Most youth oriented summer camps are based on a theme often related to the history of the area. Perhaps a forest containing an old logging operation has a theme based on logging, with rustic cabins for the campers and zip lines to add a bit of thrills to the weekly events. Or maybe a camp near a lake has canoeing and the "Rendezvous Days" of the Native-American and French Voyageur fur traders as a theme.

But while summer camp might be an exciting adventure for many first time campers, it can become monotonous for the youth staff. Each week the staff seems to hear the same questions, and has to keep up with the same over-achievers as well as motivate under-achievers when the new crop of campers rolls in for the week.

In order to give the staff a break from the routine, many camps set aside one morning each week for an alternate theme to the one stated in the schedule. Then it is up to the youth staff to create a bit of whimsy that the campers will recall for years to come.

One summer at Wolfeboro, a Boy Scout camp in the Sierras, for the weekly alternative event, an old cartoon of Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam fighting over possession of an abandoned fort made a reappearance, of sorts.

It was proclaimed "Pirate Tuesday" and just before breakfast the scout troop campers arrived at the assembly area for announcements and the morning flag presentation. There they discovered 'pirates' had taken over the camp's trading post; a two story log cabin, which now sported a pirate flag and a long black cannon barrel sticking out of an upper window. Pirates dressed in ratty headscarves and eye-patches, and who bore a remarkable resemblance to the youth staff, called out bloodthirsty oaths and 'Ayes' and 'Arrs' from the windows.

After the flag was raised and scouts and their adult leaders had heard the morning announcements read by the Camp Director, the rustic door at the ground level of the trading post suddenly swung open. A Pirate Captain, complete with sash, sword and an Ostrich feather bedecked hat strode out. He was followed by his eye-patch wearing, battle-axe toting, Bos'un Mate. Glaring at the assembled scouts these two swaggered up to the camp's adult staff members gathered near the flagpoles.

Loud enough for all the campers to hear, the captain roared out, "This yar camp has been claimed as a prize by meself and me crew of scurvy sea-dogs!" The rest of the pirate crew roared a raucous approval from the trading post windows.

The camp director tucked his clipboard under his arm and stepped forward in defiance to challenge the pirate, "By what authority do you make such a claim?"

The pirate captain swept his arm toward the upper windows of the log cabin trading post and snarled, "Me scurvy crew has hoisted a deck cannon into yonder fort and is ready to blast all of ye to smithereens if the camp isn't immediately surrendered, Arrr!"

The camp director tilted his head back to look up at the cannon barrel protruding from a window, then slowly turned to look out across the assembly ground toward the river. Turning back to the pirate, the director loudly remarked, "That cannon isn't actually pointed at the staff, but across the river instead. I believe we are perfectly safe and so I defy your scurvy demand!"

The pirate captain glared around at all of the snickering scouts, then drew his sword and pointing it toward the director, roared out an order to his crew, "All right, me buckos, aim the cannon at 'is Lordship here!"

With the Bos'un chanting "Heave Ho, Heave Ho," there came the sound of clanking chains from the upper window, and the cannon,(concocted from plywood and a large black ABS pipe length,) slowly began to tilt downward, until.... just as had happened to Yosemite Sam.... THE CANNON BALL ROLLED OUT OF THE CANNON BARREL and dropped two stories to thud on the ground. The scene was instantly recognized by all who'd ever seen the old Bugs Bunny cartoon.

The whole camp, who'd gathered there for morning flags, burst into laughter. Then, 'tromp-tromp-tromp,' down the stairs clattered the incompetent pirate crew to retrieve their cannon ball, after which they all were chased off into the forest by the irate Pirate Captain and his axe-swinging Bos'un!

Yay, the camp was saved....
and multiple generations of adults and kids spent breakfast regaling each other with tales of pirates and all of the Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam exploits they could recall.


..jfox..