Camp Merrie-Woode

The signs of fall are all around us. The crisp cool air and the vibrant colors of the leaves make for a wonderful time of year at Merrie-Woode. The weather has stayed warm and we had a good deal of rain this year. Consequently, the colorful fall is a couple of weeks behind schedule. The peace and serenity is occasionally interrupted by the sounds of progress. The maintenance crew began pouring the concrete footers for the new backline cabins. Construction will begin soon.

Say Goodbye to the Old Backline Cabins

Demolition work has begun on the little and big back line cabins. The Merrie-Woode® maintenance crew will be focused on re-building these eleven cabins. Great care will be taken to install a retaining wall, drainage, and walkways, while trying to maintain and preserve as many of the surrounding trees as possible. This was originally scheduled to take place last year, but the 2004 hurricanes moved the construction schedule back. All the plaques have been removed and safely stored. They will be hung back up after construction is completed. Back line campers have something else to look forward to next summer.

The boating, mountaineering and riding staff arrived at camp this week and they are working hard in their respective activities. Everyone is excited about camp, we're off to a great start. Jim and Denice along with the rest of the staff are very happy the kitchen staff is here cooking for us. The Dunns have no groceries at the house! Denice, Jim, Julie, and head counselor Rebecca Savitz are busy preparing for orientation. Jim took a couple of days to make the grounds look beautiful. Not to worry, the "mulch man" and the facilities crew have camp in good shape.

New Camper Drop-off Procedure

As you may or may not know, we received a considerable amount of damage from the September 2004 hurricanes. Much damage was done to our roads and trails. In reconstructing our new roads, we took extra care to install additional drain tile, create large stone drainage ditches and a lot of new gravel. In doing so, it has become virtually impossible to allow two-way traffic. We have come up with a good solution and will implement this new procedure on opening day of the 2005 June, Main, and August sessions. Please visit the "Parents" page on this web site or click on the "Drop-off" button above to view the instructions and a corresponding map.

Remember the days you spent here...
Remember your first counselor and cabin mates? Do you wonder what they are doing now? Thanks to

Maryanna Phillips Koehring (82-95) you can get in touch with your long lost Merrie-Woode friends! Maryanna has set up a Yahoo Group just for Camp Merrie-Woode Alumnae. Simply go to http://groups.yahoo.com, type in “Merrie-Woode” and follow the steps.... “for you girls belong to Merrie-Woode, and Merrie-Woode belongs to you.”

The Parent Handbook (not on line) has changes you will want to know about for this summer. One of the highlights or newest things to be aware of is a new booster seat law in North Carolina when driving to and from camp. Details are in the "What to Bring" section of the handbook. A second highlight, is the directions from Greenville, South Carolina are new. No, Greenville hasn't moved; but the road dynamics have changed and we have the details for you on how to get here the most expeditious way. There is always interesting material to help make the most out of the Merrie-Woode experience in the Parent Handbook; please take the opportunity to review it when you get a chance.

Denice and Jim traveled to Charlotte during the middle of March. The Eades family was very gracious in hosting a variety of new and old campers to their home. There were a lot of good questions, catching up with friends, and learning about the new things happening and being planned for camp this summer. The highlight was the delicious green CMW cookies that Christy Eades made for everyone. We can't wait for the summer to get here!

Senior Staff Goes To Florida
late February 2005

Julie, Denice and Jim traveled to Florida last week for a variety of events. They first stopped at the Davis’ home in Jacksonville. The Davis's were nice enough to host a camper show. Many returning campers and counselors came by to visit and enjoy the treats that Mrs. Davis made for everyone.

After this, the group was off to Gainesville to visit some of Merrie-Woode's veteran counselors and some new recruits attending The University of Florida. Everyone had a tremendous time stuffing their faces and catching up. They also got to visit the Chi Omega sorority.

Next on the agenda after a brief, but fun, visit to the University of Florida, they headed south for Orlando to attend the annual National American Camping Association conference. In route to Orlando, they were able to catch up with the Norton ladies for dinner at The Macaroni Inn. It was fun to see them and they’re all looking forward to the summer.

The conference was very informative and provided them with a lot of good ideas. While attending the conference, they had an opportunity to visit some of the area theme parks. And... after more than 25 years, Julie finally was able to meet Mickey and we have a picture to prove it!

The “Things” also discovered a canoe hanging in Mickey’s garage. Mickey might be a paddler; but we're pretty sure that he’s not a Captain.

February 2005
On February 12, Merrie-Woode hosted a fun-filled brainstorming weekend with fourteen of its most senior counselors. Silas arrived early Friday afternoon with a truckload of food and immediately whipped-up a gourmet dinner for everyone’s arrival. This group of veteran staff members spent a brilliant winter’s day on High Heaven’s porch for a variety of round-table discussions. The talks included a range of topics including camp traditions, cabin life, programs, activities, orientation, and counselor life. The purpose was to enrich the Merrie-Woode Spirit and come up with ways to deepen thatexperience forcurrent and future campers and staff.

During the free time, everyone wandered through camp enjoying the remainder of a warm winter’s day by paddling on the lake, walking around the refurbished lake trail or discovering the many projects the maintenance staff has been working diligently to complete. Later that evening, elegant costumes were borrowed from the renovated costume shop

for a formal dinner party hosted by the Dunn’s. Chef Silas prepared another robust meal and was aided by his staff of young butlers (Bradley and two of his friends.) After dinner, the girls’ voices bellowed over the karaoke music as the singing carried into the night. Sunday morning, everyone circled around a warm fire in High Heaven for breakfast and laughter before their journeys back to school. The beneficial impact of the contributions made during the weekend will most certainly improve the Merrie-Woode experience. We are thankful to all that participated.

and on February 23, Kim, Travis, Glen, Jason, and Casey are putting the finishing touches on the new Archery and Tennis equipment buildings. The natural bark covering the buildings exhibit the Adirondack architecture which is historically found across the Blue Ridge Mountains. The lumber was milled from trees which fell during the fall hurricanes on the camp's saw-mill. Merrie-Woode's talented maintenance staff routinely displays their craftsmanship using old artesian skills handed down from one generation to the next.

Visit this page for information on a Camp Merrie-Woode screensaver and wallpaper!

We offer one of the newest additions to the Camp Merrie-Woode® Web site-preparation of an image suitable for a computer monitor's screen saver or wall paper. You can find out on this link. There are instructions for making the image your screensaver or wall paper too on both MAC or PC platform.