Who does not remember the excitement and nerves that came with your first summer camp dance? Multiple generations of Rockbrook Girls have participated in this summer ritual. The dances originally were held in our Dining Hall (see photo above) but are currently held in our Gymnasium. They are usually held once or twice a session, the dates of which are a highly guarded secret. The Hi- Up campers get to announce the dance to the camp and the reaction is quite loud and boisterous. It is a very light and fun experience with everyone dancing together, laughing and being silly. For those who are not interested in participating we also offer a separate activity that is equally fun! Feel free to share with us any camp dance stories that you have- we would love to hear them!
Campers gather at the creek to work on baskets circa 1970
One of the traditional mountain crafts that is still taught at Rockbrook today is basketweaving. Curosty, our weaving and basketry center, has been the home of this mountain activity since Rockbrook’s founding in 1921. With its location right next to the creek, it is the ideal sight to learn this ancient art. Campers soak their reeds (dried grass) in the creek for several hours until the reed is soft and pliable. Then they are able to weave them together to make baskets of all shapes and sizes. For the younger campers we provide a weaving base which helps them to arrange their reeds in the proper order. It is quite a special moment when all of your weaving efforts pay off and you have a functional art piece, handmade at Rockbrook!
We came across an interesting document the other day while doing some research for the Rockbrook archives that features Nancy Carrier, Rockbrook’s founder. We have mentioned in a previous blog post that Nancy Carrier was instrumental in the creation of The Brevard Music Center and served on it’s board of directors until her death in 1977. Here is a copy of the Music Center’s very first summer series from 1946, featuring a great picture of Mrs. Carrier.
We found some wonderful pictures of Nancy Carrier, Rockbrook’s founder, and her family on a road trip. The photographs are dated from the 1930’s. Nancy is pictured on the left in the first photograph and second from left in the middle photograph. She is also pictured at right taking a photograph. We can only imagine the adventures they had as they all piled into the car and hit the road. Other pictures we found show the same group camping out on a mountain top with a gorgeous view, riding in the car, taking photographs and hiking. It looks like quite an adventure! Nancy Carrier’s adventurous spirit continues today at Rockbrook!
Toward the end of our recent Rockbrook Alumnae reunion celebrating the 90th year of the camp, the women attending held an impromptu chapel meeting. Like those held on Sunday mornings in the summer, this gathering was a chance to sing favorite traditional songs and reflect upon some of the more important experiences, lessons and values we all associate with Rockbrook. These are wonderful moments, often full of personal stories, and on this occasion, childhood memories of camp.
Marie Brown, who came to camp starting in 1989 when she was 8, shared something that we’re so proud to reprint here. It’s a brief reflection on how the Spirit of Rockbrook can sustain and revive us long after we grow up and become adults in the “real world.”
Alumnae Reunion Chapel
“The wonders of air travel, incredible timing, (and a supportive husband) have made it possible for me to step out of the stifling mayhem I have been living to come for a brief moment to be here. All the stone and concrete has fallen away into mountain laurel, rushing water, beloved rocks and roots and trees…and faces that, despite the decades, haven’t seemed to age.
I have to admit, I was afraid to come. My memories of this place are so deeply embedded in my heart, so close to my core, so invaluable to my spirit, I was afraid that coming back here with the sharpened, hardened and perhaps jaded eyes of an adult would somehow mar the perfection of those memories. And between having a genetically poor memory, and the inability to return to any of the places I actually called home as a child, at times it feels as though the past were no more than a figment of my imagination. There is no other place on the planet that I can go to that holds anywhere as much of my memory in its hillsides as this place. So it was with trepidation that I came to tread back into those memories.
Marie and Sarah
I was grateful as a child and well aware it was only because of the generosity of my grandmother (also a Rockbrook girl) that I was able to come year after year. But I don’t think there was any way for me to understand how big a gift she was giving me until I left Rockbrook to fare the rockier world of “civilization” without my annual reprieve in this Rivendale.
I have spent countless days and nights over the last years feeling I was going crazy, feeling so trapped or confused or heartbroken about the state of the world; a world continually more driven by fear, over “teched” yet disconnected, and terrifyingly detached from, and destructive of, nature. It is so easy to get overwhelmed by all the noise… and for someone as sensitive as myself, to feel despair. But despair won’t do any of us any good. So coming back here at this particular moment for me, and walking literally as if I were Mary Poppins jumping into the chalk painting of my childhood and finding it hasn’t changed (and where it has it has only gotten better) has given me such rejuvenating hope. I am not crazy. I am not intolerant, or impatient, or bitter. I am just in severe withdrawal of my annual dose of Rockbrook.
And what this weekend has shown me is that the gifts and perspective, and lessons this place has to offer are just as present and valuable to me now as there were for me when I was a little girl. If not more so. These enduring stones soften my hardened defenses. The cold waters warm my chilled spirit. These steep hills dull my impatience and intolerance. And rather than damaging the perfection of my memories, returning has added to them. Returning to Rockbrook for even this brief sip has filled my belly once again with a little bit of ginger, a little bit of grit, a little bit of spirit and a little bit of wit to carry with me as I go back out once again to face the big bad world.”
During the recent Rockbrook reunion there were several sets of Mothers and Daughters in attendance. It was such a special experience for Moms and Daughters to finally get to be campers together, sharing bunk beds, singing camp songs and dining around the green tables in the dining hall.
Marguerite and JennieAshley and Fran
During the activity portion of the reunion there were lots of Mother and Daughter sets spotted sliding into the lake on the water slide, hiking together, playing tennis or making crafts. Overall though, the favorite experience for everyone was just sharing time with their loved ones in such a special place. Sharing the gift of Rockbrook with your daughter is definitely the gift that lasts a lifetime.
The years drifted away during the recent Rockbrook Reunion weekend as old friends reconnected in the heart of a wooded mountain. For some women it was their first trip back to Rockbrook in more than 40 years but it did not take a moment to find a friend and jump right back to where they left off. The joy on everyone’s faces as they saw their old friends was magical!
Phyllis and Sparky
Kelly and Jennie
We will post more stories and memories from the reunion soon. It was a spectacular weekend filled with fun!
What an amazing weekend! It was 3 days bathed in absolutely perfect weather, decorated with fond memories relived, and filled to the brim with laughter and conversation among friends… a camp reunion to remember. Rick and his crew took great care of us by serving wonderful meals, including several fresh yummy desserts baked by Alison. Everyone stayed busy on Saturday hiking to Kilroy’s Cabin, climbing the Alpine Tower, making pottery, shooting archery, and zipping down the water slide at the lake, but perhaps most enjoyably, spending a lot of time relaxing amid the beauty of Rockbrook.
Here is a group photo we took after lunch on Saturday (click the photo for a larger version). We also took lots of photos all weekend long and have published them here: 2011 Alumnae Reunion Photos. Take a look!
Stay tuned to our Alumnae Blog for more updates about the reunion. There are many wonderful moments to recount.
Thanks to everyone who attended the reunion. We always enjoy welcoming former campers back to the “Heart of a Wooded Mountain.” It won’t be long before we do it again!
Caroline, Emily and Hannah -Nancy Carriers Great- Great Granddaughters with their Aunt Helen and Grandfather Gus
Each summer we are always thrilled to have campers in attendance whose family members are also former campers. This year we were especially excited as we had three campers during our Third Session who are the great-great granddaughters of Nancy Carrier, Rockbrook’s founder! It was so great seeing their enthusiasm about camp and knowing how proud their great great grandmother would be to see them as campers!
