Saturday was a perfectly fantastic day in Happy Camp for the 11th Annual Kids Fair. The River Park, as always, was a beautiful venue for the event. If you got a little hot, there was plenty of water to splash down the waterslide to cool you down in a jiff!!
Tables were set up in the shade on the lawn for art and craft projects; wooden boxes or picture frames to decorate, butterflies to paint, and beads and trinkets to make fabulous works of art. This was compliments of the Siskiyou Arts Bus Project and the kids loved it!
Coloring Contest was won by Ashley Aubrey, Sarah Harrison, Beatrice Edwards, and Maranda Rasmussen. Dancers, my how these kids moved, made it difficult to decide upon winners. Prizes were presented to Justice (football), Chaance Rasmussen (high power squirtgun) and Sarah Harrison (ball and bat.) Caitlyn doing some really good dancing and “jump, to get the wiggle out!” so all the kids used up great amounts of energy!
Amber Curtis was putting alphabet and glimmering beads on a wooden box for decoration to show the kids like Madeline Davis who wre creating beautiful projects!
Annie Kramer, of Heal Therapy, sang the most cheerful and appropriate songs during the activities. It was such a pleasure to meet Annie, and her music was the perfect backdrop to all the action. Her music was enjoyed by the adults as well as the kids, especially “Puff the Magic Dragon!” They even sang a special song to Smokey Bear…and guess who showed up for his picture!
If you got hungry, Cliff Stockton was at the grill preparing hot dogs, while Carol Sharp dished up cups of fruit. There was also a nutritional display with Michele Harris combining fresh strawberries and peaches and other delicious ingredients blended together.
Vickie Waddell had little tooth holders for the first lost tooth as well as toothbrushes and other products to keep the children in good dental health. Vickie represented the Karuk Dental Clinic. Children who wished to sit still long enough could have a tattoo painted on an arm. Adults were usually the ones sitting in the shade.
Forest Service staff had some games going, a relay with a fire hose to get these future firefighters trained. They were awarding ice cream cones!! Kyle Stockton managed the bean bag game and awarded prizes to the best throwers of beanbags into Bigfoot’s wide open mouth. Craig Reece had another game going for the kids, but they soon became too warm for the playground equipment and regular games and headed for the water slide!
All in all, the 11th annual Kids Fair was fun for the kids, their families and those of us who enjoy seeing kid’s smiles! Thank you to the Family Resource Center, Karen, Nadine and Alicia and Rachel and all of the other volunteers who were such great troopers and made a fun day for all!
The total, 100%, senior class of Happy Camp High School applied for college admissions. As a result, they were awarded funds for the class account. Shown here are Maryabb Munson, College Representative, making presentation to some of the seniors: Krystal Whittaker, Sean Hacking, Trea Cohen-Kurtzman, Andrew Bley (Student Body President) and Violet Stearns.
Alan Dyar and John Kufner present $38,000 check to Mike Mathieson SCHSD for the gym floor at Happy Camp High School.
One problem arose while the gym roof was off and it rained. The floor and things were covered with tarps but somehow the rainwater got under the tarp and resulted in a very badly warped floor. Now our beautiful hardwood gym floor was 51 years old, but it was a beautiful smooth playing place before the warping. The warping would have been difficult to deal with in physical education classes. But a new floor estimate came to $101,532.00. That is a lot of money! There wasn’t money left from the Q funds, and they have to be used strictly for projects that are covered with the legal description at the time of the vote. So what was to be done about the gym floor???
A dinner fund raiser brought in $716.92. An Indian Tacos fundraiser made $456.75 by Tamara Barnett. The Cycle Oregon people came to town and not only did the students haul luggage two days (unpacking and packing up the next day) which made $2,000. The adult workers, Lori Jones, Alan Dyar, Buster Attebery, John Bain, John Kufner, Karen Derry, Rob and Christina Baker, donated their tips which came to $594. The High School Teachers earned some funds for the students benefit and earned $10,000. There was even $110 from a fifty/fifty raffle. Many other supporters from the community began offering donations, $100 from John & Linda Kufner, $100 John and Ruth Bain, $250 from Alan and Carol Dyar, $50 from Cindy and Dan Falkenstein, and $1,000 from Parry’s Market. The Kevin Nolen, CRM Group gave $500 and the Happy Camp Volunteer Ambulance put in $500. A very special lady, DeeDee generously donated $38,000 check even tho’ she doesn’t live in Happy Camp. All together we have had many people working together to whittle down the price needed for that brand new gyn floor.
Think of it as an investment in the sports team for the next fifty years! How can they all learn sports without a good gym floor? The old one lasted over fifty years so perhaps the new one to be installed will be there when you come to see your grandchildren play.
What are your kids doing for the summer vacation from school? I was reading that Sasha and Malia Obama’s fabulous summer vacation includes foreign travel, the Eiffel Tower, Rome, the Pantheon and the Kremlin, concerts, and being free from school routines. They also spent time volunteering at Fort McNair in Virginia, where the girls helped stuff backpacks with books and toys for the children of military families. But the presidential family limits their television and computers all day until just before bedtime, which is early for the girls even during summer vacation.
While we don’t have opportunities to tour Paris and Rome, I think that kids along the wild Klamath River have better opportunities in some ways. If you want to go away, there are Redwoods and the Pacific Coast to the West of us. They could go explore Oregon Caves just north of us, or the Cat Zoo in Cave Junction. Further up the coast there are the Myrtlewood Carving Factory and Prehistoric Gardens to explore.
Mount Shasta Museum has a display especially for the 100 year Centennial of the Boy Scouts of America. Yreka has the Siskiyou County Museum with many exhibits. They could also see museums in Fort Jones or Etna as well as the Kerbyville Museum. Have you been to the Willow Creek Museum yet, where they have a whole room added for the Bigfoot collection?
Best of all, on a hot day, kids along the Klamath have their choice of going to the Eddy or Clear Creek, or the mouth of Elk Creek for great swimming in clear cold water! They can go rafting or kayaking with their families or just drift boat for a lazy summer day on the Klamath. A student in Cave Junction used to bicycle (not motorcycle) over Greyback to Happy Camp for many years which seemed to ,me to be a great accomplishment!
They could set up a tent and camp out, either in the backyard or, as they grow in maturity and experience, progress all the way to backpacking the wilderness areas We live in the heart of Wilderness Areas so they can go any direction and find more wilderness to hike and backpack through! Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail has always been a wishful dream. Wouldn’t it be fun! The younger set can hike up Town Trail and look down on the entire town of Happy Camp.
We have a museum all about the Karuk culture to see — right in Happy Camp!! And if you haven’t visited the Forest Service Information Center, they are sure to enjoy seeing the fish (real live fish!!) and the mountain lion, and learn more about our forest. We have a beautiful River Park where they can practice disk golf or walk the nature trail.
The Cub Scouts have been busy working on collecting for a nature center: rocks and stones, tracks and just the sort of thing that young boys love to investigate as they discover the beautiful world we live in. One of these days we will find a place to keep all their displays and collections and that will be great fun for the kids! Vinson Brown’s, How to Make your Home Nature Museum was the inspiration for their collections, and in years to come it will help them to earn merit badges in all sorts of fascinating areas! They are also working on getting photographs and learning to operate a camera this summer. It is a good thing to know, since they practice the leave no trace camping, or as the scouters call it leave nothing but footprints, ways in the forest. Rather than collect things, collecting a picture of the beautiful things they have seen leaves them for the next person along the trail to see and enjoy as well.
The Happy Camp Branch Library is open fewer hours and days this summer, but is still a good place to choose a book that will interest your young (or older) readers. If you haven’t read Dear Madam or Land of the Grasshopper Song you are sure to enjoy these classics from this area. A wonderful story of life a boy growing up in Happy Camp is the The Klamath Treasure: The Adventure of Euclid Plutarch Hammarsen If you grew up along the wild Klamath River you will feel like you know Euclid and participated in many of his adventures, perhaps because the author, Trisha Barnes, did just that!
When I was dealing with a disabled van this summer, strolling down to Evans, I found a really great book, a real fish story. Springer’s Quest: Life of a Pacific Chinook Salmon by a former teacher, Nina Gee. She has written the story of this salmon that hatches and endures exciting adventures both in the creek to the river and in the ocean before returning up the Salmon River to spawn. I wondered about some of the vocabulary for youngsters, but the kids knew the words that I didn’t, so it is sure to be helpful to them in studies back at school. You don’t have to tell them that, of course! I learned a few things in a less scientific format than the information could have been presented which makes it all the more interesting for the young folks and the rest of us too.
Have a wonderful summer of doing things, going places, and summer reading along the wild Klamath River!
The Happy Camp Cub Scouts met for the monthly Pack meeting. The theme for this months program is Scout Buddies!
Awards were also presented for recent Pack activities. August was a busy month with the Raingutter Regatta and riding in a boat for the Bigfoot Jamboree Parade. First place in the Raingutter Regatta was won by Jeffrey Kanawyer and second place by Frank Davis. Maddie Davis won the non-scout category when the families were also allowed to race sail boats they had made.
The boat for the parade was kindly lent to the Cubs by a kindhearted soul. Quentin Peterson rode with the boys and mascot “Dana.” Veronica Salvage drove the truck pulling the float.
Surprise! Upon arriving in the vicinity of Kelly Lake about twenty miles from home, the older boys, Pihneftuuf Elston, Christopher Riehm and Brandon McCarthy went to look around for a good campsite. Scoutmaster Dolly, who drove the gear pick up with the older boys, went down an incline to look out a potential site, slipped and fell.
That left only the three youngest boys, Cody Sindle, John Cook and Ryan Wilson, who just graduated from Webelos with me to assist her. Thanks to Charles Tello, who was camping in the area and helped us out! Then Quinten Peterson came and got the crew organized to get her safely to camp. The older boys returned to help so that was a big help. There was a rattlesnake a couple feet away from the trail that needed to be taken care of too
Our Scoutmaster was soon sitting in camp with her swelling foot elevated on ice until we could get her to the clinic. The boys fell to work setting up tarps and tents and soon a camp was organized. A campfire circle with downed wood collected by John, Ryan and Cody, provided cooking for hot dogs for lunch. Everyonce in awhile we’d have showers, but about the time we got another tarp up, it would cease. The boys had fun throwing each other in self defense moves taught by Q!
The boys also pitched in and made venison stew for supper. Under Robyn Eadie’s guidance, Alex and Abbye helped cut the potatoes. When Mia helped and cut her finger, Abbye provided band aid care. Neffers browned the venison. Steven Welin cut up the onion, the most unpopular job of the meal. The most popular part was s’mores around the campfire, with melody of “Does you Chewing Gum Loose Its’ Flavor on the Bedpost Overnight?” and stories, (scary and made up with additions by each camper) around the campfire.
After a good night sleep, despite the rain and lightning off and on, the boys prepared a hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs and pancakes. Brandon cooked up the bacon. All those pancakes disappeared quickly. Boys ate the food they fixed with gusto!
Then it was off to the fishing derby. Surprisingly, the fish (1500 lbs of fish had been delivered Wednesday before) weren’t biting as well as the day before. Someone caught and released five the day before in a very short time. It is my theory that those released fish went and told the rest of the fish all about the hooks behind the bait!!!
Well, as you know, all the lightening of Friday ended up starting fires in the area, and all around northwest California . The Fire Camp was set up in Gail Zink Park for Siskiyou Fires. The Forest Service will be giving us updates on the fire situation but we have been very grateful that (except for last Sunday) the smoke hasn’t been awfully bad, but it still continues. We are grateful to the Firefighters who have come to battle the wildfires started by lightening!
Kids had a great time Saturday. It was time for the annual Kids Fair put on by the Happy Camp Family Resource Center. There are a great many other participants also, all who cooperate with the Happy Camp Family REsource Center with educating our families on health and safety issues and such.
Cliff Stockton was cooking up hot dogs and serving watermelon too. Kids were going around with interesting looking faces, after painter had dolled them up. The Sheriff department was helping parents with Child Safety Seats for vehicles and comics on being safe for the youngsters. Sue Hillman had puppet stories for First 5 that looked like fun. Dorothy was there for the library telling about the August storytime they’ve planned.
Happy Camp High School for the 2007-8 year is drawing to a close. Before all the students and teachers and staff leave for Summer plans, awards were presented.
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