Reminiscences of 20 Years at Camp Interlocken
...and always there was the singing!!!!
The things we learned... Tony Saletan and the first time we did Sacred
Harp - we sang our hearts out. The African songs we sang one year...
Bessie Jones and the songs of the Georgia Sea Islands... the early
Sunday morning gospel sing.. the waterfront and the time the canoe
tipped over... the sounds of bats over the water... the circle sings.
It was always very jolly. I remember when a large crowd gathered in the
infirmary and kept singing most of the night.
Alice Aronow
My memories are like a brightly colored patchwork quilt - a scrap from
this year and a a scrap from that year, all pieced together to form a
harmonious whole, which warms my memories on a cold winter's evening. A
flash of bright color and movement as little Cate shelters within my
arms, watching anxiously as her mother Marilyn swirls around the dance
floor... a cartwheel design as Cate tumbles and prances her way around
the singing circles with young Jeremy, while the grownups lean back in
the window seats or sprawl on the floor at a meetinghouse sing... more
tranquil patterns, as Lucy Simpson leads us in gospel harmonies, while
Jeff Davis puts in extra time and energy helping people learn to sing in
traditional styles. We've been so lucky over the years in having staff
who knew how to be present in a very human way.
And, like the borders of the quilt, there's always the beauty of
Interlocken itself - walking the dirt paths through woods and meadows,
canoeing across the lake to the winding inlet, swimming in the bitter
cold lake as puffy clouds meander by... the more I remember, the more
eager I am to get back there - to mark the boundary between summer and
fall with song and dance, with meeting old friends from up and down the
Eastern seaboard, and with discovering new friends as the weekend flies.
Betsy Binstock
It was a time of sharing. It was small enough so that even people who
felt shy would join in the sharing of songs. Usually this happened at
the after hours sings. Someone very quiet would break through and it
was a gem. It is just a bunch of people getting together to share in
song and that's magic. There was always time for a canoe ride up the
stream. The freezing cold water... the stars... the sunrise after
singing
all night...
Mark Ryer
One of my fondest memories was taking a canoe out on the lake and being
serenaded by Robert Wheeler on the ukulele. I remember sweeping off the
dance pavilion with Barry and being so inspired that I wrote a tune
called Sweeping the Dance Floor... Rob Joel was one of the guiding
lights of the weekend. We would be sitting around in a circle, sharing
songs, and suddenly he would call your name and ask you to sing. He was
larger than life. I remember Len Katz teaching me "Cold, Frosty
Morning." There was always the feeling of being welcomed and included.
Lorraine Lee Hammond
It has always been a relaxed time with people who you'd only see
fleetingly during the year.
Tony Saletan
I remember one year, having spent all day walking in the woods,
listening to the music from a distance. I came back for the evening
dance full of energy. The next morning in the cabin there was a bird
trapped in the cabin, flying back and forth. Lorraine Lee and I tried
to help it. After a long time, the bird allowed me to put my hands
around it and set it free. It was an incredible experience. Just being
there was wonderful
- I just came along for the ride...
Jan Katz
I remember being enchanted by the singing of Sara Grey and Ellie Ellis.
The sound of unaccompanied harmony singing was incredible. I threw my
voice into what they were doing and it was amazing to be singing
alongside of them. The warm, intimate time, schmoozing around the
cabins, sometimes being very cold - the weekend would just fly by. I
remember wonderful storytelling by Doug Lipman and Betty Lehrman. It
was an eye-opener to widen our scope to storytelling.
...the saunas down by the lake, and rushing into the cold water...
canoeing around the lake and watching the ducks take off... sitting
around the dining room with a whole group of people getting very silly
singing songs about sheep and getting truly hysterical... the late night
singing was always the most magical and usually the finest musically...
It was wonderful to see people you didn't see all year long.
Merle Roessler
The Friday night song swap is always one of my favorite times... a time
to meet new people, and greet old friends... the air of anticipation as
everyone gathers in the dining hall... instruments coming out of the
cases (does Robert Wheeler have a new ukulele?)... the circle changing
shape as people come and go...
I remember singing around the dining room fireplace, late at night,
gathering closer and closer to the fire, trying to catch a last little
bit of warmth... trying to sleep, the first year I came, and being too
exited... listening to all the different snores in the cabin - there
must have been at least five varieties, all going more or less at once -
an orchestra.
I especially remember the year the weekend fell on Labor Day weekend,
and a bunch of us stayed over 'til Monday. Rob St. Germain fired up the
sauna Sunday afternoon, and people sat in there and sang. I was
lounging on the beach, talking to Carly Gewirz, I think, and listening
to the music and laughter - every once in a while, people would pop out
of the sauna (seemingly propelled by the music) and streak for the
water, then pop back into the sauna...
Suzanne Mrozak
One of my most memorable weekends at Interlocken was the 1991 Getaway
Weekend. There was a special rapport between staff (Lucy Simpson and
Jeff Davis), among campers, and between staff and campers. I also had
an enjoyable walk with Robert Leigh on a nearby trail.
Panos Constant
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