Wow!! 2001 has started with a bang. It is difficult to even know where to begin. Thanks to all who came to the North Woods winter reunion at the Rillahan's in Andover and got the opportunity to see the unveiling of a slide show that brought a little bit of Shirley to the proceedings. I promise that pics of the event will be up by the end of the week (where have we heard that before?!!) The Pleasant Valley reunion is being planned for Ponkapoag in early March, so keep an eye out for details in the Casita Chronicles coming soon!

 

Thanks to Chris Rillahan, Justine Daigneault and Kirsten Sorenson for the incredible job on the calendar stuffing!! The response to the calendars has been overwhelmingly positive as folks got to see some of the color of the summer firsthand. Remember, anyone who wants to come in and volunteer their time is more than welcome. Also at 316, we celebrated the 150th Birthday Party for the YMCA which brought together a host of friends under the camping banner including Chris Meyers, Jill Abrahams, Charles Sorenson, Loretta Fleurs Goodwin, Charles Parrott and the Lermans who were there to present the Jacob Lerman Award.

 

Back at camp the bittersweet news is that the Barn is finally gone. Dennis Gillum, Tom Swift and crew have removed in a matter of days what had been left standing as an ugly eyesore and last vestige of the storm of '98. Andy Sherman reported that Tom Marden and Mike McCarthy were surprised to find a great deal of rot in the wood, but they were able to save some boards for use elsewhere on projects of the future. Speaking of which, the upgrade to the Arts & Crafts center is quickly taking shape as the facilities team have already finished the extension to the interior second floor.

 

George Pacheco and Loretta joined me for our first ever camp fair on the South Shore at the Derby Academy in Hingham on Saturday. Unfortunately, the mini blizzard meant that Jill Gary and I were unable to head out to the Lexington Camp Fair on Sunday. Nonetheless, the news on the registration front is simply breathtaking. Pleasant Valley is already half full and as of today, North Woods is an astounding 194 camper weeks ahead of last year at this time! This just underscores how special the staff was in 2000 and the myriad ways they touched the lives of so many families in a summer seemingly devoid of sunshine. The return forms for both campers and staff are flowing in daily, so if you don't want to be left out in the cold, send yours in ASAP!

 

Here in the depths of winter there is another opportunity for the camping family to come together to help warm up for the coming season. The exciting news is that Jill Abrahams has not only been voted onto the Board of Managers but has graciously agreed to become the Chair of this year's Reach Out Campaign. If you have never been a part of this effort before, please consider joining us. We are deeply indebted to Bobby Morgenstern and the wonderful folks at Coldwell Banker Hunneman in Wellesley for hosting not only our Kickoff on Wednesday, but going above and beyond generous hospitality with two more phone-a-thons next week.

 

Finally, we continue to receive notes from those responding to the Holiday issue of the Northwoodsman and the alumni website. Yesterday alone representatives of three different decades of camp sent missives - Fred Albert, Jamie Cobian and Alfonso Betancourt. So please keep spreading the word to those who might be interested to hear about camp and send in your own updates for the "Where Are They Now" page!

 

David B. Goodwin

North Woods Director

"The CITs are canoeing to Cow Island this evening!"