Scouts mark 70 years at Natarswi

Mix together more than 60 alumnae, family members and council staff with ideal camping weather, campfires, story telling, camp songs, hiking and viewing moose in Baxter State Park, lots of good food and many hours of reminiscing, and you have the perfect recipe for a camp reunion.

Alumnae of Abnaki Girl Scout Council’s Camp Natarswi from all over the United States did just that Aug. 25-27 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the camp.

Although Camp Natarswi had existed in several locations prior to 1936, the permanent location, then just south of the Baxter State Park entrance, was established when the former Civilian Conservation Corps camp was leased to the Girl Scouts for use as a resident camp. In 1975, Great Northern Paper Co. gave the camp to Abnaki Girl Scout Council.

In the years since, the camp has established a loyal cadre of alumnae who credit the camp programs with teaching them outdoor skills through the Junior Maine Guide training, instilling in them self-confidence and a love and respect for nature, and creating friendships which have lasted more than half a century.

Alumnae from every decade were present, including Mary Stevens, who was a camper from Orono during that first session in 1936.

Her father, who worked as a cook at the University of Maine, served as the camp cook and Mary attended for several years as a camper – and later as a swimming and canoeing instructor.

Mary now lives in Orrington. Her two daughters, Mary Stevens Newman of Campobello Island and Peggy Stevens Welsh of Ithaca, N.Y., also attended Camp Natarswi as campers and returned for the reunion with their mother.

Since 1955, an important part of the camp has been the totem pole at the fire circle. During the 1955 camp season, each unit carved totems, based on the legends from “Katahdin Fantasies” by Marion Whitney Smith, on a tall pine pole donated by Great Northern Paper Co.

In 1996, after 40 years of weathering, the original totem pole was moved next to the dining hall, refurbished and replaced at the fire circle with a new totem pole created by Leslie Rozelle and Vicki Jones Janousek as the final project for their Gold Award.

At the reunion, two new collectible plaques, the new totem pole and a lake scene with canoes were introduced to the alumnae.

Abnaki Council CEO Lucy Eaton Hawkins and board chairwoman Karen Keim greeted the alumnae and updated them on the healthy state of the council and the camp.

Alumnae were told that at a recent visit by a representative of Girl Scouts of the USA, Camp Natarswi was declared to be one of the best rustic Girl Scout camps in the United States. Wear and tear, however, have taken their toll over the years and a Circle of Friends campaign to raise $50,000 for needed repairs and purchase of new unit equipment was introduced to the alumnae.

As alumnae packed up to leave on Sunday, plans were already being made to return for the 75th anniversary reunion.