Difference between revisions of "Plaques"

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The plaques are lists of the names of all of the campers at camp each summer that are carved into wood and nailed up on the walls of the lodge. Plaques also include the names of all of the campers who swam their [[Seal]] or [[Whale]] that year along with their times. The tradition of putting up plaques started in 1926, the first year of camp, and has continued every summer since. While Bill "Chief" Brewster was the director of camp he single handedly carved each summer's plaques using hand tools. After that there was a period when each camper carved his name into a small plaque and all of the individual pieces were nailed up together at the end of the year. Now the plaques are made by a group of counselors using a router. From the year 2001-2007 the plaques became more and more ornate, incorporating carvings of the animals that represent each age group and large top plaques for the year. The 2008 plaques were a departure from this trend, reverting to the 50's style of plaques that does not have age group plaques.
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[[File:2009Plaques.JPG|thumb|The 2009 plaques]]
  
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Most of the wall space inside the lodge is now covered with plaques. Old plaques have been moved around the walls to be more efficient with space but soon there will be no more space at all for new plaques.  
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Inside Birch Rock's lodge, the vast majority of wall space is covered with handmade wooden plaques. Most of these plaques are lists of names of the campers who attended camp each summer. Every summer a new plaque of this type is made and then revealed with some ceremony at the night of the banquet. Not all plaques in the lodge are dedicated to campers though; there are also plaques commemorating important individuals or events in Birch Rock's History. The cabin [[Pete's Palace]] also houses plaques, but these are dedicated to the [[CIT]]s instead of campers.  
  
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== Facts ==
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== Camper Plaques ==
  
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[[Image:2008 CIT plaques.JPG|The 2008 CIT plaques]]
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Every summer Birch Rock has been open since 1926 a new plaque with a list of the names of the campers that summer is nailed up in the lodge. [[Chief Brewster]] hand carved the plaques every summer from 1926 to his last full summer which was 1972. He carved the plaques in complete secrecy, no one but him saw them until they were revealed to the whole camp. Chief varied his style from year to year. Some years he divided the names into age groups, others he just arranged the names in one block in reverse alphabetical order. In the summer of 1973 when Chief was gone and no one was around to take over the large and important job of making the plaques, [[Dave Weeks]] stepped up and carved the year plaque and then had each camper carve his name into his own piece of wood. Every piece was then nailed up under the year. This idea of each camper carving his own name carried on through 1985. In 1986 Matt Voss carved the plaques himself using a router, a kind of power tool. The router has been used to carve names ever since.
  
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*There are some special plaques around the lodge commemorating important things at Birch Rock such as ones for important people
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[[Image:Plaq071.jpg|thumb|left|[[Ryno]] on the router in 2007]]
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*Along with the normal plaques there are also CIT plaques put up in [[Pete's Palace]]
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*A few years ago the [[Senior Camper]]s recorded all of the names from every year on a computer so they will be always preserved
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The plaques also include the names of all of the campers who swam their [[Seal]] or [[Whale]] that year, often along with their times.
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Most of the wall space inside the lodge is now covered with plaques. Old plaques have been moved around the walls to be more efficient with space but soon there will be no more space at new plaques. [[Mike Mattson]] has said that there is a plan for where to put plaques when there is no more space in the lodge.
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A few years ago the [[Senior Camper]]s recorded all of the names from every year into a computer document.
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== CIT Plaques ==
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[[File:2009 CIT plaque under construction.JPG|thumb|The 2009 CIT Plaque while under construction]]
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Plaques are put up in Pete's Palace every year with the names of the [[CIT]]s who attended camp that summer, along with the name of that summer's CIT Director. This tradition has carried on since 1982, the year Pete's was built. The responsibility for carving the CIT plaque belongs to the CITs that summer.
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== Plaque Meisters ==
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[[File:Plaq053.jpg|thumb|[[Mike Mattson]] wood burning the elk on the 2005 plaques, Mike has created many detailed burnings for the years he has worked on]]
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[[File:Plaq051.jpg|thumb|The 2005 plaques team and their creation.
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Left to right: Mike Mattson, Doug Miller, Ryan Massey, & Galen Arnold]]
  
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==Pictures==
 
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<gallery>
 
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Image:05plaques.jpg|The 2005 plaques (the year piece and long distance swim pieces were later cut down to conserve space)
 
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Image:Plaquesgood.jpg|The 2006 plaques
 
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Image:Plaques2007.jpg|The 2007 plaques
 
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Image:08plaques.jpg|The 2008 plaques
 
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</gallery>
 
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==Plaque Meisters==
 
 
There have been a number of people who have helped keep the plaque tradition going since Chief died in 1973.  Here's the list:
 
There have been a number of people who have helped keep the plaque tradition going since Chief died in 1973.  Here's the list:
  
 
*1926-1972:  William "Chief" Brewster
 
*1926-1972:  William "Chief" Brewster
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*1973:  ? and Campers
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*1973:  Dave Weeks and Campers
 
*1974:  ? and Campers
 
*1974:  ? and Campers
 
*1975:  ? and Campers
 
*1975:  ? and Campers
Line 54: Line 63:
 
*2003:  Josh Pincus
 
*2003:  Josh Pincus
 
*2004:  Allen Lee
 
*2004:  Allen Lee
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*2005:  Galen Arnold, Ryan Massey, Doug Miller & Mike Mattson
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*2005:  Mike Mattson, Ryan Massey, Doug Miller & Galen Arnold
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*2006:  Ryan Massey, Doug Miller & Mike Mattson
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*2006:  Mike Mattson, Ryan Massey & Doug Miller  
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*2007:  Ryan Massey, Doug Miller & Mike Mattson
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*2007:  Mike Mattson, Ryan Massey & Doug Miller
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*2008:  Ryan Massey, Mike Mattson & Thomas Joyce
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*2008:  Mike Mattson, Ryan Massey, Doug Miller & Thomas Joyce
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*2009:
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*2009: Mike Mattson, Ryan Massey, Doug Miller & Thomas Joyce
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*2010: Mike Mattson, Ryan Massey & Thomas Joyce
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==Making the 2005 Plaques==
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*2011: Mike Mattson, Ryan Massey & Josh Church
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<gallery>
 
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Image:Plaq053.jpg|Mike burns the Elk
 
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Image:Plaq052.jpg|Mike & Ryan mount the plaques
 
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Image:Plaq051.jpg|2005 Plaque Meisters
 
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</gallery>
 
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==Making the 2006 Plaques==
 
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<gallery>
 
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Image:Plaq061.jpg|Ryan on the router
 
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Image:Plaq062.jpg|Mike paints routed out letters
 
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Image:Plaq063.jpg|Names get painted
 
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Image:Plaq064.jpg|It's all coming together
 
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Image:Plaq065.jpg|Mike woodburns Cougar header
 
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Image:Plaq066.jpg|Almost finished
 
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Image:Plaq067.jpg|Just before they went up
 
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</gallery>
 
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==Making the 2007 Plaques==
 
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<gallery>
 
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Image:Plaq071.jpg|Ryan on the router
 
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Image:Plaq072.jpg|Animal Group Headers
 
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Image:Plaq073.jpg|Run With The Pack plaque with glow in the dark moon and eyes
 
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Image:Plaq074.jpg|Plaques before going up
 
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Image:Plaq075.jpg|Seal swims header
 
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Image:Plaq076.jpg|Whale swims header
 
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</gallery>
 

Latest revision as of 23:49, 29 January 2012

The 2009 plaques

Inside Birch Rock's lodge, the vast majority of wall space is covered with handmade wooden plaques. Most of these plaques are lists of names of the campers who attended camp each summer. Every summer a new plaque of this type is made and then revealed with some ceremony at the night of the banquet. Not all plaques in the lodge are dedicated to campers though; there are also plaques commemorating important individuals or events in Birch Rock's History. The cabin Pete's Palace also houses plaques, but these are dedicated to the CITs instead of campers.

Camper Plaques

Every summer Birch Rock has been open since 1926 a new plaque with a list of the names of the campers that summer is nailed up in the lodge. Chief Brewster hand carved the plaques every summer from 1926 to his last full summer which was 1972. He carved the plaques in complete secrecy, no one but him saw them until they were revealed to the whole camp. Chief varied his style from year to year. Some years he divided the names into age groups, others he just arranged the names in one block in reverse alphabetical order. In the summer of 1973 when Chief was gone and no one was around to take over the large and important job of making the plaques, Dave Weeks stepped up and carved the year plaque and then had each camper carve his name into his own piece of wood. Every piece was then nailed up under the year. This idea of each camper carving his own name carried on through 1985. In 1986 Matt Voss carved the plaques himself using a router, a kind of power tool. The router has been used to carve names ever since.

Ryno on the router in 2007

The plaques also include the names of all of the campers who swam their Seal or Whale that year, often along with their times.

Most of the wall space inside the lodge is now covered with plaques. Old plaques have been moved around the walls to be more efficient with space but soon there will be no more space at new plaques. Mike Mattson has said that there is a plan for where to put plaques when there is no more space in the lodge.

A few years ago the Senior Campers recorded all of the names from every year into a computer document.

CIT Plaques

The 2009 CIT Plaque while under construction

Plaques are put up in Pete's Palace every year with the names of the CITs who attended camp that summer, along with the name of that summer's CIT Director. This tradition has carried on since 1982, the year Pete's was built. The responsibility for carving the CIT plaque belongs to the CITs that summer.

Plaque Meisters

Mike Mattson wood burning the elk on the 2005 plaques, Mike has created many detailed burnings for the years he has worked on
The 2005 plaques team and their creation. Left to right: Mike Mattson, Doug Miller, Ryan Massey, & Galen Arnold

There have been a number of people who have helped keep the plaque tradition going since Chief died in 1973. Here's the list:

  • 1926-1972: William "Chief" Brewster
  • 1973: Dave Weeks and Campers
  • 1974: ? and Campers
  • 1975: ? and Campers
  • 1976: ? and Campers
  • 1977: ? and Campers
  • 1978: ? and Campers
  • 1979: ? and Campers
  • 1980: ? and Campers
  • 1981: ? and Campers
  • 1982: ? and Campers
  • 1983: Paul Voss and Campers
  • 1984: Paul Voss and Campers
  • 1985: Paul Voss and Campers
  • 1986: Matt Voss
  • 1987: Bob Van Dyk
  • 1988: Bob Van Dyk
  • 1989: Todd Vincentsen
  • 1990: Terence Pincus
  • 1991: Colin Leonard
  • 1992: Colin Leonard
  • 1993: Jared Levine
  • 1994: Josh Pincus
  • 1995: Jared Levine & Thomas Joyce
  • 1996: Todd Vincentsen
  • 1997: Thomas Joyce
  • 1998: Todd Vincentsen
  • 1999: Thomas Joyce
  • 2000: Thomas Joyce
  • 2001: Galen Arnold
  • 2002: Josh Pincus
  • 2003: Josh Pincus
  • 2004: Allen Lee
  • 2005: Mike Mattson, Ryan Massey, Doug Miller & Galen Arnold
  • 2006: Mike Mattson, Ryan Massey & Doug Miller
  • 2007: Mike Mattson, Ryan Massey & Doug Miller
  • 2008: Mike Mattson, Ryan Massey, Doug Miller & Thomas Joyce
  • 2009: Mike Mattson, Ryan Massey, Doug Miller & Thomas Joyce
  • 2010: Mike Mattson, Ryan Massey & Thomas Joyce
  • 2011: Mike Mattson, Ryan Massey & Josh Church
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