CAMP Ann Arbor YMCA AL-GON-QUIAN

Camp Al-Gon-Quian, On To Victory, For Your Fame We’ll Fight! 1

CAMP

AL-GON-QUIAN

LANDS AND FORESTS, THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF CAMP AL-GON-QUIAN. FALL 2016

IN THIS ISSUE

Director’s Letter p. 1

Construction Report p. 2-3

Halloween Camp p. 3

Program Focus: Nature p. 4

AGQ Calendar p. 4

Alumni Special Feature p. 5-8

Save the Date p. 5

Alumni Registration p. 8

QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, IDEAS?

Contact Nick Lacy, Editor, at

[email protected]

Ann Arbor YMCA

400 West Washington Street

Ann Arbor, MI 48103

www.annarborymca.org

DIRECTOR’S LETTER

Another wonderful and exciting summer at YMCA Camp Al-Gon-Quian

has come to a close. This year, AGQ served nearly 1200 campers,

employed over 50 staff and 40 volunteer Counselors-in-Training. Our

goal each summer is to provide campers with an amazing and unique

camp program that helps build life skills and personal development.

Through intentional programming and “camp magic” we hope campers

return home with new experiences and become positive stewards of

their community.

Three Leaders-in-Training campers (LIT’s)

exemplified the AGQ mission and were

voted winners of the Hiawatha Award.

They are: Alexa Easter (Session II top),

Gavin Tribble (Session III middle), and

Cate Dombrowski (Session IV bottom).

Congratulations to the three winners! Anny

Hully was the recipient of the Wayamana

Award, given to the Junior Staff member

who exemplified Camp ideals. Anny was a

great addition to our staff. She brought a

wide range of great A&C ideas, helped at

the Barn and had an infectious laugh!

Eric Bayless-Hall was the recipient of our

Frodo Bird Egg Award for his outstanding

dedication as Head Male counselor. Eric did

an exceptional job leading staff and

providing great care for his campers. Eric’s

service is truly appreciated and will have a

lasting imprint on AGQ for the next

generation of staff. Lastly, I’d like to thank

all of the campers, parents, staff, camp

resources and alumni for an incredible

summer at AGQ. This is the best place in

the world! We look forward to continuing

the tradition of excellence and seeing that

AGQ remains a place of growth, adventure

and fun for many years to come!

-Charles Fahlsing Camp Director


Construction Report As you may have heard, Rowe Hall, known as Bradley Hall

up until the 1970s, is being replaced. The decision to replace it was not taken lightly. Since the late 1920s,

Rowe Hall has been one of the most significant structures on Camp, holding talent shows, theater performances, dances, rainy day activities and many other programs.

Unfortunately, the building has had foundation problems going back many generations. The harsh winters coupled

with poor soil conditions, have caused heaving issues as the ground freezes and thaws. Working with architects

and structural engineers, the Y has been able to ensure that the building has been sound before putting campers in there each summer. However, due to Camp’s growth, maintenance concerns and the need for

bathrooms has led the Y to work on a long term solution: a new building, currently under construction, ready for campers in Summer 2017. The new building will be 10% larger, ADA

accessible, have bathrooms and will maintain the character of the original building. Below is the architect’s rendering of how the building will look. Not visible is the fireplace, which will be remade from original stones.

Tom Enck (camper and riding staff ‘54, ‘56 , ‘57) and his wife

Cleta, in front of the new Rowe Hall as it’s being built

Staff and campers gathered around the fireplace in the 1940s


Health Center Open For 2016 The new Health Center was open for the 2016 camping season. Located on main Camp, where the

maintenance facilities were up until 2000, the new Health Center replaces the old infirmary which was

on upper Camp behind Wood Shop. It is as a place for campers to get health checks, take their

prescription medicines from a walk up window and get treated for sprains, scrapes and other injuries.

The new facility includes bathrooms, three quarantine rooms, an office, a laundry room, a clinic area

and is ADA accessible. Great attention was paid to ensuring that the new Health Center would look

and feel like it has always been a natural part of Camp. Color schemes and design features like the

large wrap-around porch were intentionally included. The goal with this building, and all construction

on Camp is to improve function, meet current and future Camp needs while staying true to the

traditions and character of Al-Gon-Quian.

On October 21, twelve brave campers

participated in a weekend of ghost stories, creepy events, pumpkin carving,

beautiful fall colors and many other fall activities. Halloween Camp is a unique camper experience for all campers that

love to be scared! Do you believe in camp ghosts? Add them to our book of scary

stories and AGQ lore by emailing [email protected]. A special thank you to John Andrews for sharing

the Hatchet Lady story he told in the

1970s.

Halloween Camp

mailto:[email protected]


Program Focus: F.U.N.K. Each session, 250 campers and staff gather around the

assembly ring on “Sign-Ups Sunday,” soaking in staff-lead chants and funny counselor introductions. Activity Area Specialists describe and sell their activities to entice large

crowds of campers to sign-up. The skits at this Assembly are a camper’s first taste of Camp’s curriculum. For many

campers, the class F.U.N.K. (Fun Understanding of Nature Knowledge) is intriguing and ambiguous. Rae Brigham, our F.U.N.K. specialist, suggests that the acronym’s

disguise is an import ingredient in making the class popular. Brigham say’s “F.U.N.K. typically attracts two

types of campers: campers who love nature and campers who are a little confused about what F.U.N.K is. A lot of children are quick to write off nature and outdoor

experiences because they sound like work or less fun in

the immediate sense.”

Once campers spend an hour in the class the objective and teachings of the curriculum become clear. F.U.N.K is

an experiential curriculum that allows campers to engage with nature, ask tough questions and get dirty! After a week in the F.U.N.K curriculum campers will know many

types of plants that grow on camp’s property and which ones are edible. Campers will also learn about the

differences between soft stimuli (i.e. nature sounds) and hard stimuli, (i.e. human-made noises) and their effect on our daily stress, and finally campers participate in the

AGQ challenge which involves traversing some of Camp’s toughest terrain before plunging into the mud pit! Our

goal is to educate and engage campers in nature with the hopes of igniting life-long passion and stewardship of our

environment.

AGQ Calendar

2017 Session Dates

Spring Break Camp 2017 April 3-6

Session 1 June 24 - July 1

Session 2 July 1 - July 15

Session 3 July 15 - July 29

Session 4 July 30 - August 13

Session 5 August 13 - August 20

Session 6 August 20 - August 27

Mini Camp August 20 - August 23

Family Camp August 29 - Sept. 2

Important Dates:

November 4th: Staff applications become available

www.annarborymca.org/

employment.

December 4th: Early Registration

begins at 1:00 p.m.

Early Registration is open to

returning campers and siblings,

alumni & YMCA members)

December 23rd: AGQ Alumni

Reunion at Pizza House (21+)

December 27-30: Winter

Leadership Camp (8th-10th Grade)

January 9th: Open Registration

begins for all prospective campers.

http://www.annarborymca.org/employment

http://www.annarborymca.org/employment


ALUMNI SPECIAL FEATURE Camp Al-Gon-Quian is rich in history, stories and communities. In speaking with an alumnus over the summer, he reminded me of how lucky I was to be in a position where I get to interact with generations of campers and hear about their time at AGQ. Here are a few of the stories I’ve collected recently. Thank you to everyone who contributed. Due to space limitations, we couldn’t fit them all and but they will begin to pop up on Facebook in the future. Follow us at https://www.facebook.com/algonquian/ I also encourage you to go on Facebook and share your stories, post a “Throwback Thursday” photo with your friends and reconnect with a place that you can always call home.-Nick Lacy

My family's camp experience at Al-Gon-Quian actually started in the early 1930's, when my father, Arthur, worked for Herb Twining as a camp counselor for several summers to earn tuition money for college. Fast forward 20 years later to the 1950's, when my brother Dave and I spent four 8 week long sessions at Camp. Special memories include pack trips on horseback for a two-day camping experience in the woods, and a trip to Sault Stainte Marie to view the Soo Locks during it’s 50th anniversary celebration. From St. Ignace, we could view the Mackinaw Bridge being built.

More recently, my wife Carole and our two children, Bill and Bernie spent a week at Family Camp at the end of each summer during the 1980's. Carole has often

remarked that these were the best vacations! We were regular horseback riders, and during one of those sessions, my horse bit me in the rear end when I bent over to pick up an apple. Bernie still loves to remind me of this! She and her brother were notorious as partners for the 3-legged race held each year during Field Day. In her younger years, Bill would just pick her up and run--always winning!

In 2016, our grandson Jamison experienced his first Al-Gon-Quian adventure, having attended the one week session at the end of

August. When asked what his favorite activity was, he mentioned Wood Shop. Interestingly, his father Bill was a regular Wood Shop attendee and worked as an assistant during our last 2 summers. So

the tradition of Camp Al-Gon-Quian goes on. Hopefully, Jamison will attend again next summer with his older brother and younger sister.

Steve Smith, camper 1952-1955, Family Camp 1980-1989

Steve Smith, top right

Save the Date: June 23, 2017

Camp Al-Gon-Quian will be holding a dedication of

our newly constructed Rowe Hall on June 23, 2017.

Alumni and friends of Camp will be invited to see

what is going to be a wonderful facility for

generations to come. Please stay tuned for details.

If you would like to serve on the Planning

Committee for this event please let me know,

[email protected]

Thom Clayton, Hal Morse, ?, ?, Steve Grady, ?

Please help us identify the unknown riders.


My first recollection of Camp Al-Gon-Quian (guessing around 1948) was standing at the train station in Indian River, across the street from my parent’s small inn, watching the 7 am Michigan Central train from Detroit pull into the station, bellowing clouds of steam. It was both a passenger, freight, and mail train.

Shortly after slowly screeching to a stop, a crowd of sleepy boys would pile off the train, followed by their shiny black and dark green metal trunks. The boys would climb into waiting open canvas topped trucks manned by very athletic young men in white tee shirts and blue shorts. I had never seen men wearing

shorts! Living in a small northern Michigan town of 100 +

people, and attending a wooden schoolhouse with 4 classrooms for 10 grades, I had no idea what a “Summer Camp” was. I knew about "Summer People”

who lived in the cottages along Burt Lake employing many my schoolmates’ parents during the summer months and who were customers of my parent’s inn.

In 1949 (that’s the first picture from Camp showing me with the Miami Tribe), Herb Twining invited my parents

to send me to Camp Al-Gon-Quian for 8 weeks, which was the only time option then. Parents could not visit

for the first 3-4 weeks, which laid the groundwork for my ability to live without my parents.

This would be so important to my later adaption to boarding school and college. I learned how to live with boys from “Down Below” that I had never met before. Living

in a small village can make your view of the world very insular. Camp changed me. I spent six years at Camp, and at age 14 went on to a private boarding school in “faraway” New Hampshire (Phillips Exeter Academy) and

then college and graduate school at Harvard. There is no question that one of the important cornerstones in the foundation of my later life was having the privilege of attending Camp Al-Gon-Quian for six years. Thank You Camp Al-Gon-Quian, and keep up the great work. –Bob DeVore, camper 1949-1954

Bob deVore, second row right with cabin mates

Jim DeVilbiss, Pete Geller, Bill Merke, Sean Levan and possibly

Steward Mott?

Dick deVore (left), with Matt Aberbach (center) and Pete Morse (right)

Looking through old Camp photos.

Camp Al-Gon-Quian was the beginning of my character building. It offered and taught activities to my brother and me which we would have never have been exposed to otherwise. Being surrounded by many other campers I learned how to merge my life with others as well as how to be a team player. Camp also offered the opportunity to show and tune my leadership skills in the many activities offered. Looking back over my life, I have to honestly say...Camp Al-Gon-Quian gave me the foundation and skills that I built upon. I feel so strongly about what Camp Al-Gon-Quian has given me, both of my children, and my grandchildren who have attended Camp Al-Gon-Quian representing three generations since 1949. -Dick deVore, camper 1949-1955


Part of the camp experience is taking fun overnight trips to interesting locations like Sleeping Bear

Dunes, Interlochen, Mackinac Island and more. One of my most vivid memories of Camp is one of these trips, but it wasn't to some cool or

exciting location. Our trip was to Fern's backyard.

Fern Besset was the legendary Camp Cook through the 60s, 70s and 80s. Every camper knew Fern,

and eventually the Dining Hall was renamed in her honor. She was a small woman with a feisty attitude. As a camper, you didn't mess with Fern, but everyone loved her. She was like the camp

grandma that made sure we all had plenty to eat.

In about 1975, I was a camper in my early teens. Someone decided that it would be good for AGQ to

be represented in the Alanson 4th of July Parade. Alanson is six miles west of Camp and had a population around 600. You can imagine that their

4th of July Parade wasn't exactly an extravaganza.

Since AGQ is only a 10 minute drive from Alanson, one might assume that the marchers from AGQ

rode the bus over there the morning of the parade, but that wasn't the case. Camp leadership decided instead to turn this outing into an overnight

event. I'm not sure how they did it, but they talked Fern into letting the whole group camp-out in her backyard at her home in Alanson.

So on July 3rd, about fifty of us bused over to Fern's house. We cooked dinner over a fire, roasted marshmallows and slept under the stars

(and the Alanson street lights). The next morning, we put on our wrinkly AGQ tee shirts, and proudly sang "On Al-Gon-Quian" in the parade. I'm pretty sure we only had to sing it once, since the parade

was only about a block long!

While other campers bragged about canoeing down the Sturgeon River or climbing Sleeping Bear, my

friends and I sheepishly got to brag that we slept in Fern's backyard. Bill Wrobleski, camper 1969-1976, counselor 1977-1980

Camp Al-Gon-Quian was an extremely important

part of my youth. It was Camp that helped me

grow my communication/socialization skills,

independence and self respect.

I feel even more privileged now that both of my

children have found their place at AGQ as well. My

daughter has now been a camper longer than

myself (8 years) and my son will match my

summers in 2017.

I often speak to young parents who never

experienced sleep-away camp as a child. I

immediately gush over the fact that one of the

very best can be found on beautiful Burt Lake, MI.

On Al-Gon-Quian!

-Jeff Aznavorian, camper 1983-1988

I went to AGQ from the ages of 7-16. Camp

meant so much to me. I still have yet to find a place that celebrates people’s differences as

well as AGQ does. I can honestly say most of the best times of my life were experienced at AGQ, and I will be forever grateful for all the

beautiful memories I have there. Here is a group shot of all the women staff from my

CIT year. AGQ LOVE! -Alison Tracy-Gabriel, camper 1996-2005

CIT 2006


Found! In our last issue we asked for your help identify-

ing the people in this photo (above). Bill Gray identified

the counselor as Jay Kreimer. I found Jay who confirmed

that it was indeed him.

I decided it would be interesting to work in a camp that had the children there all

summer. It turns out they needed a camp nurse up at

Camp Al-Gon-Quian with Herb Twining as the Camp Director

and his wife Rozella as his assistant. I was able to get all our clothes, bedding, a

typewriter, a sewing machine and my two girls in my VW

Beetle for the trip up to Indian River. That turned out to be a great experience and I learned a lot about the boys, some of whom were in boarding school or military academies during

the school year.

In 1968, I remarried and our new family included three

additional children, two of whom were of camp age. So I went down to the Y and asked if by any chance they needed a camp nurse for a couple of weeks. I said I would do it for

no salary if they could put my four children in a cabin either as campers or Junior Counselors. They said " You are just

what we are looking for. We don't have any money for a camp nurse. Would you be willing to do it all summer?" And I emphatically said "YES". The two added boys were Steve

and David Jelneck. Steve worked in the kitchen and David was in a cabin with the youngest boys. Chris and Anne were

Junior Counselors.

I am forever grateful for the summers that I was able to do camp nursing. My children made life-long friends with whom

we still keep in touch. We recently celebrated the 60th birthday of Andy Clark with Sam Clark leading the group

singing and Fred Clark helping plan the day which included canoeing down the Huron River for a few hours.

-Lois Jelneck, Camp Nurse 1964, 1968-1972

Alumni Registration Page

AGQ has touched the lives of countless campers and staff in the last 90

years. In an effort to reconnect with alumni we have created a Registration

Page. If you haven’t already, please register as an alumni so that we can be

sure to keep you up-to-date on everything that’s going on at Camp and let

you know about future alumni events. If you have registered, please

encourage other alumni to do so as well. Registration is easy and can be

done at http://bit.ly/2f7l8Ei

Camp AGQ Lancers Drill Team

Can you help us identify these campers?

Documents

CAMP Ann Arbor YMCA AL-GON-QUIAN