Camp Winonah

I was a camp counselor at Camp Wabinaki in 1970 - I was only 17, but talked my way into being a counselor because we knew someone in the Camp ranks - in NYC (I lived in Lancaster, PA). The camp was funded by a boys and girls club group in Lower East Side Manhattan (Ave. C). The first thing we'd do on day one for the kids was to check their suitcase for weapons and drugs. Only found weapons (zip guns), no drugs. A couple of years before I showed up, the camp had a staff member that was a professional artist for comic book covers. That's why the mess hall had ceiling banners. The banners were for "Color War". The camp in the 6th week (boys and girls), would be split into two teams. We had the Mongols vs. the Vikings (I think that might not be correct). But we were the Mongols. Each team had a banner for the last day parade through camp to the mess hall. The Director provided each team with a large box of stuff that we were to create stuff for the competing kids. Our box had a string of Christmas lights, tissue paper, bundling wire and a bunch of feathers. Just before the last day, I stayed up all night and made a Chinese dragon using the Christmas lights for the spine and the bundling wire for the body circumference and stuck feathers all over it. It took 10 kids to manage the dragon in the parade. Once in the mess hall, we hung it up and plugged it in. Color War had the kids all wound up and on the last night, the chaos was deafening. The winning team (not ours) won by 5 points our of 1,000 points. (we think it was political, since the director didn't take to kindly of my team's counselors). The grounds were well kept, and the cabins clean...it's a shame that time and life brings the property to such lower entropy.

This camp was camp Wabenaki. Also it was S 3. I went three time's in the early 80's. The first bunk I stayed was called Beaver/ the second Apache and third Apache. I remember the name's of the my counselor's and other's. The mess hall had huge movie poster's on the cieling. I mean you cant see the cieling. Thats how big the posters were. Ralph Hittman had singing and name game's after breakfast and chow time. It was lot's of fun, back then. I apologize for saying it, before posting this review, I look at the photos of it now and all I see it's deteriorate. To me I saw it's the past that keep the camp in it's best form of shape. Only if the people were still around, but time's have change. Thank's camp Wabenaki for everything.

Spent 1 summer of my childhood here. In 1995 or 1996. Used to be called Camp Wabenaki. Nice place. Lots of memories.

Gorgeous view, I love it!

Camp Winonah is an overnight camp for inner city, at risk youth.