Lambec Family Camp is full of memories for many
people. Here is what the following family campers fondly remember.
- smashing coins at the train tracks
- the mud-pit
- going on adventures through the woods
- riding bikes to Peggy Gray's candy store
- a new cat at camp ever year
- attempting to fly my remote control airplane
- I remember and look forward every year to sitting on the swing in the playground with all of my friends just talking about things. We stayed up really late every night just to do that.
- Also, sometimes we would do laps around the soccer field in the dark or just play around on the equipment. It was nice not having littler kids or grown-ups around--we could just be ourselves.
- Riding my bike everywhere with Jamie
- Going to Peggy Grays and the White Turkey
- Going down the water slide
- Making crafts
- Racing to set the tables before meals
- Making things out of clay from the beach
- I remember the Friday night several years ago when many of the campers had left and the remnant was playing cards in the rec hall and generally hanging out. There were rumors of water spouts on the lake. Finally, we went out to investigate and as the lightening flashed, I saw two of the biggest tornadoes I have ever seen (not that my experience with tornadoes is that extensive--three in Colorado). As Jamie Leslie related, the next few hours of the night were spent in the basement of the Dining Hall and the Bath House. Wow!
- Listening to Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven in the chapel late at night as teenagers. (Editor's note: What could be more wholesome than listening to a song about heaven in a chapel?)
- I think we all know that we do not return to Lambec for the Queen size beds, the cable TV, the gourmet meals, the white sand beaches, the room service, the Broadway style talent at talent night or any of those other things people often vacation for. We return for the friends, family, and good memories that we all share. A big thank you to Dale Nicolls for providing this forum and this walk down memory lane. See you all there!
Costs: Year |
1990 |
1986 |
1965 |
Adult |
$135.00 |
$94.00 |
$19.00 |
9-12 |
100.00 |
54.00 |
12.00 |
3-8 |
50.00 |
54.00 |
8.00 |
- The softball games - practice every morning and games every afternoon. The teen boys versus the men (twice a week), the teen boys versus the mothers, and the girls versus the mothers. And, of course, the great Thursday evening game between the campers and the barn boys. Softball was the sport.
- The log fort, in the woods behind the cabins, built by the young boys and girls using the old logs in the area. A lot of play-battles were fought there.
- The vicious winds during a severe storm. We were in the end cabin with the Don Nicolls family, and the rains coming in off the lake blew in through the cracks of the wall. Many of the women and children were sent to the concrete-block restrooms for safety, while the men held up the walls of the rec hall to keep them from collapsing.
- Peggy Duvall arriving at camp with a steamer trunk full of clothes. Ocky brought a small handbag. Peggy made four to six changes of clothes each day. Peggy's parade to and from the beach every afternoon rivaled any fashion show in Paris.
- We used to get our camp water from the lake. Often, during a storm, the seaweed would jam the water intake pipe which cut off our supply of water.
- Some of us adults, after we thought that our children were asleep, went to the mess hall to make peanut butter and onion sandwiches.
- When the camp store was closed at 9pm, the adult campers took charge of keeping the store open until midnight so that we could have our snacks of candy bars, ice cream, pop, and to buy souvenirs. We had fun doing it, and earned more money for the camp.
- The Clark clan wearing colorful, matching T-shirts.
- Howard Miller running an efficient, well-kept, activity-packed camp with a staff of two cooks and six barn boys. Dave Fahringer, a former barn boy, said that Howard kept them moving from one job to another job.
- The Thursday afternoon corn husking bee, and the looking for that red ear of corn.
- As a barnboy, we were told by Tom McAlister (a three year veteran) that during second family camp we would be free to do what we wanted because Howard would be too busy visiting with his friends to think up work. It was suggested by Tom that we just not make a spectacle of ourselves and it would be the easiest week of the summer. As it turned out, the assignment was too difficult for us. We ended up the week blowing holes in one of the other barnboys clothes when we put fire crackers in his dresser. That brought both Howard's attention and wrath down on us and it was hard labor for us the rest of the summer. Youth!?!
- arts and crafts with Jennifer
- riding bikes to Peggy Gray's
- sailing, boating, and tubing
- unfinished key chains Amy Verone finished for everyone
- water slide in the rain
- root beer floats at the White Turkey
- spending the night in the basement of the dining hall
- going to the penny store
- playing Skip-Bo and Phase 10
Skunks
Riding bikes
Arts and crafts
Catching frogs in the pond
Peggy Gray's candy
Smashed pennies
Trains
- When I was a kid, there were only two major rules at camp -- 1, we were not allowed to go to the beach without a parent, and 2, we were not allowed to go up Ice Cream Mountain without a parent. With those two exceptions (and the expectation that we would be polite to the other campers, not start fires, not steal cars, etc), we were pretty much free to run around and do whatever we wanted to do. Days were spent playing volleyball or softball, racing around the camp, playing in the sandboxes, swimming in the lake, going on nature walks with Mrs. Beckwith, watching for falling stars with Chuckie & Bob Jamison, etc. It was always great to be at camp because it seemed as though we were free of supervision and free to try all kinds of new activities. As an adult, I watch kids running around and know that they are thinking the same thing. Of course, the reality of camp is that you are rarely out-of-sight of some person or another, and that another adult is keeping an eye on you when your parents are at the other end of camp. When something happens (a bike crash, a squabble in the sandbox, or seven-year-olds wandering too close to the pond), a grown-up magically appears to solve the problem. Even now, it is that carefree feeling of camp that I look forward to...there are few responsibilities, no serious worries, and the people in the office can't find me! That is the definition of a great vacation!
- One of my (sort-of) best memories of camp is getting yelled at by Barbara Ostrowski...one year, Patti & Doug Wheat and I were sick and tired of being awakened every morning by that noisy parade and we especially did not like the 'Good Morning, Good Morning' song that they played on a tape recorder at every cabin (Patti & Doug had a small sleeping baby; I was simply too grumpy to get out of bed). One afternoon, we decided that it was time to strike back. We waited until Mr. Jones was out of his cabin, and we asked his wife to give us the tape. In return, we gave her an old shredded tape that Patti had in her car. We draped the unraveled tape on his pillow and left a note saying that this was revenge for the early morning noise. We hid the real tape in our cabin and waited for a reaction. Unfortunately, we got more reaction than we wanted. Mr. Jones came back from the beach, found the shredded tape and was flabbergasted. He walked out of the cabin carrying it and ran into Barbara Ostrowski -- he told her what he thought had happened. She was immediately suspicious and tracked us down like dogs. She yelled at us for being mean, for destroying property, for being immature, and just being generally bad people. Even when we told her that it was a joke and that the tape was safe, she was not pleased with us. We had to slink over to Mr. Jones, return the tape, and apologize...we then avoided Barbara for the rest of the day!
- There were lots of fun times....playing Boggle, Scrabble, Risk, and Hearts & 500
- Going to the White Turkey and Peggy Grays (getting to watch them make candy in the back of the store!)
- The mystery of the switched cereal bags and missing silverware
- Painting plaster animals at Crafts and learning how to make lanyards
- Sitting on porches and talking
- Going to the Chapel to listen to Monty Python tapes and laughing until we cried!
- Guessing what the week's menu was on our trip up
- buying loads of candy to eat at night while our parents were in the rec hall
- late night antics with cuzes in the cabin once parents went to the rec hall- scary stories -remember the hanger banging on window
- Ah, the luxuries of camp. I remember the time I was treated to a luxurious bubble bath by my dear friend Jim Leslie. Yes, the soothing bubbles, the relaxing atmosphere, the sound of water trickling, trickling, trickling... Oh, did I mention it happened to be in an inflatable tropical island, in ice-cold water, going down a waterslide in front of the entire camp?!?!?! Oh well, you take what you can get. At least I was clean for that entire 15 minutes!
- Fierce tetherball games (when it consisted of paddles and a tennis ball on the string) among the kids while the adults played volleyball.
- Swimming out to the Big Rock
- Polar Bear swims at 6:00 AM.
- The singing Walker kids...did the really end up doing shows in Vegas?
- Grown ups staying up until 3:00 AM every night of the week. No wonder they didn't know what their kids were REALLY up to!!!!!!!!!!
- Singing "Why can't we relate?" as teens when we drove to the White Turkey. The song was adapted from the then popular song "Why can't we be friends?"
- Meatloaf for Saturday dinner followed by introductions which drove us kids crazy.
- The band that woke us all up in the morning.
- The different sets of steps leading down to the beach.
- The epic softball games between the campers and the barn boys.
- The epic softball games between the teens and the adults.
- The epic basketball games between the teens and the adults.
- Volleyball, volleyball, volleyball! From watching the adults play, to bounce volleyball as teens, to 2 on 12 challenges as college students.
- The mother and son softball games which would always be interrupted by some strange looking women with hairy legs.
- The old talent shows.
- Going to the White Turkey to drink Super Schoopers.
- The cold milk in the metal pitchers to wash down a piece of bread with apple butter.
- Getting a tour of Peggy Gray's Candy shop.
- The Olympics with the parade of cabins proudly bearing their flags and the events to follow.
- Friday night they would throw some mattresses in the back of the truck along with some kids and Howard Miller would drive us around. The highlight was when he drove us around the base path of the softball field. We all got suckers. I can't remember if it was before or after the ride. I think they had different insurance policies back then.
- The leg wrestling matches. (I was only told about this famous memory)
- Round the table ping pong.
- Snipe hunts.
- The dangerous, adventurous, thrill packed, Peggy Gray beach walks. Mr. Wilson got us started on the beach walks when we were kids. I remember taking very unconventional trails.
- Don and I have 38 years of memories and they pretty much run together. Don and many others have the memory of when the young Girard boy sang How Great Though Art at the Friday Night Communion service.
- Another special memory is that of Howard Miller pitching the Thursday Night softball game and then watching the ball soar out over his head after the pitch.
- Seeing Doc McLaren sitting on his bench under the Sycamore tree delivering his theses and each year hoping there might be something new under the sun for Stunt Night.
- Don remembers also the youth camps when the campers had to spend their Sunday afternoons watching Bible dramatizations.
- At Family Camp we adults stayed up until 2 or 3 in the morning discussing while we thought are kids were nestled snug in their beds sleeping. We found out years later that they had feigned sleep until we left for the rec hall and then all sorts of rowdiness took place.
- We enjoyed the fellowship of old friends and new and looking back we know that was a very special place to bring our children summer after summer.
- We always won the softball games in those "late years".
- There was Sewer City
- Norm thrown out of the Cabin in his sleeping bag after breakfast
- "Nap Time" every afternoon
- Mud days from the clay on the Hill
- Rain days and the body surfing
- Forced labor in craft time
- Chicken....then chicken salad.....then chicken soup, etc etc
- Too many to remember.
- Most people would assume that the Olympics are now over for another four years. We hardened veterans of Lambec know better, of course. Despite our not being at camp this year, I have no doubt that Sherry DuVall will commence opening ceremonies with her impression of Janet Evans. The torch will then touch a carefully constructed bonfire, and all will celebrate the coming of another year's Olympics by roasting marshmallows into the night. The first event naturally will be the elusive and daring snipe hunt. I myself have never actually seen a snipe, except for perhaps the picture in Webster's, however I do know they are there because .... well .... someone told me so a long time ago and they certainly would not have been lying at a church camp. The games would flow and ebb throughout the week with the usual test of strength and manly manhood, culminating with the hazardous and daring "Walk to Peggy Gray's, by way of the Beach, and with a touch of Wilson". Ideally, the walk is performed when conditions are best, that is, when the sea is stormy and the waves would dash and play folly with the meek of heart and soul against the sharp and perilous slate rock formations created and carved by the sea god Neptune himself. Other perils include, but are not limited to: "the dog", the "babdist" camp, rats in shacks, "______ Beach." Anyway, there are really a lot of perils to and from Peggy Grays. I know because I've seen them and heard about them for the better part of 40 years.
"We now have American Online, cable TV, professional trainers, TV evangelists, fast food restaurants, and an assortment of other activities to claim time previously set aside for good old fashion family get togethers. What chance do you think you'd have in New York City, stopping random passerby's and describing the appeal of a place like Lambec. Indeed. But then who wants a bunch of East Coast snobs there anyway. Lambec is one of those timeless places that can never exist anymore. You can't start a Lambec now, because you'd need computers, technology, cable, professional this, stylist that etc, etc.
It's impossible to explain the joy of a Tahitian Treat or box of milk duds after a challenge match of bounce volleyball or round the table, except to anyone who participated in these wacky activities before hitting the ripe age of 12.
It's hard to know what chemistry there was with that camp or people except if you were there. From the beach walks to Peggy Gray's, White Turkey silliness, sports, sports, sports and all sorts of mischief to the same crowd every year, its just hard to explain. One needs only to say boggle to some 5-6 individuals to have the other break out in a laugh. Oh well, maybe next year we'll go and relive what was there, but can we at 40?"
- Does anyone remember the culprit who parked Russ Gibson's car inside the chapel?
- Ocky Duvall leading the group of faithful golfers out to the links each morning rain or shine.
- The golf widows playing games on the cabin front porch.
- Prim and proper Anne White (Kelly, Jackie & Janie's mom) being thrown into the lake.
- Being served our refills of food at meal time by the barn boys and girls by holding the empty dish up in the air.
- Watching wonderful shooting stars on a clear night. A group of teenagers had the best seats back by the chapel. Many of the adults didn't believe us because they couldn't see them as well by sitting near the rec hall.
- In my childhood, Lambec was always something to look forward to. My friend Bev, who went to camp with me for several years, and I would pass notes in class all year proclaiming, 'I can't wait until Lambec!' We enjoyed riding our bikes over the roots of the big trees where the little garden is now. We played Monopoly on rainy days to stave off cabin fever. But, the coolest thing about being a kid at camp was being virtually parent-free for an entire week. (The flip side being that the parents enjoyed having us out from under their feet.)
- In my adulthood, it's my Lambec friends who draw me. With my becoming Amy Verone's protégé and my learning how to play 500, I have been introduced to the social circle in which I now move. In 1989 I recorded in my journal that 'the novelty of Lambec had worn off.' However, it's those wacky people who keep me coming back.
- A specific memory pertains to a tennis match I watched in '93 between Mr. O. & Doug Wheat and Dad & Dale. Mr. O. hit the ball with such a spin, that it dropped over the net at Dale's feet, and without him touching it, the ball then spun back over the net and dropped at Doug's feet. I wonder how the Wimbledon umpire would call that.
These are just a few memories from Camp Lambec. What are your favorite memories? If you want them included on this site then send them to nic@secondfamilyweek.org
Last updated on 06/01/03
