Posts Tagged ‘family camp’

Ohana Camp, Hulbert, and all of Aloha bids farewell to Deb & Andy Williams

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Sunday, January 1st, 2012

Deb & Andy WilliamsAs we ring in 2012, Aloha bids farewell to two people who, as much as anyone over the past quarter-century, have embodied The Aloha Foundation’s spirit and traditions. Deb and Andy Williams, who ran Hulbert Outdoor Center for two decades and Ohana Family Camp for the past six years — are retiring. They’ve introduced hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people to the Aloha experience during their time here, and broadened that experience to include people of all ages.

On a still-warm day in December, they sat in the sunroom of their Norwich, Vermont home and reflected on their own Aloha experience. Not surprisingly, they talked a lot about their work at Ohana, the family camp they helped build over the past decade.

“One has very few opportunities in a career to start something from scratch,” said Andy. (more…)

Winter Solstice at Hulbert Outdoor Center

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Tuesday, December 21st, 2010
Aloha Camps Vermont Winter Landscape

This quiet winter scene does not reveal winter residents working hard to stay warm.

Last week I found myself strolling across a blanket of fresh snow that had fallen on the campus of Hulbert Outdoor Center.  I criss-crossed, meandered and then turned in circles as following the footprints left in the snow from our local wintering residents - red squirrels, raccoons, black-capped chickadees and shrews to name a few.  Campers, school groups and families have long since bid their farewells to Lakes Morey and Fairlee, the vibrant greens of summer and fiery oranges of fall are now just memories as various shades of white dominate the landscapes of the Aloha Camps. Just this week, the last sections of open water on Lake Morey were closed off by the growing surface ice, leaving no room for the large groups of mallards and merganser ducks that had been socializing near the waterfront.

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Aloha Foundation’s Camp Photo of the week ~ Fairlee, Vermont

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Thursday, June 17th, 2010
Vermont Shanty Shane Cottage in Winter 1929

A March 1929 winter greeting shows a Shanty Shane cabin wreathed with snow.

Ohana Camp was built in the early 1900s primarily as lodging for families with children at the many summer camps then operating around Lake Fairlee. Known originally as Shanty Shane, the property was described in a brochure of the day as a “vacation camp for adults and families in the hills of the high country west of the Connecticut River, with cozy little houses built for two or more, and a main hall on such a height as to afford a view unsurpassed in New England.”  Shanty Shane offered many amenities to city dwellers eager for the cool breezes of a Vermont summer.  One of the amenities at that time, although no longer offered, but hidden in the nearby undergrowth, was a nine-hole practice golf course!

Although the snug cabins are not winterized, Ohana Camp remains a beautiful place to explore either in summer or winter.