Cottage 117 Philip Chamberlain

Cottage 117

Philip G. Chamberlain

My first trip Charlevoix was during the summer of 1960. My Mom often said, “Flip your first visit to Charlevoix that was planned for 10 days turned into a Month” We wondered between my grandparents Melissa & Myron Hickey at 117, and my great grandparents Beulah & Joseph F. Hickey at 127. My maternal great grandmother Olive Meyer McKay at 215 always had a full house otherwise I’m sure our stay would have lasted longer.

My sister Melissa arrived in 1962 and the cottage hopping continued until 1965. That’s when My Grandfather decided it was time to put an end to the this. With hopes that Aunt Judy & Uncle Joe would eventually have families, my parents Melissa and Philip ended up with cottage 231 in 1965 and Aunt Althea & Uncle Carl Schumacher moved from 231 to 127.

As young kids on we often referred to 231 as the “Ghost Cottage” until the hands mural on the front porch was removed and a full kitchen was added. I remember the abundance of stray pregnant cats that Melissa and I would somehow intercept. Tommy Alexander delivered at least two litters in our pantry closet. One summer Cathy Kenny Howe and I drove up with our housekeeper Claire. Bothtime we stopped for breakfast and lunch we asked her if she would like anything, and she said no. When we arrived in Charlevoix we picked up a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. We ended up going out with friends at the last minute and passed on the chicken. The next morning, we discovered that Claire had devoured the entire bucket. The memories are full of laughter, endless at 231 and will last us forever.

Gang- Our group consisted of Chip Alexander (when he decided to go), Jimmy Kinnard, Sandy Rodgers, George “Pelt” Schawb, Drew Leakas, John MacCarthy, Bobby Leatherman, Leslie Leatherman, Stuart & Ted Obrien, Steve & Spencer Reese to name a few. Some the best times were always the overnights at Bisbee’s point or, of course, Deadman’s Hill. We could only play capture the flag or red rover so many days without boredom. We had great leaders Chris & Ginger Payne, Bill Mc Donald, Wyatt Gordon, and Moss Alexander (who gave me my first cigarette). Our fearless leaders would often shield us from the raids of Sunny Ware, Brad Schade, John Fox, Janet & Doug Kuhn.

One of my least favorite experiences during Big Gang is when I fell between the dock and one of the hawks and yelled a four-letter word. As a result, my mouth was immediately washed out with a fresh bar of Ivory Soap. Mike Meyer had to tow us in countless times for those of us that could not maneuver in by the trestle. Rainy days were also a lot of fun I remember skipping gang to do puzzles in the Leatherman’s sunroom at 519

After I was too old for gang Dad said you need to get a summer job in Charlevoix or you will be home with me and work for the family business. I did not want to be in Saint Louis so I swept out Cabanas and Started a car wash business. Most of the fun of course was driving around the resort before I had my license. I did, however, put a huge scrape on the Schumacher’s town car so the carwash business abruptly ended that summer. The next few summers I worked in the kitchen at the Casino. The main crew consisted of Sally Shade, Lucy McDonald, Elizabeth Reid, Andy Leakas, Ted Mannion & Jimmy McDonald. The real fun was when we needed extras to help with the 4^th of July steak cookout and the Casino party. I remember one year during the Casino Party Dinner had been served and desert was being put on trays which consisted of mini pie tarts Mr. Moss was in the process of handing out his generous cash gratuities to all of us. I walked back into the kitchen to grab a tray and found myself in the middle of a pie fight. The person that threw the first tart has never fessed up to it this day. I remember the summer one of our jobs at the casino was to paint the wooden dining chairs under the guidance of Mrs. Mary Kay Ryder. We started in the project in early August and Mrs. Ryder reminded us that we had over 300 chairs to paint, and they needed to be completed at least four days before the Cabaret. It was a huge job for just two of us since the chairs required two coats of paint. Mr. Moreland was quick to realize our dilemma and added some of Carl Johnsons crew to the project and we got the job done!

I loved going to visit the porches of Aunt Kay & Uncle Dick Shelton and Molly & Mac Goodson. The Shelton’s had a decoy Monkey on the porch to keep the bats away. One morning Aunt Kay discovered the monkey missing. Some friends and I searched the park high and low and the monkey resurfaced. The Goodson’s always had a full jar of M&M’s for me to munch on. Tootsie Ware at 407 was also known to throw Ice cream parties for us at least once a summer. I remember one early afternoon I was visiting my grandmother Melissa Hickey at 117 and Aunt Kay came over. Shortly after, Uncle George McKay arrived with his bloody Mary. The three of them sat down in the sunroom, and I was asked to go home or to the into the kitchen. During my exit I overheard Aunt Kay & my grandmother say “George sit down and fix yourself a drink we need to talk to you about your drinking problem” Uncle George, Big Bobby Rowe & Rosemary Mueller, were all larger than life fixtures on the resort and always had a good time. They were also some of the same crew who would congregate on various porches for cocktails before the dry dinners at Houston Witherspoon’s.

Our teen group met in the teen room at the casino in the evenings for various activities. It was either the Alexander’s porch, teen room, the McKay cottage or Bells Bay. The stories are endless, some of which are inappropriate for this chapter. . Even when as a teenager I was sent to summer camp I always wanted to be in Charlevoix and I was lucky enough to found a way to get there camp.

David Alexander was the youngest in our group but was always one of the first in line to jump off the boat house roofs or the top of the railroad trestle with us. Rick McKay, Sandy & Didi Rodgers were notorious in creating some mischief for all of us. We had a huge pack consisting of Melissa, Kate Orr, Adele & Irene Orgill, Chip Alexander, Leathermans, MacCarthys, Leakas’s, Mannion’s , Reese’s, Larimore Girls ,Kenny twins, Cathy, Beth & Lisa Englesmann, Andy Rouse, Anne McDonnell, Elizabeth Reid, Kevin O’Brien Martha Myer, Lucia Million, Susan & Carolyn Claggett, Pam Lincoln, Howard & Scott Hall. And sometimes our Chicago Club pals would join in along with Buntins & Crooks babysitters.

The movie Grease was at the Palace one summer. We all saw it multiple times and if Rick McKay in the theater he would yell your name out in the middle of the movie. As I recall, it was my sister Melissa & Adele Orgill who were usually Rick’s victims. Rick was also known to discreetly put wet Juicy Fruits in your hair during the movie. Trips to town at 1am to the back door of Boggs donuts were always a fun activity. We would always pick up a few extra ones for Cecil the nightwatchman. The late nights were always fun but especially tough the mornings that Senior George Schwab & Senior Bob Kenny would take to us fishing Lake Susan at dawn.

These lifelong friendships are all treasured, and it gives me such pleasure that much of this group still comes to Charlevoix. It is a great feeling to come back and see old friends and to also see new ones. One good thing about being an adult is that the age gap really doesn’t matter. It is so great to see my friends & cousins’ children & grand children enjoy the Belvedere as much as we did. Last summer my wife Lizz and daughter Mary & I were in the park one afternoon. I noticed the Hickey twins & the Smith girls running between cottages and you could tell that those friendships would last a lifetime.