A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Camp – 14c – STAFF ORIENTATION WEEK

        When we began the new thrust in the camp and conference ministry at Calvin Crest, the summer staff lived in the old Apple Orchard.   These were tent tops over a wood floor.   There was path to the bath facilities.   Later on around 1975, we built new lodge type facilities.   They included single bed size bunks, four to a room, with indoor plumbing.   We also had a good size meeting room for use by the staff in the summer.   This area was available then to outside groups for rental including the break out room in non-summer months and winter snow retreats.

We would hire around sixty college students each summer.   They worked in program, with the different age groups; in the different departments, including grounds, maintenance, food service, office and store.   The Staff arrived at camp a week before the first camp week began.  There was orientation to the grounds, their particular jobs, as well as teacher and counselor training.  

One year an unexpected development happened the first week of camp.   Ted Lyons, the Executive Director, had arranged to have the internal dirt roads in camp watered and have a light tar surface cover the roads.    We wanted to keep the dirt from blowing all over with all the campers and vehicles of the vendors on them all summer.   The work was to be done the week before the staff came into camp.   As it turned out the contractor could not get there until a few days before.   The oil had not dried up and we could not drive our vehicles onto the grounds to unload all of our summer supplies and each staff’s suitcases and items.   It was a mess.  We had to unload off the roads down at the entrance of the camp.   We transported the boxes and suitcases in wheelbarrows and carried them in.   One of those memorable events you do not forget.