Birocapedia - User contributions [en]

Three-Fingered Willie

2020-06-25T12:35:11Z

Jackduggan: Created page with "Three-Fingered Willie is a popular story and urban legend around camp similar to the Man With His Eyes Sewn Shut, but unlike the McWain Monster which is actually real. The ori..."

Three-Fingered Willie is a popular story and urban legend around camp similar to the Man With His Eyes Sewn Shut, but unlike the McWain Monster which is actually real. The origin of the story is unknown, but any camper along the wall knows the danger of a new moon when it is darkest, and Willie can move about with ease.

Willie is supposedly a worker on a nearby lumber mill before his accident. He spent his days chopping down trees and feeding them through his large cross-cut saw to make planks for building and pulp for a nearby paper mill. One day when operating his antiquated, rusty, gas-guzzling saw a fox ran into his mill. Surprised, Willie turned to see the creature scamper away. In his lapse in attention, however, his hand slipped into the blade of the saw, cutting off everything but the thumb and pointer finger on his right hand. Willie now stalks the woods around Lake McWain, searching for the fox who caused his suffering.

Evening Activity

2020-06-25T12:28:40Z

Jackduggan:

Evening Activity is what the whole camp does between dinner and bed. Most nights it consists of a game up on the field like Capture the Flag. Saturday and Sunday evenings are the exception; Saturday night is always [[Campfire]] and on Sundays there is [[Tree Talk]]. The [[Field Director]] decides what game the camp will play on weekdays. On [[Beach Day]] Evening activity is traditionally the strut contest.

== Field Evening Activities==

*[[Capture the Flag]]
*[[Quorum]]
*[[Orb]]
*[[Speedball]]
*[[Smash]]
*[[Ultimate Frisbee]]
*[[Scissors and Rulers]]
*[[Chaos]]
*[[Regicide]]
*[[Blitz]]
*[[4-Core]]
*[[The Hunt]]
*[[Spirit Quest]]
*[[Wombat]]

Scissors and Rulers

2020-06-25T12:28:11Z

Jackduggan: Created page with "It has been hotly debated among many a young Hiltonite whether or not his is a real game. The rules are simple: each campers gets a pair of scissors and a rulers. The leading..."

It has been hotly debated among many a young Hiltonite whether or not his is a real game. The rules are simple: each campers gets a pair of scissors and a rulers. The leading counselor (usually the field director) then gives all the campers a measurement on the ruler. The campers must go around camp playing their ruler on the ground and cutting at the specified height. The game ends when all the grass on campus has been cut appropriately.

4-Core

2020-06-25T12:25:56Z

Jackduggan: Created page with "4-Core is a new game introduced by the CITs in 2013. This game involves 4 teams in a square (think political compass layout) with several different balls, or "cores" inside a..."

4-Core is a new game introduced by the CITs in 2013. This game involves 4 teams in a square (think political compass layout) with several different balls, or "cores" inside a hula-hoop at the far corner of square. The game is then a free-for-all between the teams to capture all 4 teams cores (hence, 4-Core). This game is loaded with confusion, concussion, fun, and panic as frantic alliances are made and broken as the teams try to jockey for the cores. A masterpiece of a game with the physical challenge of Quorem mixed with the mental gymnastics of a rousing game of Chess.

Evening Activity

2020-06-25T12:22:10Z

Jackduggan: /* Field Evening Activities */

Arcadia Garden Party

2020-06-25T12:18:52Z

Jackduggan:

The girls from Camp Arcadia invite several camps to their campus in Casco, ME, for their annual dance usually during the first session. Birch Rock sends a group of handsome brutes from [[Upper Camp]]. Each Birch Rocker displays his camp colors proudly tucked and usually douses himself in fancy cologne beforehand. Once the team gets the lay of the land, boys will quickly scout out the nicest girls with whom to rock the dance floor. Everyone usually gets a chance to glide with at least one partner. The end of the dance is always ''Stairway to Heaven'' by Led Zeppelin which all the campers know means it's their last chance to dance. Immediately after the last song the campers and staff give a roaring [[Birch Rock Cheer]] for the Arcadia ladies. Then it is a very loud drive back to camp as all the campers are sharing stories and making comments about the night. Once we arrive back at camp it can take some time to get the campers to calm down and go to sleep.

Some Birch Rockers have been known to form close bonds with their Arcadia counterparts. Some have even become pen pals.

In 2016 the CITs (led by a valiant and diligent Matt Rotman) invited Arcadia to the hilltop for the first ever BRC Garden Party. This shindig took place on the tennis courts in front of Pete’s Palace, and was attended by a smaller group of Arcadia ladies and the upper camp gentlemen. Hors d'oeuvres, punch, dancing, and rousing games of horseshoes made it truly night to remember. Since 2016 the dance has happened one other time in the summer of 2019.

== Pictures from the 2003 Garden Party ==

These pictures were put up in the [[2003 Daily Journal]].

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Stuart Goodwin

2020-06-25T12:12:57Z

Jackduggan:

Birch Rock has been blessed to have a long-standing history with Stuart Goodwin, his family and the Goodwin’s Insurance Agency. A native of Norway, Maine, Stuart first came to Birch Rock as a camper and staff member in 1965. For the next five decades, Stuart and his family including his brother Phil, cousins Woody and William Carrick and nephew Brandon Murray, stepson Matthew Brunjes and grandson Alex McKeen have all been part of the BRC family. In 1991, Stuart married Patty Brunjes, the daughter of the camp’s 1980s Nurse Janet Brunjes.
As Stuart entered his family’s insurance business in the 1980s, he began a new professional connection to Birch Rock by underwriting the camp’s safety policies and risk management practices. His passion for Birch Rock has continued to the present day.

As Alumni Director Rich Deering explains, “His genuine commitment to the protection of Birch Rock was never more evident than when the camp lost a building in the mid-2000s. Stuart was a savior. He was on the scene immediately providing operating tools, guidance, and teamwork with our insurance carrier for an immediate rebuild. Determined that Birch Rock had every resource to operate without interruption, Stuart called in all his local and professional connections to help the camp rebuild. He made all the difference. Stuart’s long-standing connection to the Oxford Hills community and unique business relationships have been vital to Birch Rock’s development and preservation”

Stuart’s interests have always been deeply intertwined with camping and the Birch Rock Family. Stuart often recalls those sentimental moments as a boy camping under the stars along the Crooked River just a mile from the campus. Stuart says, “I do enjoy the outdoors, thanks to the BRC camping trips led by Nat Weeks and Jim Marion in the 1970s. Great memories. I also have Onie Brewster to thank for recommending Holderness School for my secondary education which made a major difference in my life.”

Years later, he recalls a nostalgic journey visiting the Crooked River site where he once enjoyed spending time with his fellow Birch Rockers. He ran into the site’s then owner Ted Howe, an old high school classmate of his father’s. Ted was curious why Stuart was so interested in his Crooked River property, and Stuart’s reply was simply: “Birch Rock.” Ted suggested that Stuart purchase his property and in short order they agreed on a price and payment plan.
Connecting season after season with Birch Rock veteran senior counselors Mike ‘Don Miquel’ Apicelli and David Weeks, and the whole BRC community at large, Stuart has graciously offered his natural habitat along the Crooked River for young campers to enjoy.

Stuart summed up: “I am so glad that in turn young Birch Rockers may get their introduction to the outdoors by use of my Crooked River land.”

Today, the Crooked River camping spot is a staple of the Hilton, Bee’s Hive, and Hornet’s Nest experience. This trip introduces campers to the basics of traditional “old school” camping in a spot not too far from campus (although a few van laps around the lake can make the drive feel much longer). Many campers first memories of camp are of this hallowed spot between to bends in the river.

Stuart Goodwin

2020-06-25T12:10:18Z

Jackduggan: Created page with "Birch Rock has been blessed to have a long-standing history with Stuart Good- win, his family and the Goodwin’s Insur- ance Agency. A native of Norway, Maine, Stuart first c..."

Birch Rock has been blessed to have a long-standing history with Stuart Good- win, his family and the Goodwin’s Insur- ance Agency. A native of Norway, Maine, Stuart first came to Birch Rock as a camper and staff member in 1965. For the next five decades, Stuart and his family includ- ing his brother Phil, cousins Woody and William Carrick and nephew Brandon Murray, stepson Matthew Brunjes and grandson Alex McKeen have all been part of the BRC family. In 1991, Stuart married Patty Brunjes, the daughter of the camp’s 1980s Nurse Janet Brunjes.
As Stuart entered his family’s insurance business in the 1980s, he began a new professional connection to Birch Rock by underwriting the camp’s safety policies and risk management practices. His passion for Birch Rock has continued to the present day.

As Alumni Director Rich Deering explains, “His genuine commitment to the protection of Birch Rock was never more evident than when the camp lost a building in the mid-2000s. Stuart was a savior. He was on the scene immediately providing operating tools, guidance, and teamwork with our insurance carrier for an immediate rebuild. Determined that Birch Rock had every resource to operate without interruption, Stuart called in all his local and professional connections to help the camp rebuild. He made all the difference. Stuart’s long-standing connection to the Oxford Hills community and unique business relationships have been vital to Birch Rock’s development and preservation”

Stuart’s interests have always been deeply intertwined with camping and the Birch Rock Family. Stuart often recalls those sentimental moments as a boy camping under the stars along the Crooked River just a mile from the campus. Stuart says, “I do enjoy the outdoors, thanks to the BRC camping trips led by Nat Weeks and Jim Marion in the 1970s. Great memories. I also have Onie Brewster to thank for recommending Holderness School for my secondary education which made a major difference in my life.”

Years later, he recalls a nostalgic journey visiting the Crooked River site where he once enjoyed spending time with his fellow Birch Rockers. He ran into the site’s then owner Ted Howe, an old high school classmate of his father’s. Ted was curious why Stuart was so interested in his Crooked River property, and Stuart’s reply was simply: “Birch Rock.” Ted suggested that Stuart purchase his property and in short order they agreed on a price and payment plan.
Connecting season after season with Birch Rock veteran senior counselors Mike ‘Don Miquel’ Apicelli and David Weeks, and the whole BRC community at large, Stuart has graciously offered his natural habitat along the Crooked River for young campers to enjoy.

Stuart summed up: “I am so glad that in turn young Birch Rockers may get their introduction to the outdoors by use of my Crooked River land.”

Today, the Crooked River camping spot is a staple of the Hilton, Bee’s Hive, and Hornet’s Nest experience. This trip introduces campers to the basics of traditional “old school” camping in a spot not too far from campus (although a few van laps around the lake can make the drive feel much longer). Many campers first memories of camp are of this hallowed spot between to bends in the river.

McLaughlin

2020-06-25T12:00:19Z

Jackduggan: Created page with "Birch Rock dad and long-time trustee Mark McLaughlin is a neurosurgeon and author of the new book Cognitive Dominance: “A Brain Surgeon’s Quest to Out-Think Fear”. He’..."

Birch Rock dad and long-time trustee Mark McLaughlin is a neurosurgeon and author of the new book Cognitive Dominance: “A Brain Surgeon’s Quest to Out-Think Fear”. He’s a philanthropist and co-founder of the non-profit Trenton Youth Wrestling (providing inner city kids with life skills learned through the discipline of wrestling). In his spare time he... what spare time? When Mark can take a breather, though, it’s right here on McWain Pond, because he’s now proud owner with his family of the Camp Waganaki property. His wife, Julie, is a fellow Birch Rock trustee and a devoted mother.

Waganaki was founded in 1919, however before the intervention from the McLaughlins stood silent and abandonded for thirty years. After too many years sitting by the poolside in New Jersey Marks brothers were able to convince him to attend Waganaki for a CIT year when he was 14 years old. After two CIT years, Mark stayed on for three more years as a counselor. Mark had fallen hard for the traditional camping scene (think butter sizzling on cast iron and plenty of flannel), and loved leading trips. Mark would use this love to become a Junior Main Guide (a title his son Patrick would also earn).

In 2003 the McLaughlins introduced their oldest son, Alex, to the camp right down the road from Marks former stomping grounds, Birch Rock. Their younger sons Patrick and Trevor arrived on the hilltop for their first summers not long after. These three remarkable young boys conquered the athletic program of Birch Rock (a McLaughlin running at you full speed during round of Quorum is enough to traumatize a lower camper). All three boys were campers and part of the staff, teaching a variety of activities from mt. biking and swimming to campcraft to art.

The Birch Rock community is thrilled that the McLaughlin family has put down deep roots right next door. Birch Rock is a better place for having close, enduring relationships with all the remarkable McLaughlin family members.

Chris Carney

2020-06-24T20:14:20Z

Jackduggan: Created page with "When ten-year-old Chris Carney came down the driveway for the first time in the summer of 1967, he, like any first-year camper, was apprehensive. It wasn’t his first time in..."

When ten-year-old Chris Carney came down the driveway for the first time
in the summer of 1967, he, like any first-year camper, was apprehensive. It wasn’t his first time in Maine, but Birch Rock was a long way from his family’s summer cottage in the coastal town of Harpswell, and four weeks in an unknown place with new people seemed like an eternity. But he was in good hands, his parents assured him. His father knew Chief and Onie Brewster from his time at Kimball-Union Academy, even working in the kitchen there with Albert during the Korean War.

Chris was welcomed into Cabin 3 by counselor Richie Monroe, who was eager to get the parents gone so Chris and his cabinmates, one of whom was Pete Haas, could jump into the Birch Rock experience without further delay. Little did Chris know that it was the first step on a journey that would help define who he was to become over the next half-century.
For six summers he spread his wings and made the most of his time as a camper. There were the trips with Mike Denault, including the adventure down the full length of the Crooked River during which the rapids mangled a canoe and they spent the night in a field in awestruck fear of a wicked lightning storm. Chris still retains many of the memories from his early years on the hill including sailing lessons with Peter Herzig, a mini golf course in Cabin 8, walking the nature trail behind Buzzards Roost and many first rest periods sprawled on his bed with Hardy Boys novels. The independence and character building of those summers, he now says, were “irreplaceable.”

Eager to extend his camper experience to those coming up behind him, he graduated to CIT in the summer of ’72 and then joined the staff for the next two summers. Those were the days of canvas canoes, wooden rowboats, and leaky Turnabouts with which he had to teach sailing, not to mention the precariously leaning boathouse, but “spirit was high and we made do with what we had,” he says. He recalls hot movie nights watching reels that came in the mail, playing bingo with beans, and always scrubbing with gold Dial soap because Chief insisted on it to prevent infections of the myriad cuts and scrapes boys got around camp. He distinctly remembers the arrival of first-year camper Rich Deering in Hilton B and having to tell his mother to stop assembling his bed. “We’re all going to learn to make our beds together,” he told her.

There was also adversity in his days on staff. When Chief passed away early in the summer of ‘73, they rallied together to keep the wheels turning however they could, taking care of their campers as well as Onie. And, the following summer, when the new director split early, Chris and the rest of the staff were left to shut camp down for the season on their own.
Chris was lucky enough to land the plum assignment of being Onie’s personal driver in the summer of ’74, chauffeuring her into town in a gold-and-black Pontiac sedan to get her hair done and go to the bank. Like everyone, he also loved working in the kitchen with Albert, and they had many a political conversation about the ongoing Watergate saga. And there were, of course, the less glamorous responsibilities; back then, being on Patrol meant sitting in the old, smelly Upper Washhouse alone with a bug light until midnight so boys could do their business safely if nature called. All part of helping the other fellow.

Meanwhile, Chris had finished at the Holderness School in New Hampshire and enrolled in the famed hotel school at Cornell University, and, as his life began to arc in the direction of that profession, his summers at Birch Rock came to a close. Or so he thought. In the summer of ’76, his job at a lobster shack in Harpswell fell through unexpectedly, leaving him in the lurch. Although camp had already started, he called Mike Denault and asked him if he needed any help. He did. Chris’s parents were in Europe at the time and there was no way to contact them, so he packed up the car, took their golden retriever named Ginger, and left a note on the cottage door saying he was at Birch Rock.
It would be the last of his nine summers on the hillside, but he stayed involved as a board member in the 80s and has always been a friend of Birch Rock. He went on to great success in the hospitality industry with Ritz- Carlton and Sheraton hotels, then transitioned into the real estate side of the business and worked for Fidelity for fourteen years. He retired in 2008 and moved from Boston to Maine the following year with his wife, Karen, and now dedicates much of his time to volunteering within his community in addition to his private real estate investing. Chris and Karen are blessed with two daughters, Liz and Annie, who attended Camp Runoia, Birch Rock’s sister camp.

For all the successes he has achieved, Chris credits Birch Rock with providing a strong foundation based on education, character development, and lifelong friendships. Of course, it all began when his parents dropped him off on that summer day in 1967.
When asked about the lasting impacts Birch Rock had on him he responds, “It will change your life and be with you your whole life. The things you learn there, whether deliberately or through osmosis, will set you apart from others in a better way.”

And, of course, he still uses gold Dial soap.

Camp mcwain

2020-06-24T15:04:13Z

Jackduggan: Created page with "Camp McWain is the neighboring family camp just down the lake past the Sanderson’s property. This Family-owned business operates a series of rental cabins available througho..."

Camp McWain is the neighboring family camp just down the lake past the Sanderson’s property. This Family-owned business operates a series of rental cabins available throughout the summer. Cruising by lakeside you will often see people swimming, playing games, and of course cooking out on the beach with beautiful views of Lake McWain.
In 1915, Helen Sanderson was given property on Long Pond, known today as Lake McWain, by her father Leroy Sanderson. Helen was a great, great grandniece of David McWain, the first settler on McWain Hill. This property is where Helen Sanderson built her summer home.

Durning the summer of 1923, Helen Sanderson and Mary Marshall enlarged Helen’s home, which was an original kit home, sold through Sears and Roebuck. The home was shipped via the Grand Trunk Railroad to South Paris, Maine from Chicago. This “new Birch Lodge” was the start of Camp McWain. The original Birch Lodge still stands on the shores of Lake McWain. The first brochures of Camp McWain advertised it as a “Camp for Delicate Girls”, girls who needed to gain weight, who were pale, and who tired easily. The delicate girls got plenty of
fresh air with all their outdoor activities, swimming, boating, horseback riding, tennis, hiking, just to mention a few. Helen Sanderson was a nurse, so the girl’s activities were closely watched, they had daily weigh ins, and were given four meals a day, plus snacks from fresh, locally grown food and the milk came from a nearby dairy farm from a herd of “tuberculin-free tested cows”.

Then in 1931, Helen Sanderson used the camp for adult vacationers, until her retirement in the late 1930’s. In 1944, Walter and Kathleen Gardell, owners of Camp Waganaki, a boy’s camp down McWain Hill Road, bought Camp Mc- Wain. At that time, with WWII going on, it was difficult for Camps to get single young men as staff and counselors, as most were overseas fighting in the war.

Walter Gardell hired “older married men” to staff Waganaki. Gardell built more cabins, as Camp McWain was then used to house the wives and families of the Waganaki staff. After the war, Camp McWain was converted into a family camp, which the Gardells operated until 1963.
Ruth and Emile Muzik, who were on the Waganaki staff, purchased Camp McWain in 1963 and continued running it for the enjoyment of family groups, having ten cabins to rent out. After 17 years Ruth and Emile Muzik gradually turned over the responsibility and ownership of Camp McWain to their two children and their spouses, Ed and June Muzik and Bobbi and Chuck Whichard. In 1980, Bobbi and Chuck Whichard, and Ed and June Muzik formally took over the operation of Camp McWain, following in their parents’ footsteps. The last summer of Camp McWain as we all knew it was 2005, when the camp and property were divided. Ed, June and their children took over half the area and retained the “Camp McWain” name. Bobbi and Chuck Whichard, with the help of their three sons and their wives, kept the other half of the Camp and property. This new generation soon took over responsibility of their portion of the property and kept operating five cottages as a family camp. The new name became “Cottages At McWain Point” better known today as “C.A.M.P.” Bruce and his wife Arlene along with their son Jared Whichard, who is now a fourth generation, still operate C.A.M.P. Bruce’s brother Glenn and his wife Ruth Whichard of Tampa Florida also assist with operating C.A.M.P. They are constantly maintaining and improving C.A.M.P., after all, 90 plus years of long, cold Maine winters does take its toll on buildings. C.A.M.P. still provides great times to families, friends and neighbors, some of those families have now been vacationing with them for over 50 years.

Today, Bobbi and Chuck Whichard are still a working part of C.A.M.P. They can be seen down at the Point visiting and swimming with the guests, eating lobsters on Thursday evenings, out on the local golf courses, and taking part in various Waterford community activities. Bobbi and Chuck winter every year in Florida.
Arlene and Bruce are very busy operating C.A.M.P., they are also both board members of Birch Rock Camp, board members of Honor Flight Maine, and board members of the Lake McWain Association. Additionally, the pair has had active roles in the town of Waterford community.

The Whichard and Muzik families have now been in the Waterford area for over 80 years, and still loving the picturesque area, the beauti- ful sunsets, the clear, clean lake and the peace- fulness of the tiny village of Waterford Maine!

Whichards

2020-06-24T13:48:46Z

Jackduggan: Created page with "Arlene and Bruce Whichard are very active members of the BRC community. As co-owners of Camp McWain, the Whichards are out neighbors down the lake. Bruce, a handyman by nature..."

Arlene and Bruce Whichard are very active members of the BRC community. As co-owners of Camp McWain, the Whichards are out neighbors down the lake. Bruce, a handyman by nature can be seen helping Charlie MacDonald around campus helping with heavy machinery of fixing mechanical problems. Bruce is also the one camp calls when the incorrigible motorboats refuse to start. Come 4th of July this family is also responsible for the incredible fireworks display from a homemade floating firework raft. The families continued generosity for Birch Rock and the lake is truly in the spirit of “help the other fellow”. Arlene and Bruce also operate C.A.M.P. (Cottages at McWain Point), they are also both board members of Birch Rock Camp, board members of Honor Flight Maine, and board members of the Lake McWain Association. Additionally, the pair has had active roles in the town of Waterford community.

Jared Whichard, a fourth generation lake McWain-er was a BRC camper, a CIT, he has worked in the BRC kitchen, plus a year Jared worked at BRC as the sailing instructor, and has assisted with the waterfront and long distance swims. Jared also helps out at BRC after all the campers have left, assisting Charlie McDonald with some of the larger BRC projects. In Jared’s “spare time”, he assists his parents with maintenance and up keep of C.A.M.P., and assists his cousins with the maintenance of Camp McWain. Jared also is the lead volunteer for Honor Flight Maine, and volunteers for Maine Adaptive Sports and Recreation, and Veterans No Boundaries up at Sunday River ski resort in Bethel Maine. Jared is currently studying cybersecurity in the hopes of saving the U.S, from potential cyberattacks. He has also been know to commute up and down the east coast in his fire engine red Dodge Charger.

Brian Farley

2020-06-18T22:19:52Z

Jackduggan: Created page with "Brian Farley is the current CIT Director, starting in 2020. Brian joined Birch Rock in 2015 as an eager trip leader. His favorite moment from that year was a trip around Lake..."

Brian Farley is the current CIT Director, starting in 2020. Brian joined Birch Rock in 2015 as an eager trip leader. His favorite moment from that year was a trip around Lake Mooselookmeguntic with legendary counselor Bob Donahue. While the trip had its hiccups, Brian quickly fell in love with Biroca during his time on campus in between trips. During his first two years Brian shared lodging with Chris Cogswell, and the pair became a staple around camp, leading to such famous musical skits as “Chris Cogswell & Brian Farley”, which can be heard hummed along the paths to this day.

In addition to being a normal trip leader (are any trip leaders normal?), Brian had the pleasure of leading several years of MWA with a few different co-leaders: John Moore, Chris Cogswell, Gordon Hargraves, and Becka Holbrook (twice). A true outdoorsman, Brian enjoys a multitude of outdoor sports like backpacking, snowshoeing, swimming, and cycling. When not out in the Maine woods, Brian enjoys kicking back in his hammock, lounging in Onie’s, and checking on his GPS (it’s always broken).