StoryCorps: Pauline Curry

Pauline: I was 11 months the first year I went and this is going to be my 65th summer without missing 1 summer going. My first memories are; we were camping in Riverside Drive and I walked up the hill to somebody that was camping up there. They had a little boy that was about my age and so we would play together. I went up one day and I said to them, “My parents would like you to come for dinner.”

Christine: I remember this story.

Pauline: And um, so being the adults they figured they’d better check it out first before they come down to – expecting to eat. So they came down and met my Mom and Dad and no, they hadn’t been invited to dinner. But they became lifelong friends. In the evenings, Mr. and Mrs. Flynn would have these big campfires and they would bring out their musical instruments and Dave Flynn used to play this thing called a bucket which sounds like a big bass. It’s made out of a wash basin that’s upside-down and a rope goes through a hole in it and then a stick rests on the edge of the wash basin and it sounds just like a bass.

Christine: I seem to remember a story about the Smokey the Bear disappearing.

Pauline: Well, one of the things that I had was a curfew and if I was out walking around with the kids I would have to be back by 10 o’clock. And my parents were sleeping in an Airstream trailer with my sister Joyce and I had my own tent. And I would wait until they fell asleep and then I would gently unzip the tent and sneak out and join the friends and we would – one time we took the big cut out of Smokey the Bear that was made out of wood and we put it in the ladies’ room down there so that when someone came in with their flashlight and… [laughter]. I mean, how realistic would that be that that was a bear, but – frighten them and… We were teenagers then and so we would hang out with some of the teenagers that were there and that would be there at the same time every time that we went. So, it’s a campground that is close to me and that I love. I guess that comes through in what I’ve said, so…

Christine: I think you’re right.