Letters from Hyde Bay You Have to Write Home Every Sunday

Campers, we have decided not to use the Hyde Bay Blog in deference to The Hyde Bay Facebook page.

Reason: The WordPress blog is under a spate of attacks by hackers who advertise porn and pharmaceuticals in the comments section. It’s only a matter of time before they make their own blog entries. God forbid! I’ve been there to fend off their comments but can’t defend against hacking into the account.

I encourage everybody to sign up with a free account on Facebook.  They want nothing more than your name and email address. Then search for the  “Hyde Bay Camp” page. When found, send a “Friend Request.”

The original blog will stay to view the old letters but comments will be turned off. I’ll stay vigil and the first sign of account hacking will ring a death knoll for the blog.

Your Nightman,
Steve Cunningham

We have a list of Who’s coming and who can’t for Durbar VI, 2011 on our new Durbar VI page.

Larry Pickett writing — Not 100 % sure but it may have been in Baltimore  maybe in 1972 (this is a SWAG)? I’ve got a ‘silver’ round tray some where but can’t find it.  The name durbar may not have been in use then.

Larry P. and our Nightman have produced yet another complete set from  1951 for our nostalgia.

Brad Damon has materialized from the misty past to provide us an excellent set of photographs from 1953-1959. Many of them are annotated and may provide clues to identification in other photos. If any campers recognize a face that is not identified, please write the Nightman.

Steve Cunningham, your nightman, visited me in Amesbury this weekend and proved himself both as he was (nearly perfect) and he is (improved): as he was (nearly perfect) – interested, excitable, engaged, and energetic; and he is (improved) – suave, polished, knowledgeable, and comptetent.  We heard top-quality, blistering bluegrass music from a band, the spokesperson of which took the time to recognize Steve for his many contributions to the bluegrass-music development in Baltimore. It was a good moment for your Dayman to see someone in whom he had always had great faith and hope honored by people at the top of their game. Did I mention that the band was Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, that the person so knowing about Steve was Tom Adams, that in the bluegrass world there would hardly be an accolade higher? So I who had organized the money for this concert was addressed curtly by one band member, “Are you Steve?” No, I’m not, but I’m beginning to think I might like to be.

Due to the elevated occurrence of spam from Russia, comments will be closed after 14 days. Replies to older posts may be made through normal blog entries.

Thanks to David “Dabba” Dube and Steve Cunningham, the unknown camper in Tent 5, 1960 (Tent Group 6 and Tent Group 7) is identified as Carl Geiger. Also, Camp photo #1, 1960 is tentatively identified as Reed Geiger.

All of the 1956 Home Letters and four Playbills have found their way to our website, thanks to Larry Pickett.

The most poignant memory I have of camp was the summer following camp’s closure when the Picketts, the Hilliards, and the Davisons closed the camp. One evening as the sun was setting; I was sitting on the dining hall porch alone with Mouldy. It was beautiful. The sky was a clear blue. Otsego Lake was becoming Glimmerglass. I must have said how much I will miss this. Mouldy looked at me and said, “This will always be mine and yours. No matter what is here. This is ours. No one can take that away from us.” He was right, that evening is still etched in my memory, and Hyde Bay is still his, mine, and ours.