News from Camp Highlander

The Start of 2012!

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 | 0 Comments

As the first month of 2012 comes to a close, it is pretty amazing to take a look back and see all we have accomplished in four short weeks. The first day of the New Year I arrived on camp, bags in hand, for what I knew would be an incredible adventure in a new job and new home. Two hours later that adventure started when Melissa called to inform me that in four days we were all heading down to Boca Raton, FL and we were driving!

Week one passed in what felt like seconds due to preparing for the Camper Reunion. A drive to South Florida that took fifteen hours on the clock, felt like a working lunch in the Mini Van. Then, two days later we left Boca and headed back to the Mountain. Between the many bathroom stops in unique smelling (yes, smelling) towns, a few re-routes on the GPS, a sensational Tim Tebow win for the Broncos, dinner at Firehouse subs, and a very impromptu 1 A.M. to 5 A.M. stop at a quaint Holiday Inn Express, I came to a quiet understanding of the blessing I had received after being offered a job at Camp Highlander. After just one week, I felt as if I had known these people I call my “co-workers” my whole life, and I knew first hand, what Melissa meant when she said that I was becoming apart of a family when I accepted this job. The following weeks, of a typically dreary month, continued to be as blissful as the first. Camper shows in Anderson, S.C. with the Long Family, Greenville, S.C. with the Wimberly’s, Mooresville, N.C. at the Shannon household, another trip to Florida where Karl visited the Markel’s, Cross’, Weiss’, Hankin’s, and Short’s (whew!), Memphis, T.N. we stopped by to see the Waples, and wrapping up the month at the Guthrie’s in Morehead City, N.C. have kept our spirits high, and driving skills sharp! As we continue around the southeast, reuniting with old campers and meeting new, future campers, our hearts are filled with immense joy. In every home we enter, and every picture uploaded onto our computers, there is a brief glimpse of the endless love within the Highlander Family. With Reunions, camper shows, and the phones ringing with registration and staff applications alike, the feeling of Camp is all around. Kinfolk Magazine contributor, Julie Walker, sums up the warm, exciting hum in the winter office when she writes, “Summer couldn’t feel closer, although it is months away.”

After being a long time camper myself, the feeling of immediate community I found in my first weeks here on the Mountain paints a perfect picture of the “camper experience”. People of all ages, hailing from different homes across the nation, come to this Mountain for such a brief window of time, but instantly become apart of something much bigger than themselves, our Highlander Family. We all arrive, to this picturesque setting, as strangers. Yet, in a few fleeting moments campers will come to their own quiet understanding that they belong. Two, Three, Six, or maybe even Eight weeks later, campers look around at the people they call their “cabin-mates” and feel as if they have been brothers and sisters their whole lives.

In a month filled with new beginnings, travel, hard work, lots of laughter, and a few rainy days, I have had the opportunity to be a “new camper” here at Camp Highlander, and it is an experience I wish I could gift to every child. Our Camp Family is currently spread far and wide, and we have loved coming to see your homes, and meeting your friends and family. However, I simply cannot wait for summer to get here, to experience our whole family being reunited in their summer home. Old familiar friends will reconnect, and new eager campers will become members of a strong family, built on tradition, and more importantly love.

Katherine

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Father Son Weekend 2012

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012 | 0 Comments

Your son is counting on you. The relationship between a father and a son is like no other. Dads have a God-given role to protect and provide for their families, and to teach their sons the life skills necessary to grow into honorable men. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to share in a fun, action-packed weekend with your son in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. Besides great activities like riflery, canoeing, and horseback riding, you will also share teachable, bonding moments with your son that will shape his life, and change your relationship forever.

Father and son: $475
Each additional son: $150
Sign-up deadline is March 30th

Space for this event is limited. For more information please call (828)-891-7721.

Click here to register: Father Son 2012 Application.pdf

Please fax completed registrations to 828-891-1960, or email them to

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Annual Camper Reunion

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011 | 0 Comments

The 2012 Camp Highlander Annual Reunion is coming up soon!

Sunday, January 8, 2012 from 1:30-3:30 pm
Pavilion 2 & 3 at Sugar Sands Park, Boca Raton, FL

We look forward to seeing you all there!

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Jack Frost Visits Camp Highlander

Thursday, December 1st, 2011 | 0 Comments

Winter is here on the mountain at Camp Highlander! We had our first dusting of snow last night, and it is really cold here at camp! Although I have to say, it is definitely not enough snow for a snowball fight because I threw one at Mac and it exploded mid air. This is also not the kind of snow that we cancel school for, so this snow is not popular with kids (ie Charlie and Carter); they find it pointless. However, I find this snow exciting! Do you want to know why? Snow is a sign that winter is here.

Winter is not the prettiest time of year at camp. The trees don’t have their leaves. The buildings are empty. The lake freezes. Even the horses grow an extra coat of hair to keep them warm so they look different. Everything around here is not quite the same. But with each snow, I know that winter is going and we are getting closer to spring, then summer, then CAMP! So I say…BRING ON THE SNOW!

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There's No Place Like Houma

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011 | 0 Comments

Thanks to Tom and Beth Donner for a wonderful night of Lousiana food and friends. We were able to meet several great families, and got to catch up with veteran campers Alex and Jack Donner, Winston Ardoin, and former campers and current counselors Trey and Genna Larose.

Thanks to all who came out and made us feel at home in Houma:
Tom and Beth Donner (Alex and Jack)
Anne Marie Ardoin (Winston)
Barbara Duverney (Ayden)
Donald Bourgeois (Rachel)
Brenda Riviere (Michelle)
Henry Peltier (Judith Grace and William)
Chester and Monica Weimer
Caroline Marcello
Trey and Genna Larose

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Karl on the road: Scattered, Covered and Smothered

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011 | 0 Comments

While on his way to join the Crowe/Marcello families for a show in Meridian Mississippi, Karl met up with the Gladstone family for breakfast at his favorite fine eatery.
Highlander campers (Ryan, Ben and Kyla) and mom Barbara earned the reward for “Most effort by a family to join Karl for breakfast” while on his worldwide camp movie tour.

Ryan also broke the record for most expensive meal at a “Hole in the wall” restaurant by a member of the Camp Highlander family. Ryan’s Waffle House breakfast bill eclipsed the $20 mark which shattered former Highlander staff member Taylor Teeple’s mexican meal of a few years ago. Way to go Ryan…the gastrointestinal specialist will see you now. :-)

Of course Karl told Ryan he needed to “clean up and get a haircut”, but a great time was still had by all.

On to Mississippi!

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Update from the road: Birmingham Show with the Umbach/Perkinson families

Monday, October 10th, 2011 | 0 Comments

What a wonderful night in Birmingham! A great dinner, great questions about Camp Highlander, and a great time had by all. Special thanks to Trip and Ashley Umbach for hosting us at their home in Mountain Brook and for William and Laura Louise Perkinson for their help in making this one of the best shows of the fall.

We tell our story about the “Magic” of Camp Highlander one family at a time, and we are excited about all of the great people we are meeting this fall.

Thanks to all who were part of this special night:
Trip and Ashley Umbach (Swede, Warren and Dow)
William and Laura Louise Perkinson (Elizabeth-EP, James and Hannah-Louse)
David and Shannon Jernigon (Cole and Raines)
Frank and Claire Tynes (Helen and Wilson)
Shannon and Anne Cowin (Chip)
Mae Mae Kracke (Margaret and Caroline)
Houston and Stephanie Smith (Isabel)
Betsy Grinstead (Knoxye)

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Celebrate "I DO" at Camp Highlander

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011 | 0 Comments

Karl and Shelley were glowing about the wedding of their youngest of five daughters, Cate Walker Gutter, over Labor Day weekend at our very own Camp Highlander. It was a fairy tale event that every little girl dreams of… lights twinkling above you as the fire pit roared outside the gym. Guests enjoyed roasting marshmallow, making smores, dancing to their favorite tunes, fabulous food from Louisiana and North Carolina and of course Gus’ place was open which made this camp wedding like no other. What do you expect? This is Camp Highlander,“A Place Like No Other.”

Check out the blog at the amazing Jill Schwarzkopf with Realities Photography website and see Karl kicking up his heels and the Gillespie Gymnasium looking its best.
http://www.realitiesphotography.com/blog/2011/09/cate-emerich-a-gorgeous-southern-wedding/
Congratulations Cate and Emerich from your Camp Highlander family! We love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness!

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6th Annual Campfire Society Alumni Reunion A Huge Success!!

Monday, September 12th, 2011 | 0 Comments

The 6th Annual Camp Highlander Alumni Reunion was a huge success! Many thanks to all the alumni who made their way back to Old Forge Mountain – it was a fun-filled weekend spent with great friends and family.

The festivities began on Friday, September 9. Alumni arrived in the afternoon and enjoyed the camp scenery and fresh mountain air. Later that evening, the group shared many stories and laughs over a delicious dinner at Neo Cantina in Asheville. This dinner was a very special one and not just because of all the alumni but for another reason. Over the years Gaynell has given out countless cakes to campers and staff for their birthdays. On this night we were fortunate to celebrate Gaynell’s first birthday ever to happen at camp. Upon returning to camp, Greg Galloway treated alumni to a sneak peek, pre-campfire show.

On Saturday, alumni took a trip into Hendersonville and had coffee at Black Bear and, of course, decadent pastries from McFarland’s Bakery. After returning to camp, alumni enjoyed lunch in the dining hall, followed by an invigorating tubing trip down the (chilly) Mills River. After a quick defrost, the group made their way to the woodshop to create great keepsakes to take home.

The activities continued well into the evening. After a tasty BBQ dinner, alumni made their way to the gym for a lively square dance. Shortly into the dance, the lights went out. A familiar, Session C-song came on and Gaynell donned his famous green robe – Color War had broken! An intense game of Rock, Paper, Scissors ensued, and the alumni White Knights came out victorious!

After a stop at Gus’s Place for ice cream treats and drinks, alumni walked together to the campfire area to hear Greg Galloway and Beth Jeu De Vine sing familiar favorites. The group roasted marshmallows and made s’mores, and the night was capped off with singing, laughing and even an occasional tear.

Sunday started with a terrific brunch in the dining hall, followed by shopping in the camp store and exploring every corner of camp. It truly was an action-packed weekend! We were sad to see the festivities end, but we look forward to seeing many of our fantastic alumni in the future!

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6th Annual Campfire Society Alumni Reunion

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011 | 0 Comments

Greetings Highlander Alumni!

Please join us for the 6th Annual Campfire Society Alumni Reunion on September 9-11, 2011.

The cost is $225 per person and includes the following:

• Lodging (linens will be provided)
• Friday night dinner, Saturday breakfast, lunch, dinner, cocktails and Sunday Brunch.

Here is the registration form. Please complete and return as soon as possible.

We look forward to seeing you all!

From the Mountain,

Karl & Shelley Alexander

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