Camp Spoonhowopic is a recognition and celebration of our families and friends. It’s like a wedding, without the wedding.^TM

One of the things we like best about weddings is that they are opportunities for family and friends from far-off places to meet each other and have fun. A wedding also offers a chance to thank important people. After thinking about it for a long time, we decided that we wanted to do these things too. And that we wanted to build campfires.

Not that we know of. If you want to get married, it’s B.Y.O.O. (Bring Your Own Officiant).

We say “spoon-hoe-woe-pick.” Other people say a lot of other things.

To give everyone a chance to meet each other, we’re hoping that people can stay from Friday evening to Sunday midday (September 7-9, 2007). The activities we’re planning will be the most fun if people have a chance to work together over the course of the weekend. Of course, if you can only make it for part of the weekend, you should still come!

We, on the other hand, are planning to arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday and hang out before the main event begins. Let us know if you’re interested in showing up earlier in the week.

You know, tug-o-war, three-legged race, sing-alongs, and boondoggle (but not the federally financed type). Some volunteers will be cooking for our 100+ guests. There are basketball and volleyball courts, and the park is a great place for hiking, swimming, and all kinds of other outdoor activities, too. We’ll provide lots of options and you’ll be able to choose what you’re most interested in.

Camp Spoonhowopic will be held in at Camp Turner and some nearby cabins and cottages in Allegany State Park. It is about 2.5 hours drive from Rochester and Cleveland, and about 3 hours from Pittsburgh. The closest airports are Buffalo (BUF) and Erie (ERI), which are both about 1 to 1.5 hours drive away. There is a small airport close by in Jamestown (JHW). People may also choose to fly into Rochester, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh and carpool with our friends and family.

To make sure all our friends and family will be comfortable, we chose a location with three different kinds of lodging:

• Camp Turner cabins — In addition to a dining hall, Camp Turner includes five large cabins that can accommodate up to 24 people each. Here are the pros and cons of staying in these cabins:
  • center of action: close to dining hall, campfires, activities
  • bathrooms and showers in adjacent building
  • share a room with 8 of your new closest friends
• Weller cabins — A short, wooded walk from Camp Turner, the Weller cabins offer a bit a more privacy.
  • rustic cabin sleeps 4-8 with fridge and stove (rustic = no linens, curtains, or kitchenware)
  • no running water, bathrooms are short walk away
• Fancher cottages — For our close family, we’ve rented several fully-equipped cottages. We’re not going to make our grandparents stay at Turner with us.
  • two bedrooms, full kitchen, new appliances, cozy living room
  • fully-equipped = includes linens, dishes, pots, sofa
  • picnic table and grill outside
  • two mile drive from Camp Turner
  • limited availability!

There are pictures of all these cabins (and more!) online, and there is a summary below.

To see where the cabins are in relation to each other, check out these maps of the park.

Yes! You don’t have to worry about choosing people to share a room with — we’ll match friends and family together into cabins.

Definitely bring your enthusiasm and your camp spirit! We’ll make a more detailed list as the weekend gets closer, but if you’re staying in one of the Turner or Weller cabins, you will need bedding and a flashlight. There will be plenty of people around to appreciate your juggling equipment, ice cream, Springform pans, Scotch collection, ukulele, Setters of Catan expansion packs, etc., so you might need those too!

Thanks, but we already have (at least) two of everything. Your participation is all that we’re asking for. Your 110%, all-in, no-holds-barred participation. That’s it.

That’s not a question, but you should call us anyway. We’re happy to try to convince you that you won’t be roped into a pie-eating contest against your will.

ROWR!