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November 2000
Vol. 11, Number 4
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Camp upgrades continue; roads,
amphitheater are latest projects
Visitors
at the Pig Gig campfire were thrilled with the new benches and the repairs to the stone
risers in the Hoover Lodge amphitheater. The benches, 72 in all, were
constructed by the Plastic Lumber Company in Akron. Ninety percent of the cost for these
sturdy, weather-resistant benches was funded by the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid
Waste Management District.
The camp roads also received much-needed attention prior to
the Pig Gig weekend. Much of the
camp's road system was graded, crowned and topped with slag. Drainage has never been
better and camp vehicles can get into and out of camping areas more easily.
The dining hall kitchen ceiling has been replaced, thanks to
efforts of Mike Snider. Mike worked tirelessly to make certain the new ceiling was
installed before the Pig Roast.
Long-time Tuscazoar campers may remember the large kerosene lanterns
that were once mounted on the sandstone pedestals in central camp. Thanks to a generous
donation by the Wayne Mutual Insurance Company, Camp Tuscazoar will once again have
lanterns to light the way for campers.
The Zoarville Station Bridge has been dismantled and its
components have been placed into secure storage. Sheldon Gantt Construction Expediters
completed the project in late September. Construction of the new approaches continues
while the Foundation works to raise the funds to refurbish and reassemble the bridge.
Here is a list of repair and improvement projects identified
by the camping committee. Please contact the camp if you would be willing to lead or
assist with these much-needed improvements:
| Clean ditches |
One Leg demolition/reconstruction |
| Clean buildings |
Museum and Troop 5 log treatments |
| Cut fire wood |
Install gravel/limestone French drains |
| Hoover masonry |
Logging road erosion work |
| Hoover Amphitheater |
Rex Farrell & One Leg campsites |
| Duryee restoration |
Install a vent system in latrines |
| Pioneer Point gate |
Fire pit at Hoover |
| Fire equipment |
Cabin door locks |
| Jamboree masonry |
Remortar Jamboree wall blocks |
| Keppler masonry |
Need a 35 capacity basic lodge |
| Hay wagon |
Replace Jamboree doors |
| Install Troop 5 cabin door latch with spring
hinge |
| Fix Hoover water leaks around front fireplace
and corners |
| Install shelves and a wood stove in Troop 5
cabin kitchen |
| Fix bunks (bolts, stackers, bases, paint) in all
lodges . |
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Canal Adventure 2000 includes Tuscazoar
Canal Adventure 2000, an eight-day journey along the
110-mile Ohio & Erie Canal corridor, included a tour of Camp Tuscazoar. After a noon
meal at the Zoar Tavern, the party hiked to Buzzard's Roost and the Zoarite iron mines and
also visited Pioneer Point. Those joining the early October hike included Dan Rice,
executive director of the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor Coalition; Paul Labovitz, a
recreational planner for the National Park Service; Guy Denny, a retired division chief
for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR); and Chuck Klosterman, a Beacon
Journal staff writer. All first-time visitors, they expressed their enthusiasm for the
camp and its natural beauty. Not only was the weather ideal, but two deer were sighted
along the trails as well. For more details and pictures, visit: http://www.ohio.com/canalwalk/. |
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Where silver snowflakes sparkle, and
the winter winds blow cold,
there's a ghostly miner, still lookin' for gold...
Join the search for gold at the
Gold Rush Competition, Feb. 9-11
Winter is arguably Camp Tuscazoar's most beautiful season...the
clean, crisp air...the crunch of frozen snow beneath sled runners... the crackle of
campfires deep in the winter woods...a glorious display of evening stars...and maybe a few
ghosts of the past as well.
Join Camp Tuscazoar's phantom miner and search for gold at the annual Gold
Rush competition, February 9-11. The event will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday. Competing
groups will travel either by sled or by foot to "cities" scattered throughout
camp, tackling a variety of outdoor-related challenges. Perhaps the most important
ingredient for success will be team spirit.
Groups will be divided into one of three categories based on the unit's
average age. Awards will be presented to the top three finishers in each category.
Please prepare properly for the winter weather. And, while we can't promise
snow, we can promise a good time for all. The participation fee is $6.00 per person, which
includes a hot meal and an event patch. Camping fees are additional. Units need not camp
to compete, but must register in advance. If your group is planning to participate, please
contact the camp right away.
Camp Tuscazoar IS your camp
All of us have a camp we call
"my camp". Some Scouters say their camp is Manatoc, PeeWee, Faith Ranch, Seven
Ranges or McKinley. It’s an experience or group of events that help us form that
opinion. Perhaps you learned to swim, shot a gun or bow, received the Pipestone award or
held a special meal or event there. We've seen examples of how Tuscazoar is your camp: the
teens in for a day hike who pack out their trash; the elderly man who picks up a small
piece of litter (not his); the bikers who lay down small bridges at stream/trail crossings
to stop erosion; the horse riders who shovel up horse droppings in the parking lot; groups
that mop a building or proudly leave twice as much wood as they were left; the brothers
who put roofs on your buildings; the three volunteers who gave up a week of vacation and
personal time to make the camp look great for the Pig Gig. Nobody told these
somebody’s to do these good deeds. If you're not sure what you can do or what your
camp needs, ask a trustee or officer. Be one of those "somebodys" who announce
that this is their camp loudly with their actions and deeds. Remember, we don’t have
eight weeks worth of all those little good turn projects from summer camp anymore. Thank
you!
Your Buildings And Grounds Committee |
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Endowment Fund
Helping to Keep the Spirit Burning
The following persons have helped ensure the future of Camp Tuscazoar with
their generous contributions to the Camp Tuscazoar Endowment Fund.
The Esber Family
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As the close of the year 2000 approaches, let's glance back to see how far
we've come. Camp Tuscazoar is now 80 years old and is thriving with all the improvements
that have been made, with more on the way. As the year-end approaches, what better time to
make a donation to the Camp Tuscazoar Endowment Fund? This fund was established to ensure
that maintenance and improvement projects would have an ongoing source of funding.
Ideally, our yearly income would sustain us, but to keep our camping fees low, we must
rely on other sources of income such as fund-raisers and interest from this Endowment
Fund. For the interest to be usable, we must continue to increase the principal. Why not
consider a gift to the Endowment Fund as we begin the 21st century? Your contribution is
100% tax deductible and we will acknowledge your gift immediately. As we embark on the new
millennium, let's keep our past alive for the next generations by helping to "keep
the spirit burning" at Camp Tuscazoar. |
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"From ...the
Ranger's Stump"
by Rangers Dana and Paula Powers
Greetings Tuscazoarians. Fall was welcomed by several changes here at
camp. A 20-minute snow flurry on Sunday morning, October 8th, christened the changing of
the leaves and sent the woodland creatures towards their winter quarters. The colder
weather tested the stamina of the Christian Fellowship Group in camp that weekend.
An open grass area has replaced the pool. In the future this will make a good
activity area for groups. For now, the grass is young and the dirt is settling, so please
“keep off the grass”.
Your main camp roads were bulldozed and covered with a modest layer of slag
to promote traction and slow erosion. I know the member campers who request to drive to
their sites will appreciate this. If you're permitted to drive to your site please follow
the direction signs (counterclockwise).
The new benches (seating for roughly 275) in Hoover Amphitheater were
inaugurated with a campfire from God’s own Royal Rangers, a full dress wedding and
Seneca’s Fall Camporee.
Among other completed projects was the Heritage Trail (my personal
favorite), which was revitalized through the efforts of Eagle candidate Nick Zorko and his
helpers. Thanks to those who are diligently cleaning up old and new trails, clearing
around sites and buildings and cutting downed trees for firewood.
The groups who enjoy your camp have expanded as well. Recently, the parking
lot was lined with horse trailers, and cars from hikers and bicyclists. Scout groups from
across Ohio and as far away as Tennessee, West Virginia, and Kentucky are deriving
benefits from camp. We’re not just your old scout camp anymore, but scouting is your
mainstay.
Camp Tuscazoar has been here for you and your youth groups since 1920. Will
you be here to volunteer and support it in the 2000’s?
On the trail. Dana |
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Pig Gig/Pig Roast weekend another rip-roarin' success
Another Pig Gig/Pig Roast weekend has come and gone.
Despite a questionable start with the weather, the weekend turned out terrific.
Friday
night, we roasted "s'mores" around the campfire with entertainment by
"Buckeye Slim". Everyone enjoyed sitting around the campfire and singing cowboy
songs!
On Saturday, the campers participated in various pig related activities,
including leatherworking using a pig tool, a pig obstacle course, a demonstration of
barrel racing and roping, and a hike on the newly restored "Heritage Trail".
A cookoff at high noon at the O.K. Corral drew several lip-smackin' entries.
Fortunately the Fairfield Township Rescue Paramedics served as judges, so we were well
prepared. Troop 177 ran away with the winning entries. They prepared chili with cornbread
that really was delicious. More than 200 campers enjoyed the pig roast dinner Saturday.
The evening concluded with a rousing campfire provided by Cowboy Len Zaleski and his wife.
They managed to lasso many of the campers and the evening was a huge success.
On Sunday, attention focused on the annual pig roast fund-raiser, for which
we have become famous far and wide. A wonderful sunny day greeted the workers. What
glorious weather for families to enjoy the beauty which is Tuscazoar, a great meal and the
foot-stompin' music of Crossroads.
We are extremely grateful to all those who donated time and efforts to this
project and we would like to publicly thank the following businesses whose donations made
the pig roast possible:
Bag and Save |
Goshen Dairy |
Buehlers in Dover |
Wilson Cardinal Market |
Crossroads Market |
Dutch Valley Bakery |
Bluebird Pies |
Swiss Village Bakery |
Burger King, Fulton Rd. |
Cake Box Bakery |
Rees Cast Stone |
One generous person |
Royal Oak Charcoal Co. |
Fisher Foods |
We would also like to thank our members who
graciously sold their tickets and attended our event. We made a lot of new friends on
Sunday afternoon. The final results are not yet in but our gross income is pushing $5,000.
These funds will go a long way in maintaining the camp we call Tuscazoar. Not many groups
can boast that 100% of the profits are returned to the organization but we can assure you
that we can make that promise.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, a big THANK YOU to all who supported this
effort. We look forward to a bigger event next year.
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Former Trustee Tracy Farrall passes away
Tracy R. Farrall, age 54, of Canton,
passed away in July after a brief illness. He was born in Canton and was a life resident
of the area except for his service in the U.S. Army from 1965-1971. He was preceded in
death by his father, Rex Farrall, in 1972 and his mother, Ada Zaugg Farrall in 1999. Tracy
was a 1965 graduate of Lincoln High School. He owned and operated the IT'S ABOUT TIME
antique shop. Tracy served as a trustee on the camp board in the late 1980's and early
1990's. Our condolences to Tracy's family. |
Coming Events:
| Dec. 3 |
CTF Board Meeting |
| Dec. 9 |
Camp Workday |
| Jan. 7 |
CTF Board Meeting |
| Feb. 4 |
CTF Board Meeting |
| Feb. 9-11 |
Gold Rush Competition |
| March 4 |
CTF Board Meeting |
| April 1 |
CTF Board Meeting |
| May 4-6 |
Dover Dam Weekend |
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Camp Tuscazoar "Breeze"
is published by theCamp Tuscazoar Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 308
Zoarville, OH 44656-0308
http://www.tuscazoar.org |
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Heritage Trail signs restored
Nick Zorko of Canton's Troop 4 has
restored Camp Tuscazoar's Heritage Trail signs for his Eagle project. Established in 1995
for Tuscazoar's 75th anniversary, the Heritage Trail begins at the stockade, loops through
camp and eventually concludes in the parking lot. Along the trail, hikers encounter 42
signs that discuss the
 camp's history. The
original signs were destroyed by the elements or by vandalism.
The trail now features a new improved set of signs in sturdy wooden frames.
The signs have been treated, sealed and mounted securely to their wooden posts and a
plexiglass cover keeps the rain or snow from damaging the contents.
Our thanks to Nick, his parents and his troop for this outstanding effort. A
plaque in central camp commemorates his work. Maps for the trail are available at the W.C.
Moorhead Museum or from the campmaster.
Junior membership established
The Camp Tuscazoar Foundation Board of
Trustees has established a Junior Member class for those under 18 years of age. Junior
Members are entitled to use camp facilities under adult supervision and will also receive
the "Breeze", but have no special camping privileges and cannot vote. The cost
is $5 per year. Junior membership is ideal for youth volunteers, or as a gift for young
family members. Contact the camp for more details. |
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