Camp Kittamaqund news
This is an effort to reach as many alumnae of Girl Scout Camp Kittamaqund in Burgess, VA as possible. The Council's Board of Directors has made a decision to sell the property at Kittamaqund. We are creating a movement to voice opposition to the decision in an organized fashion. I am circulating a letter as noted below. If you have a connection to camp, please forward this message to all you know who have a similar connection. We need our voice to be unified and strong. Thanks.
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Please pass along to anyone you know regarding CK...
We are starting to organize a possible resistance move to the sale. A MySpace page -
www.myspace.com/campkitty - has been set up as a first step and central communication point. We have plans to expand the web presence so that any alumnae searching for Camp Kittamaqund on the web will be directed first to a central location with the most up-to-date information. There is also an e-mail address - campkitty@gmail.com, that can be used to contact us.
It is important that any reaction to the Board of Directors' decision be organized and based in fact rather than emotions. We are already working to determine what the possible courses of action might be - whether it involves a possible blocking of the decision or an outpouring of support from generations of Kitty campers and staff.
The emotions surrounding this issue are bound to run high - believe me, I understand. With more than 18 years' experience at Kitty, I am as devastated as one can possibly imagine. However, anything less than an organized movement will surely result in even more devastating results. We must take the high road here. We must maintain our Promise to show respect for ourselves and others through our words and actions.
At the same time, I imagine that everybody wants to know what they can do. My first suggestion - write a letter. Not a protest letter lambasting council for their decision, not a letter threatening drastic action if the decision is carried. A letter stating your personal ties to Camp Kittamaqund. Say what the camp has meant to you during your time there and why it's important to you. Our most striking feature is our love of the place. The only thing we truly have to offer is our shared experience of life in that magical setting.
My next suggestion, get everyone you're in contact with who has a connection to Kitty to do the same. Several hundred girls and women each summer for 35 years plus countless troop campers and leaders during the off-season equals a huge humber of women who can make an inpact now.
Send one copy to Mechanicsville, addressed to the Council President, and send another to me at the address below. I'll keep a collection of all that I receive, which can be a powerful tool as well as a separate record.
I have created a mailing list for all interested parties. If you would like to be added to this list, please send a message with "subscribe" as the subject line to campkitty@gmail.com . Again, please forward this message to anyone you're in touch with who has a connection to Kittamaqund.
I will pass on any additional information as soon as I can. Thanks for your support.
Sarah "Friday"
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PLEASE NOTE: My last name and mailing address have been omitted from this post due to the public nature of this blog. I can be reached for more information at the gmail account listed above.
disgruntled.
In the interest of making blogging a habit again...
I've been browsing the web for things to do in Columbus, should I find myself with spare time. I was remembering my last visit to that city with KAK to visit KJP. KAK's dad recalled fondly a restaurant called the
Kahiki, a Polynesian tiki-type place that he had visited in the 1960's. He said that we should locate this magical place and eat there, if it still existed. We weren't certain that such a place still existed in Columbus, but upon searching it out, we discovered a veritable institution and landmark. A Polynesian longhouse on a main street in a midwestern city, complete with flaming tiki gods, a moat, grass huts inside, and simulated rain forest showers. The food was served in variety of presentations, occasionally involving swords and flames. A "Mystery Woman" had the sole job of delivering the restaurant's signature "Mystery Drink" to those who ordered it. To top it all off, the place featured a dessert with the moniker "Big Fat Mamasan." We had to try it, of course. It was served in a gigantic bowl with a cone of flame in the center and dry ice-induced smoke issuing out from under the rim. It was a concoction of ice cream, tropical fruits, sweet syrups, and nuts, and was easily more than three people could consume after such a large meal. One of the highlights of my dining life, even though I'm certainly not a tiki aficionado.
I thought I might take myself by this modern marvel on my upcoming trip to Ohio, in case I had time for dinner plans or a craving for lychee fruit drenched in ice cream and macadamia nuts. I searched for the address to add to my list of potential driving directions. However, I was unable to locate any such address. Further searching revealed that in 2000 the Kahiki's last owner, Michael Tsao, sold the building to Walgreen's, who planned to demolish it to build yet another suburban drug store. The sale occurred despite the restaurant's profitable status, unbeknownst to its longtime employees, and without regard to its listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Walgreens policy states that it is not in the business of demolishing such sites. However, the building was disassembled in 2001. Tsao allegedly had many of the fixtures stored for later use in a possible reopening at a different location. However, Tsao died in 2005, and potential for such a relocation seems to have ended - not that a new building in a suburban big box could ever have recaptured the atmosphere and history of the old site. Kahiki Foods is now "dedicated to the production of frozen Asian entrees." Wonderful. Sorry about closing our unique eating establishment... Here, go microwave yourself some egg rolls and reminisce about how much better they would have tasted prepared freshly and served on a flaming skewer.
I'm bummed. I saw this sort of thing happen to the historic motels in Williamsburg while I lived there... established institutions with personality torn down to provide more space for cookie-cutter chain hotels and restaurants that can be found in any town and suburb in the country. All to earn somebody who's undoubtedly already a millionaire just a few more dollars.
On the positive side, I've learned of a placed called Bento to Go-Go, or something. Sounds like something I can't miss.
