AWESOME WEEKEND....definitely too short was the general consensus...I honestly feel like I got about 5 minutes with every person that I wanted to sit down and have some small group time with....we have work to do for next year...I have at least 2 new campers ready after this weekend to hit Chanco first thing next Summer...It was so great to see everyone...Thanks soooo much to everyone who worked so hard to get this together....we look forward to doing what we can to help out in any way...I haven't decided what my favorite part of the weekend was....  continue reading »

Whew! If you blinked, you missed it -- but what a blast the Fall Fest was. In true Chanco spirit, I reconnected with old friends -- not to mention old friendships ;) -- and met new ones (they were mostly old, too).

I'd like to send out a big thank you to Boomer, Talley, and all the many folks who worked fiendishly hard to get last weekend off the ground. THANK YOU!  continue reading »

Alrighty, folks -- the Fall Fest is nearly upon us. Who's gonna be there? Are they still as funny as they used to be? Did they really gain that much weight? All these questions will be answered in just a matter of hours!

Now, don't forget those photos, videos and Smoke Signals. Safe travels and see you all there!

Just a few short items.

1. Thanks to Jef Lambdin we have a new album from 1973 three new albums: Summer 73, Sr High 73, Reunion 93.

2. If you're still on the fence about attending the Fall Fest picnic on Sunday 2-5, maybe this menu could convince you:

• Steamed Oysters
• Pork BBQ, Pulled Chicken BBQ, Hot Dogs
• Cole Slaw, Baked Beans, Potato Salad, Hush Puppies
• Vegetarian: Grilled vegetable medley
• Canned Soda & Water

3. If you are coming, and you happen to have videos of any sort having to do with camp, bring them too. We will do our best to digitize any video and put it online here at Chanco Once. Anyone who can convince Charley to bring his early 70s videos gets a gold star. And don't forget those photos and Smoke Signals.

4. Problem: you live nowhere near camp and have a life not conducive to just popping by Fall Fest next weekend. Further problem: you'd really like to say hello to everyone. Solution: you can write an open letter to all the folks at the Fall Fest. Further solution: you can do it right from this very website -- no pesky stamps or handwriting. Just go to the contact form, and in the Category drop-down menu, select Fall Fest Letter. Any letters I receive, I will print out and place in a public area for all to read. So even if you're not there in person, you can be there in spirit.

I understand. You've been meaning to send in those photos for me to scan and post online. But it's just a bit much. Finding the album, removing the photos, packing them up, going to the post office -- you'd love to do it, but the kids, work, living your life all seem to take up all the time. What to do?

Well, I'll tell you what to do. Bring your old Camp Chanco stuff to the Fall Fest.

I will be there with a flatbed scanner and a laptop, and my friends, we will make it happen. Got photos? np. Smoke Signals? Done. Anything 2-dimensional and the size of legal paper or less we will be able to scan, post online, and amaze others who thought they would never see that part of their past ever again.

I won't be bringing my film scanner, but bring your slides or negatives -- I'll mail them back to you after I scan them.

Oh, and one last thing -- I need a bit of help. Is there anyone out there who had a digital camcorder that they can bring to Fall Fest? I would love to be able to digitize old videotapes at the Fall Fest and share them here on Chanco Once. Drop me a line or use the comments below. Thanks!

Boy howdy! As of today (Thurs 16 Aug) we have 90 folks who've said yes on the Evite to the sleepover. It'll be like a regular session, but without those pesky campers to make us work.

Just want to reiterate that an Evite reply DOES NOT GET YOU A PLACE TO SLEEP. To do that you need to call camp and make a reservation. The number's 1-888-7CHANCO (1-888-724-2626).

The conference center rooms are getting booked up, and they will probably run out of them. But even if you're staying in the campsites, give the folks a ring to tell them you're coming.

If you don't call, I hear they have plenty of room on the beach.

If everything went properly, all you happy folks who have signed up on the website should have a couple of Evite invitations in your email (as of 4:30 pm on Mon 30Jul07). Both are for the Fall Fest -- one is for the sleepover, the other for the picnic. I figured that since some folks would come to one and not the other, breaking them into two made sense.

You can invite more folks from the Evite -- so lets get the word out.

Now some of you are saying, "I'd love to get me that Evite, but I really don't wanna hafta sign up on Chanco Once. I enjoy my lurker status." No worries, drop me a line and I can add you Evite-wise without adding you here.

Or just ignore the whole online thing and call 1-888-7CHANCO (1-888-724-2626) to tell them you're coming.

Fall Fest details are up there in the top right.