Finding old friends

Over the past few weeks I have found a number of Camp friends on Facebook. There is a group called Camp O is the place to go. I have found an number of freinds by looking at the members of this group. You can then look at their friend list and find a number of other Camp O friends.

So If if Facebook is so useful, then Why have this site. Well I intended for this site to allow for sharing of stores, pictures and contact information without having to sign up for one of the social networks. I think that Facebook and Myspace are complementary in the purpose of connecting people by think there is a place for this site as well. Send me your stores or pictures and please enter you contact information here as well.

The flood

I believe the year was about 1990. I had worked the stable for boys season and was working in the kitchen for girls season. Joe was the kitchen director at the time and the kitchen staff were all pretty good friends and we were known to play a few pranks from time to time. Most of the victims of our fun were unlucky rotating staff who found themselves washing dishes. We were constantly putting first year staff in the dishwater or if we were really ambitious in the turtle pond.
It was all Joe's idea to set our sites higher and play a joke on Dan H. the personel director. Late one night we crept into the office and managed to get Dan's office door open. once inside we opened the outside door and took in rowboat. we set it on his desk and proceded to turn on a hose and fill it with water to make removal a more difficult process. While we were in the precess of filling it the it became obvious the that the boat was not holding the water as well as we had figured it would. We turned off the hose and decided we had done enough damage and locked up the office and got the hell out of dodge. The next morning we waited to hear what would become of the prank. We heard nothing. A few more days went by and we heard nothing more about it. We then found out that Dan had come down with a flu and had not been in the office for the past few days. We said nothing and tried to act normal. In the meantime the Camp office had been having phone problems. Calls were dropped. lines weren't working. Camp called in the phone company to find the problem. The repair man checked the main line and then went from extension to extension checking the connections. Everything check out until he got to Dan's office. Where he found a wet rusty boat had somehow shorted out the phone line.

Staff Pictures

Patti Egan email me today. They are putting together a year book to celebrate 50 years of Camp Ondessonk. As part of that they are attempting to collect staff pictures from every year. I am including a listing of all the years they currently have. If you have any staff pictures from the years that are still needed you can send them to me at djc@heepwah.com. As usual if you have other Ondessonk pictures you think others would like to see please send them to me and I will post them.

	Boys	Girls
59	X
60	X	X
61	X
62	X
63	X
64	X	X
65	X	X
66	X	X
67	*	X
68	*	N/A
69	X	X
79	X	X
71	X	*
72		X
73	X	*
74		X
75		X
76	X	X
77	X
78
79	X
80		X
81		X
82
83
84	X
85	X
86	X	X
87	*	X
88
89
90
91
92	*	*
93	*	*
94	*	*
95	*	*
96
97
98
99
2000	X	X
01	X	X
02
03	X	X
04	X	X
05	X	X
06	X	X
07	X	X
08

X = SCANNED PHOTO

* = SCANNED NEWSLETTER

Memories of Labor day.

After the long drive from St. Louis we drove the two miles down the camp road and pulled up to the check in table. I guess we were not listening to the radio during the drive or certainly we would have heard the news that was now making headlines through out the world. As we were checking in we heard the buzz. The details were still sketchy but apparently Princess Diana had been in a serious crash and may have been killed. That is my vivid memory of a labor day weekend. But I have many other memories from Labor Days past. Larry Barger jamming on the banjo at the labor day dance. Kyle refusing to sleep and hallucinating while working in the kitchen after over 40 straight hours awake. Sitting around the campfire at Couture listening to Joe drone play guitar.

These are just some of the memories I have from Labor days past. I am sure this weekend there will be more fun an memories made for past staff. I wish I could be there but I won't be attending this year. I would love to hear any stories or post any pictures that anyone is willing to send. I hope everyone had a great summer and I hope there will be many more.

The stables

Horse picture

I found this picture on line. I makes me remember some of the great times I had in At Camp. On of my most memorable times was also one of the scariest. I remember the the clouds had moved in fast as we were sending out the 11:30 ride, the last one of the morning. I don't think the ride was out for more than 20 minutes before lightning forced it to end abruptly. The stable crew worked furiously to dismount the campers as quickly as possible in the rain. After the campers dismounted were were having the CITS usher them as quickly as possible into the the barn. With only two horses and campers left to attend to Josh and I took the reigns of the last two horses and sent the kids to safety. We led the horses into the the now semi flooded barn yard. We shooed the horses in and side by side Josh and I sloshed into the coral in about 4 inches of water. Just then we heard a loud crack and saw a bright light. we looked to our left about 40 yards and could see the smoke rising off of the fence post where the lighting had just struck. realizing that we were standing in ankle deep water we glanced at each other knowing that had the strike been any closer we certainly would have been toasted. We both dash off into the barn lucky to be alive.

Ondessonk Golf tournament

Golf Tournament information from Belleville newspaper

Camp O golf tournament to be held in Okawville on Sept. 13. $ 75 per person 300 per team of 4.

Check this out.

I found a blog from a current staff member.

Maybe when she comes back she whill have some good stories from Camp.

2008 staff

Send me your pictures and stories. and have a great summer.

advice for first time staff.

Staff orientation will be starting soon and I thought I would make a few suggestions for first time staff. First let me establish my credentials. I worked on staff from 1987 - 1993 with one year off in 2001. I was never a camper but was a c.i.t. (1986) and on staff I was stable crew, nature instructor, cook, unit leader and H. and S. manager among other things. I achieved the rank of Captain which puts me in top few percent of staff.

Do your job well. This is the key. I have seen too many first-year staff that thought Camp was a vacation. You will not be there long unless you are competent at your job. You will probably not like all the things you have to do but someone has to do them and I you won't they will find someone else who will

Resist the temptation to party. I don't know what things are like on staff now but I saw many first year staff ( could name names but that would be cruel) who were away from home for the first time and got in with the wrong crowd. They got in trouble and at Camp your reputation will follow you almost forever. Make one big mistake and there are usually no second chances.

I have not seen or spoke to anyone I knew from high school for years. The best friends I have are all from Camp or College. You can forge lifelong friendships at Camp if you just be yourself and don't try to be something your not.

Have fun. I look back and I think how much more money I could have made all those summers if I had just had a different job. But there is plenty of time to earn. When you are young have fun and don't be too uptight. The bad times I had (like when I was unit leader of a group of punks from Springfield) I lost track of why I was there. We were all supposed to be having fun. I should have focused on helping the kids (even the punks) realize we could all be on the same team. We could make it Win/Win. When you get frustrated just remember getting angry will only make things worse.

It is tempting to try to want to change camp all at once in someway. My first year on staff a group of us had a protest about promotions. It worked out ok but nothing really changed much. When I got to be a Luetenant (and could put people up for promotion) I went down the entire staff list and tried to find someone who was overlooked. Things change slowly and the best way to make change is to start with yourself

Now here are a few more practical things.

The bugs at Dubin's barn can be horrible. go prepared or you will be miserable on the overnight.

Get used to cold showers especially if you are stable crew.

Study maps and learn the trails. You don' t want to get lost and it's easier than you think.

You will have to deal with some of the older returning staff who think they are king or queen of Camp. Just remember your day will come and maybe you will treat the new staff better.

Ultimately the campers and parents are the customers. They paid to have fun and be safe. Make that your top priority.


Heepwah!!




.

Stable Roundup

Stable Roundup is April 18-20. Only old stable crew and VIPs are allowed. I am unable to attend this year but If anyone can offer a first had account please send it in.

Stable story

Since the Stable roundup will soon be here I though I would share what I thought was a funny stable story from my youth. I think it was my first year on staff and as rotating staff I spent every week doing a different task. I think I spent two weeks the first year in the stables.

I had been a CIT in the stables the prior year and my brother worked in the stables the prior year so I felt a pretty comfortable with the crew. The stable manager, who we can call Matt was from St. Louis like myself so we had a pretty good time. He had a black muscle car, I have no Idea what that make or model was but he kept it in showroom condition and treated it like his baby. This was a perfect scenario for my little joke. I was doing the usual manure duty with a CIT one morning and as we filled up the heavy SH*& wagon it became harder to maneuver. Matt had driven his car up to the stables that morning and as the crossed the road to dump the wagon we went right by it. I wrestled the cart to a stop and said "Watch this." I ran inside the barn with the best scared look I could muster and told Matt that I had accidentally hit his car with the wagon. Matt jumped up. "Is there a dent" he said with a tone that tried to sound less angry than he really was. "just a small one I replied." He rushed out the door and started looking all around the back on his car where I had parked the wagon. I trailed behind him but by this time could not keep from laughing. As he searched each side of the car he soon picked up on my laughter and the laughing of the CIT and realized I was pulling his leg. He still spent a few more seconds assessing his baby before he accepted I had been playing with him and went back into the barn. "Oh so you are a practical joker are you?" he quipped. I assumed from that point on I had better watch my back. He took the joke well, but I new I had to watch my it from now on. I had set myself up as a target and I figured he had lots a ways he could get me back.

Garden weekend

Sue Mullen, who may have been the craziest nature instructor ever ( and I mean crazy in a good way) has asked me to pass this along. She is organizing a gardening weekend April 19th 10:00 am at Camp O. All are welcome. Bring flowers, shovels, mulch...~OR~ Send a donation to Camp Ondessonk, attention Will Shelton, Garden Club, 3760 Ondessonk Road, Ozark, 62972.

Pass along th information to others and make camp a prettier place for the summertime.

Staff jobs

One of the commentors has applied for a job at Ondessonk and wants to find out when they will find out if they got a job. If things still work the way they used to you will get a contract in the mail for you to sign which would include the position the length of time you would work (boys, girls, coed etc). I would think that contracts would be going out soon but there is a new Executive Director and they don't have an assistant director yet as far as I know so it might take a little longer. If anyone has recieved a 2008 contract write us and let us know.
DJC email

Priests ask for Braxton's resignation

It appears that a majority of Belleville diocese priests have asked for the Bishop to resign. I am still trying to get a list of the priest to see if any have an Ondessonk connection.

Priests ask for the bishop's resignation.

Congratulations to Dan King

I have heard from a reliable source that Dan King is Camp's new Executive Director. Congratulations to him. He is certain to do a great job and I know he is qualified and dedicated to continuing Camp O's traditions and excitement.

Is Dan King the New Executive director?

Camp's Contact page lists Dan King as the Executive director. However the email address given is his Asst. Director address.

Camp contact page.

They are also advertising for the position of Camping Services Director which looks much like an assistant director position.