MEMORIES: LISA ALLEN
A Home Away from Home
I started going to Camp Crowell as a 6 or 7 year old for day camp. I spent a few weeks there then through the year progressed to resident camp where I spent a week to 2 weeks there at a time. I always did a horse back riding camp and many years I participated in more than 1 summer camp. I loved going and hated leaving at the end of the week.
During meals we each had jobs to clean up the table and the person who got the food (the hopper had a special job because they were also the ones to set the table.
The last night of camp was always special, it was a closing ceremony where counselors would have lighted torches that they boated across the upper lake to light a floating camp fire. Each unit sang a closing song and the whole camp was together.
I also attended camp as a CIT in 1995 (counselor in training) and a JC in 1996 (Junior Counselor). Those summers were the best and created some wonderful friendships. I was there each summer for over 4 weeks and loved every minute of it. As a CIT I remember sleeping in the pine forest all by ourselves one night. This was to prove we could be on our own. I also remember the first week we spent primitive camping. We had to set our own tents up and learned many skills that summer.
In 1990 my parents moved to Brunswick and unfortunately Brunswick was linked with camp Ledgewood. As a troop we did go there a few times. But my mom was the leader and both she and I were more familiar with Crowell-Hilaka. Somehow my mom arranged for our troop to camp and Crowell-Hilaka, which we loved.
Around March of 1996 I started working at camp on maintenance. I did everything from moving people's camp gear to their cabins to cutting grass, painting, garbage removal and putting up the tents.
The summer I was a JC (1996) I was up by the horses and that was the first year the camp didn't lease the horses, instead they actually bought the horses. It was a learning experience for all. After camp that summer I continued working on maintenance, however, because of my horse knowledge I worked more with the horses. This continued until the end of April. Considering I was only 17/18 at the time, I was not legally able to be in charge of the program and the person that I was working with left for maternity leave in April of 1997. The person that was hired to replace her, in my opinion was not running it like the program I grew up loving, and I was not old enough to change anything,so I stepped back and went to only working on maintenance for the summer.
I would go back after that to hike with the permission of Stan Polo who would let me in. It truly was my home away from home. I loved every experience - the songs are now sung to my kids. It was my experiences as a camper and a counselor that have helped me in my teaching career.
Memory #1
horse back riding
Memory #2
songs
Memory #3
camping
I started going to Camp Crowell as a 6 or 7 year old for day camp. I spent a few weeks there then through the year progressed to resident camp where I spent a week to 2 weeks there at a time. I always did a horse back riding camp and many years I participated in more than 1 summer camp. I loved going and hated leaving at the end of the week.
During meals we each had jobs to clean up the table and the person who got the food (the hopper had a special job because they were also the ones to set the table.
The last night of camp was always special, it was a closing ceremony where counselors would have lighted torches that they boated across the upper lake to light a floating camp fire. Each unit sang a closing song and the whole camp was together.
I also attended camp as a CIT in 1995 (counselor in training) and a JC in 1996 (Junior Counselor). Those summers were the best and created some wonderful friendships. I was there each summer for over 4 weeks and loved every minute of it. As a CIT I remember sleeping in the pine forest all by ourselves one night. This was to prove we could be on our own. I also remember the first week we spent primitive camping. We had to set our own tents up and learned many skills that summer.
In 1990 my parents moved to Brunswick and unfortunately Brunswick was linked with camp Ledgewood. As a troop we did go there a few times. But my mom was the leader and both she and I were more familiar with Crowell-Hilaka. Somehow my mom arranged for our troop to camp and Crowell-Hilaka, which we loved.
Around March of 1996 I started working at camp on maintenance. I did everything from moving people's camp gear to their cabins to cutting grass, painting, garbage removal and putting up the tents.
The summer I was a JC (1996) I was up by the horses and that was the first year the camp didn't lease the horses, instead they actually bought the horses. It was a learning experience for all. After camp that summer I continued working on maintenance, however, because of my horse knowledge I worked more with the horses. This continued until the end of April. Considering I was only 17/18 at the time, I was not legally able to be in charge of the program and the person that I was working with left for maternity leave in April of 1997. The person that was hired to replace her, in my opinion was not running it like the program I grew up loving, and I was not old enough to change anything,so I stepped back and went to only working on maintenance for the summer.
I would go back after that to hike with the permission of Stan Polo who would let me in. It truly was my home away from home. I loved every experience - the songs are now sung to my kids. It was my experiences as a camper and a counselor that have helped me in my teaching career.
Memory #1
horse back riding
Memory #2
songs
Memory #3
camping