See Where We Have Been in 2012
Here is a link to our complete collection of Camp show photos on SmugMug
Avid Blog Readers…
The Camp Show season comes to an AMAZING conclusion in the Valley of the Sun.
Baptized in the golden sun of Scottsdale, AZ is as close to basking in the Sunlight of Truth as I think I can get. With Camp Show Hosts Rich Evans CSB and his wife Blythe Evans CS, it is hard to find a more enlightened pair of individuals to assemble 24 of their closest friends with children to learn about the delights of Camps Leelanau and Kohahna. A few highlights include seeing recent alum Chris Kotila with his wife, two year old, and new born (both will be campers some day soon) in tow. Doug Bechner came out of the woodwork to remind us of the olden days of camp, and to prove that when I say “friendships for life” I’m not lying; he and Rich Evans met at camp in 1959!
Many wonderful new faces joined our party and we look forward to welcoming them to Pyramid Point, if not this summer, then in another summer very soon.
Lastly, seeing as this will be the final stop on the camp show tour 2012, Kathleen and I want to sincerely thank our readers for their dedicated attention to this blog. We will see many wonderful faces this summer, and until then I need to get home and start mowing the soccer field so it is ready for Saturday Night Soccer!
Kathleen’s southern Tour:
It all started in Charleston, SC where I had the opportunity to attend church and meet with a number of lovely families after Sunday School. Spring was in the air and the azaleas were in full bloom. Honey Johnson, former LOC staff member and the daughter of former Executive Director, Glenn Johnson, hosted me for the evening and helped me get acquainted with the church and families there. It was a wonderful start to my southern tour. Many thanks to Honey and the folks in Charleston!
Next stop was Raleigh, NC where I got to attend a number of events put on by local Christian Scientists. First stop was the DiscoveryBound Picnic at Pullen Park. It was a hot day as well as a holiday so many local Raleigh families were out celebrating UNC and NC State basketball victories as well as St. Patty’s day at the park! After sharing a lovely lunch, and meeting up with current camp Family, the Demers (Michelle, John, Roxanna, and John Coleman), the whole group headed off to a lecture being put on by First Church, Raleigh. The lecture was given by Betty Jean O’Nealle, C.S., and I really enjoyed meeting her and hearing her wonderful thoughts on “employment.” The final activity for the evening was a stop off to the Sunday school for a presentation on all of the summer camps. We had a pizza party and several hours of sharing of the blessings of summer camp. There was plenty of good to share about Leelanau and Kohahna and I look forward to welcoming the Demers family as well as maybe a few others from Raleigh, NC to our camp in the coming months.
Next stop was Atlanta, GA where I reunited with my pal, Weldon Rutledge! We headed over to the Kendall family home in the Buckhead area where we enjoyed a home tour and playing games in the yard with Grayle (Leelanau Camper), Perrin (Kohahna Camper) and Porter (Leelanau Camper). Berry and Jason Kendall were perfect hosts with appetizers, beverages, and deluxe pizza too! Soon the guests arrived and we met with some local area camp supporters, including one of the founders of the Campership Fund of the Southeast, and the very important Zvirbulis family! We enjoyed chatting and sharing fond camp memories with Dan (dad), Nick (Leelanau Camper), Raimonds (Leelanau Camper), and Aina (Kohahna camper). Aina and Perrin were as cute as can be in their matching Kohahna t-shirts! Gotta love the camp store!! A big thanks to all our families in the Atlanta area who welcomed us so graciously. We had a lot of fun with you all!
Last stop in the south-Charlotte, NC.
A bright and vibrant church with many Sunday Schoolers and plenty of adult attendance made for a lovely service this past Sunday morning. We were pleased to be assisted by so many members who generously provided pizza, drinks, and desserts, as well as accessibility to a big screen and a projector for watching our camp video. We enjoyed detailing the many highlights of summer life and Harvest Weekend activity for the families in Charlotte. With many new hopefuls for camp, we look forward to welcoming some more Charlotte families soon!!
Blog Readers, there is more…
We had a wonderful show at the home of Andy and Holly Scriptor (current Family Campers). Their daughters Arianna and Savanna (future Kohahna campers) played very nicely with Pippi Schroeder and Tom Bisbee. The Lutton Family arrived early and learned the entire unabridged history of the Camps beginning in 1921, as their children Coben and Tylin helped put on a puppet show in the basement. Lastly the Towle Family (yes related to the famous current camper Will Towle; cousins in fact) arrived with Leelanau Alum Perry, wife Jen and daughters Emma and Lily
We ate delicious snacks and had a wonderful showing of the video. Andy Scriptor made the enlightened revelation that camp is more than just fun in a beautiful place, but actually a character education curriculum is taking place at the same time! True fact. It was a wonderful show, and we are so grateful for the Scriptor Family for inviting us all the way out to Colorado!
Greetings avid blog reader…
I know we have been radio silent for over a week. You probably found yourself wondering: Are the travels over? Have Weldon and Kathleen forgotten about us, and our need to follow them across the country? Has camp already opened and we missed the memo? Where are those guys?
Well, I am here to assure you that none of the above happen to be the current circumstances. The current circumstances are that we have been all over the country in the past 8 days, and there is not an end in sight!
Kathleen and I traveled to Chicago with a number of other Camp Staff where we attended the ACA’s Midstates Conference and learned a few new tricks to unload on folks this summer. (Watch out Trail Riders – Hickory and Tina learned a few tricks with a dutch oven!)
We also got to join 37 of our closest camp friends and their parents at Jump Sky High in Naperville, IL where we jumped on trampolines and played Bombardment together last Friday night. It was a wonderful celebration of 100 days until camp begins! I can practically smell summer, wait no, that is just Tom Bisbee after an hour of jumping on a trampoline, basically the smell of HQ.
On Saturday Kathleen headed off for her adventures in the Southeast where so far she has reported seeing two alligators and numerous dolphins, I hope that translates to lots of campers this summer.
From Chicago I began my trek with Venture #2 across this beautiful country. I stopped in St. Louis, MO to meet with Eddie Bargmann (potential CT) and his Mom. I traveled on to Kansas City to meet with Camp supporters and Alum. From there on to Des Moines, IA to meet a potential Family Camp crew. Minneapolis called me next where I got to meet up with Brett Huntley (Leelanau Camper) and his Dad. I even got ride a roller coaster at the Mall of America with none other than Ben and Jeremy Hanson (Leelanau Campers).
I parked V2 with the Hansen Family and flew onto Denver.
Thanks for reading and there is more to come. Sorry I don’t have too many pictures to share, but transmissions from Colorado have to be pretty heavily encoded.
Detroit, MI
March 4, 2012
This isn’t New York City, the Windy City, or Sin City, and we certainly weren’t in the Emerald City. This is CAMP SHOW CITY – imported from DETROIT.
Kathleen and I blew into the Motor City, where the hottest fires make the toughest campers, and had ourselves a joyous camp show at the Japhet School. We played basketball, pushball, dodge ball, and generally frolicked in the gym.
So many wonderful camp families came together to play games in the gym, along with Tom Bisbee and Pippi Schroeder, and to watch our amazing camp video in the school’s Centrum.
A huge thank you to Cathy Mohan for welcoming us to the Japhet School, and to Lisa Johnson and her family for collecting RSVP’s and rounding up local families to come out and learn about the wonders of Leelanau and Kohahna.
It was also a huge honor, and treat, to be welcomed back to Japhet on Monday morning to help deliver the “Inspo” talk about “Respect for Self”, the school’s character quality for the month. After singing the Brown Squirrel Song as a warm up, we talked about setting and maintaining high standards and always doing your best, as a good way to have Respect for Self. This talk certainly got my juices flowing for the work we will be doing this summer at Leelanau and Kohahna.
St. Louis, MO
March 3, 2012
Our return to St. Louis was triumphant as we welcomed over 75 people to our camp show at the Greenman family home. A big thank you to Leslie, Scott and the boys (shout out to Luke and Ben) for opening their home to us and providing the masses with delicious food! A big highlight in the food department was the Camp Leelanau & Kohahna logo printed on the beautiful sheet cake – it was a visual masterpiece!!
With such a large group of people, we were spread throughout all corners of the spacious property with kids outside playing basketball, parents talking in the living room, and even more families playing, eating, and chatting down in the basement. Once the guests had arrived, we put on the show with a full and fun (dare we say comical) presentation from Weldon and Kathleen. All in all it looks like we are going to have MANY returning campers from the St. Louis area and many a new face as well. We are eager to welcome the children of alums as well, who are now becoming camper age!
Thanks for a great visit St. Louis – it was wonderful fun, as always!
Sherman Oaks and San Diego, CA
February 25-26th, 2012
To the Tune of “California Gurls” by Katy Perry
Greetings avid blog readers, let’s take a journey
I know a place where there are plenty of campers
Sher-man Oaks, and then off to San Diego
Drive the 4-0-5 and then sometimes the 1-0-1
We’ll arrive soon, and then we’ll have a big old camp show
You can travel the world but nothing comes close to the Pyramid Point
Camp show party with us and you’ll be fallin’ in love (Lee-Koh Lee-Koh)
So-Cal shows, they’re unforgettable
Sherman Oaks and San Diego
So-Cal Shows, gettin’ new families
Wa-oh-Wa-oh, oh, Wa-oh Wa-oh
Camp in Mi-chi-gan, it’s undeniable
You’ll be smitten with the mitten
West Coast represent, let’s get you signed up
For ca-a-amp, oh for ca-a-amp
California, Ca-li-fornia Shows, California, California Shows
California, Ca-li-fornia Shows, California, California Shows
Thank you to Jeff Scott for coordinating the show in San Diego and Jodie and Darrin Kennedy for hosting the camp show in their beautiful home in Sherman Oaks.
California part I (Petaluma):
Beginning February 20, 2012
(Read to the tune of Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA”)
We got off the plane in San Jose, with a dream and a DVD,
welcome to the land of camp alum whose kids are only three.
Grabbed a rental car, it’s a Kia Rio
San Francisco, Petaluma, here we go,
This is all so crazy, they should all be our campers!
My tummy’s grumbling and I’m feeling kind of hungry,
Time for pizza at the camp show party.
That’s when Dave Steven’s turned on the DVD
And the camp video was on
And the camp video was on
And the camp video was on.
So we put our hands up, they’re playing our song,
I want to go to camp today!
Lee-la-nau like yeah,
Ko-hah-na like yeah.
So we put our hands out, meeting new kids,
Leelanau & K O H
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
I want to go to camp today!
Fairfax, VA
February 19, 2012
Next we drove to Fairfax where the Timoner Family home became headquarters for our greater District of Columbia show. Their home filled up with many currently enrolled campers, soon to be returning campers, and alum from the 00’s, the 90’s, the 80’s, and the 70’s.
Their was no shortage of honey-baked ham to feast upon as we celebrated camp, shared highlights from summers past, and informed the newly enrolled all about the good things to come in the summer of 2012. It is encouraging to know that there are still many younger brothers and sisters who will be coming to camp in future years who were able to get a taste of camp at our show!
Next stop…California! No joke, avid blog followers, Kathleen and I are heading to the Golden State in our coast to coast camp show tour!
Charlottesville, VA
February 19, 2012
Some say that Virginia is for Lovers. Nay, nay. Virginia is for CAMP SHOWS!!
Kathleen and I took Virginia by storm on Sunday with the help of Susan Latham Timoner and her sons Grayson and Reed. First we traveled to Charlottesville, gave a nod to Thomas Jefferson (clearly a Leelanau Man at heart), and held a camp show in the Sunday School of the Charlottesville Church. Jane and Phil Cook (current camp parents) helped facilitate the show for us, as their children Ryan and Rachel (both current campers) sang the praises of Leelanau and Kohahna. It was a wonderful opportunity to share the blessings of the right idea that is camp with many new faces from the Charlottesville church.
Indianapolis, Indiana
February 12, 2012
Indianapolis is a “Super” town, and the Ferland Family’s Camp Show blows the Super Bowl out of the water. No offense to Madonna and the New York Giants but when Gabe and Dory Ferland open their home to a camp show party you know it is going to be a good time. I also have to say I felt like I was in a room full of celebrities because so many of the guests of the show are stars in the camp video this year!
We got to see the swift-legged Isaac Ferland and Conner Everett at the show, Connor even brought his parents, Andy and Steph, and his little sisters Lily and Gracie to learn more about his experience at camp last summer.
Of course, Bridget and Gretchen Ferland were present to sing the praises of Kohahna to the crew. Christie, Phil, Robbie, and Mary Beth Sears all trooped over from Speedway Indiana, and Ben Reismeyer came all the way down from Chicago for a quick visit to his old stomping grounds. Julie and Roy Yates learned about Harvest and Family Camp, and Dorothy and John Twyford had their eyes opened to all the good that goes on at Pyramid Point.
Cincinnati, Ohio
February 11, 2012
Cincinnati is way more than just a good place to eat chili; it is also the home of some of Leelanau & Kohahna’s most fervent supports, the Vogt Family!
We were warmly welcomed into the Vogt’s Amish-made home, to find their children JC (Leelanau Camper) and Jelena (Family Camper) hosting Aaron and Corey Carter (current Leelanau Campers). Soon after the show started, current Counselors Charlie Busch and Lindsay Clark joined the fun, along with Kohahna Camper Elizabeth Gray.
Some of the guests for the show included Susan and Vic Theiss, Sue Nichols (Harvest Participant), Joan Turner (current Family Camper and better known as “Granny T”), Sandra Elkins, Lynn Gray, Shelley and Bruce Rankin, and Grandpa and Grandma Vogt.
We concluded the show with smores and a toasty bonfire in the front yard. Despite the 18 degrees outside, the love and joyful enthusiasm for camp kept us all cozy warm!
East Lansing, MI
February 5, 2012
Super bowl Sunday? Michigan v. Michigan State basketball game? Nay, nay. The most important event happening February 5 has got to be the Leelanau/Kohahna Camp Show in East Lansing Michigan!
I love my mother dearly, and am very grateful she opened her home for Kathleen and me to serve sloppy joes and preach the good gospel of camp. Too bad she missed the whole thing because of some basketball game going on at the same time! However, the undistractable had their priorities in order and I want to thank Heather and John Keough for bringing their children, Donald and Christine, Jack Schaberg rode along as the twins, Brett and Reece, DROVE THEMSELVES (watch out Michigan State Police) to the show, and Becky Scott brought her girls, Jackie and Murial. Lillian Marshall, of CT ’11, helped us share the joys of camp while Sasha Grier (future Leelanau Camper) decided that morning at Sunday School that our show was the place to be!
I must send out a special thank you to Jeannie Troutman (former camp parent and future Harvest Weekend participant) for helping serve dessert and generally overseeing the details of serving lunch to such a fun crowd. Thank goodness we let Pippi Schroeder tag along on all three of these shows, because I still don’t know how to get the photos up on facebook without her.
Till next weekend. The joyous journey of camp recruitment continues…
Grand Rapids, MI
February 4, 2012
The home of Marcia Schaberg Hufstader emits a cacophony of camp memories. With three sons of Leelanau whose impact can still be felt at camp, her own work as our Alumni Coordinator, and not to mention her and her husband’s work as Camp Directors, it is no surprise her camp shows draw people from every generation of camp!
We welcomed John Sampson (Leelanau Alum), Nancy Olsen (Kohahna Alum), and Laurie Klooster (Kohahan Alum and current Camp CPA). Current camp family, the Cieply’s, came to get their kids reinvigorated with camp energy. Current Kohahna campers Halsey Smith, Keaton Smith, and Madison Scurlock came to see if they could find themselves in the video. Potential new campers Mathias Cocciarelli and Veronica Dearborn brought their extended families to learn more about camp, too.
All in all it was an excellent gathering of good ole fashioned camp love! Thank you Marcia for all you do for camp!
Petoskey, MI
February 3, 2012
I love the Petoskey crowd. I mean, talk about a home game advantage. I spend most Sundays in October playing tag with these Sunday School kids, and have celebrated more birthdays with the Schupbach Family than they have kids old. Think through that math.
In all seriousness, it was a joyful gathering at the Vivace School of Music and Art in Harbor Springs, as our hosts Heidi and John Van Patten opened the school for our potluck, tag games, and camp show.
The Van Patten children, Haley (current Kohahna camper) and Jacob (future Leelanau camper), wowed Kathleen and me with their knowledge of U.S. Presidents. Meanwhile, the Schupbach, children Elaina, Tasha, Anika, and Kora (all current Kohahna campers), wowed Kathleen and me with their fashion sense. And Laney Bachus informed us that at 5 and three quarters, right now, she would be old enough for camp this summer! I love that kind of readiness.
We were also glad to welcome Larry, Nancy, and Meghan Gerauld to our happy gathering. And last, but not least, the entire LOC staff made a celebrity appearance because they heard Erik Schupbach was bring his grill, and there would be an epic game of tag in the dance studio space.
Thank you to everybody in Petoskey for making our show such a success!
Joint Camp Shows in St. Louis, MO and Elsah, IL
January 29th and 30th
This past weekend Weldon and Kathleen traveled down to the Principia Community, making stops at both the Principia Upper School and Principia College. This “Joint Camp” show was a great way to highlight the unity of purpose amongst all six camps serving Christian Science families. No matter where one chooses to go, it’s great for everyone to have a Christian Science camp experience!
We did a Sunday afternoon show in the Social Center at Upper School with roughly 200 people present! The next evening we did two shows in Holt Gallery at the College. All the shows were a huge success as we celebrated the vast beauty, from coast to coast, that represents each of our unique camps. Each camp director shared a bit about their program to supplement the joint camp video. We were proud to share our love of Camps Leelanau & Kohahna and the depth of our love for the blessings and spiritual richness here at Pyramid Point. We loved seeing our current camp families, recent staff alums, and potential new campers!
Maple City, MI
January 22, 2012
Getting to host a Camp Show at Camp is pretty darn fun! We had a blast on the sledding hill, singing “Chester”, eating our delicious potluck, and sharing the joys and wonders of Camps Leelanau and Kohahna with a crowd of friends, both old and new.
The current Leelanau Outdoor Center staff got a good warm up in preparation for their coming weeks of managing the sledding hill for Winter Camp. Between our General Manager, Marc Murphy, and his family’s antics trying to break the distance record, the whole Hronek/Hollister family’s attempts to fit on one tube, and Paul Paradis and the Moothart’s efforts to waterski on sleds, staff members Jared Jared, Trippy, Tom, Wheels, K-Dew, and Pippi really earned their keep!
It warmed my heart to see Glen Arbor and Traverse City church friends come out to camp in support of the good work we are doing here. Amy Peterson, Annie McFarlane, David Watt, Carol Towar, Judy and Jerry DeNoyer, and Rick Taylor were not menaces on the sledding hill, but brought warmth and love for Camp from the community.
Of course, having so many Leelanau-Kohahna insiders in the audience was a joy. Kathleen and I felt like we were rehearsing a play in front of our parents with Pamela and Andy Chernivsky, Sue Pierce and Steve Bluhm and their daughters Ella and Olivia, Sarah Jane Miller, Laura Ann Johnson, Pippi Schroeder, and Blair Anderson and his daughter Emily, in the crowd.
The Kunz- Murphy boys showed up with their mom just in time for dessert to be served, whereas Jim Cooley and his son Tanner were the first to arrive and last to leave – probably because Jim was hoping Camp could start today for young Tanner, who grinned the whole time.
It was exciting to meet more members of the Warne Family. David and Nancy Warne brought four grandchildren, only one of which has had the pleasure of a Camp experience at this point. Very exciting for the future.
It is unfair to rank Camp Shows, but I can certainly state this was one of the best. I consider it covering home plate, and we sure love getting to open up camp to our friends that live in the neighborhood.
Orlando, Florida
January 15, 2012
We were warmly welcomed to the sunshine state by more than just blue skies and temperatures in the 60s; we were embraced with radiance by a number of current and future camp families! Weldon and I attended church in Winter Park, FL followed by lunch at a local restaurant, and a camp show at the Ariail family home. In attendance were veteran camp families such as Don and Susie Quitter and their children Cole (Leelanau camper) and Kinsey (future Kohahna camper), Missy Saulsbury and her son, Sam (Leelanau camper), the De Los Santos children (Brandon and Brianna) and their grandpa Rafael and uncle David Kirkwood, Clark McFarlane (Leelanau camper), and alum siblings Billy, Leigh, and Tommy Shugart. Future camp families included our host family, Anda and Scott Araial and their children, Amaia, Ovella, Isa, Katie Higgins and her daughters, Molly, Lauren, and Sarah, and Tom Raupach and his two boys, Fritz and Max. We lo
ok forward to welcoming these three families into the greater Camps Leelanau and Kohahna family in the coming years. A big thank you to everyone for coming out to the show! It was fun to share the joys of camp in a temperature that felt like Michigan in June!
Evanston, IL
January 8, 2012
The Evanston, IL camp show was hosted by Kohahna Alum, and current Evanston Asher House Manager, Joy Deal. What a special opportunity to share while supporting the Asher Student Foundation and Camps Leelanau & Kohahna simultaneously! We welcomed several new families, returning campers, and happy alums. Guests included Tracy Meyer (Kohahna Alum), parents Gary and Kim McCullough with children Ian (Leelanau Alum) and Grace (Kohahna CT ’12), camper parents Abe and Tanya White and their children Alexander and Andrew (current Leelanau campers), future camper parents Gary and Stephanie Broadhurst and their children Caleb, Connor, and Annabelle, and future camp mom Maria Freeman with her two sons, Edward and John (future Leelanau Campers). Interested community members, Hildur and Joan Freeman, came to learn more about camp in order to pass along the information in their local Sunday Schools. We also got to see Leelanau staff all-stars Steve Creighton and David Libbe. We had a delicious potluck and joyful atmosphere celebrating the enthusiasm for the start of summer 2012. If we had a nickel for every time we have already been asked by a camper “when does camp start?” we would be prime contributors to the campership fund!
We are only one weekend into our camp show tour and the energy is already growing for what is shaping up to be a great Camp Show season. Thanks again to all who came to our Evanston show. It was a great close to a fruitful weekend.
Clarendon Hills, IL
January 7th, 2012
The Clarendon Hills show can be better qualified as an enormous camp reunion! We saw a great number of our Chicago land camp families, who made the journey from many neighboring suburbs, congregate in the Stillman family’s home. Our host, Carla Stillman, CS, has been a Camps Leelanau & Kohahna summer camp practitioner for the past two summers and she generously opened her home to over 45 guests! We welcomed the Dunsire family, the Sholeen family, the Harley family, the Casper family, the Beard/Varchetto family, the Burghard family, the Moller family, the Mahon family, the Griswold family with guest Jack Lunn (future Leelanau camper), the Donnelly family, Hannah Gates (Kohahna Alum), the Harrison family, Anna Whiteway (Kohahna Alum and former camp parent), the Moore Family, and the Pacyga Family. We had a scrumptious dinner prepared by Carla Stillman and the Portillos (thanks to Kim Beard). We also enjoyed the ooh-ing and aah-ing over the new camp video! Lively conversation was had as we celebrated the spirit of camp and the love we all have for one another as the Camps Leelanau & Kohahna family.
Weldon and Kathleen thank everyone for coming out and spending the evening with us (and for the delicious food and great company).
Brookfield, WI
January 6, 2012
We (Kathleen Moyer and Weldon Rutledge) opened Camp Show season 2012 with smiles as we welcomed a full complement of camp enthusiasts to the Morales family home. We had Kohahna & Leelanau alums, current campers and staff, interested community supporters, and even a new family to recruit! Guests included Jamie Sloan and her daughters Margot (current Kohahna Camper) and Meredith (future Kohahna camper), Jori Clarke (mother) and her daughter Takota Clarke (future Kohahna camper), Anjuli Graunke (Kohahna Alum), Todd (Leelanau Alum) and Connie (future Harvest Weekend participant) Jaremko, Ted Gast (community supporter), and the host family, including Jennifer Morales (mother), Maddie Morales (Kohahna Counselor), and Caroline Morales (Kohahna CT ’12). We enjoyed a delicious dinner and dessert, watched the premier of the Come to Camp in 2012 video, and shared highlights, gratitude, and insights on the strengths of the Camps Leelanau & Kohahna programs. We are very grateful to all who attended and for the wonderful hospitality of the Morales Family.
