Picture of a Choconut Foundation Labor Day Weekend


The Chapel near Camp Choconut THE CHAPEL
You find yourself back in time, turning off of Route 267 onto the "Camp Road". Driving up the long dirt road, besides a few new houses near the bottom of the road, things look pretty much the same. Goggins goes by on the left, the hidden field on the right followed by Charlotte Springs (the springhouse still stands). Up the S-bend and then down the sloping hill past the Bridal Path to camp. You park in the parking lot near the back of Alumni End. Over near the Mess Hall you see a guy you think you knew back in '78.

You grab your stuff from the car and go in search of a cabin. You decide on No Man's Land, first because there's not room for more than three but also it's got its own bathroom (Ed. Note: You thought it still had its own bathroom). From there it's down to the lake for a cool swim after a long car ride. At the dock there is much activity. Other former Choconutters are every where along with their girlfriends, wives, dogs and kids -- all either swimming or rowing, some fishing. If you get lucky you may see Joe Horne over near the outlet showing a few of the boys how his new potato gun works. Or maybe you'll see Caldwell out in a canoe pulling yet another bass into the boat. Chris Lowe's trying to get some of the girls on the dock wet by doing a cannonball off the high dive, instead he just gets Martha Loerke's book wet. But instead of getting mad she looks at her watch and realizes it's time for a refreshment and reaches for the cooler.

After your swim, it's back to No Man's Land and then a short game of Frisbee or maybe basketball before the dinner bell rings. And then you're in the mess hall and you realize they weren't kidding all those years: the food is good. To your left you hear someone say, "You're kidding me -- that's Truitt??" To your right is Hamill Horne, a little older, a little grayer but still the same old character telling one more funny story.

After dinner it's up to Alumni End where someone has built a nice-sized campfire in the huge fireplace. As the bell rings, the great-room fills up with people and kids and dogs. Josh Tane's at the piano, Dan Lorber's on the guitar, and if you hit the right year, that's old Gary Silverstein (aka Floyd) playing the fiddle. They warm you up with The Titanic, Packety Pack that Pack and I'm My Own Grampa, Then it's the Talent Show again and you've come prepared. You get a huge applause and a watermelon cheer led by Doug Warren for your incredible accapella version of "Wild Thing" with the loud "UHHH" at the end of each line.

After all the kids clear out it's time for standing around the fire talking about whether Buffington ever was a CA, or when you caught 3 Villas in one day when you were on the Light Brigade in '80. Finally you turn in around one, after going on one of those Scary Walks down Choquita Road without flashlights. Just another day back in time.

By an old camper, July 2002