Aquatics fun at Many Point
Many Point Scout Camp is a veritable water wonderland! While most camps are a camp upon a lake, Many Point Scout Camp is a series of camps around a lake. Each of the program camps has a fleet of watercraft that include canoes, rowboats, sailboats, inner tubes for water polo and an impressive aqua trampoline that can entertain fourteen Scouts at a time! A favorite attachment is the Aqua Launch, or simply “the blob,” whereby a Scout can sit at the end and another Scout jumps on the launcher, propelling a Scout through the air and into the lake! Whit a good sound jump, a Scout on the end can perform a triple gainer if the wind is just right. At that, the competition starts as one Scout tries to outdo another Scout in height, distance and even style!Flintlock offers waterskiing behind the new Mastercraft ski boat, three jet skis, sea kayaks, the Saturn and the Iceberg. While the ski boat and jet skis speak for themselves, the Saturn is a ringed floating structure where Scouts balance teamwork, creativity and one heck of a good time–especially with the hot weather we have had! The Iceberg is a sixteen foot high structure that challenges Scouts to scale its height and slide into the water with a big leap of faith at the top. The Iceberg builds confidence and is also one heck of a lot of fun.
The great thing is that all water items really help Scouts to develop teamwork, communication, initiative, build confidence and help Scouts along the road to fulfilling the mission of Scouting and the elements of the outdoor program. Scouting is truly a series of “games with a purpose.” And Many Point intends to take advantage of every opportunity to help young boys grow into young men with character!
Big Joe
Joe Glaccum is a Many Point institution who is the unseen man that makes things happen. Joe started in 1987 as trail crew chief, carving out the trail to the Back of the Moon. In 1988, he began his tenure as food service director, which he continues to present. All the while, he has also served in a variety of other roles, including trading post director, services director, business director, driver and sanitation director. In truth, Joe is happy to do whatever it takes to make Many Point run!His Scouting history is long! He grew up in New York but moved to Minnesota. He was a cubmaster for three years, a scoutmaster for ten years, chair of the Lake Minnetonka district Scout committee for eight years, participated in Wood Badge, conducted a junior leader training program for years and earned Scouting’s Silver Beaver award!
At Many Point he works to ensure an effective food service program. His job starts long before camp by assessing feedback from the previous year, helping to create a menu, acquiring food and establishing a staff that values quality control!
During the storm of 1995, the camp was without power for six days and everyone was worried that all the frozen and refrigerated food would perish. Joe contacted a trucking company and was able to secure a refrigeration truck that preserved the camp’s food via diesel engine! This type of creativity and focus on mission makes Joe a very valuable staff member. His actions have been replayed time and time again in a variety of ways.
Thanks for all that you do Joe, and Many Point hopes you continue for another twenty-five years!
A Look Into The Past
The cultural history of the people who have lived near Many Point is rich. Scouts have the opportunity to visit the Many Point History Center to learn about the Ojibwe and Dakota, voyageurs, loggers, sportsmen and Boy Scouts that have called Many Point home.Many Point Staff Alumni Association historians have spent countless hours making this museum a place that is dedicated to sharing the story of these people groups. In one part, Scouts take a guided tour through time and see how each group has shaped the land and how they themselves add to the rich history of the people. Another part of the museum is dedicated to the history of camp and explores how camp life has changed from 1946 to the present. Scouts have a blast as they see how phones used to work or how the camp functioned without electricity. Patch enthusiasts also enjoy a collection of both historical and more current items.
Favorite Many Point Memories
In the summer of 2010, we collected people’s favorite memories of Many Point to create a top 100 Many Point memories list. Here are two of them, both relating to the road into camp:
Favorite Many Point memory #69 by Ian G.
Driving into camp on the first day.
Favorite Many Point memory #59 by Scott W.
In 1997 I was a part of an LDS encampment with about 800 LDS boys occupying all of Ten Chiefs and Buckskin. One morning as I walked along the main road, I noticed that two of the Scout Law signs were damaged, and one was broken by someone having thrown large rocks at the sign. I retrieved the signs and took them to the maintenance shop for repair. I apologized to Bob, the Camp Director, for the damage. He said, “I’m glad we have those boys at camp. This is where we can help them the most.” His helpful attitude toward serving troubled youth has always stuck with me. The staff at Many Point is committed to helping boys, and that’s why I love it here. Thanks to all at Many Point who serve our boys.
Granny
Granny is one of those Many Point gems that sparkles in who she is as a person as well as what she contributes to Many Point Scout Camp. Granny is the source of those fantastic carmel and cinnamon rolls that make every breakfast a treat at Many Point. She is also the source of that great Granny bread! Granny has worked at Many Point for twenty-three years and goes through about two an a half tons of flour a summer! In her time at Many Point, that is about fifty-eight tons of flour!!! Troops love Granny and her name is mentioned every week on the adult leader feedback forms.Beyond the baking, Granny works to provide all the meals in the Buckskin Dining Hall, the staff lodges, some Flintlock programs and Ten Chiefs hot stacks. She gives credit to a great team that includes two of her nieces. Granny continually works to solve problems. She never blames someone else nor gives an excuse. When the power went out in the Dining Hall one day, she still managed to serve a hot meal. If more people show up for a meal than expected, she finds a creative solution. If a troop misses a meal time, Granny goes out of her way to make sure that troop gets fed! Her positive attitude is a great contribution to Many Point.
Granny comes from a Finnish family of thirteen children! She proudly boasts that she was number 6 1/2. She and her brother were twins. Her mother had her baking and cooking when she was in fourth grade. Granny is the head cook for the Menagha Schools. She has had that job for thirty three years and could have retired long ago, but Granny is the type of person who loves the people with whom she has contact as well as the joy of doing her job. Granny is the first at work and the last to leave. She and her sister Carol own and operate the Cottage House restaurant in Menagha which only serves fresh home-made cooking, the old-fashioned kind.
Granny is a Many Point gem who truly adds to the shine of Many Point Scout Camp!
The View is Worth the Climb
Many Point’s fire tower sets it apart from other Scouting camps in the US. The tower looms 100 feet in the air, and Scouts challenge themselves mentally and physically by climbing 136 steps to gain a unique aerial view of the lake and camp. While in the cabin at the top, Scouts identify different sub-camps, other lakes in the area, and wave and yell to people below who did not want to make the climb. On a clear day, Scouts can even spot the Tulaby fire tower in the distance. Often, there is a sense of vindication at the top because Scouts conquer their fear of heights by making the trek. For many Scouts, the climb may be a challenge, but the view is definitely worth the effort.Ironman!
Yesterday Scouts, adult leaders and staff participated in the weekly Ironman competition as participants swim, canoe and run a predetermined distance. The very nice thing about this competition is that everyone is a winner! At Many Point the focus is on growing, as a Scout tries new things and gets a little better with each effort. Spectators along the route and at the finish line cheer just as hard or harder for the person that comes in last as they do for the person that comes in first.
It is very common to see staff and adults canoeing, swimming and running alongside a Scout and encouraging him on the course. Moms and dads participate with their sons and share the memories for years to come.
That is what Many Point is all about–a magical place where a Scout can try new things and develop not only skills but also attitudes and character that last a lifetime. Participants may look tired at the end, but they are energized with what they achieved and are that much stronger for the next challenge!
CITs
It is week 3 for camp, and the counselors-in-training are past the halfway point of their experience here. Already they are becoming a part of the staff. From a CIT playing the violin at an opening campfire to another CIT getting beginners comfortable in the water through games, the future of Many Point is shining bright.
The CITs have completed their second week of being in camps, and many have already expressed their disappointment at having to leave before the end of the summer. Many of the staff also do not want to leave, even when camp ends.
Loon Count
Yesterday (July 6th, 2011) the Scouts, the staff and the Family Camp campers participated in the annual Loon count of Many Point Lake. We have been working with the Minnesota State DNR and this program for twenty years as we join with Loon counters throughout the state. The count goes on even though the state in shut down.
Each camp (including Family Camp) went out in boats at 10:00 a.m. to patrol a predetermined section of the 1700 acre lake. Family Camp campers joined the Family Camp staff on the pontoon to observe the shoreline from Family Camp to Whaley’s Resort. It was a great day for the Loon count, with a slight breeze and pleasant temperatures. It makes it easier to see the Loons when the lake is relatively calm.
This year’s count is even more important than past years because of the oil spill. Biologists fear that the oil spill may have affected the Loons that migrate to portions of the Gulf Coast for the winter. Last year the Many Point count revealed 17 Loons that were living at Many Point Lake.
Not only is the Loon the Minnesota state bird, but it also plays a strong role as a symbol of Many Point Scout Camp. It is the oldest bird in the ornithological list and is unique in that it has solid bones, as opposed to the hollow bones of other birds. Those solid bones enable Loons to dive to great depths. It’s primal calls have come to be a sign of the north and have welcomed Scouters to Many Point for 65 years!
And the final Loon count for 2011 is……14.
Many Point Loons
Water sking on many point
New programs at many point are exciting for older scouts that return to camp.
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