F R O M T H E A R C H I V E S
PREVIEW
OF SUMMER CAMPS.
CAMP PREVIEWS ONE AND TWO.
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Camp Tickles
Located 32 miles south of Akron, Ohio, on County Trunk R, Camp
Tickles is essentially a clown camp for clown prodigies ages 7 to 11. While
clowning and clownlike activities make up a lion's share of camp time, Camp
Tickles is also a self-esteem-boosting "challenge camp." Challenge One
involves the cabins, which are constructed in the camp kitchen and the
camp's great lawn over the first few days and are freestanding structures
made of marshmallow and sticks. Campers (in groups of five) do not and will
not sleep until they have baked and sculpted their own cabins. Blueprints
are provided by counselors on the first day of camp. Challenge Two involves
the refurbishing and restoration of several turn-of-the-century
coin-operated (nickels) games in the "Coney Island" style. Campers (in
groups of 43) will liberally apply sunscreen, then ride on the back
of eastern-bound flatbed trucks to Camp Tickles' warehouse near Coney Island
in New York, where they will be given several tools and instructions. Some
Internet searches for older instruction manuals will be conducted, and some
direction will be provided by Lloyd McAfee, restoration specialist.
Challenge Three involves hole-patching of several Ohio roads and
adjacencies. Campers (in groups of three) will be provided with red wagons,
tar, shovels, levels, and maps of pothole-riddled areas, most of which are
within a 14-mile radius of Camp Tickles. Campers should ask area
farmers and business owners for water, or bring canteens. Campers will be
rewarded for completing challenges at a ceremony in the last week of camp.
Camper's Checklist:
1. Two bedsheets. (One to use while the other is at the laundry facility.)
2. Clown makeup.
3. Clown costume.
4. $70 in singles.
5. One towel.
6. Canteen (optional).
7. Knife.
8. Swimsuit.
9. Tweezers.
10. Magic Marker.
11. Phone card.
12. Ace bandages.
13. Matches.
14. Sunscreen.
15. Cookies.
16. Bratwurst.
17. Tennis balls (juggling).
18. Parachute.
19. Aspirin.
Camp Tickles runs from June 1 through August 8. $539.00.
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Len Gurman's Furnace Camp
Skokie, Illinois
July 10-August 3, 2000
At Len Gurman's Furnace Camp, which is celebrating its fourteenth summer,
kids from ages 6 to 10 can and will learn the basics of furnace and water-heater repair and maintenance. It should be noted that most campers who
attend Furnace Camp are graduates of Len Gurman's Plumbing and Cooling
Workshop, which also takes place every summer in Skokie, and which is for children
ages 5 to 8. Every camper gets a double room at the St. Warren's Shelter on
Cemax parkway, and is bused daily at 6:15 a.m. to Len's furnace training
facility, located at Warehouse 19D on the grounds of the Skokie Community
Rehabilitation Complex. The bus returns to St. Warren's at 7:40 p.m. On
weekends students are provided with a number of recreational activities like
paddleboating, light janitorial work, tetherball, whittling, carving, and
typing. They are also allotted time to repair and order new tools. Soldering
exercises and invoice quizzes make up most Saturday evenings at camp.
Campers are allowed to use the showering facilities at this point as well.
Campers are also encouraged to write letters to loved ones and are allowed
to do so up until 8 a.m. each weekend morning. Campers are required to
attend a nondenominational church service, culled from the best aspects of
most Christian religions, at St. Warren's on Sunday mornings from 8:15 a.m.
until 2 p.m. Hot meals are provided in the morning and evening at St.
Warren's featuring some of the finest pork products in the Midwest,
compliments of Len's father-in-law, Donnie White, whose pork shops are famous
throughout Chicagoland. For lunch the students can choose from an array of
inexpensive fast-food restaurants near the furnace training facility. In the
past, only children of plumbers, steam-fitters, and heating and cooling
specialists were encouraged to attend. However, for the past few summers,
we've been taking all comers. All campers receive a heavy cotton Len
Gurman's Furnace Camp T-shirt.
Total cost: $1,102.
Campers should bring a toothbrush and long-sleeved clothing (preferably
canvas). Some tools are provided. Please call for a complete tool list.
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OTHER McSWEENEY'S FEATURES:
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Preview of Summer Camps: Camp Previews One and Two By Jeff Johnson
Who's on First? By Chris Gavaler
An Open Letter to the Gentleman at the Bar Who Asked If I Would Like a Piece of Him By Kyle Sundby
If Only They Kept Diaries: Roadrunner By Jeff Steinbrink
Vacations With Mother and Father By David Connerley Nahm
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