The community that develops at Merri-Mac and Timberlake is not confined to our camp property or even bound by our years as campers and counselors. Our community thrives in the offseason as campers and staff members visit each other and communicate all year.

Once you become a Merri-Mac girl or a Timblerlake boy you are part of camp for life. Just in our sweet town of Black Mountain we have a plethora of previous campers and counselors. We even have a Merri-Mac grandmother who is thrilled to see her grandchildren have the same wonderful experience that she had many years ago. We constantly hear stories of campers learning that their teacher went to Merri-Mac or counselors discovering camp friends when they spot an Iroquois jersey across campus! Learning that someone is connected to camp forms an instantaneous bond and there is always one very important question that follows, “What tribe are you in?” Meeting someone in your tribe makes an even deeper bond!

I have had this experience many times over the last sixteen years. I have seen cars driving down the highway in Raleigh, Altanta, and Orlando with Merri-Mac and Timberlake stickers. I once met a woman in the airport who attended Merri-Mac in the 70’s. When I did theater as a child, I learned that my costume designer was a Seminole.

Have you met Merri-Mac-er or Timberlake-er outside of camp? Please comment this telling us your stories of meeting fellow Iroquois, Seminole, or Choctaw.