What the counselors did during their free time

[Neil Suits]

I didn’t know nor was I particularly interested in what the counselors did during their spare time. However, I remember when I realized that they might be living a life outside of camp time that was completely foreign to me. Steve Buckingham was a counselor at Tosebo during the years that I was there. I heard him talk about one Sunday breakfast at Coach’s table. Apparently the counselors at the table were all very quiet. This irritated Coach who commented on it. Steve said that he wanted to say “**** Coach, we’re all hung over.” That’s when I realized that at least on Saturday nights they were out kicking up their heels. I always liked Steve and thought that he was worldly wise. It was even said that he had touched a woman’s breast.

Neil Suits 1964-66

 

[Strong Bow]

I don't think, except for the hope that Skip Sage would bring me a quart of A&W root beer at midnight, I thought too much about where the counselors disappeared to after Taps. However, when I worked there in 67, our nights off were much anticiopated. Many times the older (21+) counselors would race to the Harbor Bar or the Jug and Plug and get some quantity of cold beer and we would go out to Lake Michigan just south of the Channel. It was pretty much of a zoom-zoom evening to make sure we got back by midnight. I recall one evening when I walked my future (and present) wife back to her house in Red Park, I found myself dangerously close to midnight so I raced up the side of the hill from the road, coming up about midway between the Shower house and Tent 1. All was fine except that the duty counselor had already gone down to report to Hal and I had missed him. So I had to race down to Welcome House to explain how I got back. What we do for love....

Dave Wallace