July 4, 2016—Opening Night at the Amphitheater. Jake Lisabeth and Jane Rosenfeld (both 2004-16) are ready to host the Talent Show. — **July 4, 2016**—Opening Night at the Amphitheater. **Jake Lisabeth** and **Jane Rosenfeld** (both 2004-16) are ready to host the Talent Show.

The tradition of staging a July 4th Talent Show for the entire Scatico community dates back at least 50 summers, to my days as a camper in the late 1960s. Like most successful camp traditions that survive through the generations, it has evolved over time, remembering what came before while simultaneously embracing new ideas and values. There’s now an annual BBQ at the deck by the girls tennis courts; campers and staff dress in an eclectic mix of reds, whites, and blues; the talent show is hosted by representatives from boys and girls sides at the 4-year-old outdoor amphitheater (location of the cornfield for you pre-1965 Scaticonians); the show ends at sunset (the sun’s rays reflected off the lake in view behind the stage); and then divisions walk together to the hill above the 50-yard marker to sit and watch fireworks set off at the far end of the driving range. Somehow (and I’m a little nervous about writing this) it never rains.

At the BBQ last summer, a 10-year-old camper turned to me and said, “This is my favorite night of the year.” From socks to hat, she was decked out in a spectacular mash-up of stars, stripes, reds, whites, and blues. “Don’t you mean favorite night of the summer?” I gently corrected. “No, no, for the whole year. I love the 4th of July at camp.”

While I also love the 4th of July at camp, her emphatic statement got me thinking more specifically about the elements that made the night special for her and the other members of our summer community—campers, counselors, support staff.... There’s the familiar routine that sweeps first-timers up and into the middle of the action. There’s the silliness of the dress-up and the excitement before the fireworks launch, but also the moments of quiet thought as the sky darkens and stars emerge. There’s the sense of being removed from the world at large in a small community (less than 400 campers and staff combined), sitting in the amphitheater prior to the start of the show and not a cell phone in sight. It’s all of the above.

I think what resonates most for me is the universal and genuine support from the entire audience for every camper and staff member who ventures on stage. There are the two 8-year-old girls performing a standup comedy routine for their very first appearances in a Scatico production. And also the three girls side counselors singing in harmony, who have transfixed 4th of July audiences with their voices for more than ten summers. There are dance routines, singers, a magic act, karate and Devil Sticks demonstrations, and a contortionist. Campers cheer on their bunkmates. Numerous standing ovations. Plus, deep silences at just the right times.

Later, on the hills of the driving range, campers and counselors sit together by division, moving to their spots without specific direction, intuitively knowing that this is just something you do without being told. Everyone together. It is a camp moment you want to put in a bottle and carry with you throughout the year. To open and take a sip of the elixir whenever you yearn for a feeling of connection or to become more grounded in your-day-to-day life. It’s the essence of what makes camp special for today’s campers and staff—and what made camp special for previous generations.

STAYING CONNECTED…

Follow us on Instagram (@campscatico_official — 1,080 followers and counting); Facebook (@campscatico) and Twitter (@CampScatico).

Way Back When at Scatico (or at least the 1980s and 1990s) with Current Senior Staff

VINTAGE 1964…

The photo to the right (yes, a little blurry) was sent in by Elaine Koch Fantin, who worked one summer as a counselor. Elaine, who currently lives in Wisconsin, visited camp in September, her first trip to Scatico in 54 years. That summer she joined the staff with her friend Kathy Arman Yach, both having just finished their Junior years at college. “We both majored in Education at Alverno College, a small all-girls Catholic college in Milwaukee.... At the staff meeting in New York City the night before we traveled by train and bus to the camp, we met two other girls from the Midwest, Barbara Davis and Carol Zuvers.... Kathy and I had been friends since grade school and we have remained friends through the years.... Thanks to Scatico for the wonderful time I had over 50 years ago.”

VINTAGE 1934…

From the first summer in Elizaville after the move from Wingdale, NY (in order to open a girls camp). The arrow (top right) points to Walter Rostow. Thirty-two years later, he was President Johnson’s National Security Advisor (and a proponent of escalating the war in Vietnam). In the summer of 1934, he was a 17-year-old counselor who had just completed his Sophomore year as a full scholarship student at Yale.

1933— “Pioneer” Division Before the move to Elizaville, shorts with belts, triangle “CS” in white on green (not green on white), and “sensible” walking shoes.

1979— Mike Madorsky sent in the photo to the left. From left to right (roughly): Rod Friedman, Jeff Bernfeld, Steven Ross (behind Jeff’s left shoulder), Jay Cannold, Mike, Rob Levene, Andy Ney, Matt Penn, Fred Eisman, David Wagman, and Lance Gould.

1995 Winning Nat Holman basketball team.

Calling All Photos… We are looking for classic (and even not-so-classic) photos to print in future issues of the Alumni Newsletter. Send by e-mail as an attachment to info@scatico.com or by mail to: Camp Scatico, PO Box 6, Elizaville, NY 12523. We will return the originals, if requested.

Staying in Touch

Stay connected with fellow Scaticonians by e-mailing news, photos, and recollections to info@scatico.com. If you prefer the regular mail and printed pictures, that works just as well. We will even return the photographs after reproducing them for the Alumni Newsletter.

We always love to hear about Random Scatico Sightings (RSSes).... Jeff Bukantz (1975-59—and frequent RSS reporter) ran into Manny Toonkel (1950s-90s—skipping the 1980s) on a lower Manhattan street in August and then spotted Greg Danford (1960s-80s) at a Bar Mitzvah in Burlington, VT, in September....

Andi Arnold (1980s-2000s) runs Lifesaving Enterprises, a company that provides first aid, CPR, and lifeguard training to schools and businesses. Arriving to train staff at the Collegiate School in New York City she had an RSS with Ben Klein (1980s-2000s), who started as a school psychologist at the school this fall....

Doug Herzog (1960s-70s) made his Scatico connection with current Scatico mom Robin Schwartz Tarlow at a September fundraiser in Los Angeles to benefit autism research. “I had met her a few years ago when she was working at Brillstein Entertainment [a talent management and production company] run by former Scaticonian (and my Bunk 2 bunkmate in 1967) Jon Liebman.” A few weeks later (although maybe not a full-fledged RSS), Doug connected with screenwriter and director Zak Penn (1970s-80s)....

An RSS that spans the gemerations! Zach Chait (2016-18) ran into Danny Altchek (1986-94) in September at a Wegmans in Baltimore. How was the connection made? Zach was with his mom Dori Popkin Chait (1980s-2000s)....

Adam Holzer (1979-88) met Leigh Klein (1980s) at a Sports Business Conference in June. Adam works for Learfield Sports and Leigh, a former CEO at 5 Star Basketball Camp, is a sports consultant and the executive producer and host of “That Bracket Show” on SB Nation Radio....

Danny Savitz (2004-13) is currently a senior at Skidmore College and a drummer in a band that played a summer concert at a Brooklyn venue. He was thrilled to discover that his group was the opening act for “Jak Lizard”—better known to Scaticonians as Jake Lisabeth (2004-16). In Jake’s last summer at camp he ran the music program. As a Scatico footnote to the story, when Danny joined the Skidmore band he replaced Ben Stolman (2006-13—and also a former music counselor), who had recently graduated....

In non-RSS news (and non-news).... Lance Gould (1970s), the co-director of The Silicon Valley Story Lab, reports the launch of www.movinggiants.org, covering the mass moving of elephants from a park in South Africa (with an overpopulation of elephants) to an underpopulated park in Mozambique....

When Judi Fleischner Ecochard (1960s-70s) was in South Africa in September to compete in the Ironman World Championships, she visited with Angela Sarga (1990s-2010s) in Cape Town. Angela, who first traveled to Scatico in 1998 as an international counselor, has run the girls waterfront the past three summers. In June, Judi competed in a triathlon titled “Escape from Alcatraz”, which started with a 1.5 mile swim in San Francisco Bay....

Gail Chaikin Golden (1954-60) called camp from her home in Murrells Inlet, SC, during the summer, sharing memories of her camper years as Lesley Gore’s bunkmate....

Stand-up comedian and actor Modi Rosenfeld (1980s) performed at Gracie Mansion on June 26 for Mayor de Blasio at an event in celebration of Jewish Heritage....

Thanks to all for staying in touch—please email news and photos for the Spring 2019 issue of the Alumni Newsletter to info@scatico.com.

We Will Miss You

Phyllis Weinzimmer Botoff, who at- tended Scatico from 1937-40, passed away on November 1 at the age of 93. Her daughters Ellen Schoenfeld Fischer and Nancy Schoenfeld Eisenberg both attended camp in the 1960s.

Best Summer Purchase at a New England Antiques Store

Imagine how surprised/thrilled Tom Rosenberg (1965-82) and Jeff Bukantz (1975-79) were when, venturing out for a little innocent summer antiquing in Great Barrington, MA, they discovered the Elizaville sign pictured to the right. They negotiated the price down to $85 and we can only imagine what an eBay auction could yield. On a side note, congratulations to Jeff for being named as an honoree in an upcoming Maccabi USA event. Jeff represented the United States as a fencer in several international competitions in the 1980s-90s and is the current president of Maccabi USA.

CAMP T-SHIRT DAY…

is the kind of Hallmark Holiday we can wrap our arms around. When we reached out to Scatico Instagram followers we heard from many current campers as well as a few alumni. From left to right, top to bottom: Emma Williams (2016 climbing instructor); Aaron Ziff (1980s-90s) with Maya (2018-19); Alan O’Neill (2016-17 golf instructor and division leader); Nicolette Strobing (2002-08); Alex Langenberg (2016 lifeguard); Laura Kahn (1999-2014); Jon Gross (2006-16); Dori Popkin Chait (1980s-2000s) with Zach (2016-19) and Samara (2019); and Natalie Polen (1998-2011).

A SHOUTOUT TO BRIAN HELFMAN (1990s-2010s) who has been a chaperone on Scatico’s mid-summer service trip to the Dominican Republic the past two year (for CITs to run a day camp program in cooperation with The DREAM Project). He is also the founder and co-director of Startup Island, a networking and career-boosting travel/retreat business that brings together “entrepreneurial-minded students and young professionals.” Recent programs included trips to Costa Rica and Mexico as well as an August postcamp retreat at Scatico. In November, Brian was profiled in a feature interview with Medium (an online publication), sharing his thoughts on how experiences gained through programs like Startup Island (and maybe even summers at camp) inspire and energize.

REUNIONS

CONGRATULATIONS

Weddings

Leah Recht (1997-2005) and Rick Jacobsen on August 25 at the family’s weekend home in Elizaville (just across the lake from camp). The celebration continued in the Scatico Pavilion and Leah was joined by camp friends (all 2002 Soopers and Upper Seniors) Nick Joseph, Zach Reiner, Jeremy Ross, Jessica Lilly, Jessica Dodge, Jenna Mandel, Rachel Hayon Trinidad, Emily Cohn, Sarah Leiner, and Claire Jaffe, as well as her sister Lilly.

Nicki Fleischner (1997-present) and Michael Braverman on September 15 (ceremony in the Scatico amphitheater), with more than 60 alumni in attendance, representing every decade from the 1930s (Marjorie Holman Sunshine) to the present. In the photo to the right (taken on the driving range), Nicki is flanked by 2004 to 2008 graduating Soopers in attendance.

Jessica Arisohn (1994-2002) and Ken Knowlton on November 16. Jessica’s brother Josh was also a camper and they were joined at the wedding by Michael Heller and Jessica’s bunkmates Rachel Herbstman, Laura Malick, Ali Green, and Rachel Hollander. (Rachel Hollander and Michael, now married, first met at camp.) Jessica writes: “I text [my bunkmates] literally every day, sometimes all day. They are my best friends in the world and Scatico is still to this day such an important part of our lives.”

Ethan Needleman (2001-2007) and Jodi Kleiner on June 23. Ethan’s mom Jill Needleman Smiley (1970s-80s) shared that the couple appear together in an ESPN photo of a 2013 college football game even though they didn’t actually meet until several years later. Ethan’s younger brother Josh currently plays professional water polo for a team based nearby Haifa, Israel. Jill, a former tennis counselor, reports she is now a Pickleball aficionado, recently winning a bronze medal in a Women’s Open division at a Florida tournament.

The Next Generation

Leila Burke on October 26 to Laura and Adam Fleischner (1980s-1990s).

Emilio Jackson to Ramon and Rachel Hayon Trinidad (1990s-2000s) on April 3.

Benjamin born on March 18 was adopted by El Thomson on August 17. From South Africa, El worked at Scatico between 2002 and 2011, starting as a lifeguard, then running the girls waterfront, and finishing up as an assistant head counselor .

Pia looks ready to follow in her dad Sergio’s footsteps.

Pia Beatriz Rojas Tessel on May 25 to Sergio Rojas Tessel (2008-16) and Alexandra Byrne (2016). From Argentina, Sergio spent 5 summers as a tennis instructor at Scatico, the final two heading the girls program. He brought Alex (an Australian native) with him to camp in 2016 as a yoga instructor, where she famously introduced “bedtime yoga” as a night-time after-Taps activity to help younger girl campers fall asleep.

Zachary on May 26 to Jonathan and Lauren Kessler Rose (1995-2001).

Henry on May 25 to Zach Miller (1993-2006) and Lara Stahl (1995-2004).

1978—with division leader Lee Spole (top row)

1973—with division leader Jon Dreazen (top row, middle)

Fall 2018