A week has passed since we packed up from Camp K, yet the glow of reunion still lingers. The laughter, the music, the endless meals and conversations—they’re the kind of memories that fuel you for the year ahead, and the kind that make you vow to come back for the next one.
The Journeys
Each of us has our own story about getting to camp. For me, it took some doing. I left Los Angeles in the dark hours of Tuesday morning, spent the night in a no-frills motel outside Philadelphia, and caught a train to Elizabethtown. Teresa Teves picked me up shortly after I arrived, and before we even set foot on campgrounds, we detoured to Costco in Harrisburg. There, with Ted Hahn, Pam Schmitthenner, and Lisa Lindell Hoh, we filled carts to the brim—supplies enough to feed an army of Kodai-ites.
We rolled into camp after two, famished and half-afraid that lunch was over. But Joe Rittmann was waiting with a hot meal: pepper chicken, pork vindaloo, vegetable rice palau, rajma dal, chapatis, and steaming chai. A feast after a long trip.
Setting the Stage
The first days belong to the advance crew—hauling gear out of storage, readying kitchens, and warming up old friendships. Mario Belido lifted spirits further with his legendary ribs, corn on the cob, and baked beans for supper. We sat around the Schreiberhaus kitchen tables, tired but happy, catching up as the smell of smoke and spice wrapped around us.
My Thursday began with Bob Edwards calling from the road at dawn. He’d been driving since 3 a.m., and was hoping his coffee and a green chili omelet be ready when he arrived. I was on omelet duty, and between 7 and 9:30 I cranked out thirty of them, only burning two (they were eaten anyway). By then the camp was filling fast—Joe Kessler and Zuhair Gafur were busy with check-ins, voices echoed through the halls, and I gave up on napping once Maureen Aung Thwin and Toni Stepanik appeared in the Schreiberhaus lobby. That’s the beauty of reunion—you never know who you’ll bump into, and every encounter sparks a story.
Food, Fire, and Friendship
Meals this year rose to a new level thanks to Joe’s mastery in the kitchen and the contributions of many others. Thursday night brought chapli kebabs, Indad pork, and tomato curry. Friday the activities moved to the Pavilion, and the morning started with Mike Kolumban’s dosa, coconut and peanut chutneys, and sambar, followed by a hike through marshes, woods, and meadows led by Rob Granner, and ended with Hans Schmitthenner’s Tandoori Chicken with all the trimmings for supper. Banana Leaf Restaurant catered several spectacular meals, each one a festival of flavors—shrimp curry, rasam, biriyani, khorma, poriyal, chapatis, and more.
Cooking class with Louise Baxter, and yoga class with Sabrina Edwards Granner, chai breaks, and firepit gatherings filled in the spaces between. At night, guitars came out, voices blended, and the circle of firelight drew us close. By Saturday, with more than 140 campers present, Camp K felt like its own small village—alive with song, storytelling, happy hours, and the sheer joy of being together again.
Highlights
- The Weather: This year there was no hurricane or heat wave; just beautiful early-fall weather—chilly mornings and mild days.
- Music & Firelight: From Ellen “Dash” Walters leading singalongs in the Pavilion to Chris Granner on guitar at campfires—whether at Schreiber or up by the cabins—music was everywhere, the heartbeat of each night.
- Shared Passions: Talks and updates reminded us of our roots—Ron Koepke on Bethania Kids, Liz Easter and Iti Maloney on KIS, Margaret Greene on KFI.
- Saturday Feast: Banana Leaf’s dosa truck was a showstopper—freshly grilled masala and Mysore dosas, chutneys, sambar, rice, and Dash’s music floating through the pavilion.
- Volunteers: So many pitched in to help that I can’t name you here. You know who you are. You made a tremendous contribution to the success of the reunion.
- Class of ’66 Happy Hour: Maureen and Toni hosted their customary gathering in the Schreiberhaus lobby.
- Church Service and Music: Bob Granner accompanied Rob Granner and Bob Edwards in Cesar Franck’s Panis Angelicus, and the ad hoc choir, conducted by Wendy Osterling and accompanied on keyboard by Barbara Pickard Hays, filled the room with hymns. Ann Staal’s sermon was deep and meaningful.
Closing Notes
On Sunday, Ray Weddington served breakfast of Bombay toast with sausage and bacon, and fresh fruit, followed later by a final catered lunch before departures began in earnest. Leftovers turned into one last shared meal for the stragglers, unwilling to let the weekend end.
Camp Kirchenwald 2025, as always, was more than a reunion—it was a reminder of why we keep coming back. The food fills us, yes, but it’s the friendships, the laughter, the familiar faces across the firelight that carry us forward. Until next year.