Friday, July 31 Campfires, and O.D.'s

The highlight of July 31, 1959 was a special campfire. Sometimes, they were held down at the Lake, and other times, they were in other locations around the camp. They always involved singing. And, probably like most campers, it was where we first learned the mother of all campfire songs, "Kumbaya." As the camp season progressed, the nights started to become chillier. We often ended up wearing our green CL emblemed jackets, as we roasted our marshmallows.
The night time was perceived very differently by campers and counselors. The campers would literally crash at the end of one of our busy days. Sleep was rarely a problem. But, for counselors, it was a different story. Once "taps" had blown/played, there were often additional tasks. Like O. D. (On-duty) Every counselor was required to patrol and or sit outside specific camp locations for several hours in case a camper required assistance. You reported to one of the counselor shacks; (A de-commisioned bunk), got your location, and armed with your blanket, flashlight and reading material, you headed for an adirondack chair at your post. There you sat, read, and listened for any calls of distress. Occasionally, you'd hear a small voice call, "O.D!" And you'd walk over to find out what the problem was. Usually, it was a mouse or raccoon, or a bad dream. The O.D. shack always had sandwiches and hot beverages. O.D at Camp Lenore was where I learned to drink coffee. Bad coffee. But, that not withstanding, sitting outside on a cool summer night, listening to the crickets under a constellation-filled sky, wasn't too bad at all.
Sometimes, the O.D's and other counselors would get together and serenade the campers. During my tenure at Lenore, I was on both the receiving and giving end of this tradition. It was fun both ways. Simple, two-part harmonies, and perennial favorites:
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Michael Row the Boat Ashore
Kumbaya
Down In the Valley
Irene Good Night
And, my favorite, The Ashgrove (My apologies for any mistakes. There were a number of versions on-line..)

The Ashgrove how graceful. How plainly 'tis speaking
The wind through it playing has language for me
While over its branches the sunlight is breaking
A host of kind faces is gazing at me.
The friends of my childhood again are before me
Fond memories linger as freely I roam
How soft, how soft, its leaves rustling o'er me
The Ashgrove, the Ashgrove that sheltered my home

Thursday, July 30- Jacob's Pillow

Another outing that was always on the calendar, was Jacob's Pillow. This was the summer destination of many nationally known dance companies. It was sort of the Tanglewood of dance. I remember it was a pretty long bus ride, and we always got back to camp pretty late. On Thursday July 30th, 1959, the Inters made the trek. This entry is from the 1960 Lenorlog:

"After rest hour, the Inters left for Jacob's Pillow. All must admit the hour and a half bus ride was fun, songs and all. Then came the moving graceful performance which was enjoyed by everyone. Soon we were on the ten minute ride to Jacob's Ladder. By the roadside we saw Jacob's Ladder, sisty-five feet tall. Many fearless campers climbed it. We enjoyed supper in the icnic area. Inside, we bought refreshments and souvenirs. We all agreed that it was a fun-filled afternoon."

Wednesday, July 29 Inter Play

According to this date in the 1959 Lenorlog, the Inters put on one of their several plays for the camp. Most of theses "plays" were short one acts that offered some sort of ethical or social message. (ie. "starting rumors will back-fire on you.) I don't recall the specific plays we did that first year, but the 1960 Lenorlog details the theatrical offerings of that season, which I'm sure was representative. of the prior year's. The 1960 season was memorable because it was where I made my musical debut: In "Robin Hood." The show was double-cast, and both Susan Nichols and I played the Sherrif of Nottingham. I, however, got to perform it on Parents' Visiting Day.
"The four Inter plays this season were all successful and well executed. The first was "Sugar and Spite", concerning a teenager who started an untruthful rumor which boomeranged and hit her. In this play, Stacy Caplow, Kris Camitta, and Ronnie Berger were the leads. The next presentation was the musical, "Robin Hood" in which Sandy Foreman, Patsy Goldstein, Ellen Leinhoff, and Susan Nichols had important roles. This was repeated on the second Visitor's Day for the parents. The third drama was "The Discriminating Princess." A surprise ending added to the success of this production. The fourth and last play produced was "Introducing Mopsy."

Tuesday, July 28 A special Tanglewood

The groups and performers we were able to see during our summers were often quite remarkable. This Lenorlog entry perfectly captured the pop culture of that time. Coincidentally, Mary Poppins is making the rounds again.
Sylvia Greenwald reports:
"On July 28, 1965, the Golobs and the Hill and Lane went to Tanglewood to hear the Boston Pops. The orchestra played some Spanish selelctions; "Mary Poppins"; some marches' and two groups of selelctions chosen by Duke Ellington. (The orchestra accompanied Duke Ellington while he played piano.)
Almost half a dozen encores were played, includin Beatle songs, "More", a march and some TV themes; The Tab commercial, "The Munsters," and "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."
We all enjoyed ourselves. (Especially since afterwards, we all had double dip ice-cream cones at Friendly's!)"

Monday, July 27--The Infirmary & the showers

Today's news ran a story about all the summer camps that have been closing early due to the Swine Flu. That started me thinking about a little discussed, and certainly un-sung part of any camper's summer; a trip to the infirmary. Most campers, if they were lucky never had to pay it a visit. Yet, tucked not-too-far above the Hill bunks, was a modern-ish, one story gray building that housed a fully staffed and functioning infirmary. It had a waiting room, examining room(s), an isolation room and a small ward. I know this, because I did some time there. There were at least two occasions where I was sick enough with a cold/cough to require overnight stays, and other visits for less serious circumstances. I know I broke at least one finger each summer playing volleyball. Though there were at least two nurses or med techs, there were some instances when we had to go into Pittsfield for X-Rays. I also had the pleasure of this experience; proudly returning with my badge of honor, a finger in a metal splint. There were also a few un-planned trips into Pittsfield for orhodontic repair. I remember sitting in the chair of some orthodontist who had the hairiest nostrils and ears I had ever seen...(You remember these things.)
Fortunately, we never had to endure the concern of a pandemic like the Swine Flu. However, one summer, we did come close. I forget what year it was, but right after the Camp Birthday celebration, nearly the entire camp came down with food poisoning. This, I'm sure put the infirmary into over-drive, and many of the older campers were confined to our bunk's beds and johns, while we toughed it out. I remember being pretty miserable. I can only imagine how the Directors had to handle it. We all pulled through, and no doubt, ended up joking about it. Needless to say, had it occurred today, the results might have been completely different...
And while we're on the subject of health, we should also discuss the showers. When we consider how germophobic we are today, the shower situation at Lenore would clearly send many of us running for the Purel. As Inters, we showered (required!) at least once a week. This entailed us schlepping over to the Lodge with our towels, soap and shampoo. The shower room was a group affair, with plastic curtains. and often inconsistently hot water. (Who knew what bacteria they harbored?) One did not want to linger there...The shower house at the end of the Lane was alot newer and offered more privacy. Despite all that, we all managed to survive without contracting any bizaare diseases. Which certainly was a testimony to our immune systems.

Sunday, July 26

Assemblies on Sundays were always exciting...what with all the teams marching in, and all the singing. And while there was a definite focus on "white" and "green", our assemblies always ended with us singing something all together. The song that concluded our assembly was "See Them Go." We'd all stand up, and in a very orderly fashion, row by row, we'd exit the Senior Social Hall. I'm reminded of that song every time I'm at an event, and we all get up to leave at the same time....
See them go. (see them go)
Row by row (row by row)
Heads held high (heads held high)
Under the morning sky.
Who are these eager folks
Breasting their tempest alarm?
Who are these stalwart souls
Guarded so surely from harm
Their sword is justice, their shield is right
And knowledge leads them toward the light.
Their way is clear
What do they fear
Bearing the standards of Truth!
See them go... (repeat until all have exited.)

And we did go... While our summers were filled with activities and outings, not all of them were successful. In the 1965 Lenorlog, May Lisa Ross and Meg Simon wrote about the Lane's overnight that took place on July 26th.

"On the 26th, the Lane set out on their trip to Otis reservoir. When we got theire, there was--to our dismay, a graveyard across the road from our camp-site.
Our first adventure was canoeing to Dismal Swamp. On the way back, we got caught in a big wind. Some of us even had to be towed in by motor boat.
After dinner, we went visiting to Owaissa* and Romaca, who were also there. Once again, we give many thanks to Hank, Tex and Suzanne for a successful trip."

* How ironic...who would have guessed, that six years from that date, Owaissa would become the owner of Camp Lenore?

Saturday, July 25-The Mah-Kee-Nac Dance

Inters had another team game scheduled for today, but the Valley Senior girls got to go to a dance- at Camp Mah-Kee-Nac.
Here's Ann Capell's recount of it from the '59 Lenorlog:

"To the background of a rustic fishing village, spot lighted by soft lights, the valley seniors of Lenore met the boys from Mah-Kee-Nac with whom they were to have their first dance of the season.
Approximately 7:15 on the balmy evening of July 25, a bus filled with eager voices left Camp lenore. Upon our arrival at Camp Mah-Kee-Nac, we were greeted by a fromer friend and counselor, Diane Davis. Diane escorted us to the quaintly decorated social hall where we met the Mah-Kee-Nac boys.
All the latest records were played, and refreshments were served during a brief intermission.
After a most enjoyable eveing, we bid our farewells to the Mah-Kee-Nac boys and sped dreamily home."

Ah, those eagerly anticipated "socials" with the boys camps! I remember frantically writing home with an emergency request for a "dance outfit" to wear for my first social. Within a week or so, that request was fulfilled iwitha package containing a really cool polished cotton print shirt in peaches and rusts, with a coordinating pair of shorts. I remember being very excited wearing it. But, the outfit was only part of the picture. The first moments of those dances were terribly awkward, as the girls and boys sized each other up. Since this was way before "women's lib", the boys were the ones to ask us to dance. So, they had the "power." You just had to hope that the creepiest, dorkiest guy (and some camps had plenty) didn't ask you. So, our goal was: to find the cutest guy you could; keep him dancing with you for as long as you could; and end up with him for the "final song", so you could make-out on the way back to the bus. The bus ride back to camp was either blissful, or miserable.

Friday, July 24

Team songs were an integral part of Lenore's Color War. And though each summer brought a crop of new tunes, there was always a core of long-standing "oldies." I'm not sure if any of us knew how old some of these songs were. They just were part of the enormous canon of lyrics that we learned. Since this date in 1959 was designated for Team Games, I thought I'd print two "classics":

White Team:
Though we all come from different locations
We march as a team that is one
Like a tiny United Nations
Together in work and in fun
United we will face the foe and meet the demand
As one, forever Lenore Senior White Team will stand

Green Team:
We come, we come, a team of Vic'try
White Team make way!
Green stands for glory
We will win the fray!
We come, we come a team of Vic'try
Ready for a fight
So give a cheer for our Green Team
Cause we're all right!

Thursday, July 23

With the passing days, the color war season really started to heat up, with a team game of some sort nearly every other day. For me, the most interesting and skilled team event was alway "War Canoe." It was basically like synchronized swimming, only it was performed with oars on an extra large wooden canoe. As if synchronicity wasn't enough, the whole event was also themed (usually around some sort of musical) and included a skit with songs to match. War Canoe was a Senior Team event, and took place around sunset, down at the Lake, in front of the whole camp. It was absolutely mesmerizing. In 1960, War Canoe took place on the evening of Parents' Visiting Day. The Lenorlog reported it in the following entry:
"...With the Seniors and Inters as spectators, the Green and White teams presentedf the most beautiful display of team competition. This test of skill, accuracy, originality and concetnration consisted of a skit and song, followed by form canoeing. The firs presentation was the Green Team's "Little Abner." The citizens of Dogpatch, (all named) were led by their able cox, Ronnie Druchlag, acting as "L'il Abner." Colorful costumes, two original songs, and precise canoeing highlighted the Green Team War Canoe. "HMS Pinafore" was the theme of the White Team. The skillful sailors (named) adroitly fulfilled the commnds of their captain, Judy Lager. The White Team certainly canoed with nautical precision. Both judges and spectators agreed that the Greens and Whites displayed tremendous sportsmanship, form, originality and spirit."
In 1959, I wasn't yet skilled enough as a swimmer to take canoeing, so I had to take "rowing." A row boat is not nearly as glamorous as a canoe. I decided right then and there that one day, I would be in War Canoe. Five years later, I was. Coincidentally, without any memory of the 1960 Green Team's performance, the theme of the White Team's War Canoe that summer, was also "L'il Abner."

Wednesday, July 22 Sailing on Lake Ashmere

From the 1965 Lenorlog which I edited, Bernice Rosenthal reported on an outing that typified a lot of our activities: carefully planned, and always with good food.
On Wednesday, bunks 23,24 and 25 went on a sailing lunch across Lake Ashmere. We all sailed over in our own little groups and then ate at the old interpost. (Ed. note: Not sure what that was...) The food was rowed over, and after we unpacked, all sat down to lunch of sandwiches, cokes, s'mores, jelly doughnuts and salad.
Just as we were approaching the dock, it began to rain. It stopped soon enough, and the boats came in one by one. Because of the calmness of the lake, we were back in time for showers and majors, instead of arriving---as was previously planned--in time for fourth period..."

Tuesday, July 21

This is weird. I just noticed a photograph in The Chicago Tribune with a caption naming the subject as, 'Beth Reimer." Coincidentally, one of my bunkmates, Sheryl Reimer had a sister named Beth. There were alot of sisters at Lenore. Lenore was a camp that not only was filled with siblings, it was also filled with cousins, as well as the daughters of former campers.- For many, it was a family tradition: Girls went to Lenore because their mothers, or sisters, aunts, or cousins went to Lenore. I'd be curious to find out how people first heard of Lenore, and why they chose it over the myriad other choices that existed at the time. My sister and I went to Lenore as a result of family tradition as well. But, not because any family member had preceded us there. My paternal grandparents owned a boys and girls camp in Delaware Water Gap, PA. (Camp Dalmaqua and Camp Diana) I'm guessing they started their camp not too long after Lenore was founded. The individuals who ran camps from the New York area all knew each other. Since my father spent many summers immersed in the camping experience with his parents, he was familiar with the names and reputations of competing camps. Oddly enough, when our good friends, the Nobles told my parents that they were considering sending their two daughters to a camp called Lenore, my father asked if it was a camp in Massachussetts, once owned by the Spectorsky family. When he heard that it was, I was signed up sight un-seen. Of course, Milton Schulman did come to our house with a slide show, but that was just a formality. For my dad, the deal was sealed before that. I was going to Lenore because my grandparents knew the Spectorskys and it was a good camp. My sister followed 4 summers later.

July 20- Camp Outings

Periodically, Lenore would arrange visits with other camps in the area. These outings were called, "Play Days." Since the area of western Massachussetts and nearby Eastern New York was filled with all-girls camps and all-boys camps, there were alot of choices. However, we tended to socialize with certain camps more than others. On this date in 1959, the Inters visited nearby girls camp, Romaca. Because of a strong Native American history in the area, a lot of these camps had Indian-sounding names. - I suppose to give them an air of ruggedness and legitimacy. The funny thing was, many of the names had nothing to do with Indian tribes or culture at all. They were just invented words; some a combination of the first syllables of the owners' first or last names. I think that was the case with Romaca. At any rate, we didn't have to travel far: Romaca was literally down the road from us. I don't remember too much about these "Play Days," other than the fact that they always involved a volleyball, newcomb or swimming competition with the other girls, and we got to check out their bunks (usually way nicer than ours...), and dining room food (usually way worse than ours.) Since we were always divided up into White and Green teams at Lenore, this was a nice opportunity for us to pull together and root for our camp. I don't remember whether we won or lost. It never seemed to really matter. Of the many camps we had an opportunity to visit though, I always felt that when the bus drove through our camp's gates and we sang, "Here We Are", we were coming home to the best one.
The other really important outing for the older girls was an "away" social with one of the many boys camps in the area: Onota, Lenox, Mah-kee-Nac and Greylock. Of those four, Greylock definitely was the favorite, and later, actually became almost a "brother' camp to ours. But, on Monday, July 20, 1959, the Hill Seniors had a social with Lenox. (which oddly, was located in Lee,) I couldn't find an eyewitness account for that event, but in 1965, when I edited the Lenorlog, Meg Simon wrote about a Play Day/Social with Lenox, held at Lenore
"Playday for Campus C and the Lane with Lenox started off with our showing them around camp...After several games, the girls went to change into their bathing suits and the boys into theirs.
When the boys spotted the lake, I happened to overhear some amusing remarks, such as "Boy, I bet it's over my head!!!" Swimming was alot of fun, and thank you, Hank (Smith) for your wonderful supervision. We changed once more into our good outfits (not green and white), But, naturally, we took longer than the boys. Meanwhile, they seemed to think that our tetherball was the greatest thing on earth! Lenox boys seem to think that anything that isn't "Lenox food" has to be pure heaven! (And ours really was very good.) After dinner we had a social. Once again, thanks to Hank. When we saw the bus take off, we went back to our bunks with contented and pleased expressions on our faces."

Sunday, July19 The Dining Room

The fact that Visiting Day was just 24 hours before, did not keep us from jumping right back into the routine of a real Sunday Assembly, complete with Team Songs and a re-cap of the week's games and scores. Music Hour that evening was probably the perfect antidote to all the treats and stimulation that we had just experienced. One thing that Lenore knew how to do very well was throw a party, and feed us. I think Lenore had to be one of the few camps where campers actually were in danger of gaining weight while we were there. So, this might be a good opportunity to reflect on the subject of meals. The entire camp dined together in the large Dining Hall. As you entered the wide double doors, the Director's Table would be immediately on your right. It was here, in 1959, that the current camp owners, Milty Schulman, Marty Zamore, and Zulie Lerner sat, along with Emeritus Founder, Mrs. Spectorsky (Mrs. Spec) , and her daughter, Miriam (Mimsie) Copstein. Large, rectangular tables, seating 6-8 campers and usually two counselors, were distributed around the large, screened room. Before sitting, one camper was usually selected to lead us in grace. Once seated, we were expected to behave like "ladies", with proper table manners at all times. We had waitresses who brought us our meals on big trays, "family style." Water was served in these wonderful, pastel-colored Hall Ball pitchers. (That I now collect.) Milk, (whole, of course!) was always on the table, too. And unless you were allergic to something, you had to have a "taste portion" consisting of one tablespoon of whatever was being served. No exceptions.
Lenore had a chef (who would make "appearances"in the dining room to our applause) And when he did, he was often wearing a toque,
Making sure that our meals were, at all times, "balanced", was our on-staff Dietician. For many years, it was a woman named Dora. (I remember gals calling her, "the dumpy, duncey, Dietician") But, she had to please nearly 200 picky eaters. "No common task was hers..."
And then there was ALBERT. Albert was probably the most beloved male at Lenore. He was a professional pastry chef/baker, imported from Manhattan. He was Austrian or Swiss or German. And he sure knew the way to my heart...I can still see the fabulous cakes he created for Parents Visiting Day, The Camp's Birthday, and The Final Banquet... Each year, after asking the Directors which of my friends were returning to Lenore, my second question was always, "Is Albert coming back?" The man was that important.
MEAL HIGHLIGHTS:
Breakfast always consisted of a hot cereal of the day, and an always present assortment of cold cereals. Peanut butter and jelly were always on the table. (No one ever HEARD of peanut allergies). We would fight over a new jar of peanut butter, so we could "christen" it, by carving our initials into the unblemished surface. We'd have pancakes or french toast every week, along with scrambled eggs.
Lunch is the one meal of which I have very little recollection. I'm sure it was, thanks to Dora, completely balanced, but for me, it was something you had to get through in order to get to the really important thing: Canteen. Canteen was held immediately after lunch, and it was where campers got their mail, and got to buy up to 2 candy bars with their camp coupons!
Dinner was definitely a more formal affair: Meat/chicken, vegetables, potatoes, salad and dessert were served in some combination every night. The stand-out entree was London Broil with mushroom gravy. The other memorable main course for me was breaded veal cutlets, (Wiener Schnitzel), which for some reason made me throw up. I finally made my mother write that I was allergic to it, otherwise, I'd still be working on my "taste portion." I've never touched it since.
Least we might still be hungry after rest hour and our two candy bars, we were offered "fruit" at the "fruit tree."
After hiking back from the Lake after an arduous swim in the afternoon, we were often greeted with ices or ice cream.
Before going to bed, we'd head to the side door of the kitchen for little glass bottles of milk and Albert's amazing chocolate chip cookies. I could cry right now.
The only person I know today who consumes more than we did on a daily basis is Michael Phelps. But, he has 8 Olympic medals to show for it.

Saturday, July 18 Parents' Visiting Day

It's probably safe to say that most of us were up before hearing the tell-tale scratch of the needle on the worn-out grooves of the Reveille record. Today, noone had trouble getting up, or dressed. (Wearing Lenore green and white, I think...) Breakfast couldn't be done quick enough. I'm sure there were announcements. Blah, blah, blah. Who was really listening? Back to the bunks for our best clean-up efforts ever, and then inspection... Then, at the appropriate time, the entire camp headed up to the Lodge to wait on the front lawn for the first glimpse of our parents, as they rounded the curve of shrubbery on the entry road. So, picture nearly 200 girls, ranging in age from 7 to 17, jumping out of their skins in nervous excitement. I believe parents were admitted at 10:00 am., and there were always some early birds, who managed to sneak in. Here was the protocol: Campers had to wait behing the birdbath on the lawn. Definitely not on the road. Counselors were present to keep us within the boundaries. Once you saw your parents, you could run down and greet them. As parents began to arrive, you'd hear a shriek, and then you'd see girls running past you, screaming and crying all the way down the hill. As minutes went by, the remaining girls would move forward, towards the birdbath boundary. I remember this so vividly, because every year I was at Lenore, my parents were almost always the last two to arrive. In 1959, I remember commiserating pathetically with one or two other girls whose parents were "late," Now, we're not talking HOURS late here. It was probably ten or fifteen minutes late. But, to us, it was a humiliating eternity. I remember thinking to myself: "Who wants to run at this point?" But, when my parents finally did appear, I barrled down that slope like everyone else. (A few years later, when my sister was at Lenore, we'd share in this annual misery together.)
With parents all arrived. The first thing we all did was take them back to our bunks to meet our bunkmates, counselors, and everyone else's parents. PVD was special from the standpoint that even though they were told not to, parents always brought candy, treats, and gifts for us and our counselors. Contraband of any kind was always cool. Once the goodies were checked out, we all headed out to basically show off all the skills we had mastered in three weeks: we dragged our parents to the fields, tennis courts, arts classes, and our various "majors." Sometime during the morning, I think, we had an Assembly, to which all our parents were invited. All of the teams marched in, proudly singing our Green and White team songs. We always also sang a group song that wasn't color-war related. (As mentioned earlier, in 1960, we performed "Robin Hood," which was easily the highlight of my day...) After two hours of activities, box lunches were provided for the families, that we picked up in front of the dining hall. We all picnicked in front of our bunks.
After lunch, energy restored, it was time to take our parents on the half-mile trek down to the lake to show them our swimming and boating skills. However, the biggest line was always to water ski. ( In 1959, I'm not sure I was even able to get up on skis yet) Once all campers had gotten their exhausted parents back up the hill and into main camp, there was usually ice cream waiting for all. The last part of our afternoon, was generally devoted to free time, and around 3:30 or 4:00, "good -bye" punch and cookies usually signaled it was time for our parents to leave. Invariably, there were some hysterical, sobbing campers, but I remember most of us walking with our parents back up to the birdbath and saying "good-bye" without too much difficulty. The goal seemed to be to get us back in the Lenore routine as quickly as possible.
By dinnertime, things had calmed down substantially, and there was always some special evening activity that was planned to take our minds off of our parents. Despite that, after 'Taps" played, under the cover of darkness, there was always someone who would be crying, or passing around some candy...

Friday, July 17

Today was most likely an action-packed, excitment filled day, because of what we all knew was coming tomorrow: Parent's Visiting Day!! Bunks were in a state of cleanliness never seen before. We spent our free time making welcome signs and decorations for our front door. I managed to save our bunk sign from 1960, when I was in Bunk 15. We were the "Little Devils of Bunk 15." I somehow managed to copy the devil character from some comic book (Can't recall which one- Casper maybe??) and replicated it in six different postions to represent each one of us. I then wrote the names of all the girls parents on another piece of construction paper, which I still have: "Mr and Mrs. Kurzweil, Mr and Mrs. Nichols, Mr. and Mrs. Schulman, Mr.and Mrs Trattler, and Mr. and Mrs. Jacoby, all around the title "Bunk 15". We could hardly contain ourselves. I'm sure that we must have had some sort of meeting describing what the day's activities would be, and how we were supposed to behave, because the PVD schedule was a carefully planned out day that ran like a well-oiled machine year after year. I'm sure we did the same thing the year before, and I can only assume that since it was our first PVD, the excitement and nerves were even greater. Smart thing that the activity for this evening was "Bunk Nite." (sic) This was no doubt a carefully calculated event designed to try and calm us down by making us participate in "quiet activities" in our bunk. Hmm, let's see. That probably consisted of jacks, more construction paper welcome signs, card games like Spit, War, and Gin, and the always popular comic book reading/trading. Bunk Nite would conclude with our being "released" for milk and cookies. But, this was probably the only time when we were all eager to see the day end, and get to bed. After "Taps" you could almost feel 200 girls collectively willing the next day to arrive as quickly as possible.

July 16

Tonight an Inter Play was scheduled on the calendar. I don't remember the play that we put on in 1959, but I vividly remember the play we performed in 1960; Robin Hood! It was a musical, and I was cast as the villain, the Sheriff of Nottingham. At the time, I thought it was an absolute dramatic tour de force. I even had a solo: "Oh I am The Sheriff of Nottingham Town..." The whole production was made even more memorable, because we also got to perform it for our parents on Parent's Visiting Day (PVD- coming up this weekend!!!) Sandy Forman (The captain of the White Team), played Robin Hood, and Patsy Goldstein (also a Team officer) was Maid Marian. I remember when they sang, "Oh Promise Me" (which I think had been sung by Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald), it drew appreciative laughter. It was definitley a watershed moment for me. I still have my script from that year. Unfortunately, no song sheets.-which is too bad. There were some great songs in that show, and our song director got some surprisingly good performances out of us. But, then, Lenore was able to lure some pretty respectable talent as our instructors.
The Song, or Choral Director in 1959 was Miss Dorothy Drake, and she was profiled by Liz Seeley and Judy Jacobs of Bunk 25.
..."Miss Drake is a former student of Radcliffe College, where she was a pupil of the well-known Dr. Wallis Woodworth (Woody), who introduced her to advanced choral work...As a young girl, Miss Drake also studied the cello. After graduating from Radcliffe, she decided to make music her career. Miss Drake is now a teacher at the Chapin School in Manhattan...In view of her past experience, and the excellent recommendation of our violinist, Ann Purcell,we are sure that working with Miss Drake will be a profitable and enjoyable experience."

Tuesday, July 14 and Wednesday, July 15- Good Vibrations

As covered earlier, Tuesdays nights were "Cairn and a Movie" nights. I'm sure it was done for practical reasons, like the kitchen staff's day off, but Cairn gave us an opportunity to be outside and to appreciate our beautiful surroundings. Lenore was laid out in a rather formal geometric way, with the Lodge being the focal point. It was a large, gray building with two gables over-looking a large stone columned porch with stairs leading up the center. The vista was one of a vast front lawn of green grass. If you viewed the Lodge as the short side of a large rectangle, here's what you'd see from its porch: The entry road bordered the longer side of the rectangle on the left, and a beautiful, red clay tennis court bordered it on the right. (Cutting across it was strictly forbidden!) The Music Shell was situated on the left corner, and the flag pole was approximately on the right side.(The infamous birdbath was somewhere off-center) The Perg (pergola) was situated further down, slightly off to the right on a outcropping of rocks. The lawn then sloped down, and at the base of the slope was the volleyball/newcomb court. The newer tennis courts, with asphalt suface were off to the right, below the Perg. and if you continued walking, you would be on the athletic field, with the softball field on the right and the golf/general play area on the left. It was near this area, that we had many cairns and campfires.
On Wednesday, July 15, 1959, the Lenorlog noted that there was both a Music Hour and a Senior Play:the equivalent of a cultural double-billing. As campers, we were fortunate to be provided with regular opportunities to expand our cultural awarness, on and off-site. Tanglewood was a particular favorite. The summer home of the Boston Pops Orchestra, it was a place we regularly visited each year. A huge pavillion, along with ample picnic grounds, afforded us the chance to listen to world-class music under the night sky. There were times when we went in August, and we could see the Northern Lights... But, there were other trips. a little less high-brow, that were equally memorable. Like the time we went to the Berkshire Music Festival in 1967 to see the Beach Boys and The Four Seasons. Talk about a double-billing! It was amazing to see those great groups together, outside, on a warm summer night. A teenage dream come true. Fast forward 42 years. The show Jersey Boys (about the Four Seasons) is running in Chicago. And last night, we went to Ravinia, the Chicago version of Tanglewood, to see- The Beach Boys. Mike Love and Bruce Johnston are all that remain of the original group, and the crowd was considerably older, but no less appreciative, For a few hours, under a warm summer sky, we all went back in time.

Monday, July13

A day in the life of a Lenore camper was packed full of activities. In addition to the required activities that involved learning or improving sports and swimming skills, each camper had the opportunity to pick an area of focus, or a "major" that lasted for 11 days. One major was scheduled during the morning, and another one was scheduled during the afternoon. They say, "the boy is father to the man." In the spirit of gender equality, that aphorism is just as true for girls. A glance at my major schedule for 1960 reveals: Drama, Drama, Dance, Canoeing, Arts and Crafts, Arts and Crafts, Archery and Tennis. What I do in 2009 is certainly reflected in what I did in 1959. And with the exception of Archery, I would make most of those same choices today.
On this day in 1959, the Seniors had their first team games. These events were also permeated with tradition. Before each game, the respective teams would meet at two distinct locations:The "Perg" (short for pergola)- a covered seating area built over an outcropping of rocks that overlooked the playing fields; or the porch of the Lodge. (The "big house" where the offices and directors lived.) We'd gather at these locales for some pre-game strategizing, and then a pep talk from our team captain. These pep talks were always capped off with a recitation of "The Poem":
If you think you're beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you'd like to win, but think you can't,
It's almost a cinch you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost.
For out in the world you'll find;
Success begins with a fellow's will
It's all in your state of mind.
Life's battles don'ts always go
To the stronger or weaker man
But, sooner or later the one who wins
Is the one who thinks he can!

Needless to say, a female camper in 2009 would never even consider reciting this without making it gender appropriate. But, in 1959, we cheerfully embraced it and recited it with near religious zeal. After the last words of "The Poem" were spoken by the group, the captain usually would add- and I'm not kidding- "And who thinks he can?" ---GROUP: "The whites!!"
"Who knows he can?"---GROUP: 'The Whites!!" Who can?---GROUP: "The Whites!!!
"Who will?"---GROUP: "The Whites!!" Then, at an agreed upon moment, the song leaders would get us going, and we'd march/run in formation down the front lawn, to meet the Greens at the playing field. I don't remember too much about the games themselves. But I do recall how funny our voices all sounded as we tried to run down the hill and sing at the same time...

July 12

Sunday. Our first Assembly as separate teams! The excitement in our bunk was palpable. We dressed in team colors: White shirts and green shorts for us Whities, and all green for the Greenies. After breakfast, clean-up and inspection, we waited impatiently for the bugle call to assemble in front of the Senior So. The Inter White Team gathered in marching formation: two by two, in size order. So, I basically got to march right behind our officers! Once in our order, we had to remain quiet while the Junior teams marched in. "Listen!", one of the girls whispered. "It's Nancy Kaye!" We were all lucky to have as our accompanist, a former camper, Nancy Kaye, who could play piano by ear, and knew just about any song in the world. She would be playing for us, too. Soon enough, it was our turn, and the captains, holding their Camp Lenore pillow, with the team's stuffed animal mascot, got us marching in place. Then the double doors of the Social hall opened, the song-leaders started flailing and we burst into the room singing in our loudest voices, "Spirit Undaunted, we march on to victory..." The Hall was set up with six different sets of benches around the periphery, with spectator seating in the center, facing the stage. We filed into our positions behind our appropriate green benches, in perfect, military precision., with Joanne and Nan leading us from atop their bench in front. When we were all in position, and our marching song complete, the song leaders gave us the special hand signal to be seated, and we did so in unison. We then had to watch respectfully as the Inter Green Team marched in. After us, the Senior Teams repeated the process. Next, each group performed their "standing songs." This was quite a process, but we had to be on our best behavior, because our assembly decorum was part of our overall team score. After our standing songs, we often performed a group song, where the teams sang together, under the conduction of our music director. Then, the head counselors would get up and announce the results/scores from the week's team games. Since our first game was that evening, there was nothing to report yet. Our last duty for assembly was to sing together, "See Them Go!" (This was another song that took years to figure out the lyrics to) Then, just like the lyrics stated, we exited "Row by row, under the morning sky..."
By the way, according to the Lenorlog, for our first game, the Campus Inters had relay races and the Lane played Newcomb. The Greens won.

July 11 The Counselor Hunt

Tonight's activity was a " Counselor Hunt." This meant that we spent the better part of the evening scouring the various nooks and crannies of the Camp looking for hiding counselors and dragging them to a central holding area. If I recall correctly, we had to have a camper "guard" posted nearby the captured group, because an undiscovered counselor could then set the "captives" free.(Or maybe I have this confused with Capture the Flag??) At any rate, new campers were at a decided disadvantage at this, because we had barely figured out where everything was in broad daylight, let alone find a hidden counselor in the dark. I remember looking under alot of bunks...
The best part of any of these evening activities was when they were all over, we got to go to the side of the dining hall for milk and cookies. (The food at Lenore will be the subject for another time...) Those were some of the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had...

Friday, July 10

Lenore, being located in "the heart of the Berkshires" was close by to alot of wonderful attractions. Because exposure to "culture" was part of the fabric of camp life, Tanglewood, Jacobs Pillow, and numerous other sites were frequent destinations for us. On this date in 1959, the Seniors got to go on a special trip to Williamstown: As you'll see, the discerning critics from Camp Lenore were a tough group to please.
Williamstown: By Linda Kern, Bunk 36
The Senior girls first excursion out of camp this year ws to the Willaimstown Theater to see Auntie Mame. Most of the girls had either seen the play or the movie, or both before the trip, and thought the show would be too familiar. However, while the production followed the original closely, all of us were happy to discover that the Willaimston production still had a fresh quality which added greatly to our enjoyment. As we piled back into the buses, all agreed we had spent a most enjoyable evening."
While the Seniors were out on their excursion, we Inter campers probably would have attended our first team meeting, in preparation for Sunday's big assembly. This would have been our first chance to meet our team officers, and our team mates. At this first meeting, our team captain (Nora Roberts) told us how we were going to pulverize the Green Team. (All while adhering to Lenore's standard of sportsmanship and lady-likeness), and re-affirmed why we were the best team and going to win!! Then our song leaders (Nan Prussack and Joanne Witty) taught us two songs. This was great, because we actually got to learn the lyrics line by line. The first was our marching song. (Upbeat, motivational...usually in corporating words like "fray", "foe" and "winning"). The second, was our "standing" song. This was more ballad-y and usually extolled the attributes of loyalty and undying love for the White Team. Since this would be our first assemby, our selections were from the enormous archive of past White Team Songs. They typically used melodies from famous symphonic pieces (The William Tell Overture), or from, what was at the time, contemporary Broadway shows or pop music (Blue Moon.) At this point, it was too early to know what budding song writing talent we had, so I remember our first marching song was the classic, "Spirit Undaunted." The song leaders rehearsed our special way of standing and sitting in unison, and then began the famous Lenore arm-flailing that was emblematic of our group singing. Our meeting closed with a rousing group cheer: "Who's gonna win? The Whites!!!" How thrilling was that?

July 9 Learning All Those Songs

By this point at camp, we probably would have been exposed to and expected to know more than a dozen songs. This would include anthems, ballads, team songs and graces. And we didn't have the benefit of written song sheets. (We always seemed to get those as mementos at the end of the summer.) We just had to absorb the myriad lyrics. Since we all desperately wanted to assimilate into camp culture as quickly as possible, we all plunged right into the singing. This produced some mixed results. Because, (by my estimate) at least 25% of the population were new campers, you could never be quite sure if the girls sitting next to you were singing the correct lyrics. So, the safe bet was just to sing what you thought they were singing. It was sort of like the "telephone game." Consequently, entire songs had lyrics that were sung incorrectly for years. The fact that the majority of the girls sang with New York accents, so you couldn't hear any "r's", only compounded the problem.The most notorious of these songs was "High Upon". Most of us sang the lyrics as:
High upon a lonely, lofty mountaintop, there is a camp we love.
Where Old Nature smiles and lifshuhleefy ahms (I had no idea what this meant!)
True as the heavens above.
Round our campfire's ready gleam
Love and friendship reign supreme
High upon a lonely lofty mountaintop, there is a camp we love

Here are the correct lyrics:
High upon a lone and lofty mountaintop. there is a camp we love
Where all Nature smiles and lifts her leafy arms
To azure heavens above.
Round our campfire's ruddy gleam
Love and friendship reign supreme
High upon a lone and lofty mountaintop, there is a camp we love

So, all you Lenorites out there, you now can sing this with the full confidence that you at last know the correct words!

July 8 Team Break!

The 1959 Lenorlog recorded this entry: Inter Team Break, by Ellen Boggia, Bunk 16
"All Inter Camp waited expectantly for the day on which teams would break. On the evening of Wednesday, the eighth, we all had a treasure hunt which led us up to the athletic field; there we discovered a suspicious treasure covered with ponchos. Bobby, (Schammel) our head counselor, saw that we were anxious to see what it was, but she prolonged our excitement by having us sing some songs. Suddenly, six counselors popped up and shouted, "Not today, girls!"
Disappointed that the strange treasure did not reveal our teams, we listened quietly to Bobby's announcement that we were all to go to bed. As we trudged into our bunks, we found balloons on the floor; inside of each of them, there was either a green or white piece of paper with someone's name on it. Screams rang out through all inter camp. "Team Break!" It was truly an exciting evening, because team break had occurred after all!"
I still remember those shrieks of excitement. We all ran from bunk to bunk discovering who was on what team. That first summer, I was on the White Team. My team captain was Nora Roberts. Co-captain, Sandy Pearlman. Song Leader: Nan Prussack and Co-Song Leader: Joanne Witty. I see them now, in my camp photo album of 1959, proudly displaying the team mascot on the Lenore pillow...green shorts, white shirts, pony tails, broad smiles. (I am, as usual, on the end.) I wonder how they all look now...

*The Olympic "Experiment"
At some point during my tenure at Lenore, the idea of continual competition became somewhat controversial, and an ill-fated attempt was made in 1964 to eliminate Color War, and adopt an Olympic-style competition instead. (I guess It sounded less belligerent.) One can imagine that after 47 years of Color Wars, and all the traditions that went with it, this news was not received particularly well. A near-mutiny ensued. A hasty compromise was reached that included both a shortened Color War and an Olympics for that summer. The result was that it only divided the camp further. Fortunately, the traditionalists prevailed and the directors wisely re-established all summer Color War for the 1965 season.

July 7 Cairn and a Movie

Tonight was Cairn and a Movie. Or, as most campers pronounced it, "Karen and a Movie." (One of the many terms/words that were mis-pronounced and then became accepted over time in that wrong form.) At first, I wanted to know who Karen was, because "Karen" was the name that described the outdoor cookout we had every Tuesday. I just assumed she was a past cook or special camper who invented the event. As it turns out, the actual term was "cairn" (like the Cairn Terrier) , a gaelic word that refers to a manmade assemblage of stones to commemorate a special event or a burial. In Lenore's case, these stone assemblies took a round form and were used as cook-out areas. They were scattered near different areas of the camp, so that our various groups could conveniently meet at the appropriate times. Bunk members were assigned different duties to help in the preparation. We'd have the usual fare of hamburgers/hotdogs, etc. and we each could get our own soda that came in a glass bottle. As usual, there was singing of some kind involved... like:

"It's time to leave...
Time to say good-bye
It's time to leave...
From our campfireside.
Another day together has been a lot of fun.
It's time to leave..
Until another sun."

Later, we'd convene in the Senior Social Hall for a Movie. It could have been "Daddy Long Legs", "Funny Face", or a Doris Day and Rock Hudson film. Pat Boone often made an appearance, as well. Needless to say, these weren't "first run" films. The only thing that could keep our attention away from the screen was the occasional bird (or was it a bat?) that would make its appearance, setting off screams...

July 6- Inter/Senior Games

According to the Lenorlog, July 6 1959 was noteable because of an Inter/Senior Volley ball game. I'm not certain if that meant the Inters played the Seniors--(which I highly doubt.) As Inters in Bunk 11, we would have played Newcomb. This was "volleyball Light."(Apparently designed to protect our precious digits...) Instead of batting the ball over the net with your fingers or hands, you threw the ball over the net as a serve and the opposing team had to catch it and throw it back. I don't recall the details of that particular day, but I do remember I was not good at Newcomb.
Since Color War hadn't broken, we wouldn't be cheering for a particular team. However, there would have been alot of singing of team song "standards" in preparation for the big event. This enabled some of us newer campers to develop a certain level of familiarity with the whole Color War thing. For all my years at Lenore, I was only on the Green team once, (in 1960), so my knowledge of Green Team songs is not very extensive. Here are two that were sung every year I was at Lenore:

White:
Spirit Undaunted, we March on to victory
Ever achieving our name and fame.
Sound the trumpets to our name,
Unify in our aim
White team we pledge to you,
This our motto true:
White team girls are white team girls,
We sing our praise to you:
To meet the Greens, to beat the Greens
In everything we do.
Green Team girls are Greent Team girls
And this we've come to say:
"Good luck to you, good luck to you on every Team Game Day."
Repeat

Green:
Green Team, hats off to thee,
To thy colors, true we will ever be!
Firm and strong, united are we!
The Green team marches forward,
Onward to victory,
Bum, bum, bum,,,

Sunday, July 5- The First Assembly, Music Hour, etc

On this date, Sunday, July 5th 1959, the first Assembly of the camp season would have occurred. By this point, there was already a great deal of excited chatter about "Team Break" and "Color War." I didn't know what it was, but I could tell this was a really big deal. Lenore was one of the few camps that divided the entire population into two competitive teams for the entire 8 weeks of camp. These weekly "battles of friendly fighting" formed the backbone of our camping experience. Since "Team Break" had not yet taken place, this was the one time that we all assembled in the Senior Social Hall as a single, undivided group. In order to foster unity, all three sections of the camp marched in singing their "group" songs. The first to march in were the Juniors, singing:
"Strike up the band! Here come the Juniors!
Best in the land, loyal and true
One happy throng, keeping step right along.
Strike up the band! Here come the Juniors!"

Next, the Inters marched in singing (a more mundane melody)
"We are the I-N-T-E-R-S, the Inters of Camp Lenore
In all activities we are the best!
In all the sports we are the leaders of the rest
We are the I-N-T-E-R-S! The Inters of Camp Lenore!
We are the I-N-T-E-R-S! The Inters of Camp Lenore!"

The Seniors then followed, singing their song. Since I was an Inter, I can't recall with 100% certainty what the Seniors melody was. But, I think it was the same melody as the Inters were singing, only the spelling "S-E-N-I-O-R-S" was subsituted. What I also vaguely recall, was that the parts all worked contrapuntally, so that we could sing them simultaneously, and it sounded really cool. By 1964, there were no longer "Junior" and "Inter" designations, so these songs became obsolete.

Sundays were also special because it was one of the two days during the week that we had Music Hour. After Dinner, we would get into our pajamas, grab our blankets and stationery and walk to the music shell on the front lawn of the Lodge. There, a trio of professional musicians (piano, violin and cello) would play classical music for us for an hour. It was like our own, personal Tanglewood. This was another Lenore tradition that stemmed from the founders' commitment to instilling in all of us an appreciation for music within a setting of natural beauty. It was a quiet time where we wrote letters to home, or to friends; read books; or just listened to the music and watched the stars appear.

Saturday, July 4 -Ritual, a Non-sectarian Tradition

It was the first Saturday of camp, AND July 4th, 1959. This confluence of dates was the equivalence of hitting the tradition jackpot. (Actually more akin to the High Holidays...) Saturday mornings brought a number of unique activities. First, we had to wear our camp uniforms. Green shorts and white shirts. Then, after clean-up and inspection, we waited for a bugle call to line up in front of our bunks. We had to form a line, two-by-two, and then march as a group to the area in front of the Lodge. As we drew closer, we could hear someone in the band shell playing on the piano, "The United Nations Song" (It was also a White team song: "Though we all come from different locations...") Once we got to/near the flagpole, with something approaching military precision, a counselor would split our pair: one girl would turn left walking alongside the tennis courts, and the other would continue straight, walking on the far side of the lawn, to create an enormous camp circle around the flag pole. It was really pretty impressive. Once we were all assembled, a color guard of senior girls, wearing all white and sporting red pageant-like banners marched out with the flag. A bugle recording played the appropriate call., and the flag was raised. We all then said the "pledge." (I don't recall if there was more to the program. Help?) After the flag was raised, we reversed our formation, met our bunk partner at the top of the circle, and headed as a group to the Senior Social Hall for something called, "Ritual." Although the camp's founders, directors and majority of campers were Jewish, there was no huge or overt religious emphasis to the camp. "Ritual" was the one nod to the Sabbath. To a new camper, the first Ritual experience made quite an impression. First, we all stood in unison and sang a very solemn introductory song, "All the Notes." Then, we all sat in unison. Then, a counselor, clad in a white robe, entered with a large book, and stood on a stool in the back of the room. The curtains on the stage opened, and revealed campers clad in musty burnooses and other biblical costumes. The big deal here was that no one on the stage spoke. The counselor in the back did all the narrating. So, the campers on stage did a sort of melodramatic biblical story pantomime, set to music. I don't remember what the very first Ritual story was that I saw, (there was quite a repertoire: Ruth and Naomi, David and Saul, Finding Baby Moses,) but, like everything at Lenore, I was determined that one day I, too would be wearing one of those moldy costumes. Once the story was over, and the curtains closed, we again all stood as a group and sang, "These Things Shall Be..." We then exited in formation, row by row.
The 1963 Lenorlog contains an article called, "Ritual Reminiscing", where the camp founder, Mrs. Spectorsky, explained the origins of Ritual. "The second year (the camp was in existence), Lenore was fortunate to have Mrs. Fry, who had a beautiful speaking voice. On Saturday mornings, she would read a portion of the Bible. Then, it was decided, to make it more effective, it could be set to music. They carefully chose the songs we hear now, making sure that the notes built up to the same climax as the words. Then, they had another idea. Why not dramatize the Bible tale? In that way, all could appreciate the stories and learn about them in an interesting fashion. The first Ritual was "Ruth and Naomi." (Other stories were) chosen from the Old Testament, which reaches all faiths and beliefs..."
Ritual over, we now went about our daily rountines. Since it was also July 4, other special activities were planned, among them a scavenger hunt, and a special campfire. The climax, however was the huge sheet cake that Albert, the camp baker, made in the shape of an American Flag! (More on the camp's food another time...) The day definitely ended on a high "note."
In that spirit, here are the lyrics to "All The Notes"

All the notes of all the earth make one great song!
Passion, Sorrow, all the cries of right and wrong!
All that has been, all that is and yet shall be.
They who listen, hear as one great harmony!

July 3 Getting Settled

Part of getting acclamated to the routine of camp life was getting to know my bunkmates. All six of the residents of Bunk 11 were from the New York metro area: Myself, Hilary Kurtzweil and Susan Nichols, who were from Forest Hills, and knew each other; Patti Schulman, who I think was related to Milton Schulman, one of the camp's directors, from Hewlett; Gail Trattler from Great Neck, and I can't remember where Ann Glaser was from. We were all 10 years old, and first time campers. (NOT a pretty stage...) I, as usual, was the smallest of a group that varied wildly in size and shape. But, what we lacked in looks, we made up for in noise. We were VERY loud. Our counselors definitely had their hands full. Our co-counselor, Debbie Belchetz, was a former camper, from Larchmont, NY. Our "main" counselor, was Susie Steinberg, a cute blond from the south. Both Debbie and Susie had sisters at camp: Susie's twin, Laurie, was a counselor a few bunks down, and Debbie's sister, Ruthie was in the bunk right next door. Lucky for Susie and Debbie they had someone to run to when they needed to escape from us. I heard about all these strange categories: Ritual, Assmbly, Color War... And then there were the songs. A first-time camper definitely had alot to assimilate.
Today was team "election day." Even though color war hadn't "broken" yet, we all had to go to the Inter Social Hall and elect team officers. I had no idea what this was about. First, we had to elect two captains, and two co-captains. Okay. I could understand that concept. But, I really didn't know any of the girls who were nominated, as they were older, more experienced campers. So, I did what any self-respecting new camper would do: I just voted for the girl who looked most eager and pretty, along with every one else. The next category was song leaders. Now, voting for this was easier, because it required a visible skill. I saw a few of the nominees for head song leader audition, and even my ten year old open mind had to acknowledge that the conducting style of the Lenore song leaders was rather unsual. I'm sure it began conventionally enough, many years before, with a girl standing in front of the group and moving her arms side-to-side, in a manner similar to an orchestra or choir conductor. But, somehow, over time, this style morphed into something completely different and comically bizaare. My guess is, that because the two song leaders had to stand together on a short and narrow bench, they had to position themselves at an angle, moving their arms forward, to avoid knocking each other off the bench. As a result, by 1959 onward, the style of song leading became a sort of jerky, flailing of the arms in a back and forth motion in time to the music. (I now realize why my father laughed hysterically at every assembly he witnessed on Visiting Day!) The nominations for co-song leader came up, and I was floored, when some well-intentioned soul nominated me! I had no idea what to do. I frantically asked a girl sitting next to me for some help, and she said to just copy what everyone else did. And I almost did, until, at the last second, I chickened out and declined. However, all the rest of that summer and winter, I diligently practiced those arm motions. So, by the following summer of 1960, I was ready! And at the appropriate time, I was nominated and elected Inter co-song leader of the Green Team, proudly flailing my arms back and forth to the music, along side Joanne Witty, It was possibly one of the proudest moments of my life. The song we auditioned to would likely have been an "up-tempo" anthem like:

Here's to thee Oh Camp Lenore,
Shine ever bright!
As long as winds their breezes blow,
Waves of green and white.
We love your hills and silver lake,
We'll be faithful ever more.
To the friendships we have made here,
We sing to thee Oh Camp Lenore!

July 2 A day in the Life and a Tour

"Oh Camp of beauty, up in the mountains
A stage with backdrop, of lake and sky.
The moon's a spotlight, the stars are the footlights,
As the world watches silver birches shine.
They see a battle of friendly fighting.
We girls are sportsmen, and each a champ
And when the play ends, the memories linger.
And the stage is our own Lenore camp.

One thing that certainly bears mentioning is just how beautiful a camp Lenore was. Not having too much to compare it to, I was, perhaps, under the misconception that all camps looked like ours. (They of course, did not.) But, even as a naive 10 year-old, I could see this was a pretty nice place to spend eight weeks... My home for the next eight weeks was on "the Campus," a collection of 15 bunks laid out in the shape of an open-sided rectangle: Four bunks on the short end, eight bunks on the long side, and 3 bunks on the opposite end. The campus represented what was probably the oldest and prettiest bunk set up. The long end of it paralleled the Lodge and tennis court, and the whole area was fronted by a heavily gravelled road and a large expanse of grass. The gravel road split between bunks 12 and 14 (No bunk 13). Two large trees (one was the "fruit tree), separated the Campus from the Lane. If you stayed to your left, the road paralleled the six bunks of the Lane. If you veered to the right, the road led you to the Dining Hall. There was a fairly large expanse of less manicured grass that filled the area between the Dining Hall and Lane, and there was also a cairn site here, too. At the base of the Lane, there was another road intersection: To the right, was the Head Counselors' cabin, and the seven bunks on the Hill. (An actual hilly area, where the bunks were built up against.) To the left, was the road to the Valley, (Another six bunks, the last of which was quite literally in the woods.) and the Shower House. If you continued straight on the "main road", it would take you down the heavily wooded, quarter mile walk down to the Lake. Though it was quite a hike, the road was lined with raspberry and blackberry bushes, so at least you knew you wouldn't starve...And there was something almost magical about being in the middle of all that foliage. Years later, in 2004, when we visited the site, I couldn't help but feel an immense sense of sadness and loss at seeing what I knew was one of the lovelier places on the planet completely razed...

So, here it is: the first full day of camp. We woud awake to the first scratches of a record playing reveille. Our trunks and duffles would have been unpacked, and their contents arranged neatly into skinny vertical cubbies. Our modest bunks, usually accomodating six campers, (often including a co-counselor), consisted of a larger front room and smaller backroom with a sink (cold water only!),toilet, and bed for the counselor. Everything, including the floor was painted green. Another recording, "Warning" would let us know we had ten (?) minutes before the final bugle of "Soupee" which got us out the door and headed to the Dining Hall. Before breakfast,-or any meal, we all sang "grace" led by a camper who often had to stand on a chair to be seen:
"Morning has come!
The board is spread.
Thanks be to God who gives us bread."
The younger campers usually ate with their bunks. But, the older campers had weekly rotating seating arrangements.
By that second day, we had learned how to make our beds with hospital corners, and "jelly rolls" at the ends of our metal cots, We were introduced to bunk chores: 1st sweep, 2nd sweep, sink & john, dustpan, porch and grounds, and "free!" Then came the wait for bunk inspection performed by the usually scary head counselor. If we passed, we received a green flag to display on the porch of our bunks. From what I recall, that first full day also included an overview of the different activities, or "majors" in which we could participate. And, there was also that quarter mile walk down to the lake to be grouped for swimming.
In 1959, all 36 bunks in the camp were occupied. (over 200 campers) An enrollment number that was never repeated after that.
According to the Lenorlog for that year, the big activity for Thursday, July 2 was an all-camp campfire.
Campfires, like so many of our other activities, were opportunities for singing. And, in typical Lenore fashion, there were songs that were sung only on these occasions:
"Each campfire lights anew.
The flame of friendship true.
The joys we've had in knowing you
Will last the whole year through.
And as the embers die away,
We wish that we might ever stay.
But since we cannot have our way,
We'll come again some other day..."
(Continue humming melody)

"Here We Are" -Introduction

Like many Baby Boomers growing up on the East Coast, a significant portion of my childhood summers (and arguably the best portion) were spent at a sleep-away camp in New England. For me, that sleep-away camp was Camp Lenore, "A Camp for Girls in the heart of the Berkshires," Lenore not only provided me with the expected roster of summertime skills, (swimming, canoeing, etc.) it played an enormous role in shaping my identity. My nearly a decade of summers there produced some of the fondest memories of my life. I suspect I am not alone. And that's why I am writing this.
50 years ago, this summer, was my first summer at Lenore. (1959!) Coincidentally, my last summer, was the Camp's 50th anniversary. Even weirder, today is Wednesday, July 1, and 50 years ago, today, it was also Wednesday, July 1! The synchronicity of it all is too much to ignore. I felt I had to put it in writing.
Unfortunately, Camp Lenore now exists only in our memories. (Or, in faded photo albums and scrap books- if you kept yours, like I did.) Those memories are fading along with our diminishing population of former campers. So, here's what I'm thinking: A bunch of us former Lenorites have already been in touch via Face Book. What I've sensed is that there is clearly a wealth of information/reminiscences that can and should be codified somehow. I hope this can be the forum in which to do that. As a former "Lenorlog" editor, and one who still has copies of nearly every Lenorlog from my camp years, I'll be posting excerpts from campers entries. (Hopefully, they won't mind!) Here's where you come in...
HISTORY: I'd like to create a sort of Wikipedia of Camp history, pieced together with your contributions.
PHOTOS: Please send/share if you have
COMMENTARY: Ditto for any of your recalled experiences.
SONG LYRICS; And there were many!
CAMP TRADITIONS: Songs, special days, etc.
CAMPER LOCATOR: Let's try and create an address book

It's "No Common Task", but, if you're up to it, let's go through those old stone gates again, together!
So, to commorate, today, the anniversary of my "first day" of Camp, I am including an excerpt from the 1959 Lenorlog. It was written by a first time camper, Liz Rapoport

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

"This is my first year at Camp Lenore, or for that matter, any camp. Right now, I am having a wonderful time, but let me tell you about my first impressions...On Wednesday, July 1st, I traveled by car with my brother and mother to Hinsdale, Mass. As we neared the camp, I was excited, but also scared. If this had been the first camp day in your life, wouldn't you have felt the same way? When I got to Lenore, I was amazed; I had never seen such a beautiful camp, and I had visited many!...But, I also experienced a peculiar feeling. Suppose the girls didn't like me/ Suppose they didn't want me in the bunk?..As the buses drove up and I saw my friend Gae (Gae-Ellen Zaymore, one of the owner's daughter, I believe), my fears began to subside...I thought to myself, "I'm going to like this camp after all."

What were your first memories?
Unlike the camper in the above entry, in 1959, (and 1960) campers traveled to Lenore by train. Imagine nearly 200 girls, ranging in age from 6 to 17,staff members and anxious parents, all crammed onto a platform at Grand Central Station in Manhattan on a hot July 1st. Since I had already been to a sleep-away camp the prior summer that departed in the same manner, I felt like a pro. But, Lenore was a much larger camp, and everything was on a much grander scale. I couldn't wait to kiss my parents good-bye and jump on that train. Besides, I was going to Lenore with two good friends, Diana and Barbara Noble, so the separation wasn't difficult. Not so for others. I do remember watching from the train window as staff members had to physically separate a hysterically sobbing Elise Sambur from her mother, right before the train pulled out. She was fine a few moments later, but this scene replayed every year that Elise went to camp. (I recall hearing that her father had recently passed away, so separations were especially hard on her.) I remember watching as the station platform seemed to recede, along with the throng of waving parents, as we pulled away,. Once enroute, there was a huge level of excitement on the train as returning campers reconnected with each other. It must have been quite the task for the supervising counselors to keep everyone under control... We newer girls tried to make our way through this scene as best we could. And we certainly had the time to try. The trip up to the Pittsfield area must have taken anywhere from 4 to 5 hours. I don't remember being bored. Besides, most of us were equipped with plenty of comic books and enough sugar to have sent us to Canada. When we finally did arrive at the station in Massacussetts, we were met by buses that took us the rest of the way up to camp. The trip took us down narrow, country roads, and through little towns with quaint, victorian-like cottages. Even as a first time camper, with whatever anxiety I might have had, I remember I couldn't wait to get there. At some point, the buses all had to slow down to make it up this one last hill. To the seasoned campers, this gear shift was apparently a cue to start singing. Because soon after, we made a sharp turn onto a drive bounded by two large, stone gate posts and bordered by beautiful, mature trees. As we made our way up the road, you could hear the sound of hundreds of girls singing the anthem that we used for every entrance (or re-entry) we made into camp:

Here we are! We are the girls from Lenore
Campers all, loyal and true!
Green and white, colors of lasting glory,
We will pledge ever to you!
Faithfully, we will return each summer
Knowing the joys that are in store.
Our mem'ries fond will linger on
For we are the girls of Camp Lenore

Green and White for peace and beauty
Lenore will carry on
For the Green and White for peace and beauty
Undaunted will go on
The fun we've had, the friends that we have made
Will linger on although the years may fade,
And be it so, Lenore, we pay thee homage
Forever and again.

(Repeat until exhausted)

That was the first song of many that we would have to learn. And we had just arrived! My first summer at Camp Lenore was already in full swing.