the best of summer 2002 - camp tamakwa · 2018-10-25 · 3 fall 2002 south tea echo the summer at a...

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Fall 2002 South Tea Echo Issue One Fall 2002

Amy Sky puts Tamakwa in tuneDemocracy in action, camp-styleHead Chef takes on a tall orderTamakwa welcomes new DirectorVoyageur canoeists paddle to glory

New twist in intercamp rivalryIndian Summer 10 years laterDavid Stringer marks 50 years at campJerusalem orchestra performs on the SlopeTamakwa’s leading role in Spider-Man

THE BEST OF SUMMER 2002

THE VTHE VTHE VTHE VTHE VOICE OF CAMP TOICE OF CAMP TOICE OF CAMP TOICE OF CAMP TOICE OF CAMP TAMAKAMAKAMAKAMAKAMAKWWWWWA A A A A ALGONQUIN P ALGONQUIN P ALGONQUIN P ALGONQUIN P ALGONQUIN PARKARKARKARKARK

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Fall 2002South Tea Echo

When Robert Sarner pro-posed the name for thisnewspaper, South Tea

Echo, we said, “Could you pleaserepeat that?” (South Tea Echo; trysaying that seven times fast.)

Then we said, “Robert, youobviously have an astute journal-istic mind. Having witnessed forthe very first time our age-old tra-dition of 400 Tamakwans on theSlope chanting Woof Woof at thetop of our lungs in unison hopingthat our collective voices willcause an echo to reverberate fromone distant shore to another, yousaw in that the opportunity to clev-erly play on the word echo whichis a commonnewspaper title.Good for you,good man.”

What we re-ally thoughtwas, “Schlect,why didn’t wethink of that?”

Such aname for aTamakwanewspaper is anatural. And sois Robert whenit comes to creativity andmarrying journalism to campfun. He did so at another campfor several summers in the formof Kol Ramah, the voice ofCamp Ramah. When we sawtheir newspaper, we were insanewith jealousy. (Some may debatewhether it was out of jealousy.)Little did we know then that fatewould bring Robert and hiswhole family from Jerusalem toCamp Tamakwa for the summerof 2002. We are delighted withfate in this case.

The South Tea Echo waspublished against considerableodds. The closest we ever cameto a summertime newspaper isthe Beaver Cuttings, which is acompilation of staff and camp-ers’ end of season reminiscenceshastily “edited” in the order theywere submitted and printed(until recently) on a machineknown to your grandparents as amimeograph. You could tellwhen someone had just readtheir Beaver Cuttings; they

EditorROBERT SARNER

Design/ProductionMIKE HORTON

Production AssistantKEVIN PURDIE

PhotographyLIBBY SADICK VON NEUMANN

ROBERT SARNER

LogoROGER SCANNURA

Senior Camp DirectorsVIC NORRIS, DAVE BALE

Camp DirectorCRAIG PERLMUTTER

Associate DirectorDAVID STRINGER

Assistant DirectorMARILYN MENDELSON

The South Tea Echo is published by CampTamakwa. SUMMER ADDRESS: P.O. Box10008, Huntsville, Ontario, Canada P1H2H3. Tel: (705) 633-5561. MICHIGAN: 1760South Telegraph, Suite 300, Bloomfield Hills,MI. 48302-0183. Tel: (248) 335-6400.Fax:(248) 335-2540. TORONTO: 161 EglintonAve. East, Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, M4P1J5. Tel: (416) 924-7433. Fax: (416) 924-5822. Email: [email protected]: www.tamakwa.com

either smelled like a fifth gradespelling test sheet or they hadblack ink all over their handsand lap.

But the Echo is quitedifferent. This is a combinationnewspaper and end-of-seasonyearbook. You get lots of photos– thanks to Robert and LibbySadick von Neumann. It’s incolour. And it is written largelyby Robert, a veteran journalistand editor who – like many ofthe other staff contributors – isseeing Tamakwa from theoutside in. Many of us areentrenched in the world ofTamakwa. What’s especially

interesting andrefreshing isreading aboutcamp throughthe eyes ofthose experi-encing thetraditions, theatmosphere, thepersonalities,and the shtickfor the very firsttime. Andwriting about itin “journalese”.

That’s pretty cool.Having never done a real

newspaper at camp, it took us awhile to provide the kind ofcomputers, workspace, supporthelp, and time that it takes toproduce the bona fide newspa-per that you now hold in yourhands.

Keep in mind that Roberthad other duties at camp, oftencalled upon at the drop of a hatto drive to town, take someoneto the dentist, pick up supplies,fetch someone at the airport, orall of the above in one day. Nodoubt many of his stories wereculled in his mind while wind-ing his way along scenicHighways 60 and 400 in thecamp van. (That explains whymany of the characters in hisupcoming novel are namedDwight.)

Despite the conflicts inherentin trying to write and createwhile constantly being tornaway from his luxurious SouthTea Echo newsroom in theYellow Pointer Productionscabin, Robert took it like amensch and in true Tamakwastyle showed PMA, a positivemental attitude.

This paper has a lot incommon with Robert and hisfamily: interesting, friendly,colourful, fun, and a wonderfuladdition to Tamakwa 2002.We’ve enjoyed their childrenAviv, Shani and Etye. We’veenjoyed the Hobby Hubs whichfor the first time brought toTamakwa a taste of the MiddleEast…not only in the form ofGalya’s culinary delights butboth hers and Robert’s enlight-ening insights from theirhomeland.

Through his columns in theCanadian Jewish News and hisPostcards from Tamakwa on ourwebsite, Robert put Tamakwaon the map. And through theircontributions to camp life thissummer, they put Israel onTamakwa’s map….and put thiskeepsake in your hands. Don’tworry, the ink shouldn’t rub off.

We’re proud to be thepublishers of the first issue ofthe South Tea Echo. Happyreading.Vic Norris and Dave Bale,Senior Directors, Camp Tamakwa

JORDAN WACHLER, 12, (Ranger5), from Huntington Woods,Michigan, 3rd year at Tamakwa.“I had more fun this year than Idid in the past. I made many newfriends. I started to enjoy differ-ent things, like half-court, fishingand water sports even though Iwas used to mostly land sports. Ilearned to enjoy going into thewater more, maybe because theweather was better this summer.We could do all our activities out-side. The first month, we didn’thave even one Z-machine. One ofthe best things was our 4-day ca-noe trip which went to LindaLake.”

DAVID GOTTESMAN, 11, (Ranger4), Los Angeles, 2nd year.“This summer, I made more stuffin woodshop such as a miniaturepaddle and a box and receivedmore awards than last year. I hada pretty good cabin but I think Ihad a little more fun in my cabinlast summer. We did a few thingsthat were sort of crazy last year.Most of the activities were thesame. The all-day Halloween Dayand Disco Day were fun.”

ELANA FOLBE, 9, (Trailblazers 3),Huntington Woods, MI, 2nd year.“Last year, I didn’t really under-stand many things at camp, likewith the mini-Colour War. Butthis summer I understood camp alot better. Last year, I knew every-body in my cabin. This time, there

We asked campers how they perceived Summer 2002,especially as compared to previous years.

were a lot of new people in mycabin, so I made many newfriends. The cabin itself was big-ger and more comfortable. Thecanoe trip was one day longer thisyear and even better. Theintercamp was great. I was on thegirls softball team for the firsttime. During my first two weeksof camp, the food tasted betterthan last year but then in the lasttwo weeks, I didn’t like it asmuch.”

JESSE GOLD, 8, (Forester 1),Toronto, 2nd year.“This summer, I made many newfriends, including weird CITs whoI will not name. They were justborn weird. I really liked wood be-cause I made three projects – amug holder, my name with sticksand a picture box. I thought theColour War was good, the themewas great, and I liked it a lot. Iwent on a canoe trip. I liked ourcabin, it was big and the beds werenice.”

MARC CRANE, 15, (CIT),Farmington Hills, MI, 5th year.“This summer was very different.As a CIT, you get the best of bothworlds, as a camper and staff. Youdon’t really have the responsibili-ties of staff but you get some ofthe privileges of staff. There areless boys than in Senior Boys andthey smoosh us together with thegirls. We were a group of 19 CITsand we bonded so much and be-

come such a tight unit, much moreso than in years past. I feel likeI’ve come to know the other CITsso well and we’ve gotten along sowell. It’s been one of the best sum-mers of my life. I believe we’regoing to stay friends for a verylong time.”

LAUREN KEPES, 11, (Pioneer 2-3) Bloomfield Hills, MI, 3rd year.“The girls in my cabin were oneof the highlights. Last year, a lotof the girls in my cabin were a yearolder than me so it was harder butthis summer we were all the sameage. Also the cabin this year wasnewer and a lot more comfortable.The activity leaders also were alot better this summer, nicer andmore flexible and seemed to havemore fun than those last year. Iwent on a 10-day trip and that wasone of the highlights. The onlydisappointment was that the lead-ers of the mini-Colour War hadless spirit and seemed to havedone less planning than last year.”

MADISON DIAMOND, 16, (CIT),Toronto, 8th year.“This summer, things seemed a lothappier, especially compared tolast year, when camp was a bit outof control. This summer, I feel thewhole camp was a more of a unit,a lot closer. For me personally, Iwas much closer to my friends. Asa camp, there were barely anyhuge problems. It was really great.The programs were awesome.One of the big things was being aCIT and bonding as a unit, theboys and the girls together, unlikein the past when there was com-petition. The food too was better,probably because I signed up forveggie this summer.”

IAN GOLDBERG, 13, (Voyageur2), West Bloomfield, MI, 5th year.“I think the summer was muchbetter because I explored more ac-tivities, trying new things and go-ing for more awards. It was oneof my best summers ever. Mycabin was great. I met a lot of newpeople. Certainly the two canoetrips were big highlights for me. Ienjoyed the all-day programs, es-pecially the Iron Chef. Also I juststarted canoeing and really gotinto it and got my 3rd award. Theweather was awesome. We onlyhad a few rainy days.”

- Interviews by Robert Sarner

Memories take hold

All the news that’s Fiddes to printCamp Tamakwa, Ink.

New publishing moguls Dave and Vic

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Fall 2002 South Tea Echo

The summer at a glanceA selective listing of the main events at camp in 2002. Photographs by LIBBY SADICK VON NEUMANN AND ROBERT SARNER

Mon., June 17 – Head Staff arrive atcamp.Wed., June 19 – Activity Leaders ar-rive at camp.Fri., June 21 – Counselors and Spe-cialists arrive for Pre-Camp.Wed., June 26 - Campers arrive; NoonWay; Cabin Night.Thurs., June 27 - White Cap tests;Beaver Council nominations; StaffShow (evening program).Fri., June 28 - Friday Night services;Hobby Hubs.Sat., June 29 - Beaver Council Elec-tions.Sun., June 30 - X Games 2002 (All-day program). Sony Playstation,Microsoft Xbox (winner), SegaDreamcast, Nintendo Game Cube.Mon., July 1 - First Monday cookoutsand camp-wide campfire.Wed., July 3 - Section Night.Thurs., July 4 – US Independence Daytheme day; Tamakwa 500 (eveningprogram).Fri., July 5 - JT Triathlon; Friday nightservices; Hobby Hubs.Sat., July 6 – Treasure Island swim.Sun., July 7 – Presentation of the playOliver.Tues., July 9 - JT changeover; Sec-tion Night.

Thurs., July 11- All-day Surf & Sail;Beaver Council presents SadieHawkins (evening program)Fri., July 12 - Treasure Island swim;Friday night services; Hobby Hubs.Sat., July 13 - Amy Sky songfest night.Sun., July 14 - Caribbean Cruise(theme day); Star Search (evening pro-gram).Mon., July 15 – Cookouts and camp-wide campfire.Tues., July 16 - Intercamp with Tama-rack at Tamakwa; Tamakwa’s GuinessBook of Records (evening program).Wed., July 17 - Section Night.Thurs., July 18 - Camper/StaffTriathlon; Tamakwa Unplugged .Fri., July 19 – Camper and staff rollerhockey games at Camp Manitou; Fri-day night services; Hobby Hubs.Sat., July 20 - Long canoe trips return.Sun; July 21 - Mini Colour War, Goodvs. Evil – Battle of the Superheroes.Teams: Superman, Spiderman, the In-credible Hulk (Winner), Batman.Mon., July 22 - Pack-out day for 1st-month campers; Mini-banquet (SeniorGirls) Theme: Valentines Day; Presen-tation of the play Bye Bye Birdie.Tues., July 23 - Visitors Day; 1st-monthcampers depart; Staff Bar-B-Q atBonita.

Wed., July 24 – 2nd-month campersarrive; Cabin night.Thurs., July 25 - White Cap tests; Sec-tion Night.Fri., July 26 – Bar Mitzvah ceremonyfor six Tamakwans on their 13th sum-mer at camp.Sat., July 27 - Beaver Council elections(Pioneer Section); Who Wants to Go tothe Portage Store? (evening program).Sun., July 28 - Tamakwa Fun Fest2002 (CIT evening program).Mon., July 29 – Cookouts and camp-wide campfire.Tues., July 30 - Great Egg-Spectations(evening program).Wed., July 31 - Scavenger Hunt(evening program).Thurs., Aug. 1 – Visit of JerusalemYouth Orchestra to Tamakwa; GenderWars (evening program).Fri., Aug. 2 - Friday Night services;Hobby Hubs.Sat., Aug. 3 – Intercamp with CampArowhon at Tamakwa; Presentation ofSaturday Night Live.Sun., Aug. 4 - JT Triathlon; Presenta-tion of the play How to Eat Like a Child.Mon., Aug. 5 – Cookouts and camp-wide campfire.Tues., Aug. 6 – All-day program: TheIron Chef; JT changeover.

Wed., Aug. 7 - Intercamp at CampTamarack; Halloween (evening pro-gram).Thurs., Aug. 8 - Camper/staff triathlon;Beaver Council presents “Air Bands.”Fri., Aug. 9 - Treasure Island Swim; Fri-day night services; Hobby Hubs.Sat., Aug. 10 - Talent Show.Sun., Aug. 11 - Treasure Island swim;Disco Day; Dance with Xtreme Enter-tainment (evening program).Mon., Aug. 12 – Cookouts and camp-wide campfire.Tues., Aug. 13 - Casino Night (eveningprogram).Wed., Aug. 14 – All-day Surf & Sail.Thurs., Aug. 15 - Tamakwapalooza.Fri., Aug. 16 - Friday night services;Presentation of the play Oklahoma;Colour War break at ballfield.Sat., Aug. 17 - Colour War Lights Out.Sun., Aug. 18 – Final day of Lights Out;Staff Bar-B-Q at Main Camp.Mon., Aug. 19 - Pack-out Day; Clos-ing Banquet The Big Top; Slide-show;Showing of Spider-Man.Tues., Aug. 20 – Camp ends asTamakwans leave for home.Sat., Aug. 24 – Alumni Post Camp be-gins.Tues., Aug. 26 – Alumni Post Campends.

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Try to match the quote withthe person who said it:1. “Fr-r-rance!!”2. “Love, pain, the wholedamn thing.”3. “It’s a campfirepalooza.”4. “Walk walk walk like apterodactyl.”5. “Rebeccer Coopa.”6. “He shouldn’t pop theclutch; it makes the tractorroll.”7. “Can I please stay? I’measy to take care of.”8. “It’s breakfast, dinner, thensupper”a. Ed Wassermanb. Nadav Spraguec. Ada Bandalened. Jeff Avigiane. Outdoor Chaelf. Amy Skyg. Dave Baleh. Scott Kantor

Loose lips

T amakwa’s veteran nightwatchman John Fiddesknows a good flashlight

when he sees one. You would tooif your work kept you up all night,much of it outside in the dark.While the rest of Tamakwa sleeps,John keeps watch over camp un-til dawn. During the summer, heburns a lot of shoe rubber makingthe rounds. Without a strong, de-pendable light at his side, he’d becourting trouble.

In recent years, John has takento using what he calls a nightbeam that he purchased in Hunts-ville. Made by Brinkmann, the Q-Beam is a powerful hand-heldlight with a dark body whosebeam can be seen from a mileaway. It is so strong that Johndoesn’t dare shine it in someone’seyes. He’s also taken a shine tohis current model because it’s re-chargeable, so as to avoid the needto often change batteries. Until heacquired his night beam two yearsago, John depended on a more

All quiet on the nocturnal front this summer according to John Fiddeswho keeps watch over camp after hours. BY ROBERT SARNER

10. "Hey, good shreck. The parents aren’t expecting their kids hometill tomorrow."

9. "Cool. Now we can watch American Pie."8. "OK, let’s start putting things away for winter. Somebody go

bring in the Lucky Log."7. "Allan, you can take off that ridiculous wolf costume now."6. "Wow, nine echoes on a Woof Woof."5. "Look at that. Hartsy still can’t get the dining hall quiet."4. "Sorry, you’ll have to speak louder. I can’t hear you over the noise

from Marilyn’s blow dryer."3. "Yee ha, what a buncha gullible gomers. I had y’all believin’ ah

haid a Boston accent all the whole darn summer."2. "Peach pie for dessert?!? Say, that reminds me of a joke..."1. And the thing heard most in camp just after the campers left!

"Z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z."

The things heard the most in camp justafter the campers left

FAMOUS QUOTESOF 2002

Talk about double parking! It was one of the great enigmas of the 2002season... See if you can solve the mystery of the van that was parkednext to the CIT Boys cabin all summer. Is it...

a. The Bat-mobile for Superheroes Day?b. The CIT Boys’ limo for use on Sadie Hawkins Night?c. The original vehicle driven by Unca Lou and Omer when they first

arrived at Tamakwa?d. The meeting place for the Les Hartsman van club?e. The derelict on the marge of Lake LeBarge where I cremated Sam

McGee?f. Something else we’ve overlooked?

We welcome all submissions. The correct – or most entertaining –answer will be published in the next issue of the South Tea Echo.

Utterly vantastic

1. Poster and Paint cabin2. Frick & Frack staff cabins on

“Skid Row”3. The new Rec Hall doors4. Bleacher seats around the

Teepee Hill fire pit5. The extra Foosball table6. The South Tea Echo

TOP ADDITIONSOF 2002

basic, conventional flashlight forhis lonely vigil. It required batter-ies and was not as bright.

John started working atTamakwa 26 years ago. Sincethen, he hasn’t missed a summerat camp. During that time, he hascaught many a camper or stafferafter hours where they don’t be-long, greeting them with his trade-mark command: “Freeze, you’rebusted!” They better have had agood explanation for their noctur-nal wandering or else they’d facethe music and the Tamakwa tri-bunal in the morning.

“I just love being atTamakwa,” says John, whosenight patrols this summer were ex-actly the way he likes them – un-eventful. “Even after all theseyears, it is still a great feeling tosee the sun rise over South TeaLake. The peacefulness andbeauty are special.” And at thathour, he no longer needs his Q-beam. Not to mention, that’s whenhe gets to go to bed.

I was a Forester and adirty one,” saysCraig Perlmutter,

explaining how hecame to be knownas “Shmutz”. In hisfirst year as acamper, he got thenickname fromhis big brotherLloyd as a com-mentary on what seemed to per-manently cover Craig’s face andclothes: namely dirt or shmutz.That was1981. Lloyd was onHead Staff and his other brotherMichael (aka “Peanut butter”) wasa counselor. Both knew their littlebro was destined for big things, ifonly he’d wash up and put on aclean shirt.

At age 30, he has cleaned uphis act – and his shirt – and he re-turned in 2002 for his 14th sum-mer at Tamakwa after an eight-year hiatus. Craig was camp’s As-sistant Director last summer, butsince 1981 he has ascended theranks from camper to CIT, coun-selor, Landsports Director, Assis-tant Boys Camp Director and Pro-gram Director. Even since 1993,he never strayed too far fromTamakwa, always lending a handduring his routine visits, being avaluable resource in the off-sea-son, and reviving and spearhead-ing (with Matt Egrin) our alumniPost Camp in the late summer .

Craig is a member of theTamakwa family in more waysthan one: his parents are Howardand Carol Perlmutter, who notonly attended Tamakwa in the 50s,but since 1980 are part of the year-round management team. As onecamp veteran colourfully de-scribed Craig's loyalty, “He’s atrue blue Tamakwan, who bleedsgreen.”

In addition to camp adminis-

He shmutz,he scoresHats off to CraigPerlmutter,Tamakwa’s newCamp Director.BY DAVE BALE

tration, Craig has worn many hats.He made good use of his yearsaway from Tamakwa, getting aneconomics degree from the Uni-versity of Pennsylvania in 1994,then working in sports marketingfor pro hockey teams and later inthe brand marketing industry inhis hometown of Toronto. “Myeight-year hiatus,” says Craig, “al-lowed me to see ‘supposed real-ity’ while working in ‘real’ jobs,but nothing compares to being atcamp.”

Until this past summer, Craigsays his biggest camp thrill waswinning the water boiling as aColour War captain. “I can stillremember jumping around with

my co-captain Melanie Peltz andteammate Scott ‘Psycho’ Watsonafter our water had risen above thetop of the can,” he recalls.

Being Assistant Director in2002 was a new kind of thrill. “Itwas an incredibly fulfilling sum-mer returning every camper andstaff member home safe, soundand in better condition than whenwe found them,” adds Craig.“Well, there may be some who lostpieces of their clothing, or just lostsome hair, like me.”

By all accounts, Craig sharesmuch of the credit for the successof Tamakwa 2002. And it wasbecause of his leadership and forhelping ensure a smooth transitionthat he has been promoted toCamp Director. He will workfrom the Toronto office on theyear-round camp operation, com-municating daily with AssociateDirector Marilyn Mendelson andworking alongside Senior Direc-tors Vic Norris and Dave Bale.

“I grew up with them as mydirectors,” says Craig, “and it’shard to see them in any differentway, other than close friends, eventhough Vic still yells at me whenI give up the puck during staffhockey games.”

So, is it disrespectful to call theCamp Director “Shmutz”? Nah,it’s OK; it’s camp. Craig nowcleans up pretty well, but just tokeep the tradition alive, at the fi-nal banquet in August he initiatedwhat he calls, “the new annual‘Shmutz Award’ for being justthat, dirty and a bit crazy like thisyear’s inaugural recipient, BurtBinder. When you meet Burt,you'll know.”

One of the summer'sfunnest evenings tookplace in the Rec Hall inAugust when campersand staff took to thestage for SaturdayNight Live. A series ofzany skits andhumourous shtickskept the audience institches. (Seen here:Alex Budman andSkye Optican.)

Laughsunlimited

The right light at night

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As you round the bend onSouth Tea Lake and ap-proach camp, it’s hard not

to notice a solid red, yellow andblue figure perched on top of theboathouse. Though new this sum-mer, the 6-foot high woodenthunderbird actually has deeproots in camp history.

Its predecessor presided overthe same hallowed site since 1992but had started to show its age.Last winter, it was replaced andreconstructed by the artful handsof Ric von Neumann, Len Giblin,and Ken Elder.

“The Thunderbird represents acertain image as people approachcamp,” says von Neumann, headof wood working and a talentedcraftsman. “The old rottenthunderbird was a hazard to theboathouse and an eyesore.” Tenyears earlier, the producers of In-dian Summer had it made and in-stalled on the boathouse for thefilming of the movie.

South Tea Lake has long beenhome to such an icon. As far backas anyone can remember, there has

Everything at Tamakwa has astory. Some go back only afew days; others – such as

the Beaver Council – predate thememory of everyone at camp, evenDavid Stringer. Like a Students’Council, the Tamakwa counterpartis an elected group of camperswho represent the entire camperbody, with a rich history.

“It’s a big honour to think thecamp would choose me to repre-sent them,” says Brandon Tobin,Beaver Council president. Beinga member of the council bringswith it both prestige and hardwork. Members prepare eveningprograms and events for the camp,act as role models for youngercampers, and help to keep thecampers’ spirits up. To that end,this year’s Beaver Council orga-nized the Sadie Hawkins Night inmid-July with great success. Theevening went off without a hitch,other than those made by “Rabbi”Les Hartsman at the marriagebooth.

For the three executive mem-bers of this year’s council (Bran-don Tobin, President; DylanOptican, Vice-President; and MikeKatchen, Secretary), the hardwork is rewarded by their annualinvitation to Tamagama, a group

Many aspired for positions on this year’s Beaver Council but few werechosen. Democracy in action, Tamakwa-style. BY TYLER BURKE

of former Beaver Council execu-tive members. Tamagama is itselfanother venerable Tamakwa tra-dition dating back to the early1940s.

The initiation tasks that themembers perform always triggergreat curiosity. They take place onAdventure Island and, to this day,no Beaver Council member willspeak about the details. As a re-sult, speculation is rife amongcampers and staff about what re-ally happens during the initiation,giving way to new rumours everyyear.

“It’s all for show, for thecrowd,” says Lee Feldman, 10, ofthe Tamagama ceremony. An el-der camper who wishes to remainnameless adds: “It’s not as bad aspeople think.”

Certain venerable camp fig-ures say that while being a mem-ber of Beaver Council gave theirTamakwa career a shot in the arm,its impact shouldn’t be overstated.“Believe me,” says Senior Direc-tor Dave Bale, “both Vic and Ihave been members of Tamagamafor years and despite the mystique,it’s basically another camp shtick– a meaningful one for the par-ticipants – but mainly a unifyingone for the whole camp.” New wings of welcome

The latest in a long line of Indian-inspired thunderbirds greets allthose approaching Tamakwa’s shores. BY DARA GALLINGER

What is public is the elaborateand quite beautiful ceremony forthe entire camp on the Slope. Bythe light of simple torches, the cer-emony on the Slope when the se-nior-most Chief (Libby) asks fora sign from Wakonda, the nativegod. Being the good spirit that heis, Wakonda answers with a spon-taneously-ignited campfire. Thebraves (inductees) are put to acouple of tests including having todefine words like “humility” or“cooperation” or “responsibility.”Once they have passed the tests,each is given an Indian name de-picting their character. For ex-ample, Brandon, Dylan and Mikewere named Great Blue Heron,Tame Turtle, and Smirking Squir-rel respectively.

With such a storied past, theBeaver Council will no doubt havean equally illustrious future, pro-viding for many more Tamagamaceremonies to inspire the campersand staff. If Beaver Council is oneof Tamakwa’s longest-standingtraditions, Tamagama remains oneof its best-kept secrets. And we allknow how long most things re-main a secret at camp.

DEJA VU? Can you identify the person standing in this photofrom the late 1940s? Hint: as you can see from his shirt, thecounselor was a track and field runner in those days. He haskept on the move ever since. As a successful New York-basedpublishing magnate, he travels the world. STOP. Neverforgetting his Tamakwa roots, he keeps us posted on his travels.STOP. He manages to send us a telegram along the way fromevery STOP. (Answer on page 15.)

always been a Thunderbird atTamakwa peering out to greetcampers, staff and visitors. In the1960s it was a mere two thin stickscovered by canvas painted to looklike a Thunderbird. The designhas certainly come a long way.

Ric, Len, and Ken carved thenew Thunderbird out of two byeight cedar boards laminated to-gether. Ric’s wife, Libby, paintedthe body and Brandon Boylepainted the wings. The design

came directly from the creativemind of Ric who insists that itdoes not represent anything spe-cific.

Native Indians however seethe Thunderbird as a personifica-tion of the energies in nature andthe bird is considered highly de-sirable all over the world. Giventhe beauty of Tamakwa’s site onSouth Tea, it’s no wonder theThunderbird has chosen it as hispermanent home.

If your mom told you one dayyour name would be up therein lights…well, she was half

right. We don’t know about thelights, but your name iscertainly up there…onthe 2002 camp plaque. Itwill forever hang fromthe dining hall raftersalongside plaques fromevery camp season goingback to Tamakwa’s firstin 1937.

Each year’s plaque isa highly valued piece ofhistory, documenting ev-ery camper and staffmember who attendedthat year. Each is also apiece of artwork; typi-cally the project of the artdirector. 2002 is no ex-ception; this one was thecreation of Vicky Mann(with help from Wood-work Director Ric vonNeumann), who usedwood sculpture to depictan aerial map of camp.

Plaque and brightand read all over

Defining leadership

Guess who! Place a face from way back

Freshly minted symbol of the 2002 summertakes its rightful place in Dining Hall.

It was the catch of theday, or more precisely

of the season. MitchellShecter was a happycamper when in earlyAugust he managed tosnag this 18-inch smallmouth bass under thewatchful eye of HeadFisherman AaronStoudt. Throughout thesummer, the fish werejumping in AlgonquinPark as Tamakwa’sfishing program en-joyed a major resur-gence of interest, nodoubt also thanks toAaron’s infectious pas-sion for the pastime.

Hook,line andsinker

You can see everything fromVoyageur Point to Robbie’sPoint…but don’t strain your eyes;there are no skinny-dippers.

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It’s 6:10 pm and after a long dayof activities, campers and staffcongregate outside the Dining

Hall porch. They eagerly awaitTamakwa’s traditional four-wordcall to dine: “COME AND GETIT!” As soon as a senior stafferutters the command, Tamakwansinvade the Dining Hall. Each per-son rushes through the porch doorsto find a seat at their cabin table.After “grace”, servers emergefrom the kitchen, their food cartsladen with food. The feasting isabout to begin.

Appearances to the contrary,dining at Tamakwa has a certaincharm to it. As a rookie staff mem-ber, my first regular meal at campproved quite an experience. Tiredfrom an afternoon helping mycampers unpack their bags, I ex-pected to sit down to a nice, relax-ing dinner with my new kids.

Foolish me. Dinner was any-thing but tranquil. Amid the shuf-fling of food carts, passing of foodtrays, constant calls of “Pass theketchup, please” and requests forseconds, came loud chanting andcheering from each section of theDining Hall. With slight varia-tions, that’s pretty much what Iquickly came to anticipate everymeal.

If the full-spirited ambiance isinviting, the food itself is no lessenticing. Head Chef Guy Tetreaultand his staff of 15 work tirelessly,much of it in the hot kitchen, tokeep Tamakwans well fed. To thatend, they spend several hours pre-paring each meal, and cleaning upafterwards.

“It’s no easy challenge to a feeda camp for an entire summer andto keep everybody satisfied,” saysGuy. “There are more than 400 dif-ferent tastes and preferences. Ev-eryone wants something special.”

This summer, in his continu-ing effort to accommodate the va-riety of palates, Guy introducedseveral innovations to the menu in-cluding chicken potpie andchicken balls at meals and choco-late fingers and chicken fingers forevening snacks. The Chinese stir-fry dinner was one of the mostpopular of the summer. Shephard’s

Feeding 450 hungry Tamakwans three times a day, seven days a weekis no simple operation. But thanks to Guy Tetreault and his devotedteam, dining at Tamakwa is a positive experience. BY LAUREN MALLIN

A tall order

pie left Tamakwans more divided,triggering both positive and nega-tive reactions to this fine blend ofground beef, onions, creamed cornand mashed potatoes.

For my part, I stuck mostly tovegetarian fare for the summer.

GrowingIt was six years ago, during my firstsummer at Tamakwa, and I dis-tinctly remember sitting on theSlope in awe as I watched the Se-nior Girls deliver their speeches atthe Friday services. I thought thatthe Senior Girls were the coolestpeople on earth. I looked up tothem and admired everything theydid. They were the oldest and wis-est, the ones who all the girlswanted to be.

To think that I am now a Se-nior Girl shows how fast time hasflown by and how much we havegrown. Tamakwa has played ahuge part in the growing up pro-cess in my life. Returning hereevery year has allowed me to makefriendships and experience thingsI never thought possible. Thepeople I have met here have pro-foundly influenced my life andhelped me to grow to be the per-son I am today.- Alana Faintuch, 15, Cabin 49-6

First ExperiencesSitting on my bed at Rest Hour, Itried to think of what to preparefor my Friday service speech. Forinspiration, I thought of thespeeches I had heard in previousyears. Things like “Hello, myname is so and so and this is my8th year at Tamwaka,” or “When Iwas told about our topic, I wasstumped…” were of no help. Thiswas my first time writing a Fridaynight speech.

Thinking back to my earlyyears as a Tamakwan, I realizedthat I never paid much attention atthe Friday services. But as I grow

Every Friday evening, campers chose adifferent theme and spoke about it as partof the Shabbat service. Here is a selection.

older and my time as a camperdwindles, the importance of reflec-tion dawns on me. I now realizethat Friday evenings are not merelya meal at which we are not allowedto cheer but a time for lookingback on our experiences of thesummer and elsewhere, and think-ing of the week to come. This be-ing my first time writing a speechfor the Friday service, I hope thatwhat I have said inspires you toreflection and thought, and not onthe path that I previously took.- Solomon Klein, 15, Cabin V-5

KindnessKindness is hip, kindness is funIn your priorities, make it numberone.If you’re unkind, you won’t suc-ceed.You’ll be in the back, not in thelead.Kindness is something youshouldn’t lack.When you are kind, you’ll get itall back.Being unkind is very rude.Try to be kind with a good attitude.Have an open heart and an openmind.And always remember to remainkind.Being kind can get you far.That’s the way to be no matter whoyou are.Be kind at Tamakwa, be kind athome.Thanks for listening and ShabbatShalom.- Alana Romoff, 13, Lauren Dia-mond, 13, and Stephanie Gooel,13, all from Cabin 49-2/3

How how

One my favorite dishes was theGreek salad. I also appreciated thatstaple food items such as salad andpeanut butter and jelly were al-ways just a call away from anyserver. To break up the schedule,both cookouts and shore lunchesadded another appetizing dimen-sion to the camp menu.

Guy, 42, made his debut atTamakwa in the mid-1980s, work-ing as a chef for the camp’s previ-ous catering service. He leftTamakwa to open his own restau-rants in Hunstville and near NorthBay before returning toTamakwa’s kitchen in 1999 whenhe formed his own company, WestPark Catering. Now he’s owner,operator and on-premises chef athis one and only summer client –Camp Tamakwa.

In the off-season, Guy lives inHuntsville, working at the nearbyDeerhurst Resort as a banquet chefand also taps trees and makesmaple syrup at the resort’s SugarShack. This year, his daughters,Rebecca (TB3) and Olivia (P1),joined him at camp.

As the summer progressed, Icame to appreciate the dining ex-perience at Tamakwa. The foodwas generally quite tasty and thekitchen’s efficiency was impres-sive, to say nothing of the livelyambiance in the Dining Hall.Looking ahead to life back in thecity, a meal without the buzz of theDining Hall is going to be mightylifeless compared to camp. Eat-ing just won’t be the same.

Just think; it all had to comeover first on the barge

What afeast!

It takes a lot of food to feed alot of hungry Tamakwans.During the two months ofcamp, here is what campersand staff consumed, amongother things:

2,000 liters of milk2,050 boxes of cereal16,000 eggs12,800 chicken balls6,000 grilled cheese sandwiches1,600 kilos of mashed potatoes390 kilos of margarine1,120 kilos of flour22,400 homemade cookies8400 liters of bug juice288 liters of ketchup160 liters of jam4,800 oranges3,200 bananas3,200 popsicles160 liters of ice cream80,000 napkins

Or rather “Good afternoon...” Everyday after lunch, campers and staffget a rest. And so does the decibel level, as camp empties and the

kids retire to their cabins for Rest Hour. But the airwaves of Tamakwa atthat hour are filled with more than just the yodel of loons and the squawkof a raven. If your radio is tuned to 100.1 FM, you’re likely to hear the Voiceof Tamakwa announcing, "You are listening to C.A.M.P. Radio, the Beaver."

This summer, in keeping with a grand old tradition, veteran on-air hostDavid Stringer (right) and Jamie Kudlats , along with various camper DJs ,served up a daily broadcast of news, interviews, comic repartee, musicand assor ted camp shtick from the studio near the Half Cour t.

Goo-oo-ood morning, Camp Tamakwa!

8

Fall 2002South Tea EchoSouth Tea Echo

9

Fall 2002 South Tea EchoFall 2002

10


It’s one thing to beat Tamakwa longenough to enter theexclusive Bar Mitz-

vah club – no small feat, actually.But it’s another thing altogetherto celebrate being at camp for 30years. This summer, twoTamakwa women, both pillars ofcamp life, marked this rare mile-stone with little fanfare. Just thinkof all the camp food they’ve hadto consume all those years.

After three decades on SouthTea, Marilyn Mendelson andLibby Sadick von Neumann haveearned their bragging rights. Truthis both are too modest to want todraw attention to themselves.That’s where I came in.

I coerced them,I twisted theirarms, I beggedthem, I threatenedthem, I appealed totheir spin-doctors,I promised ob-scene amounts ofmoney if only theywould agree tospeak to the SouthTea Echo on theoccasion of theirhistoric year. Fi-nally, they couldtake it no more andrelented. Theironly condition:that the interviewbe limited to tenquestions.

Given their prominence atcamp, Marilyn and Libby needlittle introduction. But for therecord, and for those readers newto Tamakwa, Marilyn is the As-sistant Director who first beganworking at camp in 1969 as a sec-retary before becoming CIT Di-rector and then Assistant CampDirector. In the early 1980s, shereceived several years off for good

After checking the calendar, Marilyn and Libbyrealized that the 2002 summer had special

meaning for them – but kept the mediaguessing. By ROBERT SARNER

He is Tamakwa’s el-der statesman, if forno other reason thanhaving spent far more

summers at camp than anyoneelse. David Stringer is many thingsto Tamakwa – including creativemaven and technical whiz – butthis year he added an impressivenew credential to his camp bio.

Sure, Marilyn andLibby each have justchalked up summernumber 30 at Tamakwa, and thecamp paid tribute to sixTamakwans who marked their Baror Bat Mitzvah here but all thatpales next to David’s feat of en-durance on South Tea.

Since age 2, David has been atTamakwa every summer exceptone, but who’s count-ing? We are, of course.Otherwise we wouldn’tbe giving him so muchink in this issue. Aftercompleting his 50th sum-mer at camp, we figuredwe could devote a half-page to him.

David was born intoone of Tamakwa’sfounding families 52years ago. His father,Omer Stringer, was withLou Hanlder when thetwo discovered the sitefor Tamakwa in 1936and helped Unca Louestablish the camp.David grew up in Detroituntil age 10 when hemoved with his family toToronto, where he stilllives today in the off-season. Buthe has always spent most if not allof each summer on South Tea. Theonly exception was in 1964 whenhe worked at a tourist lodge inMichigan.

At Tamakwa, David has per-formed countless duties over theyears. He is most famous for histechnical wizardry and theHollywoodian special effects thathe creates for Colour War breaksand other special events. David isalso the main man behind thecamp’s radio and a talented musi-cian, often playing guitar or pianoat camp functions. His talents as aTV and video producer are evidentin the many movies he’s made ofcamp life. Last year, he producedTamakwa’s first-ever CD-ROM.

In honour of his benchmark

summer, David agreed to answera few questions about his illustri-ous first half-century at Tamakwa,much of it as Associate Director. What is your oldest memory ofbeing at Tamakwa?

There is a big rock in front ofthe Condo at the gateway to BoysCamp. I can still remember play-ing on that rock when I was about3. The earliest picture I have ofmyself at Tamakwa is when I was2 in 1952.What is your favorite spot atcamp?

The Slope. It’s the lake thatI’ve been looking at all my life.There is something special aboutthe view from there – the sky, thetrees, the lake, even if the high-way wrecks it a bit.

What is your favorite food atcamp?

The hamburger is what I lookforward to most. It’s slightlynaughty, tastes great, has just theright amount of grease, mustard,relish, onion… God, I want onenow. My second favorite: coldcuts with tuna fish.What is the most important les-son of life you’ve learned atTamakwa over the years?

Even if I still haven’t learnedit well, it is: “That’s camp.” Wehave to learn to constantly makedo. We don’t have the stuff weactually need. Things go wrongbecause everything is a temporarysetup at camp. We’re only in busi-ness for eight weeks. Communi-cation inevitably has to breakdown because, at the pace of life

behavior. A Detroit native, she re-turned to Tamakwa in 1986 asAssistant Director and since then,whether at camp during the sum-mer or in the Michigan office dur-ing the off-season, Marilyn is in-dispensable to the running ofTamakwa.

Originally from Trenton,Michigan, Libby first came toTamakwa in 1973 as a camper fol-lowing the lead of her brother Billand sister Sue and has spent ev-ery summer here ever since. As astaff member, Libby has held vir-tually every position at camp shortof being camp director. She hasbeen a counsellor, section head,tripper, tripping director, photog-rapher, boat driver, gopher, main-

tenance assistantand even helpedrun the kitchenone summer. Noless important, shewas also a secre-tary of the BeaverCouncil. This yearin addition to be-ing Pioneer Sec-tion Head, Libbyprepared the slideshow based mostlyon her photos,many of which shealso supplied tothe Tamakwa website and the SouthTea Echo.

Camp wouldnot be the same

without Marilyn and Libby. Theirtireless devotion to Tamakwa,both its campers and staff and tothe site itself, are so intrinsicallylinked to the heart and soul ofTamakwa.

After yielding to the enormouspressure from the South Tea Echo,Marilyn and Libby separately an-swered the following 10 ques-tions.

here, you assume somebody elsealways does a certain thing a cer-tain way. Or that we’ve been do-ing a thing a certain way and thenit all falls apart when it all comestogether because everybody madethe same assumptions. There’s notime for communication. It allboils down to: “That’s camp.”You just have to learn to relax andtake it as it’s coming.What is your most enduringmemory of Unca Lou?

He really didn’t let thingsbother him. I wish I were as goodas he was at brushing off troubleand terrible worries. And I sawhim through many of them, somefinancial, some personal. I reallyremember Lou as the guy whoknew how to take it. I never saw

him fall apart.What is your favoriteactivity at camp?

Sleeping, but I don’tget to do enough of it. Iam not really paid forany specific activity. I’mpaid to be here and totake the blame for any-thing that goes wrong.That’s my job descrip-tion.What is your claim tofame at Tamakwa?

Being the first pianoplayer without a RoyalConservatory degreeand the first piano playerat camp to not playsomething classical forMeditation.What is your favoriteColour War break?

In recent memory, it wouldhave to be in 1998 when we sankthe Titanic across from the Slope.It was a beautiful thing. Ken El-der built us a fantastic Titanic,with half of the ship facing straightdown into the lake, with its pro-pellers up and portholes lit. Wehad people in the water with oldlifejackets screaming in agony fortheir lives, with lots of fog. All thecamp was brought to the Slope alittle after midnight.

They then saw the Titanic godown while we played a verycreepy soundtrack including ametallic ripping sound to simulatethe rivets breaking loose in the icywaters of the North Atlantic.There was also a floating thingwith a twirly light that went roundand round.

STAYING

First Tamakwan ever to mark 50 summers on South Tea.

Wonderwomen

Marilyn in a familiar pose, on the office porch.

Every camp should have a David Stringer but Tamakwa is luckyto be the only one that does. BY ROBERT SARNER

Half a century high

11


Each summer atTamakwa of courseis special but someare more so for cer-

tain people. This summer was anextraordinary one for BrandonAlexandroff, Lesley Bishin, MarkCooper, Lindsay Goldenberg, LisaKantor and Jason Riback. Eachcelebrated his or her 13th year atTamakwa, which pays tribute tosuch loyalty and devotion.

In the Jewish tradition, the13th

year in one’s life is a milestone.Boys and girls celebrate it with aBar or Bat Mitzvah, symbolizingthe transition from childhood intoearly adulthood.

At Tamakwa, a camp Bar orBat Mitzvah represents a person’s13th summer on South Tea. It is anhonour awarded to such veteransfor their growth and commitmentto Tamakwa’s core values and tra-ditions. The high point takes placeon the Slope where friends andrelatives of the honourees join theentire camp in a touching Fridayevening ceremony.

“It really meant a lot to me thatmy family could see howTamakwa has such a special pres-ence in my life,” says LesleyBishin, about this summer’s cer-emony. “It was important that theycould be at the Slope and see camp

Taking the jacketin its truest form.”

The idea of celebrating a campBar Mitzvah dates back 35 yearsand began almost as a joke. In1967, for an evening program,camp did a take-off on an old TVgame show to celebrate BruceCanvasser’s 13th summer atTamakwa. Entitled This is YourLife Bruce Canvasser, his familyand friends surprised him by par-ticipating in the game show. Thateventually led to the first camp Barand Bat Mitzvahs that were morelike roasts, silly and a bit of amockery. When David “Goody”Goodman celebrated his 13th sum-mer at Tamakwa, he received abasketball. Only later, with ReggieSidell, did the ceremonies becomemore significant, honouring theperson and his or her contributionto Tamakwa.

In 1978, Gary Frankel, a dedi-cated camper, counselor and ca-noeist who had a major impact onTamakwa, celebrated his campBar Mitzvah. In his honour, sev-eral close Tamakwans awardedhim his own cedar and canvas ca-noe. This tradition followed forCamp Directors Vic Norris in1983 and Dave Bale in 1984.

Other related customs alsotook hold. In 1985, with the BatMitzvah of Libby Sadick von

What is the biggest difference be-tween Tamakwa today and whenyou first set foot here?

Marilyn: Parents. They aremuch more involved and more de-manding today. They are muchmore interested in knowing whattheir children are doing at campand what we’re doing with them.

Libby: More campers, moreactivities, more trips and morePopsicles than back then.Funniest memory at Tamakwa?

Marilyn: One summer in theearly 1970s, the entire Head Stafftook the morning off pretendingto have gone on a canoe trip(shrecked camp) leaving me atcamp to quickly come up with anall day-program. We called itWoodstock Day. It was an all-dayprogram created in about 20 min-utes with the help of Roger Brownand Ed Sachse. Ron Sherman wasalso involved. He played the doc-tor handing out M&Ms. Theevening program ended up withthe creation of Woodstock atTamakwa. We all had an incred-ibly wonderful day, playing andlaughing a lot. Both the campersand staff had a great time.

Libby: Every summer has itshilarious moments. In 1974, I wasin 49er-1 and Candi Sherman wasmy counselor. We loved Candi butwe couldn’t stand our SeniorCounselor. We were in the oldOpeongo, which was a “pos-sessed” cabin, and we were pos-sessed children in that cabin. Onenight while they were gone, wehopped over the Counselors’ quar-ters wall, locked the door from theinside, and proceeded to toilet pa-per the hell out of their quarters.Then we hopped back over thewall so when they got back to thecabin, they couldn’t get in to theirroom. It was a riot. We felt badlyfor Candi but we really didn’t careabout the Senior Counselor.Best lesson of life learned atTamakwa?

Marilyn: How to cope whileliving with 400 other people. Be-ing at Tamakwa does that for you.In truth, it’s been a long time sinceI learned something new here. Ev-

erything is so ritualistic at camp.Everything repeats itself, the onlything that changes are the faces.

Libby: That you don’t have tolike everybody but that you stillcan get along with everybody.That’s a biggee for me and Ilearned that at Tamakwa.What do you miss most aboutUnca Lou not still being aroundat camp?

Marilyn: His playing the vio-lin. Unca Lou’s passion was hisviolin. He didn’t play it well but itwas just a pleasure to watch himenjoy trying to play it. He playedit several times during the summerand would make the children lis-ten, “make” being the key word.

Libby: My first summer atTamakwa was actually Lou’s last.I remember his way with children,his love of this place and his strongdesire for everyone to have theTamakwa experience and appre-ciate the outdoors. I miss the box-ing ring. Thanks to Lou, I learnedhow to box at camp and the im-portance of self-defense.Your favorite time of day atcamp?

Marilyn: Between 6 and 8o’clock in the morning. It’s quietand tranquil for me. The majorityof the world at camp is sleepingand the lake is so peaceful andpretty at that hour.

Libby: Besides Rest Hour,which is self-explanatory, I loveTwilight, free-play just after din-ner. As a camper and staff mem-ber, it’s literally free play, yourtime, your half-hour or howeverlong it is to do your own thing. I’vehad some very intense conversa-tions at that time with campers andstaff because people are lessrushed then. It’s a nice time of day.What does it mean to you to be aTamakwan?

Marilyn: Give me anothersummer to think about that one.

Libby: At this point, my par-ents think it’s a cult. Seriously,that’s a tough question. On mostdays, it’s a good feeling. It meansenjoying nature and learning allsorts of skills I would not havelearned in the city. It also means

that as a staff member, and evenas a camper, helping that one per-son having a difficult moment atcamp or to show them somethingthey never knew before. That’s agood feeling. To be able to say, Ihelped them get over that badhump they were having, or Ihelped teach him how to build afire or to paddle a canoe or towindsurf. If you can get throughto even one person, if you canmake a difference even in oneperson’s life, then that summerwas worth it.Why do you keep coming back toTamakwa after so many years?

Marilyn: The people, and allmy free time. Seriously, I wouldhave to say the people and becauseit’s fun, most of the time.

Libby: It’s the best way tospend a summer that I’ve ever ex-perienced. Bottom line: It’s alwaysbeen fun. You meet new peopleand make new friends. Every sum-mer is different yet the same, if thatmakes sense. And I love being inAlgonquin.What is your favorite aspect of

Algonquin Park?Marilyn: Let’s put it this way.

Tamakwa is probably the only as-pect of Algonquin Park that I re-ally know. During the summer, Idon’t get to leave camp very of-ten. But it’s really pretty here.

Libby: Just the Park itself –the woods, the trees, the lakes, thehistory of it, everything. It’s a won-derful place. Just being able to goaround the Park in a canoe and notsee a vehicle for days. There arevery few places left on earth wherethat can happen amid such beauty.What is your favorite food atcamp?

Marilyn: My favorite staffdining room food is fresh salmonand escargots. My favorite regu-lar camp food is a barbecued hotdog, which is my dinner everyMonday.

Libby: I’d have to say the jellowith the peas and carrots in it. Thatwas a shreck a long time ago.Apart from that, shepard’s pie.

What is the biggest challengeyou ever faced at Tamakwa?

Marilyn: Continuing camp

after Lou and (his sister) Esta Kraftdied in the early 1970s. It was byfar the most difficult thing that I’vehad to do at Tamakwa. To pick upall the pieces and to keep doingwhat had been going on at camp.Lou and Esta were Tamakwa andwhen they passed away, there wasno one here to do it anymore. SoDavid Stringer and I attempted tokeep it going and then Vic(Norris), David (Bale) andHoward (Perlmutter) came.

Libby: Getting camp to agreeto the first girls 13-day canoe trip.In 1976, the Trip Director did notwant the girls to go out on such along trip. There were four of uswho said, why not? I was a seniorcamper and until then the longestgirls trip was a 9-day. The TripDirector said if there were fourgirls he would give us a 10-day butif we got six girls we could have a13-day.

It was a huge challenge to con-vince the Trip Director and to findthe other girls. In the end we did,and ended up having an absoluteriot on that trip.

Neumann, the now customaryRoots leather jacket was presentedfor the first time. Each week, in atradition linked to Unca Lou, adifferent Bar/Bat MitzvahTamakwan is honoured by beinginvited to recite the 23rd Psalm atthe end of the Friday night service.At one time, when the number ofBar and Bat Mitzvah honoureeswas much fewer, the camp alsopresented each person with a cari-cature created by Dave Bale.

“When we first began cel-ebrating camp Bar Mitzvahs, wethought there would only be oneevery few years,” says Vic Norris.“We never expected that there’dbe two a summer, let alone six.”

The event is a moving one forall concerned. “By far, the BarMitzvah ceremony had to be themost overwhelming experience ofmy entire Tamakwa career,” saystripper Mark Cooper. “I will neverforget it.”

There is no way to fully rewardthese six young men and womenfor the huge commitment, joy anddevotion they have brought to theTamakwa family. In the end, theleast we can all say to them isthank you, mazel tov, and howhow on their achievement – and areminder not to take the jacket andrun.

POWER

Libby takes a rare pause on the Slope from her many duties.

Tamakwa hails six young men and women for their contributionsto camp over a 13-year period. BY SAM FLORENCE

12


T here’s something aboutcampers and staff joining insong that makes everybody

feel so nice and warm all over. Nomore so than when the songs areoriginal ones written at camp andperformed in such ear-pleasingharmony under the direction ofAmy Sky.

In July, Amy took time awayfrom her career as a successfulToronto-based singer/songwriterto come to camp to lead a 4-daymusical workshop. Since she firstintroduced the program toTamakwa three years ago, it hasproved increasingly popular. Thistime, Amy helped various cabinsand staffers write 10 new songsand then assisted them in rehears-ing the songs for an evening per-formance that was as memorableas it was melodious.

For all the pleasure campershave learning at the hands of a pro,Amy says she too is a winner inthe process. “It’s amazing what Iget back from working with thekids at Tamakwa ,” says Amy, 41,a Juno Award nominee (Canada’sversion of the Grammys) who hasalso written songs for many inter-national stars. “There’s an old say-ing: ‘When one teaches, twolearn’, and that is absolutely trueat camp.”

Amy derives satisfaction fromthe songwriting workshop on sev-eral levels. “When I’m atTamakwa, the workshop providesa window into the minds of camp-ers,” says Amy who just releasedher 3rd CD. “It lets me discovertheir musical tastes and to seewhat they’re listening to. But I es-pecially love to see kids passion-ate about creating and getting intouch with their inner voice. I callit the authentic voice which is thattransition you make from havingthoughts to giving them a voice,

Getting in tuneTamakwa never sounded so good until

Amy Sky came to camp. BY ROBERT SARNER

to feeling that what you said isimportant to feeling that what yousaid is going to affect other people.And that whole process is what’sinvolved in becoming a writer orany kind of person who translateshuman experience into art orwords or dance or pictures.”

In the past, Tamakwa has of-ten played a seminal role in nur-turing the talents of future stars inthe world of entertainment. Dur-ing the workshop and concert,Amy said several participantsshowed special promise for greatthings down the road.

“Two performers especiallyimpressed me,” says Amy. “Onewas Evany Rosen who I’ve no-ticed in previous years. She playsguitar well, takes her songwritingskills seriously and shows a lot oftalent. Likewise I was impressedby Andrew Haughton who per-formed his own song for the show,and who gave me a copy of his CDwhile I was at camp.”

Amy, whose daughter Zoe wasa Pioneer camper this year, has lotsof links to Tamakwa. Her mother,Sandra Shiner was Swim Direc-tor in the 1950s, as were Amy’ssister and brother in the 1970s and80s. Amy first came to Tamakwain 1975 when she worked as ababysitter for then musical anddrama directors Paul and EstelleSteinhauer.

She did not return until 1996when Dave Bale asked her and herhusband Marc Jordan, also an ac-complished singer/songwriter, toput on a concert for the entirecamp. The concerts eventually ledto Amy’s songwriting workshopand performance, which has nowbecome an annual fixture on thecamp’s programming schedule. Itis a recent Tamakwa tradition, onethat we hope will continue wellinto the future.

Ada Bandalene has a way withTamakwans – a special touch that has long earned

her their respect and affection.Few people can trigger the enthu-siasm from campers and staff thatAda does. This year, like mostsummers since 1949, Ada was atcamp. Though not here for long,she quickly captured everyone’shearts through her various activi-ties and warm, lively presence.

Whether it was in the DiningHall, at Main Camp or on TheSlope, Ada often led the camp ina rousing chorus of singing, cheer-ing, dancing or exercises duringher 8-day stay. Every morning be-fore breakfast, Ada conducted hertrademark Walk and Talk tours ofTamakwa for campers and staff.She also took part in the CIT per-formance in the Rec Hall and lenther voice to other events.

Ada first arrived at Tamakwain 1949 as part of the first-evergroup of female campers. For thenext 30 years, she only missed onesummer on South Tea Lake andthat was due to the birth of her sonin 1958. Among her variousachievements, Ada holds theTamakwa record for the longestreign as head of waterfront, re-

The one and onlyflected in the many plaques in theDining Hall sporting her name.

During her visit in July, Adashared some of her Tamakwa fa-vorites with us: Favorite place incamp? The waterfront. “Probablybecause I spent 16 years on staffworking there.” Favorite item intuck? Sweet Marie candy bar. Besttradition at camp? Gathering at theSlope. “It makes me feel very com-fortable when everybody isbrought together there.” FavoriteTamakwa expression? How how.“That’s because it’s neverchanged. We’ve always said howhow, even back in 1949.” Favor-ite animal at camp or in AlgonquinPark? The bear. “We used to wakeup early and go to the ball-field.Unca Lou always said that if youlisten very quietly, you could seethe animals because nobody wasdisturbing them. We often saw abear or a deer.”

Camp founder Lou Handlerstill looms large in Ada’s memoryeven though it is almost 30 yearssince he passed away. While atcamp this summer, Ada said shethought of Lou frequently. Backhome in Florida, she says Lou isnever far from her thoughts. In thelate 1940s, Lou met Ada in De-

troit at the Jewish CommunityCenter where she was then on theswim team and encouraged her tocome to Tamakwa. She did and itchanged her life.

“There is a special plaquehanging up in the Dining Hallfrom the 1950s,” says Ada. “Ittypifies Unca Lou because it fea-tures him wearing an Indian head-dress. Every Friday night, hewould put that headdress on, godown to the Slope and lead theservice. It is beautiful to see theFriday service tradition still carriedon.”

It’s no surprise that a song hasbeen written in tribute to Ada. It’sentitled There’s Only One AdaBandalene and was penned in1953. Half a century later, it is asapplicable as ever. Ada is truly oneof a kind in the most positive sensepossible.

PASSING

Evany Rosen: A gifted performer

Raising their voices: Campers join Amy Sky in a memorable evening concert that was the culmination of the 4-day songwriting/musical workshop she conducted at Tamakwa in mid-July.

Living legend Ada Bandalene and her incredible exuberance andlove for Tamakwa make the summer complete. BY ROBERT SARNER

13


As Tamakwans assembled onthe Slope, campers stared to-ward the stage in amaze-

ment. Veteran staff members, whothought they had already seen ev-ery possible kind of shtick at campover the years, scratched theirheads in disbelief. This was, afterall, the Slope which for decadeshas hosted animated Colour Warceremonies, exotic evening pro-grams, subdued Friday services,joyous staff meetings, inspirationalfishing classes and other assortedevents. But in early August just af-ter lunch, Tamakwans weregreeted at the venerable site bysomething never seen before onthe shores of South Tea.

Sitting on the stage was a fully-equipped, professional orchestraall the way from the Middle Easttuning their instruments under thedirection of their conductor. Onlya week earlier, the 37 members ofthe highly acclaimed JerusalemYouth Orchestra (JYO) had left Is-rael where such a setting asAlgonquin Park is unthinkable.Senior Director Vic Norris offi-cially welcomed the teenage mu-sicians, who quickly got down todoing what they love to do most.The audience was unusually silentas the orchestra played masterfullyunder the baton of maestro AlbertPiamenta while an Israeli flag flut-tered in the wind behind them.

The JYO arrived at Tamakwafrom Ottawa where they had givena concert as part of a North Ameri-can tour. While in Ottawa, theyheard news of another terroristatrocity in their hometown, atJerusalem’s Hebrew Universitywhere several of the musicians hadrelatives at the time.

For the Israelis, it was their firstvisit to Algonquin Park. The con-trast between Tamakwa’s tranquil

Playing the rightnotes

There was a lot more than music in the air when the Jerusalem YouthOrchestra came to Tamakwa. BY ROBERT SARNER

backdrop and the tense, embattledreality of Jerusalem left the visi-tors in awe – and grateful for thewarm welcome and half-day ofcarefree fun they had at camp.Apart from their concert, the or-chestra members had lunch, wentswimming, kayaking, touredSouth Tea in a war canoe, rode thezip line at the ropes course andspoke with campers.

“Coming to camp was a much-appreciated break for us,” saysLital Belinko, 17, who plays theclarinet in the orchestra. “The daybefore was so stressful because weheard about the attack back homeat Hebrew University where mysister studies. I was so afraid some-thing happened to her until I finallygot through on the phone to myfamily in Jerusalem. At Tamakwa,it was so peaceful and we felt somuch warmth and support fromboth campers and staff.”

For their part, Tamakwans, too,were touched by the visit. “It putthings in perspective for me,” saysMarc Crane, a 15-year old camperfrom Farmington Hills, Michigan.“As someone who worries aboutIsrael, the visit really moved me. Iknow that Israel is going throughsuch a rough period and it mustbe so hard for people there, espe-cially for kids our age. It was sobeautiful to see the Israelis in theserenity of Algonquin Park wherethere are no worries, where theycould have fun, be free and playtheir instruments. It was also agreat experience for Tamakwa.”

The visit was organized by EliRubinstein who heads Toronto’sCongregation Habonim. Eli firstput the idea to Senior DirectorDave Bale, a former resident of Is-rael, who conferred with his part-ner Vic Norris. They agreed thatby hosting the orchestra, Tamakwa

could show, in a symbolic way, itssolidarity with Israel.

“Tamakwa had never experi-enced such a visit before,” saysVic. “There was something spe-cial, even emotional about it. Youcould just feel and see in the eyesof the Israeli kids and in the waythey played the music how impor-tant it was for them to experiencea beautiful safe haven outside ofIsrael such as Tamakwa andAlgonquin Park. You could justsense it, especially when theyplayed Hatikva, (Israel’s nationalanthem). It was really a very emo-tional moment for all of camp.”

That’s putting it mildly for mywife Galya, me and our children.As Tamakwa’s resident family thissummer from Israel, who when notat camp live – like the orchestra –in Jerusalem, the visit was espe-cially poignant. We were thrilledto be able to help host the JYO atTamakwa. They made us feel ex-tremely proud of Israel, proud tocall it home.

As part of their Algonquin so-journ, the Israelis followed up theirTamakwa experience with a visitto the nearby Bonita cottage whereex-Tamakwans and Roots owners,Don Green and Michael Budman,hosted the visitors for a barbecuedinner, an overnight sleepover atthe site and water sports the nextmorning.

Exactly 24 hours after arrivingin Algonquin, the JYO’s dream-like stay at Tamakwa and Bonitaended as the troupe left by bus forToronto for their final performanceof the tour. Three days later, theJYO returned to Israel where sev-eral of the musicians, both guysand girls, must now suspend theirmusical career to begin their com-pulsory two or three-year army ser-vice in defense of their country.

As anniversaries go, it’s ad-mittedly not the biggest oneon the 2002 Tamakwa cal-

endar. Still, several people atcamp noted that August markedexactly 10 years since a troupe ofHollywood actors, technicians andassorted hangers-on disembarkedon the shores of South Tea to makeIndian Summer.

A decade later, not only doesthe movie live on in video rentalstores around the world but thereare also still many traces at campof what the producers left behindin October 1992 after two monthsof filming.

“It’s hard for me to come backto South Tea Lake and not thinkof the making of Indian Summer,”says Mike Binder, 44, the writerand director of the movie and aformer Tamakwan who paid abrief visit tocamp this sum-mer. “Although Iam not totallysatisfied with theway the movieended up, I’mhappy with whatit did forTamakwa, in-cluding improv-ing it physically.That’s extremelyimportant in life,something Ilearned fromUnca Lou –which is youshould alwaysleave a camp site in a better statethan you found it.”

During the filming, Tamakwaunderwent many physical changesto make camp more cinematic.Objects such as the swim tower,the Thunderbird and the Lou Han-dler plaque in the dining hall, wereredone, copied or renovated. Be-fore Indian Summer, the swimtower was a box-looking shapewhich the producers felt was notattractive enough for the film.

“For design ideas, the set de-signers looked at old photos fromthe 1940s of the swim tower andother camp icons,” says Co-Direc-

Film director Mike Binder revisits Tamakwaand discovers that ten years later Indian

Summer’s impact on camp lives on.BY JULIE EISEN

tor Dave Bale. “Thanks to thefilm, the tower was rebuilt andvastly improved from the old oneand still benefits the camp. Otherthings such as the covered bridge,which was rebuilt this year, andthe Nature Center were built es-pecially for the movie and still re-main part of camp today.”

Traces from the movie set con-tinue to resurface a decade laterin unexpected ways. “Fake treeswere cemented in to make theplace look more like real fall,”says Libby Sadick von Neumann,who was at camp for most of thefilming. “Every once in a whileyou can still find some artificialleaves that were left behind nearGirls Hill behind the laundry shed,at the trip docks or by theBeachers.”

The movie, produced byDisney, tells alargely fictionalstory, but its last-ing impact isreal. Thanks tothe film, peoplestill contact theTamakwa officeafter finding it onthe internet.

“Indian Sum-mer putTamakwa on themap like neverbefore,” says Co-Director VicNorris. “Tenyears later, it re-mains a wonder-

ful part of camp history, not tomention that many of the struc-tures still stand as symbols ofTamakwa’s landscape, most nota-bly the swim tower.”

Indian Summer captured campin such a way that it lives on inthe hearts of both formerTamakwans and strangers aroundthe world. “The film is a docu-ment of camp life, a part ofTamakwa history, indelibly im-printed for others to see and ulti-mately get a sense of some ofcamp’s lore,” says Dave Bale.

Maybe it’s about time for thesequel.

THROUGH...

Mike Binder returns to where hemade Indian Summer in 1992.

Producers improved infrastructure including the covered bridge.

A decadedown the road

14


Nothing beats good neigh-bors, especially when theyare Tamakwa alumni.

Although their days at campended long ago, they are neverfar from South Tea in theirhearts. When summer comes, it’snot just in their hearts.

Collectively, they spentdecades at Tamakwa and that’swhere their love affair withAlgonquin Park began. Thatpassion never ended as they havespent most of their adult sum-mers at cabins and cottages inthe Park. We’re glad they’vestayed nearby and appreciatetheir continuing support of campand warm friendship.

In August, many of theseTamakwa alumni and Algonquinaficionados got together atBonita to share some old talesover dinner. It was a first-classroster. From left to right in thephoto below they are:

GERRY “HERK” COOPERIn the most Algonquin intro-

duction possible at Tamakwa,Herk’s first summer at camp wasas a tripper in 1963. His last yearat camp was in 1969 and by thenhe was incurably hooked on thearea. In the mid-1970s, he startedcoming regularly again to the Park,staying at a friend’s cabin until1987 when he acquired a cabin onSmoke Lake.

“The Park was always a realrefuge for me,” says Herk, 58, alawyer in Toronto. “The ambiance,the canoe tripping, everythingabout it struck a chord in me. UncaLou was definitely influential. In1964, when I was Swim Director,he made a special effort to take mewith him when he went to visitvarious places in the Park. Heknew and understood that I wasinterested in the Park and he en-couraged it.” Herk’s son Mark wasa tripper at Tamakwa this summerwhile his daughter Rebecca wasCIT director

MICHAEL BUDMANMichael spent 13 summers on

South Tea, starting in 1956 as aForester camper and ending hisTamawka career as a section headin 1969. “Being at Tamakwa wasone of the most important thingsthat ever happened to me,” saysMichael, 56, co-owner of Roots.“I really loved it but when my timethere was up then it became moreof a love affair with AlgonquinPark.”

In 1968, on a tip from UncaLou, Michael bought a small cabinon the eastern shore of SmokeLake, which is still his home awayfrom home in the summer. In1996, Michael and his partner DonGreen acquired a lease on nearbyBonita Lake and created a guestfacility that they often make avail-able to Tamakwa for camp func-tions. This summer, Michael’s sonMatthew and daughter Alex wereboth at Tamakwa.

BERNIE GOLDMANAs a Forester counselor in his

second summer at Tamakwa in1956, one of Bernie’s campers wasa 10-year-old from Detroit. Hisname was Michael Budman. Thir-teen years later, Michael played a

Tamakwans in the ‘hood’key role in helping Bernie get hisown cabin on Smoke Lake. “Af-ter I was at Tamakwa, I could notget Algonquin out of my system,”says Bernie, 66, a top cardiac sur-geon in Toronto. “I was deter-mined to keep spending my sum-mers up there and thanks to mycabin I’m still in Algonquin everyyear.” Bernie spent four summersas a Tamakwa staff member in the1950s before returning as thecamp’s doctor for a few seasonsin the early 1960s.

RENAH BARDENSTEINAlong with her husband Max,

Renah has a strong affinity forAlgonquin Park. She was only atTamakwa for two summers (a pia-nist and counselor in 1950 and 51)but it was enough to kindle a life-long passion for the area. “Beforecoming to Tamakwa, I had neverbeen to a place like AlgonquinPark,” says Renah, 71, a formerpiano teacher and the mother offour. “The area is so beautiful, sospecial, almost mystical, that it getsinto your system and you just wantto keep coming back here.” SinceRenah and Max built their cabinin 1968 next to Unca Lou’s formercabin on the Oxtongue Channel,they have spent all of their sum-mers close to Tamakwa, and arefrequent visitors to camp.

MAX BARDENSTEINOf all of Tamakwa’s neigh-

bors, Max can say his history inthe area goes back the farthest. Hefirst came to South Tea in 1947when he worked as Land SportsDirector. He returned in 1949 as asection head and in 1950 and 1951he was co-Head Counselor.

“I fell in love with the Parkfrom the first day that I saw it in1947,” says Max, 74, a retired or-thopedic surgeon in Detroit. “Oneof the things that some of us onstaff talked about at the time wasto one day have our place in thePark.” He finally realized hisdream in 1968 when Unca Lou

offered Max and his wife a placefor a cabin near his on the Ox-tongue Channel not far from camp.To this day, Max and Renah spendtheir summers there and often visitcamp to say hello.

GARY TAERKStarting in 1965 when he was

a CIT until 1969 when he was atripper, Gary spent five consecu-tive summers at Tamakwa. Itwould be another 20 years beforeGary was to have a summer baseagain in Algonquin Park. In 1989,he bought a cabin on Smoke Lakewhere he still spends as much timeas possible with his family.

“Tamakwa played a seminalrole in my love for the Park,” saysGary, 53, a psychiatrist in Toronto.“Being in Algonquin is a state ofmind. It also brings back memo-ries of a special time in my life.Being up here helps perpetuateand nurture those positive feelings.I am thankful to have been able tointroduce my wife and children toAlgonquin.” This summer, Gary’sson Evan was a tripper atTamakwa.

DON GREENLittle did Don know when he

was a camper at Tamakwa in 1963and 1964, that it and Algonquin

Standing tall in Algonquin Park (left to right): Herk Cooper, Michael Budman, Bernie Goldman, Renah Bardenstein, Max Bardenstein, Gary Taerk and Don Green.

Knock, knock...Who’s there? Is it any surprise that some of the finest former campers and staff have stayedclose to the source of their best summer memories? BY ROBERT SARNER

Park would eventually lead him toleave his native Detroit and moveto Canada for good. A dream sum-mer job as Water Boy for the De-troit Lions kept Don away fromcamp until 1969 when he workedon the water skiing staff. For thenext 12 years, he spent summersat Smoke Lake with his friend andfuture partner Michael Budman atthe latter’s cabin. That’s wherethey laid the groundwork forRoots in 1973. In 1987, after rent-ing a place for several years in thearea, Don and his family boughttheir current cabin on SmokeLake.

“I really fell in love withAlgonquin Park and nature in1969,” says Don, 53. “Since then,Algonquin has played an impor-tant part in my development, lead-ing to many good things. There isa very strong connection betweenTamakwa, Algonquin, Roots andmy life.” This summer, Don’sdaughters Sophie and Deeva wereat Tamakwa, the first as a counse-lor, the second as a camper.

* * * * *Absent from the photo but also

present in the neighborhood:Charles “Husky” Tator and

Carol Tator met at Tamakwa,eventually married and raisedthree children who went toTamakwa. They have a cabin onSmoke Lake next to Bernie andFran Goldman and visit camp ev-ery summer. Husky, 65, a top neu-rosurgeon in Toronto, worked asa counselor and section head in1956-58 and then returned in 1966as camp doctor. Carol, 62, a racerelations consultant and professorin Toronto, began her Tamakwacareer as a camper in 1949, (thefirst season Tamakwa acceptedfemale campers), and spent thenext nine summers on South Teabefore retiring with the rank ofsenior counselor.

“My love of Tamakwa wastransferred to my love for my wifeand together we have loved thePark ever since,” says Husky.

Inspired by their time at Tamakwa, former campers and staff and their spousesspend as much of their summers as possible close to South Tea. (Clockwise fromtop left:) Michael and Diane Budman; Max and Renah Bardenstein; Bernie and FranGoldman with friends, and Don and Denyse Green all remain true to the Park.

15


D’oh, Raimi

If you think it’s quiet when thecampers and staff leaveTamakwa in late August,

you’re right; it is very quiet. Butnot for long.

When the leaves start chang-ing colours, the bugs are gone, andthe Northern Lights put on theirbest show. That’s September, oneof the finest times to be inAlgonquin. Tamakwa’s doors arestill open to groups that rent thefacility. We’ve done it all: schoolgroups, recreational clubs, confer-ences, corporate retreats, and evena wedding.

After our annual alumni PostCamp, Tamakwa has become ahome to school groups fromToronto, including the annual fallretreat of the Bishop StrachanSchool (BSS), the Mabin Schoola few years ago, and this fall, stu-dents from Weston Collegiate In-stitute. With hikes to DrummerLake, war canoe journeys to Ca-noe Lake’s Tom Thomson memo-rial, ropes course training, artclasses, evening programs on theSlope, and late night campfires, thestudents spend a few days tradingin their textbooks for outdoor rec-reation and a bit of that oldTamakwa spirit.

“It’s way better than sitting ina classroom,” says Gaylen Burke,a grade 9 student at Weston. “It’sso beautiful at Tamakwa and now

What a lodge, what aplace for retreats

In the off-season, rental groups always wanna,wanna use Tamakwa. BY DAVE BALE

I know what ‘biffy’ means.”For many years, Tamakwa was

home base for the Sunrise YouthGroup, a non-profit program foryoung people with developmentalhandicaps. Their week on SouthTea each year allowed them to ex-perience Algonquin's pleasures –canoeing, fishing, sports and otherthings – that kids without specialneeds often take for granted. Theramps and rails on some of thecamp’s facilities were installed tofacilitate wheelchair access forSunrise.

The Council of Outdoor Edu-cators of Ontario found Tamakwato be a superb venue for one of itsannual conferences. A typical dayincluded waking up early for amisty morning canoe paddle,breakfast in front of a cracklingfire in the dining hall hearth, out-door cooking session at theBeachers, slide show in the RecHall after dinner and a barge rideat midnight to watch an incredibledisplay of Northern Lights.

“Where else can you do all thatin a day?” asks one organizer. “Be-sides, the ropes course is excellentfor team building, not to mentionthe great food.”

We’re always networking. Ifyou are involved with schools,businesses, or organizations look-ing for an outdoor center up inAlgonquin, Tamakwa is the place.

Young folks, old folks, alumni, campers, parents, and staff: Please send us – or update – your current email address. If you don’thave one, we’ll settle for your postal address.

We want to keep in touch with you, whether it’s with news for alumni,for staff, or for campers and parents about the coming summer. To makethis easy, visit the “Carving Log” section of our website atwww.tamakwa.com/carvinglog_update.htm

By the way, our website is almost like being at camp. Go to the weband use your mouse to log on. You won’t need a pointer to get there, nora windsurf board to surf our site. You’ll experience the SIGHTS (slide-show, screen savers, brochure); the SOUNDS (Tamakwa sound library),and the SMELL (actually no, you’ll have to imagine that) of camp. It’s lotsof fun, loaded with information, and full of nostalgia. It’s also a way foryou to refer new campers, new staff, and new off-season groups toTamakwa.

So, what are you waiting for? While sitting at your computer, you canhave free play at www.tamakwa.com

Have we got news for you! But to get it, you have to send us your emailaddress, made easy by visiting our website.

They're at the Post...They’re off! Post Camp that is, home to the real-life

Indian Summer. BY CRAIG PERLMUTTER

No more hints... Time’s up. Several pages back, wechallenged readers to name the counselor in the vintagephoto. Astute readers and those with a long memoryshould have guessed that the face in question belongs to

none other than the legendary George Hirsch. Following his manysummers at Tamakwa, George went on to a highly successful career asa magazine publisher, and a prolific writer of telegrams. Based in NewYork, George is currently Publisher of Runner’s World. Previously, hewas Publisher of New York Magazine and New Times Magazine andAssistant Publisher of Life International. He was also a foundingsponsor of the New York City Marathon.

Now, can anyone name any of the campers in the photo on page 6?

Imagine being at campand you’re allowed todrink pop and eat candy

anytime you want. Everyperiod is individualchoice... or you can justhave a Z-machine. Thephone booths are open andyou can call your parents(or broker) anytime youwant. There’s campfire ev-ery night. No ETBs. Nocabin cleanup. No counse-lors. Is this heaven? No,it’s called Post Camp and here’sthe catch: it’s just for adults –Tamakwa alumni and friends ofalumni.

After camp, 80 of these luckyfolks reunited on the shores ofSouth Tea for the third year in therevival of this post-season ritual.Post Camp started in the early 60swhen a group of loyal alumni con-vinced “Unca” Lou Handler to letthem spend a few days at camp inlate August reliving their child-hood. That tradition was carried onthrough the 80s by organizers MelBorock and Mickey Golden beforeinterest waned in the 90s. But as

everyone knows, it never wanesat Camp Tamakwa.

So, Matt Egrin and I decidedto see if we could bring it back.Sure enough, we found lots of in-terest among Tamakwans for a re-turn of Post Camp.

“Post Camp was a truly won-derful experience,” says LindaKahan. “It had been 25 yearssince I had last been to camp andthe emotions I felt when werounded the bend and Tamakwafirst came into my sight were un-believable.”

For some, Tamakwa memo-ries seem like a lifetime ago...until

now. “It is often said that youcannot go back to the past,but to me Post Camp provedthat I could go back,” saysDonn Resnick. “The spirit,the people and the facilities(except for relatively minorchanges) were exactly whatI left more than half a cen-tury ago.”

If you think watching 6-21 year olds running aroundcamp smiling and enjoyingthemselves makes it all

worthwhile, you should see the 22-75 year olds doing the exact samething. From morning activities toshore lunches to hikes to Drum-mer Lake to medley marathons toBBQ dinners to crazy evening pro-grams, Post Camp’s busy sched-ule brings Post Campers back totheir Tamakwa roots.

Even those without such roots,like friends of alumni, becomesmitten with Tamakwa. “Yourcamp is one of the best places I’veever been,” says Jen Arkin. “I amonly sorry for never having thoseexperiences as a kid. I am thank-ful I could come to Tamakwa andenjoy what it has to offer.”

Equally, it brings joy to thecamp’s leaders to once again sharecamp with its ‘fanatics’. “Regard-less of their age,” says Senior Di-rector Dave Bale, “they all sing thesame songs, tell the same stories,have the same bonds of friendship,and are just as excited to be hereas the kids today. That’s very grati-fying.”

Matt Egrin and I have enjoyedevery minute of planning PostCamp and we hope to continue toshare Tamakwa with many morePost Campers and friends in thefuture. May the great Post Camperof all good Post Campers be withus ‘til we meet again...

When Sam Raimi was acamper at Tamakwa 30years ago, he had his

counselors climbing the walls.Now he has done the same thingto actor Tobey Maguire.

We’re proud to say that Samwas the director of Spider-Man,last summer’s Hollywoodblockbuster. You’ve prob-ably seen it. If so, did younotice the familiar beaver-cutting-wood emblem upthere on the silver screen?You don’t have to look toohard to spot the Tamakwasweatshirt in Peter Parker’spad. (Hint: in true Tamakwacamper tradition, look onthe floor. The scene must’vebeen shot before cabincleanup.)

A Tamakwa prop hid-den somewhere in his pictures isSam’s way of “winking” to all hisTamakwa pals out there, startingwith the camp T-shirt featured inhis cult classic Evil Dead. (NoTamakwa T-shirt has neverlooked so scary since the timeMatt Herman tried on a sizeSmall.) That film launched Sam’scareer 20 years ago and estab-lished him as one of Hollywood’smost innovative filmmakers.

Of course, we knew him dur-ing the 1970s, first as a 10-year-

old leading Ranger 1 on kitchenraids, to his CIT and counseloryears when he and David “Goody”Goodman institutionalized “ASpot of Humour” as a morningritual, to the hours we spent in hisFranklin, Michigan basementwatching his earliest comic/gory

flicks filmed in Super-8.Since then, we’ve proudly

watched Sam’s “real” films withdelight – and fright – as he becameHollywood's wunderkind of thehorror genre, and further respectedfor creating Darkman and moremainstream films. He producedthe popular Hercules and Xena TVseries. As an actor, he played thebumbling boat driver in MikeBinder’s Indian Summer, filmed atTamakwa.

Sam directed The Quick and

the Dead, A Simple Plan, The Gift,For Love of the Game, and his big-gest project to date Spider-Man forwhich he was pursued by the bigstudio executives to make. As welearned in Spider-Man, withpower comes responsibility. Samlived up to the task by delivering

one of Hollywood’s top boxoffice hits of the year and isalready working on the se-quel.

Another common fea-ture of Sam’s films are hisbrothers, who are alsoTamakwa alumni – Ivanwho co-writes with Sam,and Ted who acts. But whatevery one of his films hasare the signature elements ofSam’s humour and cin-ematic flare. As a camper hewas funny, original, and ad-

venturous. As a filmmaker, he’sexactly the same.

On canoe trips in Algonquin– even in his adult life – he hasbeen the master storyteller aroundthe campfire at night, keeping allof us either cracking up or in sus-pense on the edges of our log seats.Now, he does the same for massaudiences including thousands ofloyal Raimi “fanatics”. The onlydifference is, now the darkenedmovie theatre is his campsite – andthe seats are more comfortable.

Director Sam Raimi on the set of Spider-Man

From Ranger 1 to Hollywood, Tamakwa alumnus Sam Raimi –like Spider-Man – scales new heights. BY DAVE BALE

Mystery guest revealed

BSS girls feeling beat on hike to Drummer Lake.

CITs of 1977: Still doing land duty 25 years later – and loving it.

Post Camp organizers Craig Perlmutter andMatt Egrin ham it up for the camera.

16


As a newcomer toTamakwa this summer, itquickly became apparent

that this is a place rich inhallowed customs and cher-ished traditions. Of these, oneof the most treasured – andespecially meaningful to me –is the Voyageur Canoeistaward.

For a camp so steeped inAlgonquin Park tradition, ca-noeing has pride of place atTamakwa, reflecting its originsin the 1930s. Without canoeingand canoe trips, Tamakwawould not be Tamakwa.

To help campers and staffmaster canoe manoeuvres andto achieve superior canoeknowledge, Tamakwa’s founding fathers initiated the VoyageurCanoeist test, which, 65 years later, still commands the highestprestige of all such awards at camp.

The Voyageur test dates back to the days when one could findmaster canoeist and Tamakwa co-founder, Omer Stringer, on theshores of South Tea. Since then, the exact requirements for the awardhave evolved somewhat, but the basic goal remains the same: tomove the canoe showing grace, style and strength while also demon-strating a sound knowledge of canoe theory.

To maintain the high standard and strong sense of challenge

It’s hard to make the grade when vying for the camp’s most prestigious award.In 2002 several succeeded. By KYLE STONE

S troke, paddle, paddle,paddle, stroke, paddle,paddle… These words are

all too familiar at Tamakwa whosestrong emphasis on canoe trippingis legendary. The camp’s locationin Algonquin Park is ideal for agreat tripping program, allowingit to send out trips right from itsown shores. Campers spend all oftheir time tripping as opposed tospending hours traveling to a put-in point and later from their desti-nation back to camp.

“We are so lucky to be in thePark,” says veteran Tripping Di-rector Len Giblin.

“We don’t have to spend extratravel days in a bus or van likemany other camps because thepark is our back door.”

This summer, Tamakwa had itsbiggest tripping staff ever, with 14trippers and four trippers-in-train-ing. They were kept busy, accom-panying more than 100 cabin tripsand 13 long trips.

“One of the highlights of thetripping program is its staff be-

The trip’s the thingTamakwa takes its already ambitious canoe

tripping program to a new level.BY JODIE KAUFMAN

cause so many are Tamakwanswho have come up through theranks over the years,” adds Len.“This reflects how successful theprogram is, producing our ownstaff and not having to look else-where.”

Fourth-year tripper Mark Coo-per is nothing if not passionateabout going into the bush. “As acamper I never had a bad time ona trip, so I knew that tripping wasthe right job for me at Tamakwa,”says Mark, who has gone on morethan 240 tripping days to date andwhose father, Gerry, was aTamakwa tripping director in the1960s.

“Tripping usually makes orbreaks a camper’s summer,” addsMark. “I’d like to think I havehelped make many campers’ sum-mers by showing them a good timeon a trip.”

At Tamakwa, tripping is man-datory for campers. “Canoe tripsencompass so many of the broadergoals of camping,” says Len.“These include teamwork, func-

tioning in peer groups, complet-ing a challenge, spending timewith friends and doing somethingtotally different from other activi-ties done at school or cottages.”

This summer, many camperswere eager to tackle somethingmore challenging than regularcabin trips. As a result, the four15-day, five 13-day and four 10-day trips attracted more partici-pants than ever.

Len said he hopes to send out18-day trips in the future. To thatend, first year 49ers and Voyageurswill go on 13-day trips. Junior-se-nior campers will go on 15-daytrips and senior campers will headout for 18 days. This summer thesenior campers did not have pre-vious experience of a 15-day trip,so the 18-day trip did not takeplace.

To gain the coveted position ofcamper or staff on a long trip, Lenand other head staff go over priortrip evaluations. These includecomments on camp members’paddling and portaging ability,

Being an avid sports fan fromBoston, I have seen manygreat rivalries in my life.

The Lakers and Celtics of the1980s, the Bruins and Canadiens,and of course the Red Sox and theYankees. But none of these pre-pared me for the rivalry I wit-nessed this summer betweenTamakwa and Tamarack, twocamps who have been hotly com-peting against other for years. Thissummer was no different.

Tamarack came to Tamakwa inmid-July to complete in 13 sports.By the end of an intense day,Tamakwa emerged the victor,posting eight wins to five losses.This was the home team’s first winin several years. The Tamakwansswept both girls and boys basket-ball and won girls volleyball forthe first time in recent memory.Tamakwa also prevailed in ar-chery, swimming, tennis, girls un-der-12 soccer, and hockey. TheGreen Machine was in fine form.

A few weeks later, 55 eagerTamakwans left South Tea for aone-hour bus ride to the less in-viting confines of Tamarack. Theresult was less favorable this timeas the visitors mustered only fivewins in the 12 sports in whichcompetitions were held. Tamakwawon volleyball, hockey, archeryand tennis for the second straightmonth, and also recorded a victoryin sailing. Both the boys and girlsbasketball games were exciting.The girls led for most of the gamebefore losing by three. The boysled at halftime before letting it slipaway in the last few minutes.

Regardless of the results, itwas a great experience for bothsides, one the kids will cherishforever. For my part, I will neverforget the class and competitivespirit the Tamakwans demon-strated in both victory and defeat.The next time I sit in Boston’sFenway Park when the dreadedYankees come to town, I willsurely think of two magical daysduring the summer of 2002 whenthe two greatest rivals of Canadacompeted like no other.

Arch-rivals go head tohead in summerintercamp action.BY JEFF AVIGIAN

enthusiasm, site skills and how theprospective candidate gets alongwith others on a trip.

The fortunate ones who get thechance to participate can’t stopraving about their experiences af-ter returning from their sojourn inthe wilderness. “I loved the expe-rience of carrying a canoe, portageafter portage uphill in the smoul-dering heat with man-hungrybugs,” says two-time 13-day staffparticipant Caillianne Beckerman.“Where else can you get that kindof crazy challenge?”

First-year Voyageur JasonOrley was equally enthusiasticabout long trips. “They are likenothing else,” says Jason. “Theyare fun, the food is awesome andthey let me get away for awhile,just me and a few other people.It’s a lot quieter and it tests yourabilities.”

These two lovers of trippingsum up the goal of Tamakwa trip-ping – fun, camaraderie and chal-lenge in the beautiful Algonquinwild.

You winsome, youlose some

behind the test, the panel ofjudges is comprised of previ-ous recipients of the Voyageuraward. “The objective is tomove the canoe showing asense of dominance over thewater and the elements,” saysSenior Director Vic Norris,himself a Voyageur Canoeistand therefore also one of thejudges.

When the 2002 summerbegan, only five people atcamp – in addition to Vic –were Voyageur Canoeists:Brandon Alexandroff, LeslieBishin, Max Cherney, DaraGallinger and Amy Sacks. Insubsequent weeks, the clubexpanded to include three

newcomers: Michael Katchen, a 14-year-old camper; Jon Klein, acounsellor; and yours truly. For me, it was beyond a doubt one of thetop highlights of the summer.

Likewise for Michael Katchen, attaining the award was anextraordinary achievement, especially at his age. “Becoming aVoyageur canoeist was unquestionably the pinnacle of all myTamakwa experiences,” says Michael. “That says a lot given all theother great moments I’ve had at camp.”

Nothing beats the thrill and satisfaction from working hard toachieve one’s goal – and joining a distinguished Tamakwa tradition.

Masters of the canoe

Michael Katchen, (left), and Kyle Stone

the best of summer 2002 - camp tamakwa · 2018-10-25 · 3 fall 2002 south tea echo the summer at a...

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