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Memories Camp Wahsega The summer after I finished fifth grade and Doris completed second grade, Mama signed us up to go to 4-H camp with the Crawford County 4-H Club. The camp, Camp Wahsega, was located in the north Georgia mountains. We rode a Blue Bird bus to camp and stayed in cabins with about eight or ten bunk beds in each cabin. There was an overhead light in the cabin, but in order to take a shower or brush our teeth we had to walk down to the building with the bathrooms. We didn’t know too many people before we went on the trip, but we met a lot of people while at camp and had a great time. I think we had three or four cousins in our cabin. Deana went, and of course, we knew her really well. She was like a sister to us when we were growing up because we were close in age and were together every chance we could get. We panned for gold, had craft classes, and did typical summer camp activities, but the two events I remember most were the rocks and the talent show. There was a cold mountain stream that ran through the camp. At one point the water splashed over rocks for a course of about 100 feet. The rocks were slippery because they were wet and many of them were covered with algae. We were given time to play on the rocks and cautioned to be careful. Doris and I started the activity of sliding down the rocks as if they were a slide. We had on old jeans and tennis shoes which offered some protection, but other than that we had to be careful- unlike today when we would have had to sign waivers and wear helmets, etc. I remember the camp counselors remarking that they had never seen anyone slide down the rocks like we were doing. I used to wonder if they stopped that practice or if we started a trend. I know we probably were the topic of several conversations at camp that summer. Probably had the word “crazy” in the conversations, too. The other event I remember was the talent show which took place after dinner in the mess hall on the last night we were at camp. Anyone could sign up to play the piano, sing, or entertain with any other typical talent show ability. During dinner the girls in my cabin got wind of the fact that another girl from the group, but not from our cabin, was going to perform a gymnastics routine. That particular girl was good at gymnastics; she knew it and wanted everyone else to know it, too. The girls in our cabin didn’t like her attitude and devised a plan to take care of it. A couple of our cabin mates were sent to enter Doris in the talent show. A couple of other cabin mates found something for Doris to wear, and others found music for her performance. I remember the song that was chosen for the routine- Rubberband Man. Doris and I had the ability to stand on our heads most anywhere- even on a cement floor if necessary so it’s possible that she practiced a couple of stunts on the wooden floor of the cabin before the show, but I’m not sure. I do know that she did not practice an entire routine like most of the other contestants were doing. There wasn’t any time. When it was Doris’ turn to perform we sent her out on stage with the simple instructions to “do gymnastics until the song ended.” No rehearsed routine, no routine at all, just do gymnastics as long as the music played. I don’t remember Doris’ routine; I don’t remember the other girl’s routine, nor do I remember the performances of any other person in the talent show that night. What I do remember is that Doris won first place, and I was so proud of her! Our whole cabin was proud of her! She had gotten out on stage, performed an unrehearsed routine and had beaten the girl who had probably performed a choreographed routine. Doris never bragged about that experience. That wasn’t her nature, but I found her award the other day packed away in a shoe box full of memories and remembered the great time we had at the only camp experience we shared together.
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