Sunday, August 2- The Winds of Change & The Valley Trip

It's hard to believe that we're at the mid-way point in our summer. Just four weeks of camp left. In 1959, eight weeks of sleep away camp was the only option camps offered. Today, due to the high cost of overnight camps, along with the variety of other recreational activities available to kids, most camps offer a one, three, or four week session. Back then, we were all on the eight-week plan. Little did we know, in a few short years, there would be a variety of external and internal forces that would not only affect our summers at Lenore, but camps in general.
The late fifties to the early seventies were probably the Golden Years of sleep away camps. That's certainly due to the fact that we Baby Boomers, the largest portion of the population, were growing up during that time. So, there were alot of us going to camp. But, starting in the early sixties, camps had to compete with a new phenomenon: the Teen Tour. These tours included teenage girls and boys, and involved travelling by bus to different destinations around the country.(often to visit colleges) They became quite popular with those girls who were ready for a change from "traditional" camp.
As we all learned in biology, those that can't adapt, soon become extinct. The Directors of Lenore wisely saw this looming trend, and chose to counter it with: The Valley Trip. As early as 1962, the Senior Valley girls spent a good portion of a week travelling by bus to visit some of the top colleges in the area. It was received quite enthusiastically, And was alot of fun.( I distinctly remember sleeping in one of the dorms at Wellesley on a very warm night...) This strategy, though not perfect, must have worked for a while, at least. Because I don't remember losing too many of my Lenore friends to teen tours. But, Lenore was a "generalist" camp in an ever-increasing field of "specialist" camps. Tennis, Drama, co-ed and "Work" camps were now all competing for kids' attention and parents' wallets. This, no doubt, was also a contributing factor to declining enrollment during the mid-sixties.
But, Lenore had to face a far more difficult challenge: old age. In 1959, ithe camp was already a middle-aged 42 years old, and I have no doubt that maintaining it, or repairing it was becoming increasingly expensive. The three "active" Directors were getting on in age, and Mrs. Spec was already ancient...By 1962, some unfamiliar faces began to appear at the Lodge and some of our lunches and activities...
But, none of us was thinking that far ahead. This was 1959, the first Sunday in August, and like every prior Sunday, we went to Music Hour. The only thing on most of our minds was what comic book we were going to read.