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FROM CAMP’S 100TH YEAR

BY SAM HIRT

We are nearing the close of our historic 100th year at Camp Tecumseh. I have spent the last year and a half (or so) working with other staff to plan events, create special books and posters, videos, social posts, and more to celebrate Camp’s centennial. It has been an exciting period at Camp that culminated over Labor Day Weekend when hundreds of you joined us and exceeded our hopes for a special event to honor Camp’s history and legacy.

As someone who has been part of the planning from the beginning, and having worked on a number of special projects, I wanted to give my top three highlights that relate to Camp’s 100th year.

CAMP ARCHIVES ON DISPLAY

Dayna Hatter, Stacey Seeger, Joy McCauley, Jamie Jones, Aaron Hutsell, and more helped me get hundreds of photographs and documents from our Camp Tecumseh archives out and on display in River Village Lodge for our 100th Celebration Weekend.

I had a hunch that people would really enjoy seeing these pieces, and that was definitely true. We set it up so that people could walk through time from the 1920s to the 2000s and today, and see Camp’s transformation year by year.

I popped in as much as I could and got to see a number of people interacting with the gallery and reliving their days at Camp.

HISTORY BOOK UPDATE

The first iteration of Camp’s history book was published for the 75th Anniversary in the late 1990s. At the end of that book, Dave Wright and others hoped that at our 100th, Camp would update to include the next 25 years. We did just that.

Unfortunately, there was no digital transcript of the original. Jamie Jones, our Registrar, typed the entire book to give us a starting point! Renee Sieplinga then used notes and timelines that our staff and others put together to write the updated section.

We now have a 100 year history book that is available for purchase and will also be on display around Camp.

CLOSING CAMPFIRE & DEDICATION AT 100TH WEEKEND

More than any book, poster, archive project, or social media post, the coolest moment in my mind came at our closing campfire and dedication during the 100th Celebration Weekend.

Joel Sieplinga, lit by torches on either side, began the dedication and was soon joined by Dave Wright and Scott Brosman. There was an audible gasp from the crowd when Dave and Scott joined. It was an emotional moment for many and really hit home with people, myself included.

It was a great reminder that people and relationships are the reason Camp has had a century of success.

As we approach year 101 at Camp, I hope that we can all still enjoy Camp’s history. Get a history book, visit Camp, call your old co-counselor and catch up. The beauty of the 100th Celebration Weekend doesn’t need to be contained in year 100.