The uCamps 3rd Annual Alumni Camp was originally scheduled for this weekend at Camp Jack Hazard in Dardanelle, CA. However, it was postponed due to the Donell Fire that occurred in the area, which was a huge disappointment for a lot of former campers, counselors, and staff; especially to those who were planning to travel to California for the event!
Luckily, camp director Doug Cembellin organized an alternative reunion to make up for lost time and to have a chance to reunite with everyone. The event took place at Sauced BBQ in Downtown Walnut Creek, which was a reasonable location for most people to get to.
With the extremely hot weather that occurred, I thought that only a few people were going to show up or this event was going to be cancelled too. However, to my surprise, about 25 people were able to attend, which was something I didn’t expect at all.
The alumni who attended ranged from old time campers and staff from 2003, to some newer ones as early as 2015, and everyone in between, and we basically caught up on things that’s been happening recently and of course sharing favorite camp memories.
Of course, there was plenty of delicious BBQ to enjoy since it was a BBQ joint after all! Although Doug and some people from camp came to my last card sale at Artist Alley and bought cards from me, I didn’t get a chance to bring some leftovers to distribute. However, a few people have asked me about how the sale went overall.
Following the dinner, a late night “campfire” took place at Civic Park, which was a short walk from the restaurant, and a majority of the performances were people who played on the guitar.
However, the one crazy moment was that Doug and several others requested for me to do my hypnotist shows, as I’ve been doing in the past at camp since 2012. I totally didn’t expect to do it in the first place since I wasn’t prepared at all, but I had to do it anyway! Of course, it was enjoyable!
Overall, this was definitely one of the best camp reunions I’ve ever attended! Even though we weren’t at Camp Jack Hazard in the great outdoors, it was definitely worth it because it doesn’t matter where the reunion takes place! What matters the most is that this event is about spending time together!
Special thanks to Doug Cembellin for organizing the event, and to everyone that attended! It was great seeing you guys and I look forward to reuniting with you soon and hopefully we’ll get a chance to be at the actual camp in the Summer of 2019!