#TBT: The Asheboro Flash

Today will begin and end with prayers for a friend that I love very much and who need God's healing touch. Please join me in praying Big Honkin' Prayers for miracles in her life. In the meantime, we enter my 7th year of blogging by "flashing" back to one of my all-time favorite people and a guy I don't get to see much anymore. Enjoy this Throwback Thursday.

That's Alan front and center, flanked by the Semmler brothers in
front of  Danny Hines at one of our classic 80s parties.

There is absolutely no question about the identity of the number one character I ever met at Quaker Lake Camp. It has to be Alan Brown. I met Alan at a winter camp sometime in the mid 1970's. I didn't really hang out with him in those days, but I knew I liked him. Some of my earliest memories of Alan are of him playing guitar and singing Mr. Bojangles with the late Jeff Morgan. I also remember him performing I'm Easy in the Fireplace Room at the lodge (and being overly impressed because I thought he wrote it!). It really wasn't until the summer of 1976 when he was on the QLC staff and I volunteered most of the summer that we became close. My life, and Quaker Lake, would never be the same.

Alan was known in those days as Flash, shortened from The Asheboro Flash. Wallace Sills had given him the name after catching Alan kissing two girls in one night less that an hour apart, and it stuck. There was a whole generation of campers who didn't even know his name was Alan- he was, simply, Flash! But to me, he was my partner in crime. Alan taught me early on in my days at camp that dead time for campers usually led to trouble, and we saw it as our job to entertain, even if only for a five minute lull in the action. We created Opera Day (everything you wanted to say had to be sung) and Chant Day (everything had to be chanted like you some sort of monk) just to pass time. We would sing silly songs and create disturbances to get the kids attention and pull them together. I vividly remember Alan entertaining the troops with a camper named Eric Hunsucker, who could belch on cue. Alan would sing "bright eyes don't cry.." and Eric would let loose with huge "BUUURRRRPPPP!!!" And the other campers would love it.

Alan's influence in my life extended far outside the boundaries of camp. We were at Guilford College together. We were roommates in two different apartments (Hidden Lakes and Chateau at Random Woods) and together with Carl Semmler we spent a month in 1979 travelling across the country. Spending a month together in a Honda Civic will seriously bond people together. We shared so many classic moments together. Here are a few of my favorites:

1) Alan comes to my house early one morning and says on his way into class from his home in Asheboro he has had an idea for a song. Actually, he had almost a whole song, and within the hour Blue Pick-Up Truck was finished.
2) The night before a winter camp was to start we were at my parent's house, where we stayed up all night writing Roll Over Lucy. Unfortunately, when we got up the next morning we could no longer remember the tune! To this day I am still not sure if the way we sang it was the tune we intended...
3) We, along with our friends Mark Hyde and Bill Terrell, loved to play hearts and spades- in fact, I think we could have received advanced degrees in both! There were a few times when we convinced unsuspecting newcomers that we had never played, and allowed them to teach us the games...too much fun!
4) Producing the infamous Four Songs...Two Fools cassette tape for our friend Brent Bill and his son Ben, who was our biggest (read as ONLY) fan. The Animal Song, Blue Pick-Up Truck, Roll Over Lucy and the rarely heard classic We've Got Gas were the songs. No question as to who the fools were...   Another time we came up with this card game called Triple Jim Bob, which had no rules except that you had to make up the rules as you went along. Alan and I would baffle people with ridiculous rules and names for the different situations in the game. It was great seeing how long it would take people to catch on that we were making it up as we went! Both Triple Jim Bob and a character very much based on Alan make appearances in the novel I finished earlier this year.

I guess you get the idea...we were dangerous together. I can't even begin to tell you how much I miss him. There have been others in my life with whom I could get wild and creative (Jerry Hanbery comes to mind) but no one else quite like Alan. I will never forget walking from the lodge to the boy's cabins, late at night,and stopping to salute the flag post (actually a light pole!) and singing the Quaker Lake Alma Mater:

In the city of Climax, past the Climax Mall, there's a place where campers visit and never return at all. Quaker Lake is quite a place to spend a week or two, but never press your luck with others or they might do unto you...

Through the tough times, the great times, the silly times and our Sunday afternoon conversations about the campers we were about to spend a week with, Alan was always there. I just hope someday we get to do a farewell concert featuring We've Got Gas and The Parakeet Song...

Because of Jesus,

Hall of Fame: Boom Boom

Before I start today I just have to say- Tampa Bay Rays. WOW. #OneMoreGame

The years I spent on summer staff at Quaker Lake Camp (1978-83) were among the memorable of my life so far, in part because there were so many wonderful people and great characters who were a part of that experience. Several of the campers from those years have already been inducted into my youth ministry Hall of Fame- including Laura Wheeler, Jodi Coble & Jay Osborne- while many others were mentioned in a special Quaker Lake Characters post way back in 2009. My boss from those years, Neal Thomas, received his own post as one of the most important influence in my life and on my ministry. But so far I have not inducted any of my fellow staff members from those years into my HOF. Today I begin fixing that oversight.  And not ONLY because she's been begging me to...

When the 1978 summer staff arrived for orientation, I was well acquainted with most of the staff.I had volunteered 6 weeks the previous summer and had been attending camp for a number of years, so there promised to be very few surprises. The one wildcard that year was a young woman my age named Susan McBane.  I knew of Susan more than I knew Susan. Her older brother Darrell had been my cabin counselor, I had served as his counselor assistant, and we had become good friends.  Plus Susan had been around a few youth events in North Carolina Yearly Meeting over the years.  So I knew of her, and was excited to get to know her as a fellow staff member.  So as we gathered for the first time as staff to take a whitewater canoeing and camping trip together, there were 3 things about Susan that were immediately obvious to me.  First, she was VERY attractive- even when carrying watermelons!  Secondly, she was sweet and full of life and smiles.  And thirdly, she was a little on the gullible side- she pretty much bought whatever we told her.  The guys of the staff were all quickly drawn to Susan, and there was much early discussion over who might get to be her partner on the river. There may have been some sneaky, under-handed ploys used to secure her as canoeing buddy - did I mention she was VERY attractive?- but in the end the best man came out on top.  So as we headed down the New River, Susan and I shared boat.  Life was good. I had won! Or had I???

You see, that river ride is still a point of contention between Susan and myself.  She claims that I dumped her out to the boat in the middle of a nasty class 3 rapid called Buzzard's Roost, putting her at risk of banging into huge rocks and according to her, snakes. I claim that when the boar began to tilt in the very rough water, she simply abandoned ship, taking me with her as the canoe capsized. Witnesses were too busy saving their own necks to notice, and there was no video, so we still argue it out even today.  What is not up for debate from that trip is that while we were camped one night, Susan used a flashlight to point to some of the guys where not to go to use the rest room in the woods, because that was where Jan Osborne had gone.  Unfortunately, what Sus meant to be helpful turned into a spotlight on a squatting Jan.  Susan just had a knack for the spectacular!

Susan had many gifts as a cabin counselor. The girls in her cabin each week just adored her. She was a good friend to everyone on the staff, and an excellent listener. She was also a valued member of the counselor squad in the weekly Staff/Counselor volleyball game.  Her high arching serves often seemed destined for space, as she had great power in her little frame.  Somewhere along the way those serve got her dubbed Boom Boom McBane- and the nickname stuck! There are many other stories...too many to tell here- but all of them are a reminder of one thing- I cannot recall my QLC years without Boom Boom being one of the first people to come to mind.  

But none of the stories and attributes listed above are the reason that Susan joins my HOF today.  If I had tried to write this post when I first began blogging back in 2009, it would have been entitled, Boom Boom: Where Is She Now?  I had completely lost of track of her since moving to Florida in 1994, and it has only been through the wonders of social media and this blog that we have reconnected. And more than reconnect, we have become better friends than we ever were before. We text most every day to check on each other. Susan heroically dealt with breast cancer and has been a constant support for me as I dealt with my surgeries and the diabetes.  We have laughed together, cried together and been ridiculously silly together- just like old times. And all without having seen each other in over 20 years. Ain't modern technology amazing? :)

Quaker Lake Camp Summer Staff 1978

Susan McBane Tuggle has been married to her longtime sweetheart Randy since shortly after those QLC years. She is a mom and a grandmother. She is a great friend to so many. And she is still VERY attractive! So Boom Boom, I can FINALLY say welcome to the Hall of Fame!  I am blessed by the memories of our years together at camp, and can't imagine what my life would be like if you weren't back in it today.  You are the first from the summer of '78 QLC Staff to make my HOF- but not the last. Stay tuned, my friends! There's another induction coming tomorrow!

Because of Jesus,

Characters I Have Known: Andy Maynard

Andy Maynard, Steve Semmler, Unknown, DB3 & Me

The 2 year anniversary of this blog is Friday.  Join me all week for some special looks back!


I first met Andy Maynard when we were both in Cub Scouts, sometime in the late 1960s.  His mom was one of our "Den Mothers," and I remember really liking him.  I knew that he was the youngest of several children, and the youngest by a long shot.  In fact, his father had coached my Dad in college!  Andy was a year younger than me, and after Scouts I lost track of him for a couple of years- until Steve Semmler talked me in to going to youth group with him at New Garden Friends Meeting when I was in the 8th grade.  Andy was a part of that group, and over the next several years he became a dear friend and one of my favorite all-time characters. I should preface all of these tales by letting you know that the young man I knew grew up to become Dr. Andy Maynard, getting his doctorate in chemistry from the University of Texas.  But back in the day- well, I'll let the stories speak for themselves!  Here are just a few of my Memories of Maynard...

• During the height of the Jaws phenomenon back in the late '70s, it was common place for people to put their hand on their hip and stick their elbow out of the water as if they had a fin.  The crowd would laugh and sing the Jaws theme music as these "attacks" took place.  Maynard took this to whole new level.  One year at high school camp at Quaker Lake he began to attack in the pool with great frequency, but he added his own touch to the performance.  Andy began to actually bite people!  On the leg, the arm or whatever was available.  He became known as Shark for his prowess in the pool- and he always came up smiling!
• Sometimes when the conversation would get deep, Maynard would look someone straight in the eye and ask, "Have you ever really considered helium?"  Never failed to crack everyone up!
• One summer our youth group was coming back from a Myrtle Beach trip when we stopped for lunch in Rockingham, NC.  Andy was someone who tanned very well (and this was back when we put on oil to attract the sun, not lotions to repel it!) and after our trip he was very dark.  McDonald's was in the midst of an advertising campaign for a new Banana Milk Shake, and several of us were excited to try one.  Maynard took off his shirt, put on his dark sun glasses and wrapped a bandanna around his head, then headed for the counter of the very crowded restaurant.  He stared in to the face of the young woman at the cash register for a moment, and then with his best Caribbean accent said in a very loud voice, "I want...BANANA!"  She jumped back from him, and half of the crowd moved away as well.  Our group was laughing so hard we couldn't see straight.  I could never go into a McDonald's on a youth trip without telling someone that story...
• I do not remember the circumstances under which it was first asked, but another famous Maynard query was this- "Have you ever considered a horse as a sphere?"  Makes no sense, but always made us laugh!

The group of people that comprised the youth group of New Garden Friends Meeting during my high school years is in large part responsible for most of the good qualities I have today.  Andy Maynard may have been the most unique member of the group, but he was not alone in his influence on me.  More on that tomorrow.


Because of Jesus,

Cyber Monday

Today is Cyber Monday, the day when consumers all over the world are encouraged to shop online and when companies offer up great deals and savings.  While my little blog is not normally a for-profit operation, I wanted to join the rest of the online community in this effort today.  So here it is, my first ever blog sale.  The items advertised are all collectors items and available only here.  To order, just leave a comment and let me know what you want.  And be sure to read the fine print at the bottom.  Let's get started!

*  Item #21560-  Autographed Commodores Album Cover-  Featuring the only white guys ever to sing with the fabulous soul quintet, this collector's item was presented to me by band members Charles Freedle and Mike Mercadante in 1994.  It is the only one of its kind.  The street value is around $5000- but you can get it today for only $2.17!  Also includes an interview with Charles- "My Life With Onell Rich."  Order now!

*  Item #22098-  Bubba the Mooning Man-  Presented to me after the Myrtle Beach trip in 1999 by some of the girls of Kissimmee, this special little guy will "moon" the person of your choice, and when he shows his butt you see the autographs of such famous youth alumni as Erica Souther, Lindsey Lupfer, Rachel Autrey and Sarah Whitman.  Great for long trips and offending your Grandma.  Price- $17.50  $2.01

* Item #21666-  Bubba's Greatest Hits-  The early songs of Carl "Bubba" Jones (that's me!), including the classics that made him famous, like The Animal Song, Why? and Mama Was A Rock'N'Roll Singer & Daddy Used To Write All Her Songs.  Also includes the cassette tape of the classic Four Songs, Two Fools project, recorded live at Quaker Lake with Alan "Flash" Brown.  Act now and receive a DVD.  It's blank.  Isn't it amazing how much young Bubba looks like Justin Bieber?  Today only, this box set is priced to move at $20.00 $10.00 Make an offer!

* Item #27013-  Coconut Bra and Hula Skirt Combo-  This high fashion ensemble includes everything you need to throw your own Luau!  Worn by the fabulous Jerry Hanbery on many occasions in Kissimmee, this matching set also comes with a Jester hat and a can of Nair, in case you have a need to shave your head in the most painful way imaginable!  Only $250 for the whole set!  Also, for a limited time, you can order your own framed 8x10 copy of this picture, sure to brighten up any room of your home. 

* Item #20734- Pagan Eye For the Christian Guy CD-  The original recording of me presenting my seminar at the NYWC in Atlanta in 2004.  At the time, dozens of copies were made and at least 3 were sold- because I bought them!  Now you can own your very own at the very special price of $0.03 per copy.  Act now- at that price I will sell all 3 of my copies before...well, eventually!

*Item #1-  The Doggy Alarm Clock-  This cute little dog adds hours to your day by waking you with a yelping, howling alarm at 4 AM- no matter when you thought you wanted to get up!  Also serves as a garbage disposal for leftover food and has been known to tackle an occasional Christmas tree.  Answers to a variety of names and runs on turkey.  Price:  $14.22 or best offer!

Order Now!  Sale ends at Midnight tonight!

*Prices may vary in Alaska and Mississippi.  Offer void in Canada.  Some items do not actually exist.  Why do we park in the driveway and drive on the parkway?  R.I.P. Leslie Nielsen- no one will ever call you Shirley again.  Half a bee must also half not be.  Are thongs one size fits all?  Santa Claus is watching YOU...

Jesus- the only hope for me is You...and you alone!

And the winner is...

Character Week wraps up today, and I just may have saved the most unique for last.  In 28 years of youth ministry there were a lot of interesting people who passed through the doors of the various churches I served, but perhaps none was a greater character than Colleen Martin.

Colleen first came to us at FUMC-K as a middle school student.  Her mom (soon-to-be youth counselor and dear friend Cindy Martin) was concerned that Colleen might be heading down the wrong path, and most of this concern was based on the music she listened to.  Cindy brought Colleen in a few times for me to "counsel" about her growing love for groups like KORN and other bands of that genre from the mid 1990's.  It didn't take me long to discover two things.  One, Colleen was a normal, fairly well-adjusted teenager just looking for her place in this world.  And two, Colleen's place was going to be different from everyone else's.  She thrived on individuality.

There are many stories that, in the deep dark corners of my mind, set Colleen apart.  I may not have all the facts quite right; it is possible these stories have "grown" over time.  She was definitely one of the Myrtle Beach Mooners.  I seem to remember very early on in our relationship that she had to write a paper for school, one of those "What do I want to be when I grow up?" papers that everyone hates.  Colleen, never one to take the easy way out, wrote hers on being a serial killer. She approached it seriously, and wrote about how she wanted to be good at her chosen career.   Needless to say, this was met with some consternation at her middle school.  Parents were called, and we got to have a nice chat about it as well.  Obviously, Colleen had no intention of hurting anyone.  It was simply another way of announcing to the world that she was going to think for herself.  In the picture you see here, Colleen is posing with an Australian Christian band called Beanbag.  Everyone else who was with us that day was trying to get autographs and pictures with Newsboys, the stars of the show.  Colleen posed with the band no one had ever heard of (before or since!), and was absolutely thrilled about it!  Another time we were discussing the future, and things like marriage and family.  Colleen stated, without hesitation, that she wanted to be married in a funeral home.  Not exactly the kind of "white wedding" dreams you get from your average teenage girl.  But that was no surprise by then- I knew almost nothing abut Colleen was average.  She was exceptional in every way!

Colleen was the kind of character that makes being in youth ministry a joy.  She was a fierce friend to so many of our students, always sticking with them in good times and bad.  She was a "seeker" in the truest sense of the word.  Her faith was important to her.  She asked difficult questions, and she sought out the answers as well.  Her "out-of-the-box" thinking often challenged the group to see things in a different light, but she never expected anyone else to think like her.  I saw her be "Jesus with skin" to so many people during those years.  That group, as full of personality as it was, would never have become the family it was without her.

A few years after I left Kissimmee, Colleen came to visit us in Tampa with a group of old friends.  Will was at the church for something, and Marilyn was practicing with the praise band.  Colleen walked over with me to pick up Will.  She, by this time, had numerous piercings and was dressed all in black.  As we walked across the back of the worship room, the other members of the praise band wanted to know who she was- and why was she with me.  I am sure, as she lives life on her own terms, that Colleen gets a lot of that.  I know that at times as an adult she felt rejected by churches because of her appearance.  But Marilyn's response that night says all you need to know abut Colleen Martin:  "She's a dear friend, a sweetheart, and one of the most special people you could ever know."  I could not agree more.  Today we recognize Colleen as character, but that is not all.  She also deserves an induction into my Youth Group Hall of Fame!  Welcome, Colleen.  I assume you will want to decorate your section yourself...

Because of Jesus,

CCM Thursdays: B-A-L-O-G-N-A

Character Week continues...
Today the CCM in CCM Thursdays stands for Classic Commercial Music.  You will soon understand why!  Back in my days at Springfield Friends Meeting in the early 1990's, I made a startling discovery- cheerleaders are great spellers!  I used to kid Holly Harward about it all the time.  There are many cheers that require the spelling of words (such as V-I-C-T-O-R-Y), and so by necessity cheerleaders learn to spell.  Sometimes...

Kelly Jeck was only an 8th grade student when I left Kissimmee in March of 2000, which meant she had only been a part of our student ministry for less than 2 years (I want to give a shout out to Dwight Oakes, who followed me at FUMC-K and is still there today!  He has been a wonderful influence on a decade's worth of students.).  In the group picture on the left, she is the young lady in the crimson Florida State sweatshirt.  She has taken much abuse for that sweatshirt, as she turned out to be a University of Florida student when the time came.  My earliest memory of Kelly was that when she arrived in The Attic at FUMC-K, she came bouncing in.  When she left, she went bouncing out.  And the entire time she was there, she never quit bouncing!  I don't really remember if Kelly was actually a cheerleader or if she just aspired to be one, but I do remember that she often did cheers for us.  I do remember her as this incredible force of energy who always lit up the room.  If you came to our group hoping to just sit on the sidelines and not interact with anyone, and Kelly was there- then you were out of luck.  Kelly welcomed everyone.  She and her friends were loud, crazy and great fun to be around.  I hated leaving them behind.

But Kelly had a spelling problem.  One day, for reasons I have long since forgotten, she was singing the Oscar Mayer Bologna Song (see video at bottom if you don't know it).  In the song, a small boy spells out the word bologna, and Kelly did a great version of it.  The problem was, when Kelly sang it she spelled it "B-A-L-O-G-N-A."  When I corrected her spelling, I was told I was wrong.  I explained to her that I was pretty confident that I was right, and she again told me I was wrong.  She has firmly maintained that conviction for the past 11 years or so.  Just last week I was informed on her blog that it was still spelled with an "A."  After all of this time I suppose we just have to agree to disagree.  But she is right about one spelling item- you do have to be cool to understand why the word "youth" is often spelled UTH...

After my departure Kelly continued to be a leader in the student ministries of FUMC-K.  At one point several years ago we reconnected with some wonderful online conversations about faith, and she was working to organize a reunion of the old gang- but then I messed the whole thing up with my actions, and her work was wasted.  For that I am deeply sorry.  Kelly is getting married soon, is a successful business person in Kissimmee, and is once again active at FUMC-K.  I have no doubt she can still light up the room, because she is a "character" who brings out the best in everyone.  Just don't ask her to spell...

Figaro!!!

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Character Week continues...
I cannot remember when it happened.  I know we were in the van coming back from somewhere, and I seem to recall that it was late.  The van was fairly quiet (for a church van on a youth group trip) when a voice rang out like a shot in the wilderness-  FIGARO!!!!  FIGARO, FIGARO, FIGARO!!!!   I remember questioning who our opera singer was, only to get back one of the most stunning responses ever- Andrew Rogers (pictured at right with Jason Fry).

Andrew was a quiet guy with a great sense of humor.  In those days, he said very little, but almost everything he said was funny- if you could hear it.  He spoke in a very low voice, and I am sure there are people who knew him in middle school who were not certain if he ever spoke at all.  But for some reason, that one night, he decided to bless us with his operatic tenor.  OK- so Pavarotti he wasn't.  But it was still just so funny to hear that coming out of such a reserved, quiet young man.  And like with so many moments in our youth group at FUMC-K, that moment changed Andrew.  People began to request his singing on trips.  He saved it for special occasions, but you could tell he loved the fact that he had a "thing."  And every now and then, he would unleash his vocal prowess on our group.

As he grew older, Andrew became famous for something altogether different.  He could tell you where every 7-11 Store in the Orlando area was located, and what kind of SLURPEE machine (how many nozzles) they had.  He knew the flavors.  And he was always ready to go get one.  When we moved to Chicago he was unsure I would survive, as there were no Slurpees to be found in the area.  I still have this imagine in my mind (and it may be true; I don't really know!) of Andrew going from store to store on July 11th every year getting a free Slurpee at each stop.  If he hasn't done that, he should- and he knows a group of guys who would gladly join him!

Andrew Rogers was not the only "character" in his family.  His mother Debbie once had her hair done in wild fashion while on a New York trip and wore it to a Broadway show (The Scarlet Pimpernel). Debbie was always as outlandish as any of our youth.  The two of them combined on a very memorable moment for me.  When I was leaving FUMC-K and the youth department threw a party for us, Debbie gave me a special gift that no one else could see.  It seems that Andrew had taken some pictures on that New York trip, including one of some of the guys in their room at the Milford Plaza.  When Debbie got the pictures developed, she discovered this extremely inappropriate picture.  At our going away event, she presented it to me- a 5x7 in a plain brown envelope.  I still have it somewhere, waiting for the day I need it for blackmail.  :)   If you want to know more about the content of that picture, then you'll have to e-mail me!!!

Andrew Rogers (and his mom) are most deserving of recognition on Character Week, because they meet the primary condition- they gave us great memories!  Tomorrow, on CCM Thursday,  you'll meet another deserving victim and discover that CCM can also mean "Classic Commercial Music."  See you then.

Because of Jesus,

Chico

CHARACTER WEEK continues today with a look back at James Fry (pictured; he's on the right, Tommy Weaver is on the left), one of the most memorable characters who was ever a part of any of my student ministries.  James and his entire family- parents Jim & Karen, and brothers Jason & Josh- were a huge part of what we accomplished in Kissimmee, and Marilyn and I love them all.  But James was the very definition of a character, and I would suspect everyone who was around in those days has stories to tell.  Today I will tell mine!

My first memory of James was on the Mid-High Mission Trip to Orlando my first summer at FUMC-K (1994).  James was a new 6th grader, and I wasn't quite sure what to make of him.  He seemed a little disinterested at first, and I was afraid he was going to be one of those students who never quite fit in.  It was a bit later on, playing a "name game" at a Wednesday Night Live, when he established himself as a force to be reckoned with in our youth group.  We were going around the circle and having everyone say their name before the game began, and when it was his turn to say his name, James said "Chico."  We all laughed, but he informed us that he wanted to be called Chico- so we did.  Forever.  From that point forward, Chico became a very important part of our ministry.  He was no longer just "there"- he was somebody.  And the memorable moments began to flow...

He used to do this sound effect thing, where he would press the fingertips of both hands together and then pull his hands apart like he was pulling a rubber band, and he would say "TWAAAAAAA!"  Before long he had us all doing it, though we really had no idea why!  We were playing the game TABOO one Wednesday night, and Chico was trying to get his team to guess "Julius Caesar."  His first clue was "the salad dressing dude!"  He had a thing for salad dressings.  On our way to a Kyoto's Night the folks in the van I was driving were discussing how much we loved the Ginger Dressing they put on salads there.  Chico suddenly announced, "I hate the French."  When asked why, he answered simply "because their salad dressing is nasty!"  While at Kyoto's one night, someone challenged him to eat a whole container of Wasabi, and he did.  He drank gallons of liquid trying to calm down the heat, but he turned bright red and I am certain there was smoke coming out of his ears!  Every place we went, every trip we took that he was a part of, Chico was the man when it came to entertainment.  And we all loved him.

James Fry passed away in a tragic accident in Kissimmee on January 23, 2009.  His post high school years had not always been easy, and I had not had much contact with him over those years.  I know he is missed by his family and friends, and I know that James Fry died too soon.  But I also know this- Chico will live forever in our hearts and our memories.  No collection of stories about those wonderful years would have been complete without remembering Chico.  And I suspect that up in heaven, Saint Peter is standing next to the Pearly Gates still trying to figure out why he is still pulling his hands apart every few minutes and saying "TWAAAAAAA!"  for no apparent reason.  I know why- because no one forgets Chico.

Because of Jesus,

The Famous Chrissy Weaver

Welcome to Character Week!

The USA Network has, for several years now, used the tag line CHARACTERS WELCOME on commercials for their original shows.  That could have been our slogan in the youth ministry of FUMC-K as well.  All this week here at I'd Laugh I am going to remember a few of those characters and the some of the moments that made them memorable.   And what better place to start than with our most famous celebrity...

Chrissy Weaver started her journey in our youth group when she and her large class of 6th graders joined us in June of 1994.  She was a tiny, quiet little thing who rarely spoke but smiled constantly.  She came from a family with some issues (don't we all!) and her mother was extremely protective of her children, including Chrissy's brother Tommy.  Like so many others who spent a great deal of time around our ministry, she got over the quiet part- but she never quit smiling!  You have read about her mooning people at Myrtle Beach; you have seen a picture of her trying to eat Ben Thompson's head.  And yet, even as she broke out of her shell, she remained a shy person at heart.  Today we want to take a look back at a day that put her patience with us to the test.

Pretty much every summer we had a Disney Day on our schedule, because we had so many people who had access to admission to Walt Disney World.  We always had a blast on those days, and it always seemed there was one story that would mark the day.  On this particular day (I have no idea what year it was) we were standing in line to ride Space Mountain.  Those of you who know Disney know that there is always a long line for the ride, and this day was no different.  Waiting in line can be fun when you have a group to kill the time with, and there were a bunch of us that day.  Chrissy Weaver was a rare young lady in this sense; she was beautiful, but had no idea that she was.  The older guys in the group used to joke at the time that they needed to become friends with Chrissy now, because when she got older she would be so far out of their league she would never give them the time of day.  On this day, surrounded by huge crowds as we moved through the Space Mountain line, we decided to give Chrissy a hard time.  I began the whispering, saying to the youth around me, "Isn't that Chrissy Weaver, the TV star?"  Others caught on, and we all began to whisper and point.  Chrissy was blushing and trying to ignore us, so we just kept getting louder.  Youth group members were asking for her autograph and talking about how amazing it was to see her there.  And slowly, but surely, the "strangers" in line with us began to look.  We could hear them talking, trying to figure out who she was.  Some began to say they recognized her from various shows.  It was hilarious.  I am sure a number of those folks returned home that day talking about the celebrity they saw at WDW.

We. of course, could not let it end there.  Every where we went that day we talked aloud of our friend "the famous Chrissy Weaver."  People kept looking, wondering what she was famous for!  And it's funny- from that day forward Chrissy didn't just feel like a part of our youth family, she felt like an IMPORTANT part of our youth family.  In our little world, she was indeed famous.  As a youth pastor you always want your students to feel like they matter; that episode just showed that you never quite know what will do the trick!  Chrissy was a true character and one of my favorite people, and I miss her.  I have no idea where she is today, but wherever she is, I still think of her as a celebrity.  Thank you, Chrissy, for providing us with some great character moments! 

Because of Jesus,

Farewell, David Tebbs!

Let me begin by saying it seemed like a good idea at the time.  Simple, innocent and funny is what we were going for.  In retrospect, it was doomed to the disaster it almost was from the very beginning. Our foolishness did, however, save Tim Vestal from some trouble- but you'll need to ask him abut that!  This story is true, although my memory may be faulty.  Please comment with your additions and corrections!

David Tebbs, the Youth and Christian Education Director of North Carolina Yearly Meeting in the mid 1980's was leaving that position at the end of the 1987 FUM Triennial Sessions.  After a rocky start, David was someone I had come to like and respect a great deal.  He was a strong Christian and someone who had brought great spiritual depth to the youth programs of NCYM.   David was also someone we loved to harass.  His shy, conservative demeanor and his appearance reminded us of the great Pat Boone (without the white shoes!), and he embarrassed and blushed quite easily.  It seemed that we needed to give him a proper farewell at the end of Triennials, and if we could see that famous blush, so much the better!

The "we" in this case consisted of Tom Klaus from Iowa Yearly Meeting and Brent Bill from Western Yearly Meeting- and myself.  Both Tom and Brent held the same position as David in their respective Yearly Meetings, and both were published writers who held a level of respect among the Quakers gathered in Greensboro that week.  I was just hanging out with them because I had known them for a while and because we had too much fun when we were together.  The three of us brainstormed what we could do to "get" David, and somehow, at someones suggestion, decided to bring a belly dancer into one of the final sessions of the event.  My memory is that Tom made the call (and since I know Brent reads this on occasion, I will place the blame on Tom) and ordered the dancer.  He explained that this was for a pastor, in front of a couple of hundred young people, and that it was imperative that she be a G-rated belly dancer.  It was all set, and we were excited to see just how red David's face could be!

We met the dancer backstage and she looked great- a true belly dancer with all the bells and whistles!  We again confirmed who she was there for and that it needed to be a conservative performance.  We sat David in a chair, made some sort of introduction, and brought her out.  There were hoots and hollers, and David turned bright pink before she ever started.  But then she began to dance- and our jaws dropped.  If this dance was G-rated, we DID NOT want to see PG!  She was all over David, and the atmosphere became very tense.  From off stage the three amigos began sharing with each other how much we had enjoyed youth ministry and discussing what our next careers might be.  It was awful.  We looked out at the crowd, which was divided into three camps.  The youth were loving it.  The adults who had come over for this special occasion were mortified.  David's wife was ready to faint.   As it all ended, we considered making a break for it before the lynching started, when a small miracle saved us.  David's father, Jack, a well respected pastor himself, was standing, laughing and clapping.  Others who had been planning our demise also began to smile.  Even David's wife was laughing.  Our jobs (and lives) were spared!  We were forgiven to the point that Brent came and spoke for the youth of NCYM that August, and I went to Iowa to speak the following summer.  But for a few minutes, we thought it was the big OOPS...  As it turned out I had years to go and many smaller "oops" to experience before the big one.   And to David Tebbs, wherever you are, I hope someone is reading this to you and making you blush!

Because of Jesus,

The Asheboro Flash

There is absolutely no question about the identity of the number one character I ever met at Quaker Lake. It has to be Alan Brown. I met Alan at a winter camp sometime in the mid 1970's. I didn't really hang out with him in those days, but I knew I liked him. Some of my earliest memories of Alan are of him playing guitar and singing Mr. Bonjangles with the late Jeff Morgan. I also remember him performing I'm Easy in the Fireplace Room at the lodge (and being overly impressed because I thought he wrote it!). It really wasn't until the summer of 1976 when he was on the QLC staff and I volunteered most of the summer that we became close. My life, and Quaker Lake, would never be the same.

Alan was known in those days as Flash, shortened from The Asheboro Flash. Wallace Sills had given him the name after catching Alan kissing two girls in one night less that an hour apart, and it stuck. There was a whole generation of campers who didn't even know his name was Alan- he was, simply, Flash! But to me, he was my partner. Alan taught me early on in my days at camp that dead time for campers usually led to trouble, and we saw it as our job to entertain, even if only for a five minute lull in the action. We created Opera Day and Chant Day just to pass time. We would sing silly songs and create disturbances to get the kids attention and pull them together. I vividly remember Alan entertaining the troops with a camper named Eric Hunsucker, who could belch on cue. Alan would sing "bright eyes don't cry.." and Eric would let loose with huge "BUUURRRRPPPP!!!" And the other campers would love it.

Alan's influence in my life extended far outside the boundaries of camp. We were at Guilford College together. We were roommates in two different apartments (Hidden Lakes and Chateau at Random Woods) and together with Carl Semmler we spent a month in 1979 travelling across the country. Spending a month together in a Honda Civic will seriously bond people together. We shared so many classic moments together. Here are a few of my favorites:

1) Alan comes to my house early one morning and says on his way into class from his home in Asheboro he has had an idea for a song. Actually, he had almost a whole song, and within the hour Blue Pick-Up Truck was finished.
2) The night before a winter camp was to start we were at my parent's house, where we stayed up all night writing Roll Over Lucy. Unfortunately, when we got up the next morning we could no longer remember the tune! To this day I am still not sure if the way we sang it was the tune we intended...
3) We, along with our friends Mark Hyde and Bill Terrell, loved to play hearts and spades- in fact, I think we could have received advanced degrees in both! There were a few times when we convinced unsuspecting newcomers that we had never played, and allowed them to teach us the games...too much fun!
4) Producing the infamous Four Songs...Two Fools cassette tape for our friend Brent Bill and his son Ben, who was our biggest (read as ONLY) fan. The Animal Song, Blue Pick-Up Truck, Roll Over Lucy and the rarely heard classic We've Got Gas were the songs. No question as to who the fools were...   Another time we came up with this card game called Triple Jim Bob, which had no rules except that you had to make up the rules as you went along. Alan and I would baffle people with ridiculous rules and names for the different situations in the game. It was great seeing how long it would take people to catch on that we were making it up as we went!

I guess you get the idea...we were dangerous together. I can't even begin to tell you how much I miss him. There have been others in my life with whom I could get wild and creative (Jerry Hanbery comes to mind) but no one else quite like Alan. I will never forget walking from the lodge to the boy's cabins, late at night,and stopping to salute the flag post (actually a light pole!) and singing the Quaker Lake Alma Mater:

In the city of Climax, past the Climax Mall, there's a place where campers visit and never return at all. Quaker Lake is quite a place to spend a week or two, but never press your luck with others or they might do unto you...

Through the tough times, the great times, the silly times and our Sunday afternoon conversations about the campers we were about to spend a week with, Alan was always there. I just hope someday we get to do a farewell concert featuring We've Got Gas and The Parakeet Song...

Because of Jesus,

Quaker Lake Characters

You have already met some of the people (David Fields, Lin Osborne, Laura Wheeler) who made my years as a camper, Counselor Assistant and staff member at QLC such a huge part of my life in some of my earlier posts. Today I want to give you a quick look at ten more of the "characters" ( in no particular order) that I will not soon forget! And there are still so many more...
10) Darrell McBane- I served "Daddy Darrell" as a CA for two years in high school, and we became good friends, hanging out on the weekends and playing pranks. I learned much about being a good camp counselor from Darrell, including how to always focus on the campers needs first. Which leads me to...
9) Becky Long- Sweet, quiet little camper who was on the softball field minding her own business when a girl doing a flip inadvertently threw a wooden heeled Dr. Shoals sandal that hit her above her eye, cutting her badly. I grabbed her bleeding head and pinned it against me so she couldn't see how much blood there was, picked her up and started to lodge for help. Someone grabbed her head, pulled it away from my blood-soaked chest, and said "let me see." The blood gushed into her eyes and she basically went into shock. She was rushed to the hospital and was fine, and we became good friends. Later she was on a New York trip as well. She was a real sweetie! Now the guy who pulled her head away...
8) Roland Pugh. One of the first friends I made at camp as a camper, and the son of a pastor, Roland was a good guy who could be a little of a know-it-all sometimes. In our mostly chaotic version of volleyball he would always quote rules from the official rule book that none of us knew or cared about. He always had to have the last word on anything medical. And to quote one of our cooks, Roland "thinks he is God's gift to women." Which brings us to...
7) Brian Jackson. The same cook finished that statement by saying "now Brian Jackson IS God's gift to women!" Brian was a star football player who was known and loved by all the campers his age. He was a great CA for me one week, and was part of the group who loved to sing The Hog Calling Song: "When it's hog calling time in Nebraska, I'll be calling my hogs over you." Brian was also a part of the best looking couple I remember from those days...
6) Leigh Ann Everhart Venable was the other half of that couple. If they had been around today, they would have one of those combo names, like "BriAnn" or "LeighBri." Leigh Ann was a part of many of my favorite early days at camp, and then was on staff my last summer. We had all kinds of fun together right up until she married one of my best friends, Terry Venable. Later, Terry came to Springfield Friends Meeting as pastor a year or so after I had left there, she and I had a simple deal- she would not tell Carl stories and I would not tell Leigh Ann stories! We will always have "our house...in the middle of the tundra!" And I can't talk abut Leigh Ann without talking about...
5) Jay Osborne. The two of them are joined in my brain for a variety of reasons, including the infamous "Empty Cabin" week. They are also there because they were such good friends to each other and to me through the tragedy of the death of Robin Davis we endured together that same summer. Jay's famous "I'm melting" line as the Tin Man in Little Theater production of The Ozzard of Wuz; his dropping my guitar off the roof of the lodge; and his admission that counselors, not lifeguards, were "where the rubber hits the road" at QLC always will keep him in my memory. Then there was also the time I tried to fix him up with...
4) Jodi Coble, AKA "Abby Normal." Jodi was a camper and staffer who just made you sick. Everything she did she did well. Painting, shooting, academics, cooking...you name it, she was good at it. Too good for Jay, apparently, because my plan failed miserably. When she was in college we took to writing each other fictitious letters, hers signed by Abby Normal and mine signed by Snide Pendergrass. Marilyn and I had a wedding certificate for all the guests to sign at our wedding, and we were surprised later on to discover that Mr. & Mrs. Snide Pendergrass had attended. Now a vet in Colorado, Jodi was one of my favorite people. The last time I saw her she was preparing to run a marathon at Disney World. Disgusting.
3) Paul Routh has absolutely no connection to Jodi that I know of, but then Paul is connected to everyone it seems. He arrived as a camper for his first week of camp and would not quit crying until I finally got his mom to leave. He stayed...and stayed...and stayed! Camper, staff member or Yearly Meeting staffer, Paul has been a huge part if QLC for a very long time, right up until today. Just think, if I had sent him home with his mom we could have avoided all of this! :)
2) Pam Farlow. (In case you follow this blog and are wondering "is everyone connected to QLC named Osborne or Farlow, the answer is "pretty much.") Pam was a counselor the summer of 1976, a summer I volunteered three weeks. She was student at UNC and I was in high school. She had a bit of a crush on my friend Carl Semmler, and I became her confidant about that and a good many other things. She had a great impact on my desire to work at camp, and though I never really was around her much after that summer, she is definitely a character I remember.
1) And #1 is...you'll have to wait until tomorrow, because this guy gets a post all to himself. But don't worry, it'll be here in a flash...


Because of Jesus,