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WEEK IN REVIEW
Final week of 4-week session is the busiest yet.
Counselor Play
Vespsers on Long Pond
Paul Bunyan Day
Camp’s 100th Birthday Celebration
Senior Hockey League Championship Game
INDIAN GAMES
Camper Play
Long Pond Regatta
Tomorrow: 4-Weeker Award Ceremony, Trojan War Game, et al.
Parents Day Night: Counselor Play
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Josh Bornt, at right, playing Squeaky, watches Boating Director Euan Reid and Intermediate Counselor Scotty McIntyre as the Keeseville
Laundry Men Saturday at the Counselor Play. The two had to be driven to the Theatre Barn in a truck.
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WILLSBORO, NY -- The campers returned from Parents Day on Saturday juiced up with fast food, candy, and summer blockbusters only to be reminded by the
100th Annual Counselor Play of exactly why they love camp.
Each year the play is a chance for the staff to lightheartedly parody both themselves and their bosses, and this year was no exception.
The savvy camper will realize that the plot of the play is roughly the same each year, with the personalities, jokes and particularities of each summer thrown in where
appropriate. The true value of the play, of course, is in getting the campers back into the swing of things at camp in an entertaining, nostalgic way.
The opening scenes show Camp in its controlled chaotic state, but the following scenes usher in the
possibility of the ultimate destruction of Camp Pok-O-MacCrazy by disgruntled hillbillies from
across the pond. With the help of the Keeseville Detective and Blue Boar, however, Camp is
saved, order is restored to Long Pond, and the appropriate punishments are handed out to the villains.
Suffice it to say that on Saturday, the transition from Parents’ Day back to camp was easier than usual for most campers, and what awaited them the next day would polish the job off...
A Busy Day: Sunday, July 18, 2004
Vespers on the Lake
WILLSBORO, NY --
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”The Early Crew” before boarding boats for Vespers on the Lake.
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Three important events in the Pok-O-MacCready’s 100th summer all took place Sunday, to the great delight of campers and staff.
The day began with a morning Vespers, literally on the lake. Approximately 80 campers and staff voluntarily attended the service, which in substance was extremely
similar to the land-locked services held in the Indian Council Fire Ring each Sunday morning at camp.
Today’s version of Vespers is a non-religious service in which campers and staff share thoughts, songs, poems, and readings about camp, the Adirondacks, friends, or life
in general. The service acts in practice as a quiet punctuation mark at the end of each week that allows the entire camp family to look back on the
week past, and look forward to the week ahead.
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The service was started only once the boats formed a picturesque cirle in the pond.
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At the Vespers on the Lake on Sunday, Cale Sweeney opened the service with a Native American prayer, Meredith Carroll and Liza Crichton sang The Rainbow
Connection, Chris Durlacher shared some perspective on the last 100 years of Pok-O-MacCready, and Jacob Gittler played Taps, as he does at the end of each day of camp, on the bugle.
The idea of Vespers on the Lake came from Camp Owner Jack Swan, who thought it appropriate to hold Vespers in Camp’s most picturesque setting on the came
day Camp would celebrate its own 100th Birthday.
Paul Bunyan Day
WILLSBORO, NY --
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Some of the older campers after the ADV Blowdown Run at Paul Bunyan Day on Sunday.
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Campers and staff participated in the 100th Annual Paul Bunyan Day Sunday. The schedule for the afternoon, which features lumberjack and other off-beat individual competitions, is
up to the campers: all the competitions are open all day, and campers may participate in as many as they can squeeze in!
Click Here for a list of winners of each event. They are
broken into different age groups, depending on who participated.
The day was successful as always, and flowed seamlessly into the evening’s activity, Pok-O’s 100th Birthday Celebration. Read about that below!
Pok-O-MacCready’s 100th Birthday Celebration
by Erik Zimmerman
WILLSBORO, NY -- On Sunday, July 18th, both camps came together for a picnic to celebrate Camp’s 100th birthday.
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Camp Owner Jack Swan addressed the camp family at the 100th birthday celebration.
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The picnic, held outside Robinson Dining Hall on the Junior Ball field, consisted of hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, potato and macaroni salad, a special cake in
the form of Pok-O-Moonshine Mountain (including the fire tower), and of course, James’s ice cream.
Before serving the cake and ice cream, Camp owner Jack Swan gave a great talk about former cook James Hankins, and maintenance worker Robert Childress.
James was the camp cook from 1905 to 1947. He was immortalized when his ice cream was named as “the thing we like the best of all” in the camp song written by Eddie
Cameron in 1919. While Uncle Rob wasn’t named in the camp song, he also deserved much of the credit for the making of the ice cream.
Jack pulled the original
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Swimming Director Shai Walker serves “James’ Ice Cream” from James’ real ice cream mixer from days of old.
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ice cream maker out of the Camp Archives Room to show how Uncle Rob turned the handle. In the old days, campers and counselors would often start turning the handle, but as the
ice cream got thicker the task became more and more difficult. Eventually everyone would give way to the strongest man in camp, Uncle Rob, also known as “Unc”.
This historical talk by Jack was just one of many that have been delivered in this special 100th anniversary summer. Director Sharp Swan has given most of these
speeches at the weekly Vespers service. In these talks, which he calls “Touching the Past”, he has told many
anecdotes about how campers used to live, what Camp used to look like, and the significance of many Camp traditions.
Happy 100th Birthday Camp Pok-O-MacCready!
SENIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE FINALS
WILLSBORO, NY -- The final Tuesday of the 4-week session each year is reserved as the first
full day of Indian Days. As if that wasn’t enough, in 2004, we decided to throw in another goody: the Senior Hockey League Championships.
The Senior Hockey League, a street hockey league for Senior Boys, was begun in 1990 by a group of enthusiastic counselors. The League was so popular that in 1993, the Hockey Rink
portion of the North Country Pok-O-Plex was built at Camp MacCready, and the League has crowned a champion annually for 15 years.
The champion for 2004 was shoehorned into rest hour on Tuesday, sandwiched between lunch
after the morning’s World’s Most Complicated Game, and Boys Indian Rolas. The Senior section
left lunch early with willing spectators, who included campers and staff from each section at Pok-O-Moonshine.
The game pitted the regular season champions, named Planned Chaos, captained by Assistant Senior Section Head Aaron Herman, who’s team had reached the finals in 2003, only to lose in
overtime, against Section Head Josh Bornt’s Coffee Before Grace. Josh was a two-time SHL champion, though he had not won since 2002.
Planned Chaos, led in part by Alex Schade and Alex Dunleavy, played a vicious dump and chase
offense, while Coffee Before Grace relied more heavily on the long-range power shots off the stick
of David Balderston and Steven Andrews. The teams played a conservative first half, only to open
up play to a frenzied pace in the second half of regulation. Both counselor goalies made some
unbelievable saves, and both benefited from shots bouncing directly off their right post on open nets. Regulation ended in a 0-0 tie.
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Josh Bornt’s winning team, Coffee Before Grace. From left to right, Chris Barbey, Steven Andrews, Dario Briongos, Collin McCullough, Bornt, and David Balderston.
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Overtime was to last only 4 minutes, yet in that time, a champion was decided with a Sudden Death Goal. After numerous hard pushes by “The Alexes,” Planned
Chaos allowed a break-away for Balderston, who handled the puck to the high, right side of the offensive zone, only to bounce a shot directly off the chest pad of
Herman. Andrews, however, was there for the rebound, and buried the shot in the low left corner of the net to win the 2004 Senior Hockey League
Championship for Coffee Before Grace by a 1-0 score over Planned Chaos.
The Coffee Before Grace victory made Josh Bornt the only person to ever win SHL three times over his career in Senior.
CAYUGA WIN INDIAN GAMES!
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The Triumphant Cayuga on Tuesday Morning.
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WILLSBORO, NY -- The 2004 Great Indian Games, a perennial summer highlight, concluded on Wednesday evening, with the Cayuga triumphing for the second time in four years.
Please read about Indian Games in general, as well as a few specifics about
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At the Opening Council Fire.
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each event by clicking here.
The 2004 Indian Games were highlighted by an extremely strong set of chiefs and sachems. Additionally, the level of sportsmanship and competition was one of the highest in
the recent memory of the “White Person Coalition,” the appointed judges and officials of the Great Indian Games.
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The Rules and Regulations of the World’s Most Complicated Game Tuesday Morning on Intermediate Point.
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The Cayuga were strong throughout, though they were challenged mightily along the way by the Onondaga, Tuscarora, and particularly the Mohawk and Seneca, who
placed second and third in the final standings, respectively. The Tuscarora finished fourth, with the Onondaga placing fifth.
See a list of the winners of each event.
View the complete results of the 2004 Great Indian Games here.
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Onondaga Sachem Liana Blum during Capture the Chief’s Bonnet Wednesday.
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Congratulations are due in particular to Highlander Sara Horsey and Senior Samuel Dresser, Sachem and Chief of the Cayuga. Both long-time campers, they truly managed
the resources of their tribe justly, and with immesurable strength of character in order to win. Their names will be placed on a poster in Robinson Hall for all to view as the
winning Sachem and Chief of the 2004 Indian Games.
See a few more Indian Games photos here.
YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN!
100TH ANNUAL CAMPER PLAY
WILLSBORO, NY -- In what was certainly the camper play of the last five years with the best acting, singing, comedy, and cohesion, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown anthralled the camp
family for about an hour Friday evening.
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Linus, Charlie, Lucy, Sally, and Shroeder.
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The play did a wonderful job of revealing Charles Schultz’s characters that we’ve all come to know and love. Additionally, Clark Gesner, who wrote the original
play and score some 35 years ago, would have been made proud by the performances of the actors in his play.
Click Here to see the Cast and Crew!
The following is a Cast of Characters:
Lucy -- Diana Timko
Linus -- Harry Yerkes
Snoopy -- Carrie Lazarovici
Charlie Brown -- Brooke Thayer
Sally -- Marie Whitney
Schroeder -- Liza Crichton
Chorus: Skylar Lester, Maggie Belshe, Xylina Robles, Jenna Zimmerman, Kylie Edwards, Adina
Shapiro, Georgia Ladd, Olivia Gold, Sarah Beilenson, Sophie Karp, Hilary Houlette, Veronica Beer, Heather Bissell, and Claire Pizzuro
Crew: Colleen Dunn, Claire Nelson, Melissa Hunt, and Andy Bucciarelli
Directors: Bessie Edwards and Abbe Wright
Congratulations are due to all involved for the speed and skill with which the play was conceived, constructed, and performed.
THE LONG POND REGATTA
POK-O-MacCREADY’S 4-WEEKER SAILING CHAMPIONSHIP
by Euan Reid, Boating Director
WILLSBORO, NY -- This morning eight intrepid campers arrived at the boating docks to compete in the annual sailing race, the Long Pond Regatta. Having rigged their lasers and
discussed racing rules, they faced stiff wind and tough competition.
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Horsey and Liebster come about before the start of the race.
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Intermediate boys David Horwich and Daniel Bracho lacked the weight to deal with the difficult conditions, and capsized before the start. MacCready campers Sara
Horsey and Julia Liebster also struggled with the wind, while senior boys Dario Briongos and Sam Dresser got a great start, alongside Damien Lazar and Antonio de
Leyva of the Advanced Section.
Horsey and Liebster capsized and exited on the first leg, while Briongos and Dresser gained the lead at the windward mark. Racing was close throughout, but this
lead proved enough for Briongos and Dresser to triumph in the strongest wind of the summer.
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Briongos and Dresser cross the finish line victorious. It was a big week for Dresser, who was also the winning Chief of the Cayuga in Indian Games.
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Final Placing:
1. Briongos and Dresser
2. Lazar and de Leyva
DNF: Horsey and Liebster
DNF: Horwich and Bracho
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