land to the path leading to Natty Bumppo’s cave, the canoes swung around the Glimmerglass to its extreme northern end, then back to camp. The journey was embellished with frequent 1ectures by pundit Garver on episodes from “The Deerslayer”. On land, Archie Coupe’s “Catbirds” beat the “Road—runners” under Steve Rowe in softball by a score of 6—3.

JUST WEDSDAY: The morning rain gave place to a windy and cool day which stimulated two bus loads to visit the Baseba11 Hall of Fame in the morning and the Farmers Museum in the afternoon. Hardier campers scaled Strawberry Mountain which lies back of camp. Hyde Bay humbled Camp Chenango in hardball by a score of 14-3. Nine of the local runs were garnered in one inning. The winning pitcher was Gregor Davens. The evening movie was that ancient film “Drums along the Mohawk, hastily substituted for our scheduled feature which our producers could not supply.

CLEAR, COOL AND THURSDAY: The breeze promoted good sailing. The “Road—runners” on the softball diamond, were once more defeated, this

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time by the “Mouldybirds’. That evening Hyde Bay lost a twilight game to a much older American Legion team on famous Doubleday Field where baseball was invented. The score was 8—6. Our battery of Fink, pitcher and McQuilkin, catcher yielded but five hits. Rickie Donahoe blasted a triple far over the historic sod, while Don McPherson shamelessly stole four bases. This Day also saw the departure of a two—day Susquehanna trip, piloted by Bry, assisted by Eddie Brown and Jim Main.

FRIDAY: (May we remind you that the only man who ever had all his work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe.) Chenango humbled us in softball 8—1 in spite of the redoubtable efforts of Tim Allen and Mike O’Sheel on the mound, who hurled in the general direction of the masked and padded Kinni Hawks. Old Salt Jencks sailed his tent to Gravclly and reminiscent of the Grand Old Duke of York, sailed them home again the following day. The older citizenry went off to town to view the commercial cinema.

SATURDAY: Washed by a preprandial rain, this day developed benevolent. The two—day Susquehanna trip was dragged back into camp on our trailer and attendant vehicles. An unusual incident of the trip was the departure of our intelligent canoes on down the river, quite empty, when the keeper of the Goodyear dam opened the gates. Our campers blissfully slept on. Anon the craft were pursued and captured. In the so—called “Fish” softball league, Captain Donahoe’s “Dinosaurs” outscored Abbott’s, “Barracudas” 13—5.

THE DRAMA REVIEWED: A splendid second set of tent plays graced the boards of our theater. Tent #15 won with a Shakespeare production of real merit. Mike O’Sheel was proclaimed the best actor. Some of the losing plays would have been winners on other nights. A most diverting evening.
SUNDAY: Clear, calm and hot - this was about our best day of the season weatherwise. There was a rigid inspection, church services, the Eight—inch Regatta and the usual inspection trip to town by tents #11 and #5 who were the winners last week also. An outdoor supper too.

MAN’S INHUMANITY TO MAN: At the close of the plays on Saturday night, the Director was cleverly lured into the belief that a portrait of the head councilor, by artist Garver, was to be unveiled on the stage. Alas, when the poncho was removed, it was a portrait of your editor, clad in ragged garments, topped by a nondescript hat and grasping a pitchfork ---- emotion chokes my pen, I cannot go on. When not engaged in lampooning kindly old men with his irreverent brush, Councilor Garver plays many other roles. On Sunday he preached from a text taken from The “Deerslayer” where Hurry Harry and that youthful woodsman discuss the interpretation of the Golden Rule.

THE WEEK’S CLIMAX: Hyde Bay’s most faithful friend and distinguished alumnus, “The Commodore”, appeared late on Thursday night and is, as we go to press, still stalking about camp. He has delivered several stirring addresses and has awarded the prize to the winning tent play as chairman of the judges. He presided on Sunday over the exciting Twenty—third Eight—inch Reggata. Campers constructed their own ships limited to 8” over—all.  These craft were released at the tower. The first to touch the shore was the winner. This year Rickie Donahoe was the fortunate shipwright-skipper. The literate among you, (a quaint variation en you—all) will recognize his real as well as his pen name, Walter Lord. Need we say he is author of “A Night to Remember” and “Day of Infamy”? Annually self—elected, he has managed and adorned countless Eight—inch Regattas.

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