Please check out http://members.xoom.com/cindress to see the new home page of the Friends of EIC. I really appreciate any feedback, I'd like the site to be useful. So send any comments, suggestions, and material to be included to cin@alum.mit.edu. 

Once upon a time taking a shower at EIC was an act of courage. Showers were always affected by campers running water, or God forbid, flushing the john. Often one was subjected to freezing sleet or boiling steam spraying out of the showerheads. The latter event was always followed by screams of protest as kids ran out into the central shower area to get away from the hot water. Fortunately those days and screams are distant memories. The newly renovated showerhouse offers clean, private and dependable shower facilities. The private stalls boast a changing area where the truly trusting can hang their clothes. One no longer has to pick up and wear clothes which have migrated to the wet floor. During Women’s Weekend many women had a opportunity to enjoy and "test drive" the showerhouse. We were most impressed with the plumbing. Thanks to the volunteers (Eliza and Ellen Winn) who unknowingly showered away while others flushed. The result of our research was that the water temperature was steady no matter how many times we flushed. The showerhouse now has two johns (one barrier free and the other for midget campers). There is also a barrier free showerstall. Good thing to have as the Women’s Weekend campers are entering our senior years.  

April 18, 1998 is the date of the first "walkathon" to benefit the two camps of the Girl Scout Council of Greater Essex and Hudson Counties. We need folks to walk, to sponsor walkers, to help out that day, or simply to participate by making a donation. The event will take place in South Mountain Reservation in Essex County, NJ beginning at 10 a.m. until approximately 12 noon, and coincides with "Oval Work Day." Various organizations donate their time and muscles to get the Oval into shape for the summer and volunteers are welcome. The walk is about 3-1/2 miles, and walkers are being asked to find sponsors at $10 each, for a total of $100. 

As 1998 is the 60^th anniversary of Camp Eagle Island, we’re also hoping that people will feel generous enough to donate $60. ALL funds received from the Fun Walk are earmarked specifically for camps. You may designate your donation for the Oval or for Eagle Island. 

If you would like to participate in the walkathon please contact Julie Schwartz at the Council office at (973) 746-8200. Donations should be sent directly to "Girl Scout Council of Greater Essex and Hudson Counties", 120 Valley Rd, Montclair, NJ 07042. Be sure to indicate your choice of beneficiary in the memo of the check. 

Once again Bud Ziolkowski and Sandy Muller will be coming to the island to teach a basket class during Women’s Weekend. We will be making a mini Adirondack Pack Basket (7-1/2" high.) The class will be on Friday, June 26, after breakfast from 9:30 to 12:30. The cost will be $15. You can sign up when you register for Women’s Weekend or when you arrive at camp. Note: You must sign up before 8 p.m. on Thursday night. 

Everyone had a delightful time at last year’s Women’s Weekend. Our new camp director, Ro Woodard, introduced some new camp activities that we hope will become camp traditions for years to come. Many of us made a market basket in a class taught by Bud Ziolkowski and Sandy Muller on Friday morning. We also showed our creative talents (or lack of) by painting ceramic mugs on Saturday morning. Each night Ro took people for night boat rides out on the lake to gaze at the stars. We sang songs over the water and wondered if the camps along the shoreline and guests at the Wawbeek could hear us. 

The Benson cousins, Katie, Patti (PJ), Gaile and Sarah, once again had us roaming all over the island on a "Trail of Clues" scavenger hunt. At each site the scavengers picked up a page for a Camp Eagle Island Songbook and lucky winners received prizes. 

We all enjoyed our favorite camp activities: canoeing, fun yakking, dunking the camp director in the water, water skiing, sailing, hiking, sitting on a rock talking with new and old friends, and singing camp songs in front of a roaring fire on Mariner’s Rock. Our busy days ended with our most cherished tradition. Evening Taps - 

WANTED: photos from past Women’s Weekends at Eagle Island to help build a scrapbook. Include a short caption with names and the year of the photo, if possible. Looking forward to seeing those lovely shots! 

"There's quite a lot of buzzin', whirrin', and hummin' going on! Do we have a new bug on Eagle Island?" "No, we don't have bugs at EIC! That's that busy bee, Mary Lou Clayton, at her sewing machine finishing more curtains that didn't get done at the '96 Women's Weekend." 

Our service projects continued in June of '97: cleaning out the window boxes, preparing them for this year's flowers, searching for buckets, planters and any type of containers to plant more flowers. "Where shall we find some good top soil?" "How 'bout the wood shed?" After sweeping the porches, Mary Cunningham joined the group raking up pine cones in main camp. Never saw so many! A bumper year for sure! 

These were a few of the projects and there were many more going on all over camp: the waterfront, the main dock, the craft room and in all the units. 

Youth may be wasted on the young but come June 25-28,1998, we campers at heart get to take the Island back! You can sail, swim, canoe, hike or just rest. Visit with old friends and make new ones too. There are plenty of organized activities also, from a costume party to a stargazing boat ride. This year is Eagle Island’s 60th anniversary - why not bring a friend to help celebrate this wonderful occasion? The cost is $75 for two nights, $100 for three and that includes food, lodging and program activities. Please contact council if you would like to attend and have not received a registration form. (973)746-4163 

Editor’s note: Wendy sent some photos in to begin the collection - we won’t say who they are but they are lovely indeed. We did notice that she didn’t send any in of her, perhaps you can help with that? 

Here’s something that could make Spring cleaning a little more interesting this year. Why not check the list below and see if you come across any of the "wish list" items that Eagle Island could use? Then just put the items in your trunk and deliver them to the island during Women’s Weekend. Items can be delivered to council anytime, but wouldn’t bringing them to the island in person be so much more fun? 

• Footlocker style trunks

• Old fashioned "blue" Junior Girl Scout handbooks (circa 1965)
• Books on nature, crafts, or outdoor activities (ex. "Sharing Nature with Children")
• Lower or middle school reading level books appropriate for camp

• Camp cookware

• Sleeping bags

• Flashlights
• Table/reading lamps for staff/guest rooms
• Blankets/pillows/linens/towels
• Re-usable plastic containers

• Milk crates (any kind will do)

• Canoe paddles

• TV/VCR single unit 

• office chairs

• sewing machine(s)

• Arts & Crafts supplies

As I pulled the car out of my driveway in West Orange, I thought about the last time I had made this same trip, over thirty years earlier. My head was still full of those very same feelings of apprehension, anticipation and excitement. Would I like camp? Would I make friends? Would the food be good? 

As the miles sped by, these unsettling thoughts slowly gave way to fond memories of my wonderful summers at Eagle Island. 

At last I pulled into Gilpin Bay. My heart was pounding! Was that the "Arc" alongside the dock? It couldn’t be! It was far too small! But it was; and when I was finally able to secure my life jacket we were heading toward the island. As soon as I stepped foot onto the service dock I experienced a wonderful sense of "deja vu": Yess! It was still here! Just as it had been so many years before (except it seemed a whole lot smaller!) 

I was instantly transformed into a ten year old camper again. Gone were the cares of a middle-aged woman. My senses were suddenly overwhelmed with the old familiar sights and smells of camp. The trees, lake, tents and cabins. The wonderfully clean air! I was "home" again, feeling renewed and reassured! This was going to be one of my best weekends ever!! 

Are you interested in helping to spruce up EIC for this year's 60th Anniversary?  You could come up a day or two early, work on service projects on Wednesday, and still not be too exhausted to start Women’s Weekend on Thursday. Call Julie to make arrangements and sign a volunteer agreement.  Peter Benson will direct the volunteers and help them find meaningful work.  Let Julie know if you have a special service project in mind  (washing windows, making curtains, general cleaning and sweeping - you may want to bring your own supplies.)  In the past, some of  the volunteers have treated themselves to a special dinner at the Wawbeek to celebrate a job well done. 

We all have such special memories of our times at EIC. Let’s make sure that Eagle Island remains a place for girls of the future to build confidence, lifelong friendships and memories of their own. A donation to the Friends of EIC fund helps to pay for camp operations, food, utilities and supplies. Please be sure to designate Friends of EIC fund in the memo portion of your check and send your donation to: 

Girl Scout Council of Greater Essex and Hudson Counties, 120 Valley Rd., Montclair, N.J. 07042 

A donation of any amount to the Friends of EIC fund is greatly appreciated. 

Camp is not only for campers, but we need caring, creative and skillful staff members dedicated to helping Girl Scouts grow. You can help us by getting the word out to young adults that we have all kinds of job opportunities available. We’re especially looking for staff with wilderness skills, sailing and water ski teaching experience, and a nurse. 

Want to join us, but don’t have all summer? We’re looking for volunteers who have wilderness skills and who could help provide supervision on out-of-camp trips. Do you have a great skill you could share with one of the specialty units? Could you chaperone a bus or drive chaperones? 

Can you help us celebrate the camp’s 60^th anniversary? We’re looking for alumnae campers and staff to share stories of activities you participated in during your camping days. We’d like to recreate "historical" camping activities each session to give today’s campers an idea of what Eagle Island was like in each of the decades. 

If you would like to volunteer or share a story or activity, call Ro Woodard at (518)756-3610 or Julie Favreau-Schwartz at (973)746-8200. 

And lastly, the summer couldn’t start without Women’s Weekend…but you know about that. See you there!