Saturday Campfire

On Saturday evenings, the entire Pemi community gathers at the campfire circle on the Senior Beach to witness a variety of musical, storytelling, and comedic acts. In line with long tradition, campfire begins with a duet from Tom and Betsy Reed, 93 and 92 years old, who perform a classic Pemi song dating back to camp's early years. Campers and counselors alike continue the musical theme in acts ranging from guitar compositions to a capella group vocals. Boys also juggle, do magic tricks, tell jokes, pose riddles, read original poetry, and even trot out the occasional Abbot and Costello routine, of which "Who's on First" remains a comedic classic. In what is routinely the penultimate act, storyteller extraordinaire, Larry Davis, captivates the boys with a humorous tale from the Maine woods. And finally, each and every campfire closes with the community singing our beloved "Campfire Song," written by co-founder Dudley Reed in the early years of the last century. As the group of boys and staff sings these words in unison, standing with their arms draping each other’s shoulders in the glowing dusk, the affection and tolerance of the Pemi community is never more in evidence.

"If I lived to be nearly a hundred, and every year one of joy,
I wonder if I should remember the time when, as a boy,
I sat by the campfire at Pemi with a group of the nation's best
As the moon drifted low oe'r the hillside and finally dropped in the west.

"And I wonder if anyone's better for anything I've done or said,
And whether good will in the heart may offset mistakes of the head.
Perhaps when life's mem'ries are gathered, the camp ones will be with the rest,
As the moon drifts low of the hillside, and finally drops in the west."