By Seth Leonard
sleonard@salisburypost.com
It really says something about an organization when one of its leading members recognizes you after an eight-year hiatus.
At least that’s what I thought while shaking hands with Jim Sawyer, an overseer of Camp John J. Barnhardt. The look in his eyes was that unmistakable gaze someone can only pull off when they really do remember you.
It’s been almost a decade since I was a camper on the 1,000-acre Boy Scout reserve and a lot of things have changed.
The rickety old rappelling tower has been knocked down and rebuilt. The pool has been refurbished and refreshed. The shooting sports area is brand new and the rebuilt waterfront and boat docks are unrecognizable.
But what hasn’t changed a bit is the atmosphere of growth and discovery that has always made this place so special.
Camp Director Richard Davis is in his second year of running the show.
“The staff is what makes our camp special,” he said. “The new facilities have really helped them improve their delivery of the programs.”
Davis lives in Salisbury and is basically a professional within the Boy Scouts of America. He’s a testament to the inclusive nature of the organization. Many Scoutmasters reach their position years after earning their Eagle Scout rank and serving as an assistant leader.
Davis took a different path, though. He started as a Cub Scout in the early 1990s, but “didn’t have the best experience.” Since returning to Boy Scouts, Davis has made it his goal to give every boy a great atmosphere to grow into a man.
He’s doing that by surrounding himself with the best staff possible. Joanne Weiland is an assistant director for the Nighthawks program, a collection of first-time campers looking for extra guidance.
“It’s so nice to see them when they accomplish something,” she said while pointing to one boy who was swimming deep in the pool. Earlier in the week he had been afraid to put his head under the water.
Barnhardt operates its summer camp for five weeks each year, including an extra week for staff training. This is just the first session, but the facility is nearly at capacity with more than 350 scouts, not to mention leaders and camp staff.
And although it is one of the best scouting destinations in the Southeast, Barnhardt is a relative bargain. For $175, Scouts get food and lodging, as well as all of their merit badge classes. Some classes, like golf or shotgun, have extra charges associated with materials. Other comparable camps can cost much more.
Prices are kept down in large part by local generosity. The local branch of the Air National Guard provided many materials and did the earth moving for the new shooting range.
The counselers challenged me to show them what I learned to earn my own shotgun merit badge. Unfortunately, the camp’s new Remington 870s were far too nice to blame for my poor shooting. At least they waived the ammunition fees.
Something else that’s changed since the early 2000s when I attended is a different theme for each session. “Barnhardt Before Time” is this week’s catch phrase. Campers rushing by en route to lunch wear everything from hastily made caveman getups to full-fledged Fred Flintstone costumes. The number of kids running with sticks and large clubs would be a mother’s worst nightmare. The idea is to be the most spirited troop, a high honor at the end of the week.
Getting through the week without anyone losing an eye seems to be a secondary concern.
The staff claims that the food at Barnhardt has come a long way over the years. Wednesday’s lunch of chicken nuggets and fries looked pretty similar to the average school lunch.
“Last year the quality of the food was great,” said Eric DiMarzio. “This year the quantity is up, and the quality seems to have been maintained.”
DiMarzio, from troop 401 in Salisbury, manages the waterfront and teaches the new water skiing class. He’s worked at the camp for five years and is a rising junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Regardless of what’s served, scouters relish the knowledge that their parents are coming with homemade foods and clean underwear. Kids have worked hard to come up with skits for their parents, and even the scout leaders get to let their hair down. The old guys get to show off the weight of their wisdom with a belly flop contest and costume competition.
Summer camp is where memories are made and, ideally, boys get a jump start on the long and difficult journey to manhood. Trading in parents and video games for boats and bowline knots is a big step. It helped me swap husky-sized jeans for football pads.
It’s the most real aspect of Scouting that most boys will ever experience, and Barnhardt promises to always be here to push the limits of what growing up can be.
Seth Leonard is an intern working at the Post this summer. Contact him at sleonard@salisburypost.com