Category: Maine life

Runoia elections – using your voice at camp

Posted on by Alex

A long standing tradition at Camp Runoia has been having elections to see who will be team captain.  The pool is small and anyone who meets the very basic criteria is eligible to run.  There are no residency requirements and basically your age and having been in camp a couple of years allows you to be on the ballot.  Occasionally girls take themselves off the roster as it is not of interest to them but typically everyone gives it a shot.  You get to vote just for the candidate who represents your team in your end of camp and campers are often surprised by the fact that ‘yes’ you can vote for yourself.

Candidates get 1-2 minutes to present their ‘reasons why I should be captain’ speech to their team.  It is a big deal to stand up in front of a large group and talk about yourself.  It is often the first time that girls have had an opportunity to describe their own skill set and successes.  For other campers it is a great opportunity to elect someone that they know to a position of leadership and to figure out that your choice makes a difference.  Girls use their individual voices in multiple ways during the process and it is an empowering experience.

Probably the greatest outcome from camp elections is that as soon as the winners are announced everyone cheers, hugs and offers their support.  There may be a few tears from a losing candidate but those quickly turn into offers to help with line ups, song teaching or any other aspect of the captain job that requires support.  The voting process is respected and the team is quick to rally behind their new leader regardless of whether or not she got their vote.

Sometimes the most unlikely candidate wins, the quieter girl who is reliable, consistent and trusted by her camp mates to treat people fairly, the girls who is not necessarily the best athlete but always shows awesome team spirit or the camper that is most respected because she keeps a positive attitude and is fun.  It is an honor and privilege for girls to serve their teams and they take their role seriously and put forth their best efforts.  They know they walk in the shoes of campers who have been leaders for many years before them and strive for the victory while still remaining great friends with their opponents.

We are glad that camp can provide girls a small taste of the democratic process and encourage campers to stand up to represent their own beliefs and support those that they have the most faith in.

It is a relief that election season is finally and why don’t they give out prizes for which candidate  has the most creative signs? that’s what we would do at camp!

Some of our 2018 elected team captains!

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!

 

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.

Maine magic – the wonder of spring

Posted on by Alex

Summer arrives quickly in Maine!

I have lived in Maine for around 20 years and still the spring transition from frozen tundra to vegetative jungle surprises me every year.  Spring is just incredible here! In just a matter of a few weeks the dramatic change in weather and landscape literally unfolds before your eyes.

The ‘Lupine Lady’ has been busy around the state of Maine

The ice melts off the lake and docks and boats are hauled out of storage and are back in use before the water gets much above 40 degrees.  Intrepid swimmers even brave the chilly water making the most of the days when it gets above 70 degrees.

The garden around the farmhouse at camp has started to spring up with lupines, irises and peonies.   It is always a time to wonder how long they have been established there and remember the days that Betty Cobb would tend to the weeds before camp opened.

The rhododendron outside my office window is blooming a glorious pink and regularly attracts bees and hummingbirds.  Anytime you step outside after 5am the air is filled with the noisy sounds of birds and the number of squirrels and chipmunks appears to have quadrupled overnight.  After so many months of dark, quiet and cold it is a time of great excitement and activity.

It will only be a couple of very short weeks until it is officially summer and Camp Runoia’s 112th season will be beginning on Great Pond.  Like the Maine spring things happen very quickly at the start of the season.  The camp docks and boats are in, the horses have already arrived, staff are trickling in and there is a flurry of activity both in person and in our inboxes.

We cannot wait for camp to be in full swing, for our campers to be here and to be enjoying the hazy, lazy days of summer.  The sounds of loons on the lake will soon be lulling us to sleep ad our days will be spent submerged in all that nature has to offer us.

Love Nature but Black Flies and Mosquitos?!?

Posted on by camprunoia

I love nature. I am in my element in nature, but as any outdoor enthusiast in New England will attest to, black flies and mosquitos are challenging. Black Flies come first and whether you are a gardener, hiker or paddler, you have had to balance the joy of those first warm spring days with trees and flowers blooming, with the annoyance of those pesky insects.

So what good are black flies? Well, they are actually a great indicator of clean water. They require clean running water for breeding and cannot tolerate pollution, so if you have black flies you also have a clean stream or river nearby. While the females are seeking blood for nourishment, the males are only dining on plant sap and nectar, so they are doing their part in pollinating our earliest spring flowers. You can even thank a black fly for a great blueberry crop. Black flies are food for other wildlife including dragonflies, bats and swallows. It’s kind of nice to know that they aren’t just dining on us, but they too are part of the food chain! Happily, black flies depart just about the time mosquitos come out, so we don’t have to contend with both at once.

How about the mosquito and its value? Two words: food chain. There are thousands of species of mosquitos all over the world and they are critical to a healthy ecosystem. Mosquitoes are a food source for birds, amphibians, reptiles and other insects.  Just like black flies, male mosquitoes are often plant pollinators and larval mosquitoes live in aquatic environments and are an important diet staple for a variety of fish. And they are a source of many jokes. Anyone who has vacationed in New England and strolled around a gift shop has seen countless items with a picture of a mosquito with the tagline, “State Bird of…”.

While I can’t say I like black flies or mosquitos, I can say that I love that they have value in our natural world. So, I will put on my repellent, long sleeves and pants and venture into my back yard to share nature with them.

 

 

 

Spring has almost sprung in Maine

Posted on by Alex

Being from ‘away’ I often feel like spring in Maine is somewhat of a myth, it is long awaited yet gone in a fleeting moment.   It seems like we go from freezing nights to 70 degree days without any transition time.

Springs arrival cannot consistently be predicted even by the trusty local farmer’s almanac.  This year as we head to the end of April many of the lakes still have ice on them but in previous years we have had 80 degree days and have been swimming in Great Pond.  The poor crocuses and daffodils have had to  battle their way through left over snow piles and the still freezing nighttime temperatures to make their colorful appearance.

This is the local joke here about the seasons.  We have hopefully skipped right over mud season this year as the orange cones are already out on many of our local roads.  The transformation from winter to summer is sometimes so fast you blink and miss it.

The studded snow tires are off the car, kayak racks replace ski racks, the famers markets are moving back outdoors, snow shoes are exchanged for hiking boots, the sand we put down on the driveway is now shoveled back up and we are ready for the new season.

There is a definite hint of color in the trees although it will be a few more weeks until we see actual leaves.  Promise fills the air as the sun shines for more hours a day, the sky is so blue and there isn’t even the murmur of the ‘s’ word in the weather forecast.

At this time of year there is a frenetic pace around the Camp Runoia office.  The fruits of our winter labors are about to come to fruition and we want to be well prepared for the harvest.  We are fielding phone calls and emails from parents who are keen to get their paperwork and registration details squared away, staff are beginning to plan their travel and orders are being placed for a myriad of items that we will need to get the season started.  The cabin list is full with just a few beds open for those last minute sign ups and we are so excited to put the faces to the names that we have been looking at all winter.

Hurry up summer, we will be ready!

Women who dared

Posted on by Alex

I have long been amazed at the tenacity of our Camp Runoia founders Lucy Wieser and Jessie Pond.   Their dedication to starting a camp for girls showed great bravery and confidence when heading off into the unknown wilds of Maine.  In our world of high speed transportation and at your finger tips technology it is sometimes very hard to imagine how different life was back in the early 1900’s.  Rural Maine was sparsely populated with few paved roads and limited access to many areas.  The Maine Central railroad had only established the Belgrade Depot in 1850 and the local community was mostly made up of farms with some vacation housing  in the village.  Arriving by train from the city into Belgrade must have been quite a culture shock.  While the actual story of their first adventure has become a little lost in the mists of time I imagine them in skirts or dresses, hiring a horse and cart to travel around the area.

Belgrade Depot station around the time Ms Weiser and Ms Pond founded Camp Runoia.

On our staycation this week we traveled to the Owls Head Transportation Museum which had some fascinating displays the most interesting of which for me was about the early female pioneers of travel.  Like our Runoia founders they were making history in the early 1900’s and boldly going places that women typically hadn’t ventured to.  Their names were new to me and their adventures and experiences seemed so radical for the time.  Can you imagine driving a car cross country with a couple of your girlfriends?  Now think about doing it when there were only 156 miles of paved roads and your car barely had a roof!

Can you imagine traveling cross country in this?!

I shall continue to be inspired by the brave bold women of the early 1900’s and to keep sharing their stories with our fearless young women at camp. Maybe they will become the pioneers of this new generation.

The writing on the wall – hand-prints on my heart

Posted on by Alex

Twenty years ago when we moved into this house there were a lot of DIY projects that needed accomplishing. Painting the downstairs bathroom was not high on the list of priorities.  In order to brighten the place up a little we started adding the hand-prints of our visitors.  The parameters were basic: pick your colors, pick your spot, paint your hand and print it on the wall then add your name and date your print.  The hand-prints themselves started out simple, often with just one color and expanded to more elaborate creations that reflected the personality of their owner.  There are now a couple of hundred of prints representing friends from all aspects of life,  a large percentage of whom I know through camp.

The hand-prints tell their own stories. Jayen was an international counselor who just spent one summer with us. Angela is still a feature on our CRAO board.

The hand-prints are a regular reminder of the people that have touched my life.  Some of the folk are still regular visitors, or perhaps sadly now deceased, still others were only around for a short time and we have now lost touch.  They all generate memories of a time and place when we were connected, a shared history and an impression left in my life.  There are many old Camp Runoia friends, campers and staff that passed through for a summer or two or who it feels like I have known for a lifetime.  They hold a space in time that is a reminder not just of them but also of a particular summer on Great Pond.  The dates are helpful in remembering just how long ago it was that they were at camp and how quickly time flies.

Betty-Jo Howard a Runoia legend

 

At Runoia the names in the boathouse are a similar memorial to those that have passed through at some previous point in time.  They remind us of people we know and also trigger thoughts about those whose story is now  a mystery lost in time.  The faces may be long forgotten but their names are painted in bright colors to remind us that they were here and are part of the rich fabric of our camp community.

The hand-prints on my wall definitely reflect the hand-prints left on my heart.  This will be my 23rd summer at Camp Runoia in Belgrade Lakes, Maine  and I hope to add a few more hand-prints to my bathroom wall and a lot more to my heart.

Consider Yourself Charmed at Runoia

Posted on by Pam Cobb

How lucky are we to get to experience “vacation” from school or our busy work lives. Hearing that four million college students go to Florida each “Spring Break” got me thinking about the concept of vacation.

Definitions vary but the basic concept is the same as defined in Merriam-Webster:

a period of time that a person spends away from home, school, or business usually in order to relax or travel.

When you pause to think of it, we are quite privileged to take the time and resources to relax and possibly travel.  I just returned from vacation. I took a trip to the windward islands of the Caribbean where I, with family and friends, rented a sailboat and cruised island to island. I love vacation with a purpose and fun. I love to learn, be active and engaged in what I’m doing. So a sailing trip is a good match for me! And I certainly do feel lucky to have the opportunity to do a trip.

Summer camp is often seen as vacation. Of course, being at Camp Runoia, in the beautiful Belgrade Lakes of Maine, is fun and engaging, learning and skill building. Technically it’s not about relaxing or necessarily traveling but it’s all about having a break from routine and being away from home and school.  And of course, being unplugged. One could say campers get a vacation from their phones!

Whether you take vacation to relax or to learn and engage in something completely different, if you get to have a vacation, consider yourself  charmed. You have the chance to take a break from your daily life to experience something outside of your routine be it school or work life.

 

Consider Yourself Charmed at Runoia

Posted on by Pam Cobb

How lucky are some of us that we get to experience “vacation” from school or our busy work lives. Hearing that four million college students go to Florida each “Spring Break” got me thinking about the concept of vacation.

Definitions vary but the basic concept is the same as defined in Merriam-Webster:

a period of time that a person spends away from home, school, or business usually in order to relax or travel.

When you pause to think of it, we are quite privileged to take the time and resources to relax and possibly travel.  I just returned from vacation. I took a trip to the windward islands of the Caribbean where I, with family and friends, rented a sailboat and cruised island to island. I love vacation with a purpose and fun. I love to learn, be active and engaged in what I’m doing. So a sailing trip is a good match for me! And I certainly do feel lucky to have the opportunity to do a trip.

Summer camp is often seen as vacation. Of course, being at Camp Runoia, in the beautiful Belgrade Lakes of Maine, is fun and engaging, learning and skill building. Technically it’s not about relaxing or necessarily traveling but it’s all about having a break from routine and being away from home and school.  And of course, being unplugged. One could say campers get a vacation from their phones!

Whether you take vacation to relax or to learn and engage in something completely different, if you get to have a vacation, consider yourself  charmed. You have the chance to take a break from your daily life to experience something outside of your routine be it school or work life.