Camp Scatico

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Camp Scatico is a sleep-away camp for boys and girls that is located in the picturesque Berkshire Mountains of Eastern New York State (Columbia County) and has been in operation since 1921. The camp was started by Nat Holman of the Original Celtics. After being sold to Holman's niece Ruth and son-in-law Irwin “Flick” Fleischner (1922–2004) in 1964, the camp is in the hands of their son, David Fleischner.

Although the population of campers and staff hail from all corners of the world, the camp maintains a semi-observant but secular Jewish identity, which includes blessings over Shabbat candles and challah on Fridays. Following dinner on Friday nights, the boys would go to the waterfront a hear a short talk by Flick. This weekly event is a strong memory for generations of Scatico campers.

Contents 1 Camp MTV 2 Bonds 3 Scatico Society 4 Accreditation and Inter-Camp Play 5 Camp Tradgedy 6 Notables 7 Other Camps at Scatico 8 Contact Information

[edit] Camp MTV

During the summer of 1989, because of then-vice president of programming Doug Herzog, who attended the camp in the 1970s, various personalities from MTV visited the camp, including Adam Curry, Doctor Dré, Ed Lover, Ken Ober, Mario Joyner, and John Ten Eyck; and celebrities such as Victoria Jackson, "Weird Al" Yankovic, and Michael Richards, to tape what became a 6-hour programming block called Camp MTV to promote the film UHF, which aired August 6, 1989.

[edit] Bonds

The bonds formed at the camp are often very strong, drawing back campers for many years. Many campers become counselors. Several marriages have resulted between campers or staff. Reunions are frequent.

[edit] Scatico Society

Depending on the length of stay at the camp, various modes of recognition are provided: jackets, sports bags, etc. Names of male campers and staff who have spent numerous summers at Scatico (5 years for campers, 3 years for counselors) are inscribed on plaques in the boys’ indoor basketball (social hall) court. Female campers and staff who have done the same are inscribed on plaques in the girls’ dining hall.Mike and Elisa Madorsky are one of those many couples

[edit] Accreditation and Inter-Camp Play

Camp Scatico is a member of the American Camp Association. The campers compete with other camps in the region in various sports.

[edit] Camp Tradgedy

In the summer of 1999, a camper, Jeremy Shinefeld, died while on a camp hiking trip. Jeremy died when his counslors were unable, despite their best efforts, to recover the child from the strong current of the flooded river. The camp was given the go-ahead by the Columbia department of health for the hike to cross the river. A search and rescue effort was conducted for 36 hours with camp staff and counselors assisitng the local authorities. Ulitmately the child was found lodged under a large branch under the surface of the water approxiamtely 100-200 ft down river of the original crossing site.

Also, Camp Scatico is known for its discriminatory nature by a single family. After the 2003 summer, two diabteic campers and siblings were unable to return to camp because according to David Fleishner, their care of their diabetes did not work within his camp environment. The reason these two campers were not invited back to camp was due to their and their family's inability to properly regulate their diabetes during thier daily activiites. An extremely conscientious counselor and medical staff tried their best to regulate these campers sugar levels. But in the end the lack of cooperation from the parents and the resistance to maintain a stable blood sugar on a daily basis led to the decision that camp was not a suitable place for these irresponsible campers. A private nurse was also employed in an effort to stabilize the campers--their resistance (often running away from the nurse into the woods) was the ultimate demise of their camp career.

[edit] Notables

Camp Scatico's staff played a major role in the early career of the band God Street Wine. The members of the band played at various local bars patronized by the camp staff during many summers in the early 1990s. During one camp season, the band members visited the camp for a game of softball. Other notables who attended the camp include singer Lesley Gore, screenwriter Zak Penn, comedian Modi Rosenfeld, and songwriter Carole Bayer Sager

[edit] Other Camps at Scatico

After the full summer session at Scatico is finished, various other camps may filter in and out using Scatico's facilities in order to run their camps. One example is the Make Running Fun Cross-Country Camp, which is a 1-week camp for runners, mainly from northern New Jersey, who want to get in better shape for the upcoming cross country season. Fresh Youth Initiative uses the facilities on occasion as well.

[edit] Contact Information

Although mail can reach the camp by addressing the envelope to Camp Scatico, Elizaville, NY 12523, the official mailing address of the camp is 1558 County Route 19, P.O. Box 6, Elizaville, NY 12523.

Other contact info for the camp:

Tel: (845) 756-4040 Fax: (845) 756-2298

info@scatico.com

Official Web site