I have been retired

What a run I've had at Cedars since the Campbell's plant closed in Fremont.  Now it's family time in the summer.

Ben Nachman, Churchill Scholar

Over his years on Cedars staff, Ben Nachman worked in Nature, as the Journalism instructor, and OA Coordinator.  One summer he delayed expressing interest in staff until the last minute.  A spot in the dishroom was the only thing available, and Ben jumped at the chance.  He quickly immersed himself in the dining hall, and we adored his work ethic and leadership.  We started calling him Edward Scissorhands for his specialized ability to simultaneously sort silverware with both hands.  Even if we didn't really understand some of his interests in math and physics, it was always clear this "kid" had great potential, and we are so proud that he is well on his way to "big time stuff".

http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Feb12/ChurchillNachman.html

Where has the summer gone?

Seems that only yesterday it was staff week....now, the final session of Webelos camp is upon us, and then we move into weekend special events as the camping season comes to a close.

It has been an interesting summer to say the least.  The first weeks were plagued by thunderstorms that sent us to shelter at least once a week.  The last weeks have been hot and humid.  I don't know which is the lesser of the evils.

Rachelle Jelinek and Kyle Mooney were the returning rocks upon which we built with mostly new staff and many volunteers.  With compliments to all, the job has been done and done well.

Dr. Chuckles ordered us a new heat stack for holding food ready to be served.  It's our first with clear doors, which is very convenient.  The staff has dubbed her Reba Red - She stands 6' tall with her boots on, and she will keep you 80 to 200 degrees all day long.  Many thanks to him and the volunteer electricians who made sure things were in proper order.

So, it is on to OA Conclave, NBZ Festival, WoodBadge Dinner and WoodBadge Course.  After that, the snow flies.  Hope this finds all of you in good health and high spirits.

Staff Week

There are many new faces around camp, but the essence of Camp Cedars is beginning to feel familiar again.  With a much fewer number of bodies to feed, staff week affords us the opportunity to do some special things for staff that I wouldn't have the cooking time, oven space, or heat stack space to do during a normal week of camp.  Chuck helped me set the menu on Sunday morning and includes items like ham sausage, french toast slice, sweet potato fries, green beans with onion, chicken salad, individual round pizzas, cheddarwurst, enchilladas, refried beans, and assorted cereals.  One of these years, come join us on staff; the fellowship and fulfillment is hard to beat.

National Camping School

Whenever NCS is at Cedars, it always seems to be a wet, chilly week.  My theory is that Mother Nature has a fixed amount of water to use.  She looks down and sees a group of very prepared leaders of Scout camping and decides, "Let's dump most of it here."  Aside from the weather, NCS brings 'experts' to camp who believe the food service rules of their home camps are better; hence, no need to follow the rules here.  Overall, exclusive of the dishwasher being broken, it has been a successful session.  Onward to staff week.

Springing into Summer 2011

Spring has finally arrived in Nebraska and activities at camp are happening. OA Conclave is this weekend and a Cub Camp next, Saturday. Then National Camp School and staff week for Cedars and Easter Seals, and WE ARE ON OUR WAY to a GREAT summer of camping. It is shaping up to one of our busiest yet. Hope to see many of you here this year. Stop and say hi if you get the chance.



Photo courtesy of Josh Williamson



Happy Anniversary!

Clifford and I are celebrating our 50th anniversary today.  Here's the then and now.

Season's Greetings

Happy Holidays from Camp Cedars.  I am recovering well from my recent knee surgery.  Chuck made a visit to the dining hall earlier in the week to measure some of the plaques hanging in the entry area.  He reports everything was in order.

Celebrity

The Fremont Tribune was here recently, and I am now as much of a celebrity as I ever want to be.  I am still in a bit of shock.....

http://fremonttribune.com/news/local/article_72ca8b96-9994-11df-89d8-001cc4c002e0.html

Webelos

Boy Scout summer camp has come to an end for this year.  Webelos Camp is upon us.  Staff is enjoying a few days off between sessions.  The weather has been cooperating with us.  OA Conclave and NBZ Festival on the coming weekends followed by Woodbadge sessions later in the fall.  All in all a great summer.

Birthday Reflections

It has been a madhouse around here the last couple of weeks.  I have been thinking about what to say, but to be honest, I am still a bit in shock.....Wow, what a birthday!  I thought I had been surprised before but not like this.  A wonderful day it was.  To see most of my immediate family together was something that has not happened in a long time, and many dear friends too.  So many honors and gifts I really feel unworthy.  I have shared these past 20 or so years with many hard-working and capable cooks, dish room personnel, camp staffers, council employees, and volunteers that it is impossible to take all the credit for the success of the dining hall and its program.  My thanks go to everyone who has been a part of the Scouting community, enriching my life and my job.

Mom's Surprise Birthday Party

Guest blogger: Chuck McAllister

Mom's husband Clifford, two sisters from Texas, son from California, daughter from Omaha and their families attended Mom's surprise 69th birthday party today in the dining hall.  She was presented with gifts from staff, a cedar and horn guardian pipe, recognition from Order of the Arrow, Nebraska Admiralship, a plaque to be installed in the newly named Sandy "Mom" Roth Kitchen, and a signature quilt.  All are suitable recognition for her years of service to Scouting and Camp Cedars.  It was a memorable event.  Please congratulate her if you were unable to attend the festivities.

We successfully kicked Mom out of the building after lunch so that she can spend time with her family.  Though she has gotten better over the years about not insisting on being the last person to leave the dining hall, it still takes some convincing to get her scooted out the door.  Because we know how hard she works and how much she needs time off, it makes us feel good to see her green van creeping down the drive.  It probably helps that she has a few trusted individuals available to uphold her standards.

Where in the world

Chuck!!!.....Chuckles.....Dr. McAllister??.....O Worthy Chieftain......hmmm, he doesn't come running - not good.

Parents Night

Staff is currently progressing through their extensive repertoire of songs while serving Scouts, Scouters, and guests for parents night.  With a 50-60% chance of rain this evening, we're hoping it will hold off so that we can get the dining hall cleaned up in short order rather than needing to host the closing campfire indoors.  Overall, a normal opening week of camp.

Off and Running

Greetings from the dining hall.  It's Week 1 of Boy Scout camp, for which we have 77 tables set in the building, and we cook for an additional 2 tables for kitchen and ranger staff plus 5 more for Easter Seals.  Thus, we prepare for 84 x 8 = 672.  Being short one cook in the afternoon/evening and short one in the dishroom, we work a lot longer and harder to meet the needs of camp....but we still eat well, joke heartily with each other, and get about 5 hours of sleep on a good night.  No complaints so far, but if you see a flare on the horizon, send help.

Join us at Cedars

Spring has sprung.  The flowers are either budding or blooming, and the trees are leafing out.  I saw a fawn in the lawn at the dining hall.  The same old ruts are back in the roads to camp.  Staff is here to kick off the unofficial start to the summer camping season.  They will be hearing the latest planning details from Don, holding program area meetings, partaking in a little fun, and dining on their favorite camp food.  There are many familiar faces and some new ones.  It is shaping up to be a great summer.

In Memoriam

Cedars staff recently lost two of its own.  Long-time district volunteer Harry Black was the 1993 Camp Commissioner.  Known in NBZ as Chieftain Wagon Wheel, he presided over ceremonies in 2002.  Marc Crawford worked in the dishroom for us in 2001.  Both will be missed by myself, Camp Cedars, and the Scouting program.

The snow is melting!

Spring events coming up at Cedars include three beaver (work) days, NBZ/OA regalia building day, Train-A-Ganza, camp staff training day, and OA Concalve.  I will be preparing meals for most of these Saturdays and hope to see you there.  Afterwards, it will be time to think about the food show where I will make some food item commitments with our vendors and place initial orders for the camping season.  Look out summer, here we come!

Over the river and through the woods

I recently made it to camp to get some things out of the dining hall for the rangers. There was not as much snow around the buildings as I thought there would be, but on the road to camp, even after several days of warmer weather and a bit of rain, some of the drifts were as tall as the van. The drifts were melting down some and now more snow. It has been snowing lightly without much wind for over 2 days now and we are nearly as deep as we were. I am hoping for a slow thaw, we don't need people in flood water in 40 or below temperature. Clifford and I celebrated our 49th wedding anniversary in January. Spring must be on the way because the deer are moving around....

Happy 100th birthday, Boy Scouts of America

The Boy Scouts of America was incorporated on February 8, 1910 and chartered by Congress in 1916. Its purpose is to provide an educational program for boys and young adults to build character, to train in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and to develop personal fitness. We at Camp Cedars are proud to be a part of this tradition and excited to contribute to the next century of Scouting.

According to the national office, as of December 31, 2009, there were 2.9 million youth and 1.1 million adults active in the program through 124,425 units.