Held May 17-18, 2008
Written By: Alumni Mary Buttarazzi
It had been 10 years since I’d been back to visit Camp Wyomoco. Prior to this, I had spent a piece of each of the previous 13 summers there. After the enormous impact camp had on my life, why hadn’t I gone back to visit? Well, each time I’d make the drive home from Boston, I’d think to myself that maybe this would be the time I’d make the drive out to camp to check it out, if even on a solo basis. But yet, I never went back. Why? It just never seemed like the right time – the place meant so much to me, held so many memories, and so much importance, each trip home individually didn’t seem like the exact right time to do justice to the place that had meant so much. And so, years passed.
Finally, prompted by some friends who, as time has passed, have proven to be amongst my very closest in the world, I went back to visit for the 2008 Alumni Weekend.
From the moment our car was in even the mere vicinity of the camp, I was flooded with memories. Each turn seemed to have a story. This was the place where…..we’d go on our nights off to play Bingo with the senior citizens…This is the place where…..my parent’s Reliant “K-Car” Katrina was hit by a deer when me and Lisa Fassanella (a co-counselor) drove into town to pick up the camp leadership scarves during staff training. This is the place where…..you name it. And then, as we pulled in, the shear smell of the camp immersed me. It must be a mix of the trees at camp, plus the wafting smells of the nearby farms (funny, I always thought that was just the camp horses!) but the place most certainly has a distinct smell, crisp and clean. I could also smell the fire burning in the Lodge – that was always one of my favorite smells.
Again, as we wandered throughout the camp grounds, and in and out of the Main Lodge and other buildings, the stories were everywhere. All you could hear from all the former counselors was “remember, there is where….Mike lost Libbie’s glasses…this is where…...Justin threw the candy bar into the crowd of kids…this is where…..Casey broke Mary’s nose (sorry, Casey, had to throw that one in!)….this is where…we used to…(fill in the blank)”, and I’m sure for every group of friends ever at camp, there are thousands more. I was also amazed at the different details everyone seemed to remember – each were so different and unique and yet, as each memory was uncovered, everyone else nodded and laughed in immediate recognition and agreement. Even every Indian Days Plaque on the wall, or Olympic Week team name, seemed to have a distinct story behind it, and many more layered behind that.
Much like the weeks at camp in my memory, the weekend allowed us the opportunity to take part in some of the traditional activities including canoeing, hiking and playing tetherball. More importantly though, it allowed old friends the chance to catch up and allowed some future campers to get a glimpse of the place that their parents hold so dear.
There were also reminders of the passage of time: the bathrooms no longer have the pull-down chains a person needs to jerry-rig to get a decent shower, the girls’ cabins all have electricity, etc. etc.. In addition, all of us had progressed in various ways, lived different lives, enjoyed different experiences; struggled through different challenges. At the campfire, some even found themselves singing campfire songs to (their!) children. We were reminded of those no longer with us, beloved members of our camp family, who have left their indelible mark on both the camp and on all of us.
However, like the saying goes, even as many things change, many others stay the same. Like how, somehow even after 10 years, all food tastes better at camp and how nothing can ever beat spending the night in a cabin full of your friends or the welcoming glow of the campfire.
And, it makes me realize how lucky we all are to have had our lives touched by our camp leaders and mentors; to have been able to directly and positively impact the lives of children, and each other.
I have always enjoyed looking at old photos. And when I mean old photos in the camp sense, not necessarily photos of my beloved “camp crew” – while those are fantastic, and loaded with great memories, I truly love looking at the really old Camp photos, like the ones from the 1960’s. I wonder about the people in those photos, the stories they could tell, how the camp may have changed them, and where they are now. It reminds me that we have all been part of something great, which has spanned many years, and impacted countless lives.
And so, will I wait another 10 years to visit the place that has meant so much? Well, nothing is ever certain, but if this past weekend was an indication, I’ll be returning again soon.
Thanks to Tim David, Camp Director and Shawn Tiede, Camp Manager for organizing this Camp Alumni Weekend!
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