I forgot one more KVer who was a part of Troop 111 and worked at Summer Camp: Paul Grillo. Paul lived at 20 Monroe St. I probably forgot because he did not work at Camp Keowa, which was for Manhattan Scouts, but at Camp Kernochan, which was mainly for Scouts from Queens.
Sorry for the delay in getting to the good stuff that is happening at and on the land that was once (and some think will always be) Camp Madison Felicia. First you all should know more about Scott Robichaud. He fell into this connection to Camp but he seems to have fallen in love with it and it is something to see and be around. He refreshes and reminds me of how I felt about the place and it's fun to be around that enthusiasm again. He was not hired specifically to work on Camp Combe stuff but had they looked nobody better could have been found.
The improvements to many of the structures we know so well are fun to see. Knowing how the lower unit bunks and the Pavilion/Open Shed were used, I immediately approved. Other things made me think of Jerry's building projects and these new additions capture that spirit of his 'projects'. Where is Jerry?
Here's what I saw as I saw it.
1)There's now a water slide that runs on the ground, down the incline from Peekskill Hollow along what I think is the camp's property line. It's set apart from but in the area of the pool. Pool seems in good shape, no more diving board or slide. The new slide is tempting; it has this big corrigated vent you slide through. I resisted, but I did jump the fence and into the pool. It was hot and felt very good. The changing areas are the same we used; need and will be replaced.
2) As you walk up the hill from the pool to the rear of the barn and side of the dining hall, you notice that a lot of tiering has been done that stabilizes the incline; prevents erosion from the global warming rains we seem to be experiencing.
3) Walk on the path behind the dining hall, toward the side of the Pav/OpSh and the brige over the creek, the big tree on the left is even bigger and now is encased in a wooden, climbable scaffolding/decking that goes way up. Fun, huh?
4) The Open Shed, which is what it was called in the 60s/70s was called the Pavilion when I was a camper. On the side facing the field, the floor has been extended to create a really nice front porch. It could also serve as a stage, I think, with the audience sitting on the grass, backs to the road. 5) The bridge over the creek has been rebuilt and the railings on either side incorporate benches. 6) The one room library that stood on stilts to the right is gone - but get this, the part of the path to the lower unit that was always the muddiest has been BOARDWALKED! So now, we can tell the younguns how we walked to and from, 3X a day at least through the mud and how easy they have it! And then you get to the Lower Unit and it's a revelation...
5. Big Lower Unit changes to the bunks. Since camp is now days only, each lower unit bunk houses an activity like Nature, Arts and Crafts. So campers can be sheltered on a rainy day and not be cooped up inside, a large semi-covered deck has been built around each bunk. The spooky shower house is gone! The Arts and Crafts hut when I was a counselor is now for the youngest kids' that attend - pre-schoolers. When I was a camper, arts and crafts happened in the garage attached to the barn opening onto the parking area. I remember that soon after we arrived, a big ceder tree would be cut down and carried in. Each kid, counselor and every staff member would be given a pocket sized piece of the wood and a few sheets of sand paper. Everyone worked on their wood at every chance; carried it around with them all the time. It was a camp wide, continuous, walking around project that yielded a good luck piece for home. I still love the smell of cedar.
High Feather is a 10-episode educational television show which ran on PBS in the 1980s; each episode was 30 minutes long. The program's name came from the Old English expression "High Fettle", meaning enjoying life and cheerfully doing the tasks of living. The heartfelt spirit of the show was captured in the lyrics to its theme song: "I'm in High Feather. Feel like the sun is shining on me. High Feather. I'm as free as I can be..."
The series, produced by the New York State Education Department in 1980, followed eight teenagers (four boys and four girls) at the High Feather Summer Camp, where they learn values of honesty, sportsmanship, nutrition, physical fitness, and getting along with others. The series was filmed at Camp Madison-Felicia and Camp Minisink.
Some of the most memorable episodes included "Ballerina", where Leslie, an anorexic, starves herself to the point of exhaustion to achieve a dancer's body, and "Swim Test", where Tom was afraid to go shirtless in the lake because of his obesity.
The cast was comprised of an ethnically and racially diverse group of teens:
* Jacqueline Allen (Leslie)
* Brian Goldberg (Stan)
* Virgil Hayes (Leo)
* Richard Levey (Tom)
* Cindy O'Neal (Suzanne)
* Emily Wagner (Cathy)
* Tasha Washington (Ann)
* Tino Zaldivar (Domingo)
* Robert Y R Chung (Kim)
Most of the show's young cast were not professional actors. Emily Wagner, who played Cathy, went on to appear as the character Doris Pickman on the long-running series "ER"
Adults
* Barbara Brown (Mrs. Riggs)
* Ramona Brito (Nurse)
* Powell McGill (Swim Coach)
Episode Titles
1. "Deep Water Test"
2. "Stan's Secret"
3. "Swifty"
4. "A Nose for News"
5. "Ballerina"
6. "Lost in the Woods"
7. "Going Home"
8. "The County Fair"
9. "Saved from the Pound"
10. "Food Follies"
(Leader)
We're going on a bear hunt!
(Group)
We're going on a bear hunt!
We're gonna catch a big one!
We're gonna catch a big one!
I'm not afraid!
I'm not afraid!
Are you?
Are you?
Not me!
Not me!
Here comes the gate
" " (Group Echos)
Now we're on a bear hunt " "
We're gonna catch a big one " "
I'm not afraid " "
Are you? " " Not me! " "
We're coming to a tall mountain " "
It sure is high " "
It sure is wide " "
Let's climb up it " "
Well, there's nothing over there " "
Nothing over there " "
Nothing back there " "
Hey! Wait! I think I see something
Quick! Everybody run down!
We're going on a bear hunt!
We're going on a bear hunt!
We're gonna catch a big one!
We're gonna catch a big one!
I'm not afraid!
I'm not afraid!
Are you?
Are you?
Not me!
Not me!
We're going thru the tall grass " "
We're going thru the short grass " "
Hey! Look! There's a little tree " "
Well, let's shinny on up it
Whoa! It gets a little skinny up here at the top
See anything over that way? " "
Anything over that way?, Uh, oh!,
Oh, no! Whoa! Agh! let's get down!
We're going on a bear hunt!
We're going on a bear hunt!
We're gonna catch a big one!
We're gonna catch a big one!
I'm not afraid!
I'm not afraid!
Are you?
Are you?
Not me!
Not me!
Oh, no! " "
It's a big puddle of mud " "
Can't go around it " "
Gotta go right thru it " "
Yeuk! " "
Well, let's go.
Squish, Sqwish, Blaaahh.
We're going on a bear hunt!
We're going on a bear hunt!
We're gonna catch a big one!
We're gonna catch a big one!
I'm not afraid!
I'm not afraid!
Are you?
Are you?
Not me!
Not me!
We're coming to a wide river " "
And there's no bridge going over it " "
No tunnel going under it " "
It's just plain old water " "
And we're gonna have to swim " "
All right, dive in!
Start swimming
Do the back stroke
Do the side stroke
Do the doggie paddle
Try the little cat paddle
OK Jump out, shake yourself off
We're going on a bear hunt!
We're going on a bear hunt!
We're gonna catch a big one!
We're gonna catch a big one!
I'm not afraid!
I'm not afraid!
Are you?
Are you?
Not me!
Not me!
Shhh, it's a cave " "
Looks like the kind of cave that B-bears live in " "
I don't know if I want to go in there
You think we oughta go in?
Are you nuts?
There's probably a bear in there
All right I'll go in, You stay here,
And if I find a bear, I'll come out and get you
And we'll all go in and grab him together
Now, quiet, don't make a sound while I'm in that cave,
Cuz if you wake him up, I'll be in trouble
Bears are awful ornery when they first wake up, you know
OK, I'm going on in
Oooo, It's dark in here
It's really dark in here
I can't see a thing
Agh, there's spiders webs
Ooo, what was that???
What's this??.... it's soft, uh oh,it's kind of fuzzy
Ahg!!!!!!!!! Run! Everybody run!!
I saw a bear!!!!
Jump in the water! Swim fast!!
Do the backstroke!
The sidestroke, the doggie paddle
Jump out of the water
Run through the mud!
Forget the tree!!
Go through the tall grass
The short grass
Quick! Go up the mountain
Down the other side
Go thru the gate
Into the house, under the bed
Under the pillow
Hide!!!!!
Uh, it's awful quiet around here
I'm not afraid
I'm not afraid
Are you?
Are you?
Posts
All Comments
