Sappy

Sappy was the camp director in 1969. That was the year she tried to rehabilitate the mildly bad girls of Neppies by telling us late-night stories of how we should be going on hayrides in Montana and quit trying to make herbal tea in our tents by boiling the water in our tin GS cups with a candle (fire hazard you know). She thought New York girl scouts lacked gumption. She gave up on us but we reclaimed our Juliette Lowe history just in time to practice our lashing skills—I think we lashed anything that moved—and put on a Winnie the Pooh skit for Sleepy Hollow.
Splint, you were the Ass’t Waterfront director then, you let me keep my buddy tag as a souvenir at the end of camp.

Patti McManamy

E-mails regarding Reunion!

Hi All:
I'm coming; not sure which days. I live about an hour from camp in Parsippany, NJ. My sister in Suffern is half an hour closer, so I won't be needing accommodations.
I have memories, letters, pictures, bracelet, pin, and patches, even though I only went to Quid two summers, only one 2-week session each time. I was in Sky Blue in 1963, I think, and Sherwood Forest in '64. One of my counselors was Char and another I think was Teddy. A friend I made in Sky Blue (Audrey Seidman) is a friend to this day.
I don't think I had a nickname. I wrote poems, one of which I half remember. My name then was Ellen Forman, and I was from Queens. Mosquitoes were particularly partial to me. Ditto spiders and little green fish.
efm2@optonline.net

Hello Everyone,
I attended Quidnunc 1969 (Sherwood Forest) 1970 (Rocky Ledges) 1971 (those cabins on stilts things) 1972 (Caravan). Always in the month of August.
I live in California now and it's doubtful I can make the reunion. Back then I lived in Brooklyn. I don't recall having a nickname.
I would love to hear from anyone that was at Quidnunc around the same time. I remember the canoe regattas on Sebago Lake. Canoeing on the Delaware and Ramapo Rivers, hikes down to the Red Apple Rest and socials.
Carol Smith rickysmom@yahoo.com

(from Reunion Website)...I went to Quidnunc from 1968 until 1972. I lived in Sherwood Forest, Rocky Ledges, those Cabins on the hill (what were they called?) and finally Caravan. I started 3rd session and by my 3rd year was staying 3rd and 4th sessions. I loved going there.

I remember starting in swimming as a Green, having to swim in the cribs until I could become a blue intermediate swimmer and be allowed to swim out to the platform.

We had a canoe regatta against other camps in 1971 on Seneca Lake and we won our division. We had practiced every day for the entire session.

I remember dances with the coed camps, Camp Trexler. There was a girl named Pebbles who had a boyfriend in the other camp and was considered scandalous.

Quidnunc was where I smoked my first cigarette. It is also where I started drinking black coffee.

We would climb up to bald mountain. We also sat by the road and threw green apples at the cars.

The first two years I went we had to cross the road to swim. The bridge came later.

I remember being consigned to rowboats on the lake until you could pass the test in the canoes, by tipping over and righting it and paddling back to the dock.

I remember campfires, the arts and crafts shack, splash parties. I remember the trespassers. I especially remember the campfire songs.

Carol Smith rickysmom@yahoo.com

Quidnunc 1955 and 1956 (Posted on Kids Camp site)

by Marlene Toth, 2/21/08

I went to Camp Quidnunc in the mid-1950's. I also think of it each time it rains hard. The rain on the tent was amazing. I also remember the fire drills where we all had to exit the camp area to a deep gully and walk on stones in a creek for what seemed forever.

I won a costume contest. I glued dry leaves to a paper bag hat, that looked like curls on my head!

I also recall arriving the first day of camp, and being placed in a large circle right off of the bus from NYC. We were asked to remove our shoes and socks to be checked for athlete's foot, which I had never heard of - I was eight years old. I HAD it, and was banned from swimming for the first week, until it cleared up. To this day - I am 60 years old, I cannot stand walking in bare feet. If my feet touch the floor before bed, I have to wash them in the sink.

I loved the camp, and especially the songs - White Dove, and "I love the mountains, I love the daffodils" Boom di ada... etc. Marlene

Some New Pictures

Melinda O'Sullivan sent some new pictures for the blog.
Click on the photo of tentmates above at right for more.OK! I'm the one of the far right. The 3rd from the left is KB, the sloe gin fiz girl. We're both from MN.... we rode the Greyhound Bus all the way from St. Paul to NYand we actually put on our white pumps and dresses so we'd arrive in NYC properly dressed. What a laugh that gave everyone at Camp Quidnunc. I did not give anyone my ID so that must have been KB. On the left in the back row is Lena Nielson from Sweden. And on the left side on the front row is Jay, the waterfront director. I can't remember the others. I have a better copy of the picture. I'm still paying for that glorious tan with trips to the dermatologist!!!! Peri

Neppies Staff 1964: Ellen Muth, Boni Allen, Grace Aldag, Karen

KB, Dusty, Dee, Sukie, Lena, Linda Hecht(Mouse), ? , Cathy Ramirez