Camp Tuscazoar Breeze

May 1999                  Vol. 10, Number 2
 

Icky's Mystery Trail, rappelling will highlight Dover Dam Days

Some Tuscazoar visitors have never toured Dover Dam; some have never seen Troop 1 Cabin; some have never been rappelling; most have never hiked Icky's Trail. This year, campers can do all of the above, and also get two delicious meals.

On Saturday May 8, Camp Tuscazoar will host its annual spring event surrounding Dover Dam. Visitors will spend the day hiking the newly restored Icky's Trail gathering clues to solve a very special mystery. Lunch will be served along the route. And, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will swing open the doors to the dam and lead tours of this massive structure. A rappelling wall will also be set up in Central Camp for the truly adventurous campers.

The current route for Icky's Trail will take hikers past Troop 1 Cabin, which was built in the late 1930's. The cabin is nestled deep in Tuscazoar's forest and receives few visitors. Come check it out.

After the day's events, a fantastic spaghetti dinner will be served in the camp dining hall, Kimble Hall. The evening will conclude with a campfire program at the Hoover Lodge Amphitheater.

Mark your calendars and join us for a fun weekend in Tuscazoar's backwoods. The participation cost is $6, which includes all events, two meals and a commemorative patch. Campsite fees are extra.

For reservations or additional information, please contact the camp ranger at 330-859-2288.

Paula and Dana Powers named camp rangers

Ray and Kay McLelland, who served for 7 years as rangers at Tuscazoar, are moving on, building a new house and life for themselves. Taking their place are Paula and Dana Powers. Paula is originally from the Dundee area and enjoys the quiet outdoors. She and Dana operate a small outdoor store locally. They both are members of the Jerusalem church, along with their children Shawn and Melinda. Dana is employed by the Timken Company and is also our current Foundation treasurer. Dana has been connected with scouting and our camp (Buckeye and Seven Ranges too) for "many years". He and his family have been campmasters both at Tuscazoar and at Seven Ranges. A big thank you to Ray and Kay for their efforts these past years. We wish them well. And, welcome aboard Paula and Dana.

Voice mail improves Tuscazoar camping registration process

When you call Camp Tuscazoar to make a camping reservation, you might encounter our voice mail system. Please don’t panic; our Rangers are probably out attending to other projects in camp. We've installed this system to help us serve you better. In a clear, distinct voice leave as much information as possible. In particular, we need your: name, day/evening phone number (including area code) and best time to call, address, group name, reservation dates, number of people, site\lodge request (first and second choices) and any questions or comments. You should hear from us within one or two days. After we confirm your reservation, you have 14 days to pay for it or your site/lodge will be opened to the next requestor. Last minute reservations are accepted upon availability. Registration forms are plentiful and we can mail them out to you. There’s more to this story, so just give us a call.
 

 
Snow, ice add to the Gold Rush challenge

Station to station, this year's Gold Rush participants saw Camp Tuscazoar in its snow covered glory. Despite some clouds and occasional winds, the sun eventually broke through. Patrols who brought their sleds had good solid trails. Thanks guys. Your sleds and coup sticks really added to patrol spirit.

Event chairman Don Selby had planned a series of Native American type games and challenges that tested the ability of patrols to work together. Their skills in physical and logical tasks made competition tough and more than one task had very close results.

Lunch was a real spread! Pork, chili, hot dogs and more fell victim to the hungry young men and women who had worked up hearty appetites on the trails. Bob Spencer’s gang of volunteers and his loyal troop again made another feast.

Our hats go off to all of you who met and conquered the challenges of then day!!

Reunion/open house planned for Aug. 22

Camp Tuscazoar's second reunion and open house is scheduled for Sunday, August 22. Former Tuscazoar campers are invited to return and walk the trails again, and to share their stories and knowledge of our camp's history. Also, groups can tour the camp to plan future hiking or camping trips. If there is interest, an area will be set aside where scoutmasters can show off their cooking skills. Tickets will be sold for this cookoff, with participants getting the proceeds to defray their expenses. The camp's gates will open at 1 p.m. and will close around 8 p.m. Watch for more details in the next Breeze.

Tuscazoar website contest is a winner

Want to get a Camp Tuscazoar patch for FREE? The Foundation Webmaster is posting contests and giving away prizes. Solve the contest and a beautifully embroidered Tuscazoar patch is yours!

We want you to enter and we want you to win. Just read this testimonial from a past winner:

"My life was empty and unfulfilled until I answered that CTF contest. Now I can treat my family to all the good things in life … and we’re goin’ to Disneyland."

OK, maybe that’s a bit of a fib, but we’ve gotten winners and not all the contests have been as "easy as pie". At the top of our home page, www.tuscazoar.org, you can find our current contest or the winner of the last contest if a new contest is still in construction. Log on for the challenge and take a chance!

See what you’ve been missing. Visit www.tuscazoar.org today and follow the links to the past winners, past contest puzzles and even to the cheesy rules we had to make up. And, browse the rest of our web site to learn more about our camp, events and services.

Best of luck ! We hope you win! (Disneyland not included.)

Icky's Point of Interest

Troop 5 Cabin

In the winter of 1920, Canton’s Troop 5 received permission from W. P. English to build a log cabin near the present-day Old Campsite. Construction of the original Troop 5 Cabin led directly to the establishment of Tuscazoar as a Boy Scout camp. In his 1932 book, Tuscazoar and Tales of the Tuscarawas, I. W. Delp described the cabin’s construction: "It was a cold winter. Ears and toes tingled until fires were built and saws and axes stirred the circulation. Merrily they cut down trees and shaped logs for the walls. By the time the blue birds were coming back, the cabin was ready for the roof. Lumber for the floor and roof, and cement for the fireplace were brought down the railroad on a hand-car. Mud was carried from the river bank for chinking the cracks. By the winter of 1921, the cabin was ready to use." Seeking a more remote location, Troop 5 moved the cabin to its present location. In the fall of 1993, the cabin underwent a major renovation thanks to contributions from the Donald W. Frease Foundation and the Troop 5 Foundation. The cabin provides the ideal rustic setting for backwoods camping.

Work project updates

One Leg campsite is currently under reconstruction. The adirondacks will be getting new roofs and siding in the coming months under the guidance of trustee Mike Snider. Anyone interested in helping to rebuild one of the oldest camp sites at Tuscazoar should call the camp at 330-859-2288 so that we can contact you. Scout units or other youth groups that wish to build or restore one or more of the adirondacks are encouraged to contact us.

Duryee Lodge will be closed during the entire month of June for a complete rehabilitation. We apologize for any inconvenience, but the end result will mean a better facility for all. Repairs will include a new roof, new wiring, insulation and other modifications.

During the past 18 months, several Eagle projects have been completed at camp. We wish to thank the people in the respective scout districts for approving the work done at Camp Tuscazoar. Specific projects include:

Icky's Trail reestablished and marked
Pioneer Point trail rerouted and marked
Mound Builder's Trail reestablished and marked
Bat boxes and Martin houses constructed
Benches installed in central camp
Three campfire sites restored

All those Eagle scouts that have completed Eagle projects at Tuscazoar should send their name, Troop number, project and date they received their Eagle rank to:

Camp Tuscazoar Foundation
Eagle Project Honor Roll
P.O. Box 308
Zoarville, OH 44656-0308

The Foundation intends to establish an honor roll to hang in the W.C. Moorhead Museum to acknowledge the contributions scouts have made of their time, talents and efforts for the benefit of Camp Tuscazoar.

Special Y2K patch planned

Here's some good news about Y2K. Camp Tuscazoar will not be impacted by the millennium change. The hills, the sky, the campsites and the trails will all be here for the next generation of campers. In fact, we've got lots of exciting plans for next year. The patch will be a circle of four equal segments each depicting an event. When assembled, this "ghost patch" (white on white) will make a complete patch 6 inches in diameter. We'll give you more details soon. You'll want to make every effort to attend the Year 2000 events and earn this one of a kind, limited edition patch.

 
President's Corner by Don Selby

Selective timbering will aid our camp, providing needed funds

The Camp Tuscazoar Foundation Board of Trustees has, at long last, signed a contract to proceed with selective timbering of the forest. The company chosen is a highly respected firm that follows the state mandated environmental policies. Every effort is being made to minimize the impact. Despite claims to the contrary this operation will not destroy the camp, nor is our camp considered a nature and wildlife preserve. Camp Tuscazoar has a long history of being timbered from the time when the Zoarites used the timber for their homes, furniture and iron processing to more recently when the McKinley Area Council and Buckeye Council, B.S.A operated the camp. For years, the camp operated a sawmill that provided much of the lumber used to construct the buildings and adirondacks. Ohio Department of Natural Resources records show that in the early 1960’s 481 trees were harvested, followed by 1720 in 1964-65, 57 in 1974 and another harvest in 1979. This operation will directly benefit our campers, providing funds to completely rebuild the water system, electrical system, leaky roofs on lodges, outfitting the kitchen and perhaps enabling the Foundation to purchase the remainder of the camp property. Dangerous trees surrounding campsites and cabins will be removed as well. Our forest is a renewable resource and good forest management is required to keep it healthy and viable. The timbering will leave some temporary scars, but those will heal quickly. The Foundation did pursue other alternatives to timbering; however, they never came to fruition. I urge you to share any questions or concerns you have regarding this operation with our Ranger or any member of our Board of Trustees. Thank you for your continued support of Camp Tuscazoar and we will see you on the trail.

Don

 
Coming Events:

May 1 Camp Workday
May 2 CTF Board Meeting
May 7-9 Dover Dam Weekend
June 6 CTF Board Meeting
June 12 Camp Workday
July 11 CTF Board Meeting
July 17 Camp Workday
August 22 Tuscazoar Reunion
Sept. 17-19 Pig Gig Weekend
Sept. 19 Pig Roast Fundraiser
Oct. 9, 10 Enchanted Tuscazoar

 
Camp Tuscazoar "Breeze"
is published by the
Camp Tuscazoar Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 308
Zoarville, OH 44656-0308
http://www.tuscazoar.org

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