Skits!

Published on by Kathy Baker Category: 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, Activities and Sports, Blog, Buildings and Property, Camping Life, Directors, Counselors, Staff, Traditions

KayMary Young (1951) recalled a round of singing where everyone got in on the act by adding “One dark and stormy night” to the song. She giggled remembering someone playing a villan and another playing the widow who couldn’t pay the mortgage, ending with a kiss and much clapping.The skits in the lodge at night were enjoyed by the staff and campers alike.

The “Wild Bill Hiccup” skit was remembered by many campers, especially Pat O’Tool and her sister Nan, (who camped in mid-forties’ and well into the fities’) and practiced their skit feverishly before the big production. (Pat and Nan can be seen on page 101 in the book “Camp Maqua’, dressed in their outfits in front of the “Dirty Dan Saloon”.)

The skits were always fun for Marcia Michelson (1963+) and one special memory was of one of the counselors tying herself to another to form one heavy woman, with hands reaching from behind to apply make-up.

(There was only one girl–Kim Wynne-Parry (1963-68) who admitted she did not like participating in the skits. “I know others liked them, but I would rather write them or decorate around them, but I am pretty sure I ended up being in at least one.”)

Judy Engibous (1973-75) loved the puppet shows and skits in the lodge. One night as the counselors prepared to get their skits ready, Judy took a seat in the front row. One of her new friends at camp had saved her a seat, but because of her insecurities, she had a Nicholas Alexander book in her hand, (probably to heighten her look of intelligence she admitted. ) The skit began with a bag filled with objects. The counselor had to reach her hand into the paper bag, and create a skit out of whatever was in her hand.  It happened to be a stick.

“It’s a stick. It’s great stick. It’s a wonderful stick. You can do all sorts of things with this stick,” fumbled the counselor, attempting to come up with something clever. Suddenly, she reached down and pulled Judy out of the front row.

“I was a sticky mess, covered in some tangy taffy all over one of my hands,” laughed Judy. “I’m in my impressionable years and I am supposed to bail out this counselor? She was expecting ME to get her out of this mess? I grabbed the stick with my hand that was not covered in taffy and threw the stick across the room and yelled “FETCH” Well, I brought the house down!”

“No-one was expecting this from me. I had just spent two weeks as a wimp and now I was getting compliments for being cool.  It even rated a mention in the camp newsletter. I finally felt like I was recognized for being me”, said Judy. “I also remember about ten years later I was still a nerd, but someone noticed I had waited a period of time after one of their remarks before I said something funny and they told me I was funny. I told them I already knew I was! So, I guess camp helped me become comfortable with myself. It was an empowering place.”

Her sister Doris (1966+) loved Laurie Cullen and Jennifer McLogan doing “Daddy Cool”, which she agreed held the same fascination as ‘Beanie” playing “Montague”. Page 103 of the book “Camp Maqua” featured this pair, who later passed on their roles to Doris Engibous and Priscilla Johns.

Did you enjoy being a part of the skits or would you rather watch?

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Snipe Hunts–

Published on by Kathy Baker Category: 1940's, 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, Activities and Sports, Blog, Buildings and Property, Camping Life, Traditions

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Just what is a snipe hunt? It is a wild goose chase, a fool’s errand, a practical joke, and it was a favorite game to play on the innocent campers who had no idea how this imaginary task would play out. The inexperienced camper was given instructions on how to capture a snipe, which usually involved making crazy noises, carrying a bag and a stick, and banging rocks in attempts to ferret out the snipe.

Audrey Graff (1948) and Mary Jane Keschman (1944-54) both had funny memories of snipe hunts. “We would round up a new girl and walk out to the woods and tell her we were going to bring back a ground snipe from the woods, and send it her way to catch. Poor girls,” laughed MaryJane,” what we did was just leave them there and they would wait and wait for us.”

“First the camper was given a bag or a pillow case, then taken to the woods. She was told, everyone else will scout around for the snipes,” said Barb Cruey (1956). “She was to call the snipe and it will go in her bag. Everyone then left her and waited. Eventually, the camper returned with the empty bag and was told it was a prank. I don’t remember anyone ever being upset or crying, just feeling silly and couldn’t wait to pull snipe hunting on someone else.”

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Hunts, Captures and Elves–

Published on by Kathy Baker Category: 1940's, 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, Activities and Sports, Blog, Camping Life, Directors, Counselors, Staff, Traditions

92e496f841cd77b903d37c58319b6865The A-Z Scavenger Hunt in 1947 utilized a paper bag, white paper and a crayon with the directions for collecting items from nature with each letter of the alphabet. (Usually q,u, x, y and z were difficult, ( “But to my amazement,”  noted the “Loon”,”Cabin B did get all of them!~ Many of the girls came up with the argument that everything came from nature in the beginning and as a biology major I agree, but for purposes here, it must be nature as we find it out of doors or on their person.”)

On Monday the juniors had a scavenger hunt and the hut winners received camp stickers. They had to find a purple sweater, ten empty bullet cartridges, a striped sock, an Eversharp pen, a snail shell, a bar of Lux soap, a piece of green Kleenex, a picture of Guy Madison (actor), a signature of someone over twenty, a four leaf clover, a flowered kerchief, a yellow flower, a nail, a piece of flowered stationary, an out of state letter, an ID bracelet, an orange pencil, and a needle and blue thread.

Every year had its own brand of activities, either dreamed up by the program/activity director, or a tradition that had been passed down through the ages. In 1950, the “Loon” noted there was a fashion show, backwards day, talent scouts, story telling, a P.J. party, and a scavenger hunt.

Geraldine McDonald camped in 1954. “There were several parties in there. I remember one where they blindfolded us and we had to stick our hands into the bag and guess what was in there. I felt slimy worms or nightcrawlers in the bag, but it was really just spaghetti. There were skits and scavenger hunts that started in the main lodge. We had to hunt for these treasures and it was all about nature. We had everything, except the lightning bug, so one of the girls put on a white shirt and we tucked a lit flashlight up her shirt!”

Judy Crissey also camped in 1954 and loved the scavenger hunts. “We had a small group and followed all the clues, all outdoors, of course. I was probably not very good at it, but ii is one of my best memories.”

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Programs and Activities 1947

Published on by Kathy Baker Category: 1940's, Activities and Sports, Blog, Buildings and Property, Camping Life, Directors, Counselors, Staff

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The “Loon” captured the types of activities the campers enjoyed in 1947, but the older scrapbooks had wonderful photos of young campers dressed in gauzy scarves, with fun activities from the twenties’ and thirties’.

The “Evening Program” section started out on Wednesday with games. Paired by twos and armed with slips of paper with articles written on them, the girls had to find the members of the other team with the matching article-((i.e. salt and pepper, pen and ink) The second game consisted of finding as many things in the lodge that started with the letter F. On Thursday, the seniors had a free night and the juniors played the lodge game with the letter S. On Friday, the juniors played games in the lodge while the seniors played baseball, followed by a group singsong around the piano.

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Pow-Wows and Events Under Toni Young

Published on by Kathy Baker Category: 1960's, Activities and Sports, Blog, Buildings and Property, Cabin Life, Camping Life, Directors, Counselors, Staff

1609788_10202732001933034_204850777022464540_nSpecial events included Worldwide Fellowship, which was celebrated in the first session in conjunction with the 4th of July. On Sunday at the Chapel Hill vespers and services, the series would begin. It was a day set aside for friendship and fellowship on a state and local level.

There was a traditional picnic, but the girls dressed as colonial or famous Americans, which challenged their creativity. Prizes were given for prettiest, most original and funniest. In the evening, the girls were divided into teams in preparation for International Night, which was a Tuesday. France, the Congo, the Netherlands, USA, Argentina, Mexico and Thailand were represented and each “country” dressed accordingly with tables decorated. (The Y sent blue and white placemats.) They made up a song and had an accusation from the World Court, which was similar to the Kangaroo Court. Toni then asked if the girls could share something of themselves, so a fellowship offering was taken up and it was usually the price of an ice cream or candy bar the girls were giving up and donated.

A circus was held second period and each cabin was given a special part. Clowns, acrobats, horses and riders, elephants and trainer, poodles, a circus band, lions, tigers and trainer, tightrope walker and jugglers were represented with costumes. They had Monday night to invent and create and presented their performances on Tuesday with popcorn and punch for snacks.

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Program Director–Toni Young

Published on by Kathy Baker Category: 1960's, Activities and Sports, Blog, Cabin Life, Camping Life, Directors, Counselors, Staff

23505_115400745153606_2925893_nActivity night, cabin night, skits, puppet shows, scavenger hunts, themed parties, races and plays embodied Camp Maqua’s reputation as a happy camp. Program and activity directors were selected for their ability to encompass that fun into programs the girls could enjoy every night of their session.

Toni Young was the only program director whose report in 1966 was in the files at the Bay City YWCA. It was a detailed report and she wrote that she had done most of her planning before camp began. It was a great synopsis of what types of activities were formulated for the campers.

“The heart of each program and its success depended to a great extent on the staff, so the planning was not completed until I knew the staff and was able to recognize their talents and their areas of interest and support,” wrote Toni.

It was a hot summer, according to her report, so she substituted free swims and more quiet activities instead of more active programs. Free swim or open house on Sunday night, with snacks every night after the evening activity. The staff was introduced and vespers were conducted with songs, dismissing four cabins after two songs, four more after the next few, etc. There was a friendship circle in Senior Village, followed by bed and “Taps”.

On Mondays and Tuesdays, it was the first all-camp activity. Wednesday was cabin or unit night. Thursday was unit or cabin night—whichever one they did not do the night before. Friday all camp activity, since half the counselors have their time off. Saturday was cabin day and all the other staff took off and the rest do skits.

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