Al's Frost Valley alumni blog

Dave King Memorial Weekend - June 12-14, 2026

2026-03-01T21:09:00.000-05:00

Gathering of friends for Dave King Memorial Weekend

I am in the process of planning a service to share memories of my Dad, Dave King. He requested that his ashes be scattered at Frost Valley, so to honor that request, I worked with Bob Eddings to set up time to do that, and to let friends come and share stories, memories, and laughter.

Here is what is planned so far. The weekend of June 12-14, Frost Valley is opening some space for friends to stay, and they are willing to tailor your needs to one night, or both weekend nights.

The service will be Saturday June 13^th at 11:00am at the Ketcham Chapel.

After the service there are two options, depending on time.

1) Anyone interested can walk and talk as I scatter the ashes in places special to Dad: The Castle, Memorial Island, by the old section of the Ad Office, Olympic Circle, Filreis Field, the Brown Pavillion, Big Tree Field, and by the Lake. Then we have lunch, provided by Mom and me. I was told to expect that lunch would be served about 12:30pm. I still need to nail down the lunch details- time, menu options, etc.

2) We have lunch about 12:30pm. After lunch we can walk and spread the ashes.

If you prefer not to participate in the ash spreading, everyone is welcome to join us for lunch.

If you are interested in coming to celebrate with us, and need lodging, you can access the links below. Reservations have set up a live link to what is available and you can make your own selections. Directions are below. If you need anything, you can reach out to:

reservations@frostvalley.org

And, if you have specific or logistical questions, you can reach out to Eva Larson at:

elarson@frostvalley.org

Finally, if you would like to speak at the service, you can send me a Private Message through social media at Kathy King Steinwedel or email me at: kathysteinwedel@gmail.com

***

We’re looking forward to welcoming you to Frost Valley for the Dave King Memorial Weekend in June!

Lodging will be available in:

To request a reservation, please complete the online registration form:

🔗 Contact Us / Register Here

When submitting the form, please:

Select your lodging preference (Lakeview Lodge or Castle)
Indicate the number of guests
Confirm your dates
Note that you are attending the Dave King Memorial Weekend to ensure you receive the custom event pricing

Once the form has been received, the Reservations team will send you a confirmation link with secure online payment instructions.

The form can also be accessed anytime at www.frostvalley.org using the “Contact” button at the top right of any page, or the “Contact Us” button at the bottom of the site.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the Reservations Department at reservations@frostvalley.org or by phone (845-985-2291 x 450)

Joy White's legacy

2017-07-22T12:22:00.000-04:00

On August 19, Chuck & Joy White (along with Hunter Corbin and Bob Haines) will be inducted into the Frost Valley Hall of Fame. Here in this blog entry I want to ponder Joy's lasting effect on Frost Valley. During the "wellness revolution" at FV in the very late '70s and early '80s there was a (positive and certain well intentioned) effort to bring folks in from outside to teach us about health and wellness and well-being. Some of the changes (taking sugar dispensers off the tables; getting rid of candy and ice cream in the canteen; limiting and then eliminating smoking from camp) seemed to require people outside the Frost Valley tradition to force them on us. That was all good. But along with that force there were some top-down initiatives that just didn't take. Meantime, however, there was Joy White. She was an RN and had always been interested in wellness in all its aspects. Once the barriers against teaching healthy daily living and values-driven lifestyles at camp had fallen, the rest of the work was a matter of changing hearts and minds, and that, in short, is what Joy did. I can still hear her mildly chastise me for not taking breaks, for not eating enough, for not caring for myself, for not getting enough sleep. Those sentences typically began with "Honey heart..." "Honey heart, you really should take an hour and just sit and think!" "Oh, honey heart, come down to the house and have some tea with me. It'll do you some good." Etc. Wellness, to Joy, was in the little changes we could make while at camp that would lead to our having the physical and spiritual capacity to help others. Always the little things. The day, to her, was made up of lots and lots of little good and positive things. She believed radically in goodness but it never felt at any one point like radical change was coming over us.

As it happens, I'm easily able to think of Joy White every day while I'm at camp. You see, on my way to and from the main area of camp I pass by the old grey-blue house where the Whites lived. We used to call it "the White House." More recently, it's called "the Group Home" (where a number of staff live together). Chuck and White and their kids lived there for years. Joy was often inducing Chuck to help her beat back the flower-eating deer and other critters. They struggled to make gardens. One day Joy went across the road, directly across from the house, and around the mailbox there planted some flowers and some ground cover. The flowers didn't easily take but the ground cover did, and I have clear memories of the vine-like leaves flourishing in that little attempt to make a regular home out of that tiny square of Catskill roadside.

Well, the ground cover is still there, some thirty-five or forty years since Joy planted it. And it has spread all along that spot. It survived plows and truck tires and the moving of the mailboxes and goodness knows what else trampled along that little stretch. But Joy White made a home there and the signs of it persist and flourish. Love live Joy White! O, honey heart, we remember you!

Another glorious day at camp — check out the photos!

2017-07-22T08:27:00.004-04:00

What a glorious sunny day in the Valley. Check out the photos here:

http://frostvalley.org/overnight-camp/camp-henry-hird/oh-just-another-sunny-day-at-camp/

The brothers swat!

2017-07-22T08:25:00.002-04:00

Here's a fun story of brothers contesting each other in a game of Geronimo:

http://frostvalley.org/overnight-camp/camp-henry-hird/the-brothers-swat/

They climbed Doubletop Mountain

2017-07-22T08:18:00.001-04:00

Click here for a story about how Adventure Village climbed Doubletop the other day:

http://frostvalley.org/overnight-camp/they-climbed-doubletop-mountain/

Dave Neu is back, this time bringing his family

2017-07-17T07:22:00.002-04:00

Dave Neu was a camper and counselor in the 1980s. His daughter Mali has been a camper for six years and is now spending a month in Windsong. Now his twin sons have joined the Frost Valley family; they were campers in Outpost during the first session. Here they all are in the dining hall, with Dave's old camp director, during first session check-out.

At check-in today for session 2

2017-07-16T16:51:00.001-04:00

Top: Eileen Barnes Hahn (long-time camper and counselor who was later the director of Camp Wawayanda) with her family at check-in for session 2. Her daughter Mary is going to be a camper here this session. Bottom: several trustees came to help out at check-in, including Bill Baker, Josh Tucker (whose two kids are back in camp), Kate Lewis (ditto), with Jerry Huncosky. Dave Bieler, whose daughter Joss is in camp, was also around but missed posing with us.

Photos taken on the last day of session 1

2017-07-15T07:06:00.002-04:00

Click here to see the photos:

http://frostvalley.org/overnight-camp/camp-henry-hird/als-photos-on-the-last-day-of-session-1/

John Giannotti sends a letter to his grandchild at camp

2017-07-13T08:03:00.003-04:00

http://frostvalley.org/overnight-camp/camp-wawayanda/a-letter-from-home-from-alumnus-grandpa/

Al's photos of camp, July 10 (second Monday of session 1)

2017-07-11T10:19:00.002-04:00

http://frostvalley.org/als-photos-of-camp-july-10/

CITs at the Farm

2017-07-08T09:40:00.002-04:00

Ran into this crew yesterday at the Farm. They were nearly done with their multi-day hike. Dirty and tired and smelly and happy.

Children of former staff, session 1

2017-07-03T06:59:00.000-04:00

Here's your link to this post:

http://frostvalley.org/alumni-children-are-here-aplenty/

Hiking the legendary Sequoia Loop

2017-07-01T15:10:00.001-04:00

http://frostvalley.org/hiking-the-legendary-sequoia-loop/

The Haunted House

2017-06-29T21:12:00.003-04:00

http://frostvalley.org/walking-around-by-the-old-haunted-house-site/

Along the Spring Ridge trail

2017-06-28T22:38:00.000-04:00

http://frostvalley.org/an-afternoon-along-the-spring-ridge-trail/

Jeff Daly visits

2017-06-28T22:18:00.001-04:00

Jeff hands out t-shirts to international counselors. Here you see some of them (not nearly all).

Jeff and Hannah.

Jeff & Gail.

Jeff & Jack.

Jeff and I hung out with the CIT Coordinators for almost an hour after dinner. Jeff told some fabulous stories: CITs of the past.

2017 staff training, day 3

2017-06-27T07:00:00.002-04:00

Hannah expertly runs Challenge Night

Interpretive dance challenge—Lenape/Tacoma

More interpretive dance—this time it's Pac/Windsong

Susky staff

For more, see this.

staff training opening campfire, 6-26-2017

2017-06-26T08:36:00.001-04:00

Click on any image for a larger view.

Hird VCs.

3 whacky directors in a little kid's tent (skit)

Tacoma-Lenape staff

CITs July 1976

2017-06-24T17:44:00.001-04:00

Jere Schwait Sirkis has dug up some photos of the July (first half) CITs, summer of 1976. From the back of the photos:

"Left to right back to front: Katie, Dana, sue, [Nancy] Ferris."

"Katie Cindy Pam Laura Ilene Betsy Beth Hope" (Cindy Drucker, Laura Ettleman, Betsy Frishman, Beth Dutlz, Hope Simmons, Dana krafchick[?])

"Boys Rob, ed, Mike John Ken Chris Steve Glenn"

"Chris and Doug"

"Girls photo June 26 boys July 15 on wild west day"

"Campfire in girls dining hall, July 12."

And now here are the photos:

Friday, June 23: the day before the entire staff arrives

2017-06-23T13:43:00.001-04:00

Clouds are coming over, the wind is up, and we are expecting a June storm. This is the calm before the storm, for sure, and the entire summer '17 staff arrives tomorrow. Here are some shots I took just walking around.

Birdhouse/mailbox-style lending library, one of several that have been put around camp.

Biscuit Lodge

Blume House seern from Reflection Pond.

Ketcham Chapel

Michaela and Haley.

the longest day of 2017 here at Frost Valley

2017-06-22T15:25:00.002-04:00

Leadership training week (for VCs, Adventure staff, CIT and AIT coordinators, MAC and Farm and Equestrian leaders, et alia) has reached its midpoint. Next week the entire summer staff arrives and does a week-long training, as always. The following week the first session starts.

Here are some photos (taken with my fisheye lens) depicting various scenes on this longest day of the year.

trustees' spring meeting

2017-05-07T20:31:00.001-04:00

This weekend the trustees met at Frost Valley. On Friday night we dined together at the Castle. Ted Hilton (92 11/12ths years old) was there, in great form. And Rafik Ghobrial—and his wife Kathy—joined us all the way from Houston.

the old Branch NY post office

2017-05-07T19:14:00.000-04:00

The old Branch NY post office, later the Devlins' house & then the Whites' house, more recently a staff house called "the Group Home," is being completely renovated by Dale Price & others. I went through the house twice this weekend. Here are two photos—one of the kitchen & the other of the living room. When the Whites lived in this crazy-patch warren of rooms and odd staircases I spent plenty of time in these two rooms.

spring comes to the valley

2017-05-07T17:24:00.000-04:00

Early May—cool, wet early spring in the Catskills. We see the first fiddleheads. And the trees above Lake Cole shoot out their first light-green leaves.

birdhouse-style lending libraries

2017-05-07T17:22:00.000-04:00

Recently FV alumni visiting the valley for a weekend built several birdhouse-style lending libraries. This morning I walked to one of these and contributed what I suspect are the very first books.