Please Join Us in Celebrating The 100th
Anniversary of the Randolph Mountain Club!
Caretaker and Trail Crew Reunion
Join us for a once-in-a-lifetime memorable
weekend of RMC alumni visiting, oral histories, games, music
and activities.
August 6-8, 2010
Stearns Lodge, Cold Brook Lodge, Jones Cottage
Durand Road, Randolph
Friday: Oral Histories, Evening Potluck
and Campfire
Saturday: Oral Histories, Caretaker Alumni
versus Trail Crew Alumni Softball, Catered Dinner, RMC Jeopardy,
Live Bluegrass.
Sunday: Alumni Trails and Camps projects.
All events are open to all RMC friends.
Housing and camping available at no cost.
Schedule of Events
Friday, August 6
All day: Oral Histories
RMC alumni caretakers Steve Chase and Sally Manikian will be
on hand at the Randolph Pavilion, adjacent to the Ravine House
Pool, collecting oral histories from attending alumni. The project
will endeavor to collect a wide range of oral histories over
this three day period. National historians from the USDA Forest
Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will assist in conducting
formal oral history interviews. Both single and group interviews
will take place. Further information will be coming, later. Please
consider participating. We can't let the rich history and the
grand experiences that we all had while working for the RMC be
lost.
Rain site: second floor, Jones Cottage.
Contact: Sally
Manikian.
Friday evening, 6 pm on:
Potluck dinner and campfire
Join us for a low-key, evening potluck around the campfire at
the Jones Cottage. Trail crew alum Dan Rubchinuk Healey will
provide fresh chicken, and alum Amy Huyffer will provide ice
cream from her Stafford Organic Dairy. Bring a dish to share.
The Jones Cottage kitchen will be available for use.
Contact: Laura
Conchelos.
Saturday, August 7
All day: Oral Histories
See information above.
2 pm: Alumni Trail Crew versus
Caretakers Softball Game
The baseball diamond is located in the field in front of Cold
Brook Lodge. Park at the designated location, near the tent and
ball field. Bring a mitt if you have one. Extras will be available.
Contact: Dave Salisbury at salis_da@yahoo.com
5 pm - 8 pm: Potluck dinner
at Stearns Lodge Libby's Bistro will be catering the entree
portion of this dinner gathering. Attendees are encouraged to
bring a small side dish or dessert to share. Dinner will be under
the large event tent, in case of inclement weather. There is
a nominal charge of $25, payable at the dinner, to defray the
cost of the dinner and the tent. There is no charge for those
under the age of 10.
Copies of the brand new RMC
history, Peaks and Paths, to be released this July 4th, will
be available for sale and can be signed by author Judy Hudson.
Commemorative RMC t-shirts will also be available.
Important note: Reservations
are required for the dinner, so the RMC can tally numbers. To
make a reservation: Simply email Doug
Mayer. Thank you!
7 pm: RMC Trail Crew and
Caretaker Jeopardy
Master of Ceremonies: Al Sochard
During dinner, we'll take a short break from socializing, to
play a round of Al Sochard's popular RMC edition of "Jeopardy."
8 pm - 11 pm: Bluegrass with
Hot Flannel
There may be no better band for a gathering of trail crew and
caretaker alumni, than the critically acclaimed New England bluegrass
group Hot Flannel. Featuring award-winning fiddler Patrick Ross,
the band plays throughout the northeast, and has even hiked to
Madison Hut to play at the annual August-fest mountain bash.
The lively group includes electric and acoustic violin, electric
and acoustic guitar, upright bass and drums. Bring your dancing
shoes, or just relax in the corner and listen to some great music.
For more details on Hot Flannel, see http://www.myspace.com/hotflannelvt.
Sunday, August 8
9 am- mid afternoon: Alumni
trails and camps projects.
As part of the weekend's festivities, attendees will have an
opportunity to give back to RMC, by participating in some light
trail work and camps projects. The Camps Committee is planning
a composting and/ or site rehabilitation project at Crag and/or
Log Cabin.
On the Trails front, Trails
Co-chairs Mike Micucci and Cristin Bailey have planned a project,
building cedar and tamarack bog bridges at the start of the Howker
Ridge Trail near the Randolph East trailhead.
There are a variety of possibilities
for housing during the reunion. They include:
Jones Cottage: Dan and Edith
Tucker have graciously loaned RMC the use of the Jones Cottage,
the former home of RMC's trail crew and caretakers. Camping will
be available in the spacious, adjacent mowed field east of the
Jones Cottage. The Jones Cottage includes three showers with
hot water, bathrooms, and communal cooking space. RMC trails
alum Laura Conchelos will be acting as "JC" coordinator,
staying in the cottage during the reunion. For more info, contact
Laura Conchelos.
Randolph Homes: Sally Micucci
is coordinating spare bedrooms in town. If you'd like to avail
yourself of the chance to stay right in town, with a friend of
the RMC, please email Sally.
All events are open to all RMC
friends. We ask for advance sign-up for the Saturday dinner,
so we can track numbers. The $25 Saturday evening fee assures
that RMC will cover costs. Money will be collected that evening,
during the dinner.
Location:
All events are being held adjacent
to Cold Brook Lodge. Access the area via Durand Road, approximately
1.7 miles from the west end of Durand Road at Lowe's Store, or
approximately 1.3 miles from the east end of Durand Road at the
Wood Farm.
What else is there to do
in the area?
Lots! RMC guidebooks are available
at Lowe's Store on Route 2 and elsewhere in Gorham. Swimming
is available at the Ravine House Pool on Durand Road. Nearby
Gorham has many restaurants, two cafes, and basic services.
Carpooling and other Coordination:
Trails alum Laura Conchelos
has set up a Google Group for sharing ideas, discussion, and
to facilitate carpooling, for those traveling from a distance.
Could you offer a ride to a fellow RMC alum? Are you traveling
from Boston or other points south, with an extra space or two?
Add a note here:
We'll post further information
at this web site, and will watch it for questions or comments.
Staying Connected
If you need to stay connected
during your visit, there's cell coverage in Randolph valley,
and free wifi will be available on the porch at Cold Brook Lodge.
