Category: Current News

Runoia Suffragettes

Posted on by Pam Cobb

Whether it’s the fact that it is Halloween, or the fact that the midterms loom before us (fraught with fear and with some, determination and stamina), it seems appropriate to talk about voting and scary times in our nation’s history, including women suffragettes and their organization and strong voices that changed the US constitution and gave women the right to vote in the United States.

US citizens, who were men, regardless of their race, were allowed to vote in 1870 after the 15thamendment to the US constitution. We are thankful for the people who helped make that happen nearly 150 years ago.

Women’s suffrage in the United States came about through a lot of effort of a lot of people with women leading the charge for their right to vote. The 19thamendment to the US constitution was passed by Congress in 1920 and women were finally able to vote. That’s less than 100 years ago in our history. (So, wow!)

What is unbelievable to me is that the two women who founded Camp Runoia in 1907 did not have the right to vote. And that for the first 13 years of summer camp at Runoia on Great Pond, the directors and counselors at camp, who were of voting age, were not able to have a voice in who represented them… and yet they charged on.

They built a camp, they moved a camp (from Loon Cove to our present location in 1914), they designed and built buildings, marketed the experience, rode horses the 12 miles to Augusta to get supplies, hired local drivers and builders, grew food in gardens, built wells and pumped water, took campers on trips around the state from the rock bound coast to the lakes and mountains, ran drill teams, read the classics, wrote and sang songs, ran track and played basketball and canoed all over the state of Maine. They swam in the lake in long wool bathing suits and slept under canoes on wool blankets when on trips. They bought a car and made a summer camp bringing girls from all over the Northeast to live with other girls and women at a camp on a lake in Maine to have a profound outdoor camp experience. How daring!

To their credit, they built a camp before they could even vote to influence the laws that ruled them while they were building a camp. If I were to dress up this Halloween, I would dress as a Runoia Suffragette.

This picture is from the 1920 and Constance Dowd (the very first camper enrolled at Runoia) blowing the bugle outside the Dining Hall. Radical! Thanks to Matti Bradley who contributed the photo from her mother (Joan “Baynie” Williams)  camp memorabilia.

First Camper, Constance Dowd, as a Counselor

 

The Runoia “Log” and More Traditions

Posted on by Pam Cobb

Double entendres abound when I think of the word “log” – all related to Runoia traditions. My mind races to our weekend campfires and the logs we use to build the campfire. To camping trips and “hugging” trees – from before Leave No Trace… “hugging” was our phrase for finding a small standing dead tree we could hug out of the ground and saw into logs for our campfire.

Then I think, “Ah ha!” it’s the camp “logs” – the written logs of each summer’s camp activities and antics dating back to the summer of 1910. The logs have been scanned and uploaded through a generous donation from the Tabell family. They are available on our website – just click here.

And, last but not least, my mind recognizes the bi-annual newsletter of the Camp Runoia Alumnae Organization (CRAO). The CRAO was founded by the Cobb Family with support and guidance from Jody Sataloff and Jack Erler to provide a “Campership” fund for campers to be able to attend camp. A volunteer organization that has developed efficiently and with enthusiasm over the years to provide partial camperships for over 20 campers each summer. 10% of Runoia’s campers receive some kind of assistance.

With the guidance of past-president Andrea “Nandy” Florey Bradford, the name of the fund was updated to honor Betty Cobb. The fund is now the “Betty Cobb Campership Fund”.

Find out more about the CRAO in volume 31, issue 2 and the ongoing mission in the Fall 2018 newsletter “The Log”:

CRAO Fall 2018f LOG

Enjoy!

 

Summer Dreaming

Posted on by Pam Cobb

It’s when the freeze warning happens that real summer dreaming begins. In honor of the first real cold spell at camp, this blog honors our big, beautiful Great Pond.

We spend the summer in and on the water at Camp Runoia. Great “Pond” is a misnomer as it is the largest lake of the Belgrade Lakes in Maine. It is 8000 acres or, for perspective, half the size of Manhattan.

Just as Great Pond has helped many of us overcome our fears – be it swimming or sailing or canoeing to Oak Island through the camp experience, The words of Lucille Clifton’s poem, Blessing the Boats, will inspire us to continue to be our best in times of challenge and to overcome obstacles with grace and diplomacy.

Blessing the Boats

(at St. Mary’s) 

May the tide

that is entering even now

the lip of our understanding

carry you out

beyond the face of fear

may you kiss the wind

then turn from it

certain that it will

love your back    may you

open your eyes to water

water waving forever

and may you in your innocence

sail through this to that

 

A Girl from Chicago in 1947

Posted on by Pam Cobb

My name (way back then) was Anne T, Nelson.  I came to Runoia from Chicago with Janey Holler and Janey Rose and had a profound camp experience in two summers of my life. The “Janeys”, as they were called, were three years older than I was.  I was in the second cabin my first summer and then in the third cabin. The “Janeys” were in the 4th (the oldest cabin in camp then).

Back in Chicago, the three of us went to Girls’ Latin School. I was living with Janey Holler while my mother was elsewhere. Perhaps she was taking care of her mother who was ill and I was taken in by Janey’s family.

Janey knew of Runoia from living previously in Pennsylvania.  The founder of camp, Lucy Hanson Weiser, lived in Pennsylvania and I’m sure that was the connection. Camp was all word of mouth back in the day. Janey had been to Runoia before. I can only suppose that getting me somewhere away from my mother’s situation was the reason. The three of us took the train to New York from Chicago and all the kids from Cincinnati met us there and we all took the night time train to Maine. Coming back we were left at Grand Central Station and were picked up there by family or friends. From then on I was HOOKED on Camp Runoia, the East Coast and New England.

I stopped by camp about 15 years ago. It is quite bigger than when we were there. but much of it seemed very familiar. Thank you for keeping Runoia going!

I received Janey Holler Rotman’s annual holiday card from AZ last year. Our time together at camp have kept us connected all these years.  I’m glad I traveled from Chicago to Maine in the summers of 1947 and 1948. My life is better because of the experience.

Education for Camp Directors

Posted on by Pam Cobb

Once again Maine Summer Camps was hosted by the Migis Lodge resort for our annual membership meeting and education and networking event. Migis provides the quintessential Maine resort experience. At this meeting for directors and owners, educational round tables and a lovely luncheon were offered. The prestigious Halsey Gulick award was given to Alan Kissick of Kingsley Pines. Congratulations Alan!

Educational topics were in a round table format where camp directors and administrators shared their challenging moments and the group helped process together and shared best practices systems. It is always a fantastic opportunity for peers to get together for a common good. It is infrequent in this world where direct competitors actually want to make camps safer and better  for all campers and staff by sharing and helping each other.

Another highlight of the event is seeing friends over an amazing cook out lunch hosted by Migis Lodge. Sitting by the waterside, enjoying the September sun as it pokes its way out of the misty clouds is a great way to wrap up the summer.

We are lucky to have such close ties to the Maine camp community. Thank you Maine Summer Camps and Maine Camp Experience for the networking opportunities and educational opportunities you provide to Maine camps.

Next up for networking and education for Maine camp owners is the fall Maine Camp Experience meeting. Camp owners and board members meet in October in Portland, Maine.

What is the best age to start camp?

Posted on by Alex

Is your daughter ready for an extended sleep away experience? Is her age a determining factor?

Trying to figure out when the right age to start camp is can be a real challenge for families.  Actual yearly age carries a lot of weight in our society.  We celebrate milestone Birthdays with celebrations and sometimes commiserations!  My daughter is about to become a teenager and I have been blown away by how much emphasis there is surrounding this event.  Mom friends commiserate that I will have a ‘teenager on my hands’ it is apparently just the beginning of the tumultuous years and I am supposed to shower her in adult type recognition and responsibility to help her develop her true self as a young adult.   Truth is she will be the same person today at 12 as she will be tomorrow when she turns 13. She has displayed some of the teenager characteristics for a couple of years, others are sure to develop over time or may never appear on our radar.  Age does not define us yet it has societal normative behaviors placed up on it.

As a parent I feel like I am often battling the social norms imposed upon my children.  It is hard to go up against them when ‘everyone else’ does it, has it or has been there.  I love that my sons school uses the ‘wait ’til eight’ theory for cell phone use as it has taken the pressure off getting my 6th grader a phone as it is not the norm in their school culture.

Figuring out when your daughter is the right age for camp can also appear to have social norms and external pressure about when is the right time to send kids off to sleep away camp.  We all know that kids develop at their own pace, have varying life experiences and certainly come with an array of different personalities that are more or less conducive to the camp experience.  We often get calls from concerned parents wondering if their rising 7th grader is ‘too old’ now for camp? Or if aged 7 is ‘too young’ to start.   Will she fit in if she didn’t start in 5th grade when all of her classmates went off to camp?  Can we advise them about what truly is the best age to send your child to an overnight camp experience?

Kayaking is a great activity for all ages.

The truth is there is only a perfect age for each individual child, some kids are ready at 7 others at 12 or 13 and some girls  just may never have the desire to be away for an extended time period.  As we talk to parents starting the camp research process we are always excited to chat about their daughters and to help them figure out if she may be ready to join the Runoia fun.

Great questions to ponder for prospective families are: how does your daughter feel about camp? is she driving the process? does she enjoy being away from home overnight with family or friends? is she age appropriately confident managing her own things and time?

If you are pondering camp for 2019 and are wondering if your daughter is ready give us a call we are happy to help support you in the process – Camp Runoia  207 495 2228.

 

Back to school – transfer those camp skills!

Posted on by Alex

Transitions and transferring skills

Is the back to school chaos getting to you? I have chatted with a lot of parents in the past couple of weeks and the first question asked is often ‘how is back to school going?’.  It seems to be such a loaded question as many families find themselves challenged with the transition from lazy days of summer to the conformity of the school routine.  There is an intense pressure that the school schedule brings and just trying to get everyone back into the swing of the expectations and responsibilities can be overwhelming.

Summer vacation is long and even for those that have it filled with camp programs, family time or travel the last days of school in May or June seem like forever ago.  The summer break allows us flexibility that we never have the rest of the year.  Week days and weekends roll together as we lose the structure of organized activities on set days.  Often there is no alarm clock and on some days no need to even change out of pajamas!

Even though camp life is very routine and structured it has much less urgency than school and you certainly don’t get detention if you are late or don’t have the right supplies. The practical, organizational skills gained at camp are easily transferable and can make for a smoother start to the school year.  At camp space is limited so campers have their stuff very well organized and to hand. Girls often lay out clothes that they will need, or have handy well used accessories such as lunch bags and crazy creeks so that they are prepared for the next thing.  5-15 minutes of clean up time results in beds being made, dirty clothes sorted and in the laundry bag, shoes paired up and dresser tops tidied.  Try challenging your daughter at home with the thought that the ‘nurse’ will be doing inspection how would she score?

There is no doubt that as parents we often do too much for our kids, give too many warnings and reminders and don’t allow them their own success of taking responsibility for basic tasks in their day.  It gets everyone stressed out and certainly isn’t helping our kids build their own skills set. At camp the expectations for independence are much higher.   Even our youngest campers navigate our campus and get themselves in the appropriate clothes and shoes from cabin to activity.  Girls make it to meals on time, make their own choices about what to eat  and more often than not they choose a balance meal without anyone nagging them.  Often older girls coach the younger ones on good tactics for making the camp day work, grabbing your snack before you change for your next class is apparently key to getting the best choice of apples.

Give your daughter the opportunity to show you what she learned at camp, she can pack her own lunch, organize her activity equipment and clothing, get her backpack ready the night before and a myriad of other tasks that will make everyone’s day smoother.

You’ve got this!

We hope that your school year has started off well and that you can remind your daughter that the skills she learned at camp can also be used at home.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity of more life skill building next summer and enroll for 2019!

Out on the Blue Waves

Posted on by Pam Cobb

Perhaps you’ve paused to wonder, “why does Runoia reference Out on the Blue Waves so frequently”.

Well, it’s a favorite Runoia song, of course. And, it’s more than a song.

It conjures up memories for many. It reminds people of their accomplishments and achievements. It makes women recognize when they were girls, they were sailing boats, paddling canoes, surfing on wind surfers, and swimming to the Big Float, to Oak Island, across the Soapies, out to the Marjorie. Many of these references are Runoia unique names for the names of floating rafts or the area we have recreational swim in at camp. Those tales are another story for another blog!

But the important thing is girls, young and older are propelling through and over the water and learning skills Out on the Blue Waves. So, it’s a phrase that’s more than a song. Just to satisfy your curiosity, here’s the song lyrics to the chorus:

Out on the blue waves, where summer breezes blow

Our boats go sailing into sunset glow.

We leave the shoreline, to realms of dreams we go,

Out to the center of the lake where breezes blow.

and you can hear the whole song here

Enjoy and be proud of all you accomplish #runoiagals !!

 

After Camp – More Camp

Posted on by Pam Cobb

We are thrilled to host Young At Arts again for an amazing after camp.

YAA is an organization founded in 2005 to bring youth together with the power of art, acting, dance and music. Sharyn Pirtle is the founder and director and she runs the program year round in Bronxville, NY.

About 65 people gathered at Camp Runoia for the week to work on performing arts: music and dance. Seeing the campers arrive nervous and uncertain and leave empowered and connected affirms the great work MANY camps do across the country. YAA campers practiced their arts and also got to enjoy Runoia activities like kayaking with MJ, Art with Eylse, Climbing Tower with Kate, Archery with Eliza Mae , Tennis with Amelia and Basketball with Eliza.

Runoia is honored to have YAA here in August to have their “summer” camp and enjoy a residential experience on the shores of Great Pond. 

Thanks for joining us YAA. And Bobos for a great performance this week!

Mixing it Up at Runoia

Posted on by Pam Cobb

Each week campers and counselors spend on average 25 hours of their week in “regular program”. The schedule is 5 classes a day and rotate in blocks of 2 day schedules and 3 day schedules. The rest of our day is filled with cabin clean up, recreational swims in Great Pond (a lake 8000 acres in size!) a unique Evening Program, meals, snacks and Rest Hour. Let’s not forget about our wilderness trip program where each shack group is out for 2 -3 days in the beautiful state of Maine.

.           

Two and one half weeks into the session, we mixed it up with a Fun Day Sunday. In 2018 it started with a pirate attack at Assembly:

Followed by loads of fun at different stations from photo booth to Captain’s Coming, tattoo station and Find Your Pirate Name (for instance Iron Claw Captain) lots of competition between the Black Team and the White Team.

  

Snacks of pirate cookies and popcorn and Pirate Booty were in store for campers and counselors alike.

The evening finale of watching an outoor movie on Mahadin with glow stick necklaces was a hit and a great way to chill out after a long day.

Mixing up our program at camp keeps camp fun and energizing and throws an element of surprise. With Harry Potter Day last year, Summer Olympics, County Fair, and Take me out to the Ball Game in previous years, we can only wonder, what surprise will be discovered in 2019?

With Love from Belgrade Lakes,

Aionur