2025 Newsletter #8

Hello Pemi Community,

Hard as it may be to believe, it’s now been just over seven weeks since the Pemi 2025 summer wrapped up – the length of the full camp session. I suspect I’m not alone in feeling like the time from closing day until now seems far shorter than the camp season itself did. It seems like just days ago that the Pemi 2025 community gathered around the campfire circle for our final set of songs, performances, and stories. In the time since we’ve had a number of additional events take place at Pemi: Family Camp, the Rittner Run, a meeting of Pemi’s Board of Directors, and our second annual Women’s Weekend. In today’s long overdue blog post, I’ll share details of the end of the summer, an overview of these post-camp events, and some thoughts, with the benefit now of some distance, on Pemi’s 118^th season. It’s always hard (impossible, really) to try to put the magic and joy of a Pemi summer into words, but I hope that this final 2025 newsletter gives you at least some sense of the incredible results of the journey our 284 campers and 118 staff members traveled on. Enjoy!

End of Pemi Week

While time and space serve a useful purpose for gaining perspective on the summer, they have the disadvantage of making specific events and details slightly harder to remember. As such this account of the final days of camp won’t be quite as in-the-weeds as a typical newsletter, but I trust that the parents reading this have received the requisite blow-by-blow recaps from your sons.

To begin with, I’ll actually turn things over to Pemi’s longtime theater critic, Clive Bean, for his review of our stellar dramatic production, Peter Pan:

Pemigewassett theatergoers were treated Tuesday to Dave Johnson’s lively production of “Peter Pan,” the timeless story of the age-averse little boy who keeps losing everything he owns, including his shadow, while he’s busy abducting upper class children, finding mothers for working class ones, and mixing it up with pirates whenever he has the chance. Danny Follansbee rocked the title role, delivering his lines with the clipped clarity of a Pat Clare Mess Hall announcement. Meanwhile, Cairo Clapper all but lit up the stage as Shadow, even though Cairo spoke so softly some audience members mistook him for a highly gymnastic summer sausage.

The action began in a London townhouse, where Nolan Katcher, as Mr. Darling, struggled with his necktie like Rodney Dangerfield getting ready for a colonoscopy. Displaying the same patience she has to show in real life with Henry McLeod, Helena Singleton sorted out the neckwear challenge but neglected to keep her children from flying off on an aerial adventure with Peter. Nana the canine family nurse protected the kids no more successfully, despite being played very, very doggedly indeed by Charlie Milgrim. Rumor has it that Director Dave Johnson chose this year’s play in order to cast his dog Lilly as the child-caring Bowser, but Kenny Moore nixed the move as unacceptable nepotism, at the same time that he secured Winston’s role as head of the stage crew.  In any event, it was off to Neverland for the Darling children, convincingly played by Wills Waitzkin, Pierce Golay, and Manfred Creane. Spectacularly wigged-out as sister Wendy, Creane displayed story-telling chops that promise a future as a Bean Soup editor, White House Press Secretary, or both.

Meanwhile, in Neverland, the team of Lost Boys (played by George Kingdon, Charles Golay, Rudi Wei, and Micah Tolbert) gathered to rehearse their Four Wisemen campfire act, sneak candy out of the Mess Hall, or sing “The Rattlin’ Bog,” whichever came first. They were ably abetted by Leo Schirripa and Oliver Giraud as so-called “twins,” although one twin had obviously ingested a lot more complex carbs and protein powder than the other.       

Since no Neverland is ever complete with only Lost Boys and Abducted Children, it was important that a rollicking band of pirates now appear. Appear they did, with Finn Cashman, Henry Moore, and Sam Maynes rolling onstage to brandish their cutlasses, say “ARRRHHHH!” and look as cruel and menacing as a trio of Tecumseh counselors. They were soon joined by John Kingdon as a truly convincing Captain Hook—truly convincing except during his first entrance in the matinee performance when he totally forgot the hook and spent several minutes twirling his mustache as Captain “Completely-Empty-Hand-Slightly-Concealed-by-a-Long-Sleeve.”  Fortunately, Charlie Milgrim (now dressed as a croc, or was it a Kane? it’s hard to tell the difference) came out to remind Kingdon that he’d just be wasting everybody’s time until he showed up with the replacement hand he was actually named after.

In addition to the Peaky Blinder-like pirates, there was another gang of rollicking youths currently in Neverland, the Tecumseh 18-and-under lacrosse team, played with flawless “BRO-ness” by Johnny Thibault, Nelson Snyder, Nicholas Brown, and Kaz Sulski. They were evidently looking for a match against either the Lost Boys or the Pirates, but they made the mistake of bringing lacrosse sticks to what turned out to be a knife-and-water-pistol fight and ended up going home without The Hat.

Last but by no means least among the denizens of Neverland (because no Pemi stage production is ever complete without Owen Gagnon appearing in drag) was a fetching trio of mermaids, as Gagnon was joined by Thomas Neilson and Henry McLeod, all of them dressed in the kind of clam shells no one—thank goodness—was ever likely to cut their feet on. Just like mermaids do, they tried to entice Wendy Darling into an impromptu Polar Bear but, no lifeguard being present, Wendy decided to wait until free swim.

Something I can’t quite remember then happened, featuring a Super Soaker water gun, and that led to a relatively happy ending, I think, and then everyone in the audience applauded a very entertaining show. Special kudos go to Evan Anderson and David Lien for their musical accompaniment, to Patty and Dave Frank for their indispensable production assistance, and to the stage crew of Brian Lorig, Winston Moore, Austin Greenberg, Ry Dean-Slobod, Graham Eising, Michael Vitale, and Charlie Moskoff. At one point, as the crew were swapping flats and brought in a bunch of trees, this reviewer thought we were switching over from Peter Pan to Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It all got sorted out in the end, though, with no murders or bloody hands to wash for twenty seconds before dinner. Congratulations to everyone involved, especially to Dave Johnson, who brought a truly entertaining version of J. M. Barrie’s classic play to the Pemigewassett Opera House. We look forward to next year, when Dave plans a revival of “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

–Clive Bean

As you can tell from the above, this was a fun, funny, and skillful production that delighted audiences and showcased tremendous talent. From Pemi debutants to veterans of our stage, the cast put on a show that won’t soon be forgotten. And I’d like to echo Clive’s appreciation for the work that Dave Johnson put into directing the show. Dave’s return to the Pemi Opera House after a brief 57-year hiatus was a resounding success; please join me in applauding him for a job well done!

In addition to Peter Pan, the final Wednesday of the season saw the completion of the Lower and Senior pentathlons, with Juniors and Uppers finishing theirs on Thursday morning. Pemi’s pentathletes displayed excellent athleticism and had a blast doing so. For many boys this was their first time competing in a high jump or shot-put competition, let alone competing in all five events – high jump, long jump, shot put, dash, and mile – in one day. Kudos to everyone who went out there and participated, especially the boys trying an event for the first time.

Individual results were as follows (first to third):

Lower-Juniors: Owen Goobic & Elliot Lefebvre (tied for 1^st), Russell Follansbee

Upper-Juniors: Dylan King, Myles Woolley, Charlie Moskoff

Lower-Lowers: Declan Donohoe, Hunter Blauer, Finn Shapiro

Upper-Lowers: Parker Brown, Hudson Eng, Eddie Horn

Uppers:               Mounir Abdelkarim, Emmitt Baggish, Jarmani Torres

Seniors:               Miles Whitcombe, Tom Mele, Sydney Harris

With the pentathlon and cabin soccer finals completed on Thursday morning, we reached the end of our Pemi Week competitions. Many people had a hand in ensuring a smooth week of events, but special thanks are due to our Pemi Week czars, Jarrod Henry and Josh Scarponi. Their hard work, expertise, and enthusiasm helped make this a Pemi Week for the ages, and we greatly appreciate their eagerness to come in at the end of the summer and lead us through this joyously chaotic week! Thanks are also due to Johanna Zabawa for designing our Pemi Week champions’ t-shirts. This year’s iteration received universal acclaim!

And speaking of our Pemi Week champions… This year’s winners were as follows:

Lower-Juniors: Junior 3

Upper-Juniors: Junior 5

Lower-Lowers: Lower 3

Upper-Lowers: Lower 7

Uppers:              Upper 5

Seniors:              Senior 1

Congrats to our winning cabins and to every member of the community for helping create such a fun and spirited week to wrap up the summer!

Final Events

On Thursday night we held our Final Banquet which, as the name pretty directly suggests, wraps up the Pemi summer with a delicious feast and a whole host of awards. The excellent food at Pemi banquets is such a guaranteed occurrence that it’s sometimes easy for us to overlook the tremendous amounts of time and effort that go into them, but they don’t happen without heaping servings of dedication, care, and talent from our kitchen crew. We owe our deepest thanks and gratitude to the 2025 kitchen crew for the Final Banquet and for all of their work in putting out delicious and nutritious meals day-in and day-out: Tom Ciglar, Nancy Cushman, Michael McMurray, Andrew Winell, Jason Farina, Julieta Jarero Zaragoza, Louis Angel Juarez Sosa, Valeria Mopan Giraldo, Aldo Perez Rodriguez, Josue Rosales, Alexa Toscano-Lee, and Ale Valdez.

After devouring our sumptuous feast, we turned our attention to celebrating boys for accomplishments across the full Pemi program as well as for excellence within and on behalf of the community as a whole. Awards were given out for the top musicians, athletes, naturalists, and happy wanderers, with many of the recipients coming from the ranks of our 15-year-olds and our full-session campers – a testament to the cumulative benefits of the Pemi experience over time. You’ll find the full list of patches, recognitions, and awards in Bean Soup, but several major award winners need to be mentioned here as well.

The penultimate pair of awards are given out to winners in each division for their all-around contributions to Pemi during the summer. The Achievement Trophy goes to the boy in each division, “who has made the greatest all-around achievement, measured by the dual consideration of distance gained and goal achieved.” This year’s winners were Santiago Losada, Niam Santiago, Pierce O’Shaughnessy, Julian Blaustein, and Sam Wasinger. Each of these boys demonstrated deep commitment to specific program areas and to enjoying the full breadth of the Pemi program.

The Divisional Citizenship Trophy is awarded, “For the best all-around citizen in each division whose generous and unselfish spirit gives success, happiness, and self-esteem to others.” It’s an inscription that speaks for itself. Our winners in 2025 were Myles Woolley, Charles Golay, Dylan Thibault, Wills Waitzkin, and Alex Fernandez.

The final award given out each year is the Founders’ Citizenship Trophy. As the inscription states, “In memory of Doc Gar, Win, and Reed, on this trophy is inscribed each year the name of him who is considered to have contributed most to camp beyond the line of duty.” 2025 saw two boys rise above the pack and earn their places on Pemi’s highest camper honor. 15-year-olds Johnny Thibault and Ben Jones embodied what it means to be a Pemi Kid. They led the Senior Division and the whole camp community in their own self-confident yet humble ways, acting as quiet exemplars of kindness, character, perseverance, and joyfulness. They made younger campers feel seen and valued, they had the unwavering respect of their peers, and they had all of us on staff in awe of their maturity and poise. It’s hard to imagine two more worthy recipients of this award, and on behalf of the entire Pemi community I want to once again thank them for everything they did to make 2025 such a special summer.

On Friday night during our final Bean Soup, we had the opportunity to celebrate two more 15-year-olds who have poured their hearts and souls into Pemi for years and who spent their final summer as both incredible leaders and inspirational performers. I’ll turn things over to the Bean Soup editors momentarily for a description of their contributions to camp, with an emphasis on their musical prowess. To focus only on that aspect, however, would drastically understate the contributions these boys made to Pemi. They brought joy and laughter to all areas of camp, along with kindness and care, especially towards younger campers. Alongside our Founders’ winners, the Bean Soup Camper of the Year winners represent the best of what we look for in our oldest boys. I’d like to echo Nolan Katcher’s sentiment expressed in Bean Soup in celebrating, “two boys who better remember me when they’re on their World Tour, and can hook me up with free merch, backstage passes, and a seat at the back at the Grammys:” Manfred Creane and Bryce Madom.

Immediately after Bean Soup, we awarded our one major staff award that gets voted on by the full staff. The Joe Campbell Award, named after a legendary Pemi counselor from the 40s and 50s who also became a staple of Pemi reunions until his passing, goes to the counselor who best embodies Joe’s qualities of “integrity, generosity, happiness, enthusiasm, modesty, and an unsurpassed ability to give laughter to all who knew him.” Another inscription that speaks for itself. In 2025 the Joe Campbell Award went to a 25-year-old who has spent 16 summers at Pemi and who loves this place with his whole heart: Nick Gordon.

After dinner on Friday, we held our final Campfire of the season down on Senior Beach. Our campers and staff pulled out all the stops to turn in a series of funny, moving, and technically superb performances, and lots of them. We had contributions on the night (with apologies to anyone I may be missing; please write in so I can correct this list!) from: Russell Follansbee, Danny Follansbee, Teo Ivanov, Darren Calhoun, Pierce Golay, George Kingdon, Connor Smillie, Nick Brown, Ethan Onysko, Charles Golay, Arthur Johnson, Myles Woolley, Manfred Creane, Thomas McNelly, Johnny Thibault, Jeffrey Eng, Asher Goldring, Charlie Toomey, all the members of Senior 1, and all of our 15s. If you’ve been reading these newsletters throughout the summer, you’ll be entirely unsurprised to learn that the 15s performance went above and beyond in terms of being actually planned, rehearsed, and well-executed – no small feat when getting together a 20-person chorus in the midst of everything else going on during the final days of camp.

The 2025 15s deserve one final special shoutout here for all that they contributed to camp this summer and all their years prior. This was an exceptional group filled with boys who thrived across all aspects of the Pemi program and who simply loved spending time with each other and at Pemi. There’s no doubt in my mind that a larger-than-usual number of these guys will be gracing the shores of Lower Baker Pond for years to come as the counselors and staff members of the future. Please join me in thanks and appreciation for all they’ve done and will continue to do for Pemi: Alf Andersson, Adam Aronis, Ryan Aronis, Will Bixby, Vittorio Campanile, Manfred Creane, Alex Fernandez, Sasha Honig, Ben Jones, Matthew Kusik, Noah Littman, Bryce Madom, Ethan Onysko, Colin Pham, Connor Smillie, Johnny Thibault, Miles Waitzkin, Dom Watson, Miles Whitcombe, and Mason Winell.

Before trying to wrap up the 2025 season, I’d like to briefly share a bit about our post-camp events (which will get their full due later on this fall).

Post-Camp Events

The Pemi calendar has grown over the last few years to now incorporate a number of post-camp opportunities for different folks to spend time at Pemi. 2025 marked the sixth summer of Pemi’s Family Camp, and it was another resounding success. With a large group of Family Camp veterans back, all those in attendance immediately felt at ease and at home. Family Camp includes Pemi staples such as campfire, hiking and canoe trips, Birding Before Breakfast, a banquet and cookout (though with even more elevated fare than usual), shooting for awards on the archery range, distance swims, and more; alongside unique Family Camp events such as the kids vs. adults soccer game, the Amazing Race, “paint and sip” and mani/pedi evenings in the Library, and – a first this year – Family Camp Court courtesy of Greg Bowes, Esq. and Sandy See (Sole Supreme Court Justice of Camp Pemi).

As with the main Pemi program, it’s nigh impossible to describe the camaraderie and joy of Family Camp in written form. For many alumni returning year after year, it’s transformed Pemi from the place of fondest childhood and early adult memories to a shared home away from home with their spouses and children. Spouses who may have previously found their husbands’ love of this place an endearing if somewhat odd character trait now feel that Pemi is just as much their camp. Girls who would otherwise have had to wait for reunions or to be of staff age to spend time at Pemi now likewise have their own Pemi friendships, favorite activities and meals, and patches and awards to attest to their accomplishments. Folks who arrived at their first Family Camp having never been to Pemi before also now return summer after summer and look forward all year long to their time on the shores of Lower Baker. The Pemi spirit truly lives on all week at Family Camp.

In 2024 Pemi embarked on yet another post-season endeavor to try and widen the circle of Pemi community members who get a chance to spend more time at camp than simply drop offs, pick-ups, and visiting days. Women’s Weekend started last year as an experience designed for adult women to relax, connect, and engage in Pemi’s sublime, natural setting, and it was a resounding success. Back for year two in 2025, Women’s Weekend once again provided this opportunity for women from all over, and with all different types of connection to Pemi (or no prior connection at all), to gather and commune on a beautiful September weekend in Wentworth.

Attendees enjoyed many open Pemi program areas (archery, canoeing, ceramics, and more); special sessions such as qi gong, reiki, and massages; a mountain hike; distance swims; campfire; cookout; and a special keynote event. This year’s keynote speaker was Betsy Wills, a longtime Pemi parent and author of the recently published “Your Hidden Genius: The Science-Backed Strategy for Unlocking and Harnessing Your Unique Talents,” and attendees also had the chance to meet one-on-one with Betsy after taking the personal aptitude assessment offered by Betsy’s YouScience platform. Folks came away from the talk and their sessions with Betsy deeply appreciative of her insights and expertise.

Both Family Camp and Women’s Weekend have added immeasurably to the Pemi community by broadening our “camper” base to include men, women, and children of all ages. These post-season events allow the magic of the Pemi experience to extend beyond the final day of camp and help many parents and siblings realize just what a special opportunity Pemi boys have all summer long.

Final Thoughts

At the core of our program, however, still lie the campers and staff who make up the Pemi family during the main summer program. The 284 boys who came for two, three, four, or seven weeks, or attended Pemi West represent the beating heart of the Pemi family, while our 118 staff members form the backbones that keep everything up and running. The job of being a camp counselor has been endlessly parodied and simplified in media, often painting a picture of disengaged college kids or bumbling activity leaders. At Pemi, however, we know that these caricatures couldn’t be farther from the truth. Our counselors and staff take on the immense responsibility of caring for, mentoring, and teaching our boys while they live away from home for an extended period of time. They take this charge with the utmost seriousness that it deserves, while also emptying their tanks to provide a fun and energetic environment in which our boys can grow, play, and thrive. To every staff member who contributed to Pemi 2025, thank you for the incredible role you played in such a special summer.

Before moving on to the campers, I also want to take a moment to thank our parents and guardians who entrusted us with the care of your boys this summer. We know that leaving your boys in our care requires an immense amount of belief in the leadership and staff at Pemi, and we are immeasurably indebted to you for placing that faith in us. Pemi thrives because of our partnership with our families, and we work every day to ensure that we continuously uphold our end of the relationship. Thank you for your continued support.

And of course Pemi’s alumni deserve recognition as well for the enduring success of our beloved institution. The work you do in spreading the word, cheering us from afar, visiting and letting boys see the lifelong impact of the Pemi experience, and in helping families afford a Pemi summer cannot be overstated. After 118 summers the Pemi network is stronger than ever and continues to grow, and we could not do what we do without your steadfast support and loyalty to this place we all love.

But above all else, Pemi is a place for our campers. You boys, who are now back home and actually able to read this newsletter when it comes out, make camp what it is. The unbridled energy throughout camp, the quiet and unseen moments of support for a friend who’s feeling down, the focused dedication to improving a particular skill, the offerings of your talents and passions for community enjoyment, the kindness you display every day, and the simple joy you bring to your time together combine to create the Pemi magic that our community lives on. In a world where interactions, and even friendships, are increasingly mediated through technological connections, your commitment to the simple yet profound experience of spending the summer together, unplugged and fully present, provides crucial growth, camaraderie, and fun. Whether you joined us for the first time this summer or wrapped up your ninth and final summer as a Pemi camper, thank you for your contributions to this incredible camp season!

With 118 summers now officially in the books, we’re officially turning our eyes towards 2026 and Pemi’s 119^th summer. We hope to see you there!

Wishing you good luck, long life, and joy,

– Pat Clare