By Adam Kaplan
The last page of our brochure poses a question that we are often asked: “How has camp changed over the years?” The written response is, “Not much…what’s truly important…the traditions and values of Nebagamon remain the same.” (Full disclosure: those words were written by our predecessors, the Wallensteins, so I guess even in our brochure not much changes!)
I love the constancy of this place. I love that when we sit in the Rec Hall, we are sitting on the same chairs and at the same tables as literally thousands of others before us at Nebagamon. I love that the songs we sing at the end of our meals are the same ones that have been sung for decades after breakfast. (I love that multiple camp directors before me butchered those songs with the same cacophonic aplomb as I do every morning!) I love that every Sunday night we gather at the Council Fire Ring and participate in the same traditions that have been practiced for nearly 100 years – throwing our arms around each other, fighting back tears during poignant Keylogs, and singing the same beautiful songs that have concluded every Council Fire. I have had the true honor, every Sunday night, of repeating the exact same words that have been spoken by each of the three sets of camp directors that have preceded Steph and I. There can be little doubt that the traditions and “sameness” of the place are a large part of its strength, richness, and character.
Maintaining this continuity is an important part of our job as stewards of Camp Nebagamon. Steph and I take our roles, as guardians of this tradition, very seriously. Protecting the history and legacy of Nebagamon is part of virtually every decision we make as directors.
And, we have the benefit of others who are happy to help us protect camp’s traditions. Our campers, staff, and alumni base are a fiendishly loyal and committed group. They zealously work to maintain Camp Nebagamon as the special place that it has been for so long. As is the role of groups like these, when changes are posed, they are met with a wary eye. One of my favorite stories relating to this comes from our very first summer as directors. But first, a little backstory…
For those of you that did not know, despite my having grown up as a camper and staff member at Nebagamon, just prior to becoming the director of Nebagamon, I had been directing a camp in the San Juan Islands of Washington. While there, admittedly, I worked pretty hard to make them more Nebagamon-y, but I also learned some things from them. One of the things I learned was the Ping Pong Ball song, a totally silly song that is a ton of fun to sing.
So, back to the story…my first year as the co-director at Nebagamon, I started to sprinkle that Ping Pong Ball song into the morning routine. The boys eventually took to the song and recognized how much fun it was. But, in the off-season, I received several scathing notes from alumni warning me not to ruin Nebagamon by trying to change things…like bringing in a new song! By their reckoning, there were to be no Ping Pong Ball songs belted out in the Rec Hall. No way…no how!
Eventually though, as our credibility as camp directors grew and people began to trust that we had no intentions of destroying camp (even if we had a fondness for songs about tiny white balls that clearly endangered young minds), people became much more accepting of new ideas that we brought to the table in an effort to keep camp current. When we built the climbing wall, we were really pleased with the reaction of our camp family. By and large they got behind it and realized that this could become a logical and wonderful part of camp moving forward. The same was (mostly) true when we introduced waterskiing in 2014. So too, when we added mountain biking; it was embraced as a valuable program for Camp Nebagamon.
And last year, when we announced that Nebagamon was converting to a not-for-profit organization, the announcement was met with enthusiasm and support.
Two weekends ago, we had Camp Nebagamon’s first in-person board meeting. All thirteen board members traveled to Chicago (minus the one with Covid!) to gather and talk about all things Nebagamon. There was a google executive, a rabbi, a school CFO, an entrepreneur, a not-for-profit marketer, a not-for-profit consultant, a school curriculum expert, a math teacher, a former Nebagamon camp director, and four lawyers (ok…that’s a lot of lawyers!!). All sorts of people, from all sorts of places, with all sorts of expertise…and all completely dedicated to keeping Camp Nebagamon that same special place that we all know…and moving it forward.
It was an amazingly energizing couple of days of meetings, and it reaffirmed my belief in what a special place Camp Nebagamon is. We are all lucky to be a part of this family…
It was a big job that Caretaker/Cook Cody Keys got started by pulling off all of the old bench top planks as Caretaker Andy and I wrapped up the jobs we were working on. Some came off with ease and others Cody reported were quite the chore being held in place by 4 inch spikes driven into still solid rail road tie posts. But when we all came together for the post pulling phase, Cody had all of the seats off and sorted into the keep-for-reuse and too-rotted-to-keep piles. Next we used an set of old logger’s tongs fixed to the tractor bucket with heavy logging chain and pulled each of the old posts out of the ground. Some were only 20 inches in the ground and popped out more easily, but most where well anchored in place at about 30 inches in the ground. Once all of the old posts were out of the way we graded the site with the tractor bucket to even and refine the slope as well as filling all the old post holes. Now we were faced with the daunting task of digging about 130 new post holes, setting all of those posts both plumb and level to each other in the current row, as well as giving each row its proper bend to give the needed view of the fire ring for all of those seated. Well, after a lot of hard physical work, a bit of debate, some trial and error, the rental of 2 different types of post hole drilling machines and about 3 ½ weeks on a soggy sandy work site, a much improved Council Fire Ring has been completed, ready to comfortably wrap up each week of the camp’s seasons for decades to come. We’re really happy with the results: wider seats, uniform 16 inch seat heights on every row, and all post anchored at consistent depths.
Those who needed to visit Amber at the Waldorf-Castoria in her time as our Camp Nurse were greeted by her cheery disposition and calm and level-headed approach to handling health needs. Amber juggled a lot at camp, between daily camper medications and health needs and acute issues that required more immediate solutions, and worked tirelessly to get campers back out into camp enjoying their summer. She was an incredible role-model for the dozens of nursing assistants who worked alongside her, and a trusted advisor as we navigated so many health challenges at camp, including the COVID pandemic.
6th Grade Campers: Louie Bader, Ronen Brandler, William Brandler, Ben Brotchner, Zach Brotchner, Levi Budin, Ethan Cardenas, Grant Cowens, Nate Feldman, Grant Hall, David Levick, Alex Lyons, Ethan Mack, Mason Marek, Brandon Pineda, Leo Seidman, Bryce Shepherd, Henry Sonneland, Rafi Thacker, Jonah Tone, Mekhi Vante
9th – Andy Mack