What happens when you bring together nearly 100 Chewonki people from across generations and programs?
You get a 7 a.m. bird walk, muddy hands at Salt Marsh Farm, canoes on Montsweag Brook, a red-tailed hawk in the Center for Environmental Education, and a sheep pelt awarded over dinner. And, eventually, you get s’mores.
This August, alumni, families, former staff, trustees, and friends returned to Chewonki Neck for Homecoming.
Young Homecoming guests try their hand at weaving with wool from the Chewonki flock.
Some attendees had Chewonki histories stretching back more than 50 years. Camp alumni from the 1970s swapped stories with recent Semester students and former staff. Alumni brought spouses, friends, and children. Nearly every chapter of Chewonki’s history seemed to have someone there to represent it.
Guests began arriving Friday, settling into cabins and yurts or pitching tents for the weekend. By early Saturday morning, coffee was flowing in the Dining Hall and former Chewonki president Don Hudson was leading a group of early risers on a bird walk around campus.
At high tide, paddlers took canoes onto Montsweag Brook. At Salt Marsh Farm, visitors pulled onions by the crate, harvested beans, weeded, and pitched in on the work of the season—with even some of the smallest visitors hauling harvest bins through the rows. Later, Chewonki educators brought out animal ambassadors, including Tippy the groundhog, Ella the corn snake, and Sylvie the red-tailed hawk. Guests gathered around to get a closer look.
Chewonki science educator Kyle Wonser introduces Homecoming guests to Sylvie, a red-tailed hawk and one of Chewonki’s animal ambassadors.
Under the dining tent, the tables filled with yarn, looms, scissors, and wool from the Chewonki flock as kids and adults tried their hand at weaving. Nearby, longtime Chewonki educator “Doc Fred” Cichocki had laid out his Natural History Mysteries: a collection of specimens, clues, and questions for curious passersby.
The Natural History Mysteries even came with a prize: Andy Morse, a camper in 1974 and tripper in 1975, went home with a genuine Chewonki sheep pelt, awarded at dinner.
Later in the afternoon, plenty of people made their way to the waterfront for a swim. The gray skies didn’t seem to discourage anyone, including the youngest swimmers jumping off the dock.
Homecoming guests take an afternoon swim at the Chewonki waterfront, with paddlers passing by on Montsweag Brook.
Meals were served family-style in the Dining Hall, with bowls and platters passed around the tables and plenty of ingredients from Salt Marsh Farm. Guests helped set tables before meals and compost, wash dishes, and clean up afterward.
After dinner, everyone headed to the Campfire Circle, where alumnus Matt Weeks led a rollicking hour of songs, stories, games, and s’mores. The youngest attendees got glow sticks, which soon dotted the Campfire Circle as it got dark.
There was plenty of time throughout the weekend simply to catch up, too. Old friends found each other, alumni from different eras compared experiences, and former staff reconnected with families. Some alumni returned with children of their own, getting to show them the places and traditions they remembered from their time here.
Homecoming guests gather around the table for a family-style meal in the Chewonki Dining Hall.
A lot has changed at Chewonki over the decades represented at Homecoming. But it was also striking how much was familiar: getting outside, learning something new, pitching in, sharing meals, and spending time together.
By Sunday morning, tents were packed, cabins emptied, and guests began heading back down Chewonki Neck Road.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for Homecoming. We loved having so many generations of the Chewonki community back on the Neck, and we hope to see you again soon.
