CAMP ANECDOTES: M-80 DEVILMENT
by Terry Rodgers

I think it was my first year at Stahlman (1963). In those days the staff stayed in a row of four man tents that ran along the hillside below the parking lot just North of the dining hall. There were probably eight to ten tents along this row that most of the “junior” staff resided in. The older staff members usually lived in separate quarters. The waterfront staff always had their envious digs down by the waterfront. The craft tent people along with the commissary folks stayed in their place of business to make sure all was safe and sound.

In those days M-80’s and cherry bombs were a lot more accessible than they are today. I’m sure now they would be considered a class of explosive. Well, one night back in that summer of “63, you’ve got to remember now that was some 38 years ago for me, there was myself, Paul Lynes and Mike Pfister (who lasted about a year on the staff, we all made fun of his last name with the silent “P”) with some idle time. Not a good thing for young teen agers.

We decided that it might be fun to blow up some of the old #10 cans we used for water buckets. There was a road that ran in front of the tents that was used for access by tractor and we were on that road with the fireworks and cans. We had just lit one and proceeded to turn and run when we ran smack into old Chester Lefevre. He had us all collered pretty good and we were not real certain of our continued future with the BSA. About that time the cherry bomb went off and scared the bejeebies out of Chester. We got away with a lecture and a stern warning if it ever happened again.