Why?
By Eugenia Schumpert
– 1930’s
Why our Camp days are all over;
All our Cabin points are done.
All the hikes and rides are finished;
All the games now lost and won.
Why we’ve hardly gotten settled
In our Cabins with our chums.
It seems almost impossible
That the time to leave has come!
We’ve had such fun this summer,
Had such pleasure and such cheer,
That we’ll all just wait with longing
‘Till we meet again next year!
MEMORY’S PICTURE BOOK
(Author Unknown found in DIXIE ECHOES)
When you leave the mighty mountains and this camp we love the best,
Take back some lovely pictures to fill your treasure chest.
Not pictures made in colors, or sheets of paper white,
or pictures made with camera from some tall mountain’s height;
But pictures stamped forever on your mind, away from view,
Where you take them out to look at when you get to feeling blue.
DIXIE CAMPS
By Martha Francis -1950’s
In this old world there are lots of camps,
Camps that are good and true
But how thankful I am to heaven above
That Dad sent me to you.
If loving thoughts were measured in gold,
No place would I find, the love to hold
That I have in my heart for you dear DIXIE;
The most wonderful camp a girl’s ever been is DIXIE.
REMEMBER
By Kathy Morton – 1970’s
Remember the first day and the last?
Dixie days so quickly passed!
Remember canoe trips and overnights?
Remember losing your voice from fright?
Remember laundry in anyone else’s laundry sack
And all the trouble it was to get it back?
Remember the rainy days and thunderstorms
That we considered merely “norms”?
Remember the special days we had
And how inspection was so bad
Remember running to store
And after your quota – – – wanting more?
Remember the lake so icy cold
And how Ice Cubes and Polar Bears were so bold?
Remember hearing taps at night
And not being ready to turn out the light?
Remember how early morning came
And how no two days were the same?
Remember riding and keeping the stable clean
And all the counselors – – they weren’t so mean?
Such memories as these make us smile
And take our thoughts across the miles
To friends from camp both far and near
And Dixie wishes you were here
But summer returns every year
And Dixie will welcome us with cheer.
DIXIE
By Sally Church – 1970’s
Camp Dixie, my thoughts go to you
On this quiet winter’s night.
And so, as I think of you
This poem I will write.
I can picture your mountains
With silent snow on each rill
Blanketing each valley
And covering each hill.
Your paths must be lonely
With no feet walking there.
It must be sad for the wind
To carry no voices in its cool, crisp air.
Your trees must be bending
From time to time
To see if someone will come
To lean on them or climb.
Although you miss everyone
We soon will be returning
And with us we bring laughter
And the smell of campfires burning.
Soon we will greet you at Sutton Center;
We’ll come and bring all our friends.
For we know you’ll protect us and give us good times
Right up until summertime ends.
I know we will see you
When we see the summer sun
For you have a way of calling us,
“COME JOIN ME, EVERYONE.”
When I Leave
Ben Johnson – 1990’s
When I leave this place
I will take my trunk, my pillow, and a few breaths of fresh air
But more importantly – memories, wonderful memories from when I was there
Memories of swimming, riding the horses, jumping on the trampoline, or maybe just talking with friend.
When I leave I will take more than just things you can touch, see, or smell,
Things you can visualize and remember very well.
So when I do leave this place
I will feel no sorrow because of my memories and besides,
I can always come back tomorrow.
MEMORIES
By Anita Narayanan – 1999
Swimming out on the lake
Being worried of big black snakes
Giving hugs to everyone
Watching – Joy flex her guns
Eating by the fireside
Waiting to horseback ride
Giving hugs to everyone
Shooting arrows – aiming guns
Having tons and tons of fun
These memories have all been phat
But there’s more to camp than that
There’s the things you can’t see
The love, the warmth, the family
That’s really what camp means to me