Marcy (Calisoff) Friedman
Camp Ramaquois is the place I called my summer home for many years. I started as a camper when I was in the Doves in the summer of 1977 and I stopped working after the summer of 1995.
I remember feeling so scared about going to camp. Yes, I was going to camp with my twin sister, but there were so many kids and that big giant lake! Oh my.
After the first few days camp became very fun. I loved going to Arts and Crafts and Fine Arts. The pool was fun, but my swim instructor was scary!! Her name was Ruth Altman. I learned very quickly that no matter how hard I held on to the fence, I was getting in the water. I learned how to swim at Ramaquois and I learned to love Ruth.
Through the years I developed a love of camp that could not be denied. I loved going to all of the activities including newcomb, tennis and art. I loved performing in the summer plays especially because my mom was the director.
Ramaquois was a place where you took on adventures you had never been a part of before. Like hikes to the bald spot, archery, or making rockets. I loved water skiing and paddle boarding too.
Special events every Friday were the highlight of the week. I loved Gold Rush, the Carnival, the Circus and whenever athletes came to visit.
The dining room was always a fun place. I loved when we had pizza and I couldn’t get enough of the bug juice. Those random visits from the pie man made me a little nervous as a child, but it was always great fun to see your counselor get pied!
Who could forget Jerry Garfin? I can’t hear a fog horn without thinking about Jerry. Here we would learn the events of the day and be on our way. Afternoon line up would recap the events and send us on our way home.
The friendships I developed as a camper are still intact today. It was amazing growing up with a group of friends and then working with them as counselors. There is something to be said about the tight knit bond between counselors. We would spend 8 weeks together and then go back to school. Those eight weeks were fun filled. We would work and laugh together during the day and then hang out at night. What fun!
I loved working with children and teaching them camp songs and games that I learned through the years. It is amazing to see how many of my campers have gone on to work at Ramaquois.
Arthur and Natalie loved their counselors and their campers. It showed true in their interactions with us through the years. I used to love when Arthur was giving a tour to prospective parents and he would pull his golf cart up to me and ask, “young lady, how many years have you been at Ramaquois?”
Natalie was our awesome trip coordinator. I loved going to Action Park, Great Adventure, Dorney Park, Sesame Place, Broadway Shows, the Yankees/Mets games, South Street Seaport, Club Getaway and many more.
I have so many fond memories of Ramaquois that will live on in my heart forever. The friendships I have formed and the skills I learned both as a camper and a counselor have been used throughout my life.
I don’t live in NY anymore, but I make it a point to visit once a year and I always make Ramaquois a stop on my weekend away.
As I child I visited so many places and had many great experiences. Camp will always be a very special place for me. I am so grateful to have a place where I grew up and learned to be someone who cared for others, laughed with friends and learned new things. It truly is a place that helped mold me in to the person I am today.
Thank you for the great memories Camp Ramaquois!
[Editor's Note: Marcy (along with her twin sister, Wendy) was a longtime Ramaquois camper and staff member who embodied all of the wonderful qualities that we value at camp - kindness, compassion, humor and fun. We love when she visits New York! Marcy can be reach by email at mfgators at A.O.L. dot com]
Do you have a Ramaquois story to share? Email memories@ramaquois.com
