Fast forward to last Thursday: I headed down to my hometown of Winchester, Virginia, to spend some time with my parents, and to attend my high school marching band's reunion. It ended up being such a fun weekend to reconnect (in person!) with the people with whom I spent the majority of my time in high school.
The event was held at our sleepaway band camp in Hedgesville, WV, at Camp Frame (a 4-H camp). As I pulled up to the camp and saw the Camp Frame sign, I got a lump in my throat, and so many feelings and memories of that camp came rushing back. I got out of my car, threw some sunscreen on, and went inside the dining hall with Allan and Sara. There, I was scream-hugged by our band Aunt June, which confirmed I was definitely in the right place.
A group of us checked out the cabins... I swear, if those walls could talk, I'm sure they would have some stories to tell! As it was, the stories told by the "boys" were hilarious. Why do the boys always have the best stories??
The event itself went off beautifully. The planners really spared no detail.... other than the print of the name tags. Nothing says we're getting older like needing enlarged print! The food was great, and the desserts.. yummy (especially that PB fudge... if whoever made it would like to share the recipe with me, I would love it!). It was fun to check out the campground... not a whole lot had changed.
It was so much fun to catch up with friends. But the best part of the day was honoring our director, Dan Schoemmell. Some people shared their memories of band camp, competitions, and practices, and Mr. Schoemmell was at the center of those stories. He told us about the bogus cabin inspections.... how the worst cabin would have kitchen duty. He had us kids petrified of them, but in fact, they were designed to take our focus off of the fact that we were up early, to bed late, and marched around in blistering heat and humidity. You know what? It worked! A few years later I figured out that each cabin was going to have kitchen duty, regardless of the state of the cabins.
Mr. Schoemmell was an exceptional leader. He commanded respect, not only for himself, but also for our band parents and for one another... and most important... for yourself. He had demanding expectations for his students: know your material, be early (because to be on time is to be late), be prepared to work hard in class, at band camp, and at home when you practiced your music. You were expected to conduct yourself in a professional manner when at school, or out and about, because wherever you went either wearing your uniform or band apparel, you represented the James Wood Marching Band.
It was clear that Mr. Schoemmell had an impact on the lives of so many. The reunion was only a small gesture of the gratitude so many of us feel towards him. I'm thankful that I could go... it was a reminder of the lessons that remain with me still today.
#isurvivedbandcamp
#campframe
#jameswoodmarchingband
#colonels
#thisonetimeatbandcamp
