As someone who was only ever a camper at Chanco, I have a much different perspective on the Chanco experience than do those who were counselors, especially those who were counselors for years and years, longer than they were ever campers. A lot of the in-jokes that might make sense to any counselor who ever encountered this website seem fuzzy at best to me. Instead, I have the perspective of one who was always a camper, and never quite knew what was going on when we campers were in bed or otherwise not around. Sometimes, though, the counselors would make veiled references to these things, and we campers would pick up on half of a story even as the rest of the story was forever hidden from us. This is a story like that, and therefore, it's not complete. I can only offer my incomplete perspective as a camper who was around for it, but never quite knew what was going on.

One thing about the camper/counselor relationship that I definitely remember from my days as a camper, especially in my younger years, continue reading »

This incident occurred during my last year at Chanco, Senior High Conference in 1992. We were a pretty boisterous group that year, and maybe nothing proves that more than what happened one day about halfway through the session, when we were served a barbecue lunch. Being the helpful people that they were, the dining hall staff placed bottles of Texas Pete on every lunch table. Most people probably know exactly what that stuff is, but in case anyone reading this doesn't know, it's a hot and spicy barbecue sauce, like ordinary barbecue sauce combined with tabasco sauce. Anyway, having bottles of Texas Pete at the table seems like the sort of thing that no one would think twice about. I'm sure the dining hall staff didn't think twice about it. But what they didn't bargain for was just how nutty a bunch of teenage kids will get when away at camp for a week.

I don't know who did it first-- continue reading »

How does this one go? Songs we did sing a lot at the seasons it was always a memory to take back home. It was fun being the kid singing for our meals then it was even more fun to be a couselor making the kids sing before letting them into dining hall. But I always loved that Mountain Dew Song.

I was only 17 and Dave Davenport was taking a big risk in hiring me as the archery instructor for the summer. My interview was horrible and the only reason I can think that Dave hired me was because he was desperate.

It all started back in 1976 when I was 8 years old. I was living in Virginia Beach and Charlie Hughes had come to our Church and showed a slide show for a summer camp on the James River. My parents sent me, kicking and screaming, that very summer. I can still remember sitting on my Father’s old camp trunk crying as my family drove away. Don’t feel too bad, I was hooked by the time dinner was served.  continue reading »