The Council Room

[Pat Freeland]

Date: June 27 2015

Police S4 (what's left of it)

Prep for the event started on July 27, 2014 with a post to the Wyanoke.com site. Some folks responded immediately and others got their schedules straight and responded sporadically during the ensuing 11 months. The list originally included about 43 people, and finally whittled down to 30. A few regrettably had to decline at the last minute - most with medical problems of one sort or another. Last minute schedule changes also tripped up a few who hoped to be here.

I used the date as a deadline for a bunch of projects including washing, sanding and painting the porch trim. During that project I footed the extension ladder in loose soil near the rhododendron bush and climbed up. At about 13 feet above ground level the ladder slid back and landed on the porch railing. I fell onto the rungs, broke my nose and bled profusely, then fell off the ladder onto the stones another six feet below. That was after breaking a toe the night before whilst grilling dinner.

Further complicating the preparations was a clogged underground six inch iron pipe that takes rainwater from the roof out into the yard. Water backed up into the basement and necessitated digging ten three foot deep holes to find the pipe and the pipe's end. Just a few days before the reunion, Steve (son-in-law), Cavi, Mike and I found the end and unclogged it. The next paragraph underlines the reason it was fortuitous that we did.

Ten days before the event the weather channel app predicted a comfortable (low 80s) day with only about 20% chance of rain. As the days progressed and the day approached the forecast changed dramatically, and by the time the date was imminent the forecast was gruesome: 100% chance of rain and cool (65). The mood at 101 Old Furnace Road went from anticipation to panic, where will be put all those people trying to escape the rain? Why can't we use our campfire site? Who will be able to see the light show from thousands of fireflies? Who can enjoy an event when you're stuck indoors and have nothing to do?

Friday was beautiful, who could imagine a day of rain when the weather was so kind. Mid afternoon Alan Neagle, the first attendee, arrived, followed by a few more to round out the already present Mike Freeland, Don and Karen Witter, Cavi, Steve, Karline (Rosebud) and Elliot (Chipper) Miller, and Pat and Vicki. Dinner was brat(wursts), burgers, salads, chips and "red beet eggs", a Pa Dutch food, which is hard boiled eggs soaked for a week or so in the liquid from Harvard beets. A fire in the backyard firepit with lots of reminiscences and stories ended the day and the nice weather.

Whilst we all slept at the house, motels, hotels, and B and Bs, dark clouds moved in, covered the moon and then the sun. Saturday morning was almost manageable, light drizzle from time to time and a bunch of us went to the Amish auction - breakfast there was a stick-to-your-ribs buffet of sausage, bacon, potatoes, mush, scrambled eggs, donuts, coffee, creamed beef, fruit plus stuff I forgot about. Some stalwart bidders went to the pavilion where they hoped to buy one of the 700 quilts being auctioned off but dealers out bid them and disappointed them greatly. All our guests were enchanted by the beautiful Amish children, the green rolling hills, the dazzling variety of stuff being auctioned off and the ability to rub elbows with members of the various so-called "plain" sects that populate the countryside.

Back in Cornwall preps continued for the arrival of the rest of the attendees and the slightly wet returnees from the auction. Breakfast morphed into lunch, tables and chairs moved by one-time JAs kept adjusting the kitchen, inner porch, dining room and fairly large living room to allow for chatting, eating, and keeping dry, because by the early afternoon a steady soaking downpour came and showed no intention of leaving.

The afternoon involved just being together plus a tour of the Furnace. A particularly memorable event at 5:00 was a skype with Dan Mannis. Each attendee was able to sit in front of the TV and see and be seen by Dan, now living in Sherman Oaks, CA.

Dinner prep was made easier by the fact that we didn't do the pig roast and Cathy Wilkins willingness to do the grilling.

Everyone seemed moved by the gift of the Wyanoke mugs that had been ordered by Cavi. We mailed them to those who were unable to attend or who were at the last reunion but missed this one. Dinner was chicken from the grill and salads, brownies and ice cream for dessert and a cake made by our neighbor. Before dinner Dave Ayars sang a version soupie soupie to silence us all, Dave Bentley stood at the corner separating the dining and living rooms where diners were waiting, Dave Clemens repeated the Wyanoke Prayer (O God, give me clean hands, clean words and clean thoughts...). I had two chips from the old slide, J-4 and S-4 so I held them up to recreated the slide. Dave Bentley thanked us all for maintaining the spirit, it was a very emotional moment.

After dinner came the mandatory campfire hosted masterfully by Dave Ayars whose humor and creativeness made it a lot of fun. At the last campfire two years ago the fire was a candle mandated by rain, this year it was a portable fireplace. The three former head councilors of the junior camp, Dave Clemens, Tom Falcon and Bob Vaughan, were the lighters. They held a remote and pushed a button to light it. Despite the absence of a real flame it served the purpose and didn't heat us out of the house. Pete Wood did a down east story, Pat, Mike and Doug did a couple of the old songs as did a barbershop quintet of Mike, Pat, Bob Nickels, Dave Clemens and Steve. We sang Cocaine Bill and Morphine Sue and the New England College Medley. We also had a visit from Airnac the Magnificent who bore a slight resemblance to Dave Ayars. The script of that appearance is attached. Mike Freeland led a brief memorial of Garth Nelson who died two years ago just before the last reunion. I have attached a note from Mal O'hara which was displayed with the Wyanoke memorabilia but due to the failing memory of your writer did not get read as promised at campfire. It's called My Time At Wyanoke. At the end of the fire Dave Ayars distributed white candles, we lit them and sang the Wyanoke Hymn (Let music rule the fleeting hour...)

Sunday we were joined by those still in the area and spent another golden few hours before they started one by one to leave. A second tour of the furnace and more farewells began the sad ending to the reunion.

It is dangerous to start thanking people for their various contributions because inevitably I will forget some. So generally speaking thanks to those who helped with cooking, reorganizing the furniture for dinner and campfire, participating in campfire, mowing, and just keeping ahead of the clutter. Special thanks go to the ladies who attended and patiently listened to stories and reminiscences.

I have been thinking about the word "spirit". It means different things to different people, of course, and there are qualifiers like "spirit of Christmas", "Wyanoke spirit", or just "keep your spirits up". Several different meanings impressed me after everyone had left. First there was a definite spirit of friendship, even love, among all of us. There was the spirit of commonly-held memories, of Mr. Bentley and others not in attendance, of shared experiences. As each person left I had the feeling they were still here, that something about each attendee was left behind, their spirit for lack of a better word. After all had gone, I felt as though something was lingering despite the sad quietness in your absence as though just in another room was the whole gang, still together.

And a good time was had by all.

Respectfully submitted
Pat Freeland S-4

Post scriptum:
Keep an eye on this site, the many pictures taken by our official photographer, Pete Wood, will be posted when Mike has time to process them.
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Living with wife Vicki happily retired after we moved back to Cornwall, Pa.