Carnival Time at 1977 Ravenswood East

Carnival night became quite a show at Muscular Dystrophy Camp.  Here are some photos of that special night at Camp Hastings, in northern Illinois, in 1977.

Mary Ann Mariffino & Patty Davy

Rich Westley & Aaron Adams

Front: Dawn Coats, Diane Wilferd, & Mary Jo Clancy

Mike Oliver, Bob Medrala, ? Jo Ann Webster, & Jan Mozack

Pat McTeague & Joe Doyle

Chris Batdorf, John Healey, Pat Wilsey, Matt Covington, & Jimmy Martin  

Chris Bouras (right) & (prob) Mark Cichon

Danny Scanlon & Kathy Kobit

Ashwall Dutt at the marriage booth with his bride

Joey Brown (center) at the marriage booth with his bride Marion Liptak (left)

David Sweeney (rt) & ? Linda Ochwat 

Bill Sugrue (rt) & ? Pat O'Donnell

Jeff Sader (far left) & Kevin Brinkman (to immediate right of sign)

Eric Sover & ?? Toby Johnston

Phil Rose & Frank Bresemann

Ron Balsamo as the Candy Cane Man

MDA Camp Ravenswood -- 1977

Up, Up, and Away with Our Beautiful Balloons -- Hopefully

For many years at the end of a week at Muscular Dystrophy Camp in northern Illinois we all gathered in the open, addressed postcards to ourselves, attached them to helium-filled balloons, and released them into the air.  We hoped a stranger somewhere would find each one, note where it landed, and mail it to us.  We would wonder – Would mine fly south to Arlington Heights or Oak Lawn?  Or north to Oconomowoc, Manitowoc, or even Tahquamenon Falls?  Maybe west to Genoa or Roscoe, or east across the lake to Saugatuck.  Or would it just get stuck in the trees all around us a few feet away, as many did year after year, the prospect of which Danny Martin would parody in his hilarious lunchtime send-ups of the old WGN Wally Phillips daytime (often boring) talk show.

One such day in 1982 I brought my camera, and here’s what it saw:

Irene Roach & Danny Martin

Two of the four Bolden Brothers: Eric and Russ (without Ceodes [Butch] and Stan)

Cherly Vanerio & Carol Tsao

(Front:) John Mayer & Eric Cook

Sitting L to R:  Mike Jarrett, probably Debbie Goodman, Sandy Kardaras, & Alice Dickerson.
Standing L to R:  Loretta Martin, probably Catherine Schuler, Kerry Barnett (from Australia), unidentified, Inhe Choi, and Elizabeth Schwartz      

Bob Schumacker & Warren Robinson

Chris Mathews (front) and Maureen Martin, with Kathy Bavaro in the background

Jimmy Cofer

Mae Hall & Barb Sesley sitting; behind them probably Sandra Twillie & Lisa Strubin.

Roger Gordon & Monica Murphy

Karen Black

Mary Frandsen

Danny Martin & John "The Golden Greek" Lianos

Toga Toga -- Camp Hastings 1985, Not Rome

Claire Martin, Johnny Angelico, Joe Browne, & Alvin James

Linda Feeley & Friend

Joan Petitgoue & Bridget Carey

? Paula DeStefano & Karen Binkley

Timmy Sullivan in Period Garb

Ron Balsamo & Jeff Sader

Patty Riley

Catherine "Boo" Schuler & ? Cathy Amedeo 

? Carrie Gill & Ingrid Bouwman

Barb Kudron & ? Cheryl Rosenwinkel

Doug Batesky & Mike Angelico

Jack Magic & Rick Westley

Dinner at the Camp Drive-In

Remember the 1950s?  Well, I do, some, and one vague memory is the drive-in fast food restaurant where girls on roller skates moved quickly between kitchen and cars to take orders and serve food.  As seen in American Graffiti and Happy Days.

Those at camp in 1980 who missed the real thing were treated to a reasonable facsimile when a whole crew of guys and gals dressed in their best 1950s garb – poodle skirts, tight tees, rolled-up blue jeans, and slick DAs – and on roller skates served the whole camp dinner al fresco.  It was a sight to see, and surprisingly no one went hungry from spilled food.  Kudos to all those skaters.  A wistful aside:  1980 was far closer to 1955 than 1980 is from today.  Rick Balsamo



A Classic 1950s Poodle Skirt Helps Create the Ambiance 



Maria Brown Stays Afoot

Bob Medrala Looking Sout'-side Tough

Sherri Tumpa, Kathy Sheehan, & Mary Ann McGinn

John Walsh Still On His Feet -- But For How Much Longer?

Jeff Sader: "Now Exactly Who Asked for Seconds?"