Glassman Genesis

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in
the

Valet Service

Jeff Stewart

Assistant New Car Sales Manager

continued from page 12

Serving the Community Since 1969

248-636-2736

Complimentary
Maintenance

Serving Our Community For Over 45 Years!

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2168010

ABOVE: Campers
and counselors
pose on the dock.

RIGHT: From
the early 1970s,
Olympic Day judges
keep track of the
competition.

The Paint Store

248-745-3100

Full Line
Paint Store

Decorator Assistance

Come and check us out!

Benjamin Moore Paint

Starting as low as

$15.83 per gallon

1001 Orchard Lake Rd.
Pontiac, MI 48341
www.thepaintstoremi.com

FREE

Brush and Roller
with purchase of
a gallon of paint.

Limit 4 per person.

Conveniently located at the
corner of Orchard Lake and Old Telegraph Rd.

14

June 8 • 2017

jn

Winer (1970-79) said, “For most
of us, camp was the most impor-
tant part of our lives. It’s where our
personalities were formed … For
my entire life, Sea-Gull has been the
most beautiful place on Earth.”
Langnas, a camper (1971-1977)
and staffer (1979-80), said, “Camp
is a magical place where lifelong
friendships are made and everybody
is accepted for who they are.”
If everybody would have had
the opportunity to spend a month
at summer camp, I bet the world
would be a more civil place.
Seriously.
Two summers ago, during a week’s
vacation in Charlevoix, I coaxed my
husband and kids into driving with
me to the camp (Sea-Gull closed for
good in 2011). A sign outside the
entrance announced an auction the
next day of the remaining buildings;
Hayes Township had bought the
property and intended to turn it into
a public park. It would not become
a gated condo complex or upscale
resort but a place that everybody
could enjoy. That made me happy.
We parked on the athletic field
and picked our way through the
grass. The amphitheater where we

gathered each day was a bit tattered.
The old staircases were overgrown
but functional. The lake had claimed
more of the shore but a familiar
wooden bench sat there, undis-
turbed by the encroachment. The
buildings were padlocked but oth-
erwise intact. I peered into a cabin
and saw the scratchings of kids who
were bored or in love.
As I pondered the serendipity of
stopping by just a day before this
dear place would be dismantled, I
realized I might be the last Sea-Gull
camper to see the camp before it
disappeared into its next incarna-
tion. I thought I might write about it
one day.
Alumni of other camps —
Tamarack, Walden, Tanuga, Ramah,
Maplehurst and Tamakwa, among
them — will no doubt say theirs is
the best.
But Sea-Gull had the song to
prove it: “North, south and east and
west, our camp has always been the
best …” •

For details about the Camp Sea-Gull reunion
Saturday, Sept. 23, go to seagullreunion2017.
myevent.com. Visit our Facebook page at
facebook.com/campseagullreunion/. RSVP
by June 30.