Camp Nov. Newsletter

In the Camp Nov. News Letter Tim Eiserle Announces his resignation. Not a surprise here as we saw his job was posted a number of weeks ago so see my earlier post. Tim is a friend and I wish him well. I hope that the next director the best. I personally am hoping Dan King (another Camp O friend and Asst. Director) will get the job. Who ever it is keep up the Camp Spirit. Heepwah.

November Ondessonk newsletter

Link to a blog posting by a recent camper

This is a blog I found from a recent camper

This is a story posted to to comments. Please send your pictures and stories about Camp Ondessonk

When i was a CIT, i decided to help with the flag lowering ceremony by lowering one of the flags. I stood on the fence about to lower the flag when i realized that i couldn't reach the rope. I tried anyway, until the CIT director came over and told me, "Get down. You're too short to reach the rope."
I was so embarrased!! I jumped down and the entire camp (staff, CITs, and campers) started laughing!!
(By the way, I'm hoping to make camp O staff next summer... I was a CIT this past summer... So pray 4 me!!)

My first week at camp part 2

Late for work the first day on the job. I had some work to do to make up for that. We spend what was left of the first morning learning the stable routine. Mostly the stable routine is getting rides in and out on the half-hour and the shoveling manure in between.
After the first day we went to shower and prepare for inspection. CITs were in charge of lowering the flag at inspection. just before inspection while the drummers were practicing we gathered at the flag poles. The CIT director approached me and the other stable CIT and asked us about our tardiness. I started to explain the we didn't know that breakfast was earlier for stable crew and just as I started to elaborate I heard someone yell "BullS$#@." The Equestrian director had walked up behind us and didn't agree with my explanation. What I intended to say was that we had probably been told about the schedule, but fifteen year-olds don't always remember details well so we had forgotten. But the Equestrian Director seemed to think I was inferring it was his fault. He proceeded to yell a few other things at me in front of the entire staff as they prepared for the inspection. What else could I say. I shrugged and told the CIT director that I wasn't going to argue with him but we had just misunderstood.
My first week was not going so well. In twenty-four hours we had been late and been cursed at in front of everyone. Certainly I must have been thinking that things would have to get better. They couldn't get worse could they? The answer is of course they could.

Note - I want to note that while our first impressions were probably not great. I went on to have a good working relationship with the Equestrian Director. We worked together the next two years and he was great to work for despite his sometimes "Prickly" personality. Turns out the one thing you don't want to do is make him mad before breakfast. He was not a morning person. But we was a good guy and he taught me a lot about horses. Heepwah!

My first week at camp part 1

The summer of 1986 was my first year at Camp O. My brother was second year staff and I was going to be a stable C.I.T. I had never been a camper and had only heard of camp because my brother had been a C.I.T. before me and now was a full fledged member of the stable crew. I had always wanted to learn to ride horses, but as a city kid from the south side of St. Louis I had only really been on a horse once on a vacation ride at the Lake of the Ozarks. I was pretty overwhelmed when I first dropped my stuff off at the C.I.T. lodge I felt way out of place. I found out one of the other four C.I.T.s was going to be in the stables too. He had on a lodge sash and had been a camper for many years so I decided I would just follow his lead. That was my first mistake.
The opening campfire was a blur. We had to put on a skit I think but I don't remember what it was. The Equestrian Director told us to meet him at the barn at 6:30 A.M. for feeding.
We were there right on time a little tired and a lot nervous but feeding went fine. We went back to the C.I.T Cabit and I asked the other C.I.T what time breakfast was. He said 8:15 so we thought we had time to get a little more rest. Of course my brother was stable crew so I should have know better and I am sure that the Equestrian Director told us but this early it had slipped my mind that the stable crew breakfast was at 7:00.

We realized our mistake about 8:10 when the E.D. tracked us down at the dining hall and informed we were already late. There would be no breakfast that morning. The E.D. was actually rather calm considering we were late our first day. Of course it would not be long before that would change.

Lodge reunion.

Someone on the message boards has asked how the Camp Lodge reunion went the weekend of Oct. 19th. Unfortunately I was unable to attend also. I would love to hear stories or see pictures anyone may have. I didn't find out about it until the last minute and it was also my daughter's birthday. I am hoping that when my kids are a little older I will be able to make a few Camp events again.
If you have pictures or stories please send to DJC@heepwah.com

Ondessonk campfire stories

I got an email from Jennifer Todd who was a camper in the 80's. She said her parents were campers in the 60's and now her kids are campers. She wanted to know if anyone had posted some of the well-known Ondessonk Campfire stores online anywhere like "Mad Myrtle, what happend to Teon" as examples. The Tekawitha beast also comes to mind. I was by no means an expert storyteller so I am asking if anyone knows where any of these stores may be posted online please let me know. Otherwise if anyone could take the time to write them I would post them here.

I am also repeating my plea for you best Camp Ondessonk pictures. If you have a funny story about Camp you can share that here too. I am planning to post the story of my first week at camp in the next few days.

Old connection Page no longer valid

It has come to my attention that the connection
I linked to in a prior post is no longer valid. I kept all the information an I have been trying to decide whether I should repost that connection information on this site. I have decided that most of those people wanted to have there connection information available on the web so I am going to repost them. If any of them want to be removed from the list I will gladly do so. I will begin posting those peoples connections this week. I hope this is in keeping with their intent and I will not edit it except to fit the database format.

News : Executive director Job Advertised

Follow this link to the posting of the newspaper ad for the executive director job.

Newspaper ad


Also found this add on Careerbuilder

The Camp website is silent on the issue and there employment sections says

Employment Opportunities at Camp Ondessonk

No Positions available at this time.

Ondessonk Fall Festival

Free activities plus food and lodging available for an additional cost

Ondessonk fall festival

50th Anniversary of Lodge

Lodge of Ondessonk link

From the Belleville Messenger. OCt 19 is the lodge's 50th Anniversary.

Camp Ondessonk 4-07

Camp Ondessonk 4-07
Originally uploaded by jcwiseesq.

I found some interesting pictures of Pakentuch.

This is a cashed link to a page that has a picture of camp Pakentuch from the 1930s

Former camp Ondessonk Coucilor quoted

I found this article about camp jobs.



It quotes Sara Bell an former Ondessonk staff member

Fr. Vonnahmen defrocked

Monday April 23rd the Belleville Diocese announced that Fr. Vonnehmen, the founder and former director of Camp Ondessonk was defrocked and can no longer function as a priest. It has been a long time coming but at least they finally got around to it.

Ondessonk Pictures

I am looking for your best Camp Pictures (I can only publish the clean ones). I especially want one of The Legend of Ondessonk Sign.

Please send them to DJC@Heepwah.com

You will retain copyright of your photos but you are granting me the right to use this on this or other related or linked sites.

Ondessonk staff and campers can reconnect

First I should say this site is not affiliated with Camp Ondessonk. I am a former staffer and while on the web one day I thought there should be a place where it is easy for Ondessonk staff and campers to reconnect.

I found this site Camp Ondessonk e-mail Connection Page.

This site was put up By Steve Bushong. Steve was the unit leader of Tekawitha my first year at Ondessonk. We all called him Bush and he is a great guy. I don't think the site is being updated thought so I thought I could do my part and Make it easy. It is probably a lot of work to keep update the site so I thought I could cut out the middleman and let people do it themselves.

If you want to reconnect with members of the Ondessonk Community just Fill out this form

Ondessonk staff Contact form
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