...It's August 1997 and there will be no reunion this year as the Young Judaea group are in some reorganization turmoil...It doesn't matter: the Lurie Family, the Warshauer Family, Warren Metzdorff, and Bob Mowen meet at Andrea Wanty's house with a plan...others chicken out...some drive through camp and are met by a uniformed militiaman who orders us out of camp...we tell the truth to some big shots, "We never set foot on Camp Waupaca soil" as we technically drove through...Warren attempts to diffuse his previous claim of teaching 10,000 campers how to ski...we eat at the Waupaca Woods Shopping Center where we interview Warren on videotape...Dinner at Simpson's Restaurant and the company is surprised to see Paul Ringel and his daughter! They had the weekend set for a reunion and they showed up anyway! We agree, 1998 will be the best ever!...

...November 1997 arrives and calls start coming in from all over the United States regarding a potential 1998 Camp Reunion...Lurie says, "Maybe," Warshauer says, "Certainly!"...Michael Jelinek wakes up in Las Vegas one day and wonders, "Whoa! When's the reunion?"...Mike Chavin's kids ask Daddy when they will get to swim in Lake Stratton?...Rob Gerowitz asks his wife if he can swim another naked Laker with Lurie's wife!...

...December 1997...letter to Hadassah requesting a reunion in 1998 (no response until March!)...thoughts of a Chicago bowling reunion dance through our heads (like a herd of stampeding buffalo)...

...January 1998 and New Year's Eve is a deciding moment when Howie Fleischer calls and offers to help in making the reunion a reality...

...March 1998 rolls in and Hadassah FINALLY responds...Abby Levine, CYJ Director, is back after maternity leave...plans are made to reserve a date...details are worked out with Young Judaea....how many will arrive? should we allow daily visits? Labor Day is OUT? Oy Vey! What complications...but contracts are prepared, insurance companies are contacted and deals are struck. We find out that our waivers from the last reunion were worthless!...

...April 1998...first newsletter is prepared, the reunion database is dusted off, and telephone calls start...Paul gives the OKEE DOKEE and the newsletter goes to print...start searching the CD ROM telephone books for more alumni...Dick Garb starts a "find the lost campers" E-mail program that looks like a heavy duty re-election campaign...literally hundreds are found...Garb likens it to being more exciting than litigation!...

...May 1998...the first newsletter of the season is mailed...some envelopes come back undeliverable...where's Steve Reitmeister & Greg Berke?...where are the Scharmer's?...Joe Gan, aka Stretch Armstrong, is missing...'ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED' helps find most...Todd Laff fronts the security deposit, 'cause he wants to guarantee there will be a reunion...

...June 1998...responses start trickling in...Marty Shabelman can't come - he's getting married...Ric Poole says he'll come, really (but doesn't)...only a handful respond...Dick Garb continues to amaze as he finds many from his era...E-mail becomes a big part of our day, as we hear from many...

...July 1998...Some ask if they can meet in Chicago. Aaron Sussman offers a great idea: "Meet at the nearest place to the bus pick up spot at Old Orchard!" We decide to do a January or February meeting in 1999 to debrief. Sussman is on the job!...second newsletter goes out with photos & Erv Kasian whereabouts...We hear from dozens who would like to attend but there are Bar Mitzvahs, weddings, business trips, anniversary get aways, parties, corporate functions...there is never a "good weekend" in sight, so let's just plan for Labor Day, 2001 after this...

...Monday August 17, 1998...final headcount to Abby...Mike Hollobow can't come - he'd rather spend time with his out of town girlfriend than with us..."Send me the updated roster" requests Lynn Garb, Dick's lovely, patient, understanding spouse (chocolates and flowers are on their way, Lynn!)...

...Thursday August 20, 1998: Arrival Day for the "advance team." The Luries, Warshauers, Passmans, Wonderful Warren Metzdorff, the Saunders Boys, Bob Mowen and Andrea Wanty meet at Simpson's Restaurant in Waupaca to officially open the reunion...after a trip to Weasel's Tavern and JR's Bar, six brave men load up in an unidentified Cadillac and drive to a back road near camp. With flashlights in hand, and lots of beer in the belly, the six sneak into camp and locate the camp bell in the still standing craft shop...mission accomplished but not without some fear as one of the six thinks he hears someone coming...The group looks up and sees a magnificent sky on the site of the old brave ring and rifle range...back to The Best Western to debrief, drink, and the legend of the "Bell Toll Six" begins....as Warren declares, we are legends in our own minds!...

...Friday, August 21, 1998: Morning comes too early for most...aspirin, Tylenol and lots of other remedies are used to get the juices flowing...The advance group arrives at camp at 10:00 AM and meets Greg, the maintenance man...he's great...helps with signs and tables in exchange for physical plant history..."Was this an Army camp? Oh, Greg Prebish called and says he's coming" he informs us...Ken and Ralph Saunders are the first guests to arrive, officially, for the reunion followed by a group of 75 who will spend a fantastic weekend of memories, fun and friendship...Paul & Mike go to Hwy 22 & Stratton Lake Rd to hang the sign, but are met with a Fed Ex truck with a shipment from Chicago...Paul is impressed!...but Mike knows it's shirts & hats from Jeff Korman who doesn't want to "schlep"...A lunch is served and we start meeting lots of former campers...singing after lunch - everyone still knows the Camp song!...Herb Beller from the 1950's remembers that the Flagpole area was called the Old Rosenbowl thus the Horseshoe must be the New Rosenbowl...Hal Malen drives Herb up..."You brought me here in 1963 and now, 35 years later, I'm bringing you"...Herb also tells us about a fire that almost closed camp in the early 1950's...Many handshakes, hugs and greetings from other campers and families who couldn't attend...swimming, boating then a softball game is called for the near diamond at 3:30...men women and children all play using muscles that haven't been used in many years...Hal Malen does some fancy footwork and makes dramatic catches despite a recent operation...Steve Prebish (Mr. Pop-up) lives up to his name...Many plays remind us of what "hot dogs" we were as CITs, counselors, or staff..."Where can we sleep" ask many - "Family style arrangements this year", replies Lurie...Some go canoeing and lakers are again undertaken in the nude...the bell is dragged down to the flagpole and for the first time in many years is used to call campers to the flagpole...everyone lines up by cabin - er, alphabetically and we hear "Cabin Reports"... Todd Laff reminds us that Devo, the musical group, was working its way up the charts when he attended camp...There are flawed memories as we all try and remember what tune was actually played as the flag was lowered...eventually, Richard Bernstein and son Zachary play a TWO trumpet rendition of the flag song...We haven't had trumpet players since Jon Reder, may he rest in peace, and Sol Myers played...Dinner is spaghetti and meatballs, salad, cake, all served buffet style... Home was never like this, Gregg Pavalon!...You're looking good, Alan Cook!...Don Feinstein arrives..."Any relation?"..."NO!"...before dinner we sing grace and more visiting occurs...Then the singing with Bob Mowen on the Golden 88's - yes, that's the same piano from 1958...The Camp Song, the Titanic, Green Canoe...Free time after dinner...Cathy Lurie is on duty as taxi driver to pick up Mrs. Warshauer in Appleton...Then the Main Event: A campfire where stories of all kinds are told...David Kerstein tells of the Diet Table landing great parts in a Tomchek production as women...We sing "Day is Done" and all officially disperse...most go to the Harbor Bar for more recollections and campers who are now adults revel in the fact that they can drink with their old counselors!...

...Saturday, August 22: Kids can't wait to get up early to see the camp in the "dark"...Reveille is played to every cabin and the Paul Goldstine motor home, by the Bernstein boys...we assemble, or straggle, to the center of camp...flag raising and we meet people from the 1950's, 1960's 1970's and 1980's. All decades and nearly all years are represented!...Kids raise the flag and we're off to a Big Breakfast after singing grace, "Morning has come, the board is spread"...Water-skiing starts right away...swimming, playaking, row boating, and the kids build a sandcastle with a giant water works!...naked lakers by Mrs. X and her boys... Herb, Paul, Gregg and others put out their photos, yearbooks and we all walk down memory Lane!...the reunion widows, wives and significant others of former campers, compare notes and decide to go shopping in the town of Waupaca and elsewhere in a big Cadillac...Late arrivals include Dick Garb with son David, Terry Rifkin, and Paul Ringel with son Sam...Time for lunch. Hamburgers on Saturday, right? Nope. Coldcuts & fixins...It starts to "liquid sunshine" but our spirits are not daunted...Marty Behn and family bid farewell, as they continue on to Door County for a family vacation...A camper from 1951 arrives at camp, Larry Silton, and he's got great photos...Despite the overcast conditions, Mowen takes his Canoe Trip....The Lifsons see lots of spiders! Pavalons, Bernsteins, Oshers, Lifsons, and Mowen forge on...they hide in an abandoned house from the torrential liquid sunshine, as driver and rescuers return...Many wander through camp remembering friends long forgotten, Rec Hall stories, someone finds the old Olympic flags! Yes they are still there...We notice that Rick Poole is the winner of some Waupaca event but his plaque has been turned around and reused as a Young Judaea Avodah plaque...Arno Filerman arrives, glad to have made the decision to come...time for flag lowering as we assemble by distance travelled...nEIL 'Whitey' Nelson the painter is first, Rick Passman is last...dinner is bbq chicken, or stuffed peppers for the low fat/vegetarian crowd...canoers return with a cheer for their efforts...more singing. This time Joel Kettler tinkles the ivories (tinkles on the ivories?) as we sing "Rise and Shine"...the fields dry enough for another softball game...We then assemble at the wet Horseshoe for smores and stories...The highlight of this campfire features Mike Lurie doing his series of fascinating announcements on the PA, Wayne Towne rendition of the Reader's Digest versions of Thump Drag, Liver Eating Johnson, and of course, Big Moe: "He bit the end of the paddle in two so the poor counselor rowed in circles!"...final goodbye's for some that must get back to reality...A trip to the Harbor Bar again where we are treated to some "shots" with highly suggestive names!...We drink them anyway and toast our success!...Jackie Berk, lovely wife of Peter Berk, is our designated driver...after town, we take our obligatory drive on the mini-bike trail, and leave our mark..."Where's the trail?" bellows Paul...

...Sunday, August 23, 1998: Adam Lurie and David Garb wake up everyone with a Manny Desnet special: "Good morning, men! It's another beautiful day at Camp Waupaca! Flag raising in 45 minutes!"...one last roundup as we share our thoughts on the weekend...Lots of good-byes after breakfast...Bob Mowen is first to go...a softball game goes on anyway and people head for the beach...The Luries and Warshauers meet Warren on his way into camp as they take down the reunion sign to be stored in Andrea Wanty's garage until 2001...Howie Fleischer and Corey Fisher take some last pictures with the sign upside down...Last minute buying of shirts and hats...one last softball game where Jeff Korman makes a stupendous catch and wrenches his knee in the process, and Herb Beller gets stung by a bee...Karamath Khan and family are the last ones, and are treated to a smorgasbord of leftovers by the CYJ kitchen staff...Greg, the CYJ maintenance engineer, comments to Karamath about how well-behaved and clean we are..."This is our spiritual home" says Karamath...Good bye Waterfront, goodbye Horseshoe, See ya Cabin 7, farewell Dining Hall and piano, goodbye Tennis Courts and former golf course...we'll see you soon, or as The Trails End...