Laynie

Makena Duval, 7,

and daught

of West Bloomfield

Leah, 9, of

checks out horseback

.

Blooniierd in

riding.

raidflight on the

Tango Tower

swing

formal gathering. There are so many generations involved."
"My mother was a camper here as well as my brothers Alex and Eddie Glassman:' Trager
said. "And my children, Jason and Stacey, came, too. Jason met his wife at camp"
Walking the paths, you'd see grandparents who had been campers, along with their chil-
dren who had been campers, along with grandchildren who are current campers.
Gloria Leader of West Bloomfield was part of such a multigenerational group. She attend
ed camp in the mid-1940s. Her granddaughter, Isabel Leader, 9, is anticipating her first ses-
sion this summer.
"It goes from generation to generation',' Gloria Leader said, then moved away from her
family to whisper that as a 16-year-old she and the senior girls had staged a serious raid on
the senior boys. Some things never change.
Alumni Family Fun Day was held on the last day of staff orientation, just two days before
campers arrived. The event gave the staff a chance to practice their skills.
Counselor Ben Rothenberg, 18, of West Bloomfield was supervising tile painting. The dry-
ing tiles would be assembled later in the summer into a mosaic in honor of the alumni event •
"I like camp a lot',' said Rothenberg, who was a camper for six years and staff for two. "It's
ust camp, just fun"
Former camper and staff member Bert Green of Farmington Hills waxed more poetic.
"Camp used to seem so big. I went into the arts and crafts cabin, and I remembered
that musty camp smell from 31 years ago" His young daughter,
Samantha, 5, making a tile, is certainly a future camper.
"I haven't been back here since 1990, and ifs unbelievable. The
staff is so welcoming, and its great seeing people I haven't seen in
10-15 years," he said.
At the Tango Tower, a high-rise climbing structure that stretches
into the trees, Tamarack Camps treasurer Michael Langnas was
watching his daughter, Leah, 9, and wife, Laynie, being hoisted high
in harness for an exhilarating swing from the side of the tower.
"The Tango Tower was built two years age he said."It's a new
experience for the kids. That's what camp is all about — getting
Ben Rothenberg
Jewish kids together for experiences"
This summer, 1,300 campers and 352 staff will participate in the various components of
Tamarack Camps.
Rachel Ellis and Lori Weberman chaired Alumni Family Fun Day, with assistance from
Tamarack Camps professionals Zaks and Carly Leipsitz.
Major sponsors for the event were Star Trax Event Productions and Schechter Wealth
Strategies. The Jewish News also was a sponsor. Photos from the event can be seen at www.
tamarackcamps.com .

❑

Janis Moss and her daughter, Madeline, 4, of Bloomfield Hills paint a tile.

Former camper and counselor Bert Green and his daughter, Samantha, 5,
of Farmington Hills

„IN

June 26 • 2008

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