Special "Pamper Camper" Edition

This came from an old Monthly Chapter Bulletin - Florissant Valley Patch (~1974)

     Talk about a "Pamper Camper". One 24 foot mobile home, one 18 foot mobile home, one 23 foot travel trailer, what a complex of "steel and wheels". Things were going great until a tent camper and a tent was moved in and you know the rest! There went the neighborhood! It's a shame we didn't have better zoning laws. The Adams and Williamson van didn't really add much either. I heard Gerry Mohr grumbling about having to breathe that plaster dust all night.

     Everything went great on Friday night. Good fire and good chili, good fellowship and close harmony. It was great to have Gerry Mohr, Jerry Coen and Larry Blybome from the St. Charles Chapter blending their trained voices with the Florissant boys. We certainly enjoyed having these fellows as our guests.

     As the night progressed, things became rather confusing. The one thing I'll never understand is why Vince Cavanaugh insisted we eat chili again at 1:30 am. Jack Martin and Charlie Buehrle went to great expense, foregoing much needed sleep to prepare chili for Vince and when it was ready to eat he said he wasn't hungry. Lucky Al Rubin was still up so it didn't go to waste.

     We missed the great sounds of our newly formed quartet the "No Names" (Ron Breckenridge, Vern Martin, Ed Hobein, and Dick Olson). It seems they were singing at an affair down town. From their report they were living it up the same as we were at Souix Passage except they had no chili. Also this business of 5cent beer is almost unbelievable. Maybe we should hold our campout down town from now on.

     As you might have guessed, Charlie Buehrle was up and at em first thing on Saturday morn. I think the only one up before him was Steve Fair. Needless to say, Steve didn't bother anyone. Also as usual Al Rubin was up frying sausage and eggs and it wasn't long until everybody was up and kicking around.

     Shortly after breakfast a vigorous bottle cap game was played. Jack Martin's team soundly beat Vince Cavanaugh's team 9 to nothing. Sorry Vince, you just ain't got it anymore. After Vince finished crying, he got partial revenge on the volleyball court. The main reason his team won was due to our star player Kent Davis pulling a muscle in his leg. Actually, the game was called but Vince was ahead 20 to 10, thats not saying he would have won. We won't talk about the Indian ball, I think it was fixed anyway.

     The daylight hours slipped away giving way to an early evening mail of steak, potatoes, salad and all the good things that go with it. Unfortunately there were more mouths than steaks by one. Kent Davis filled up on tube steak and tennis show soup. Kent even had the courage to take some of Forristal's tennis show soup home with him!

     With the evening hours giving way to darkness and a glowing camp fire, Charlie Buehrle conducted on of the best planned programs ever. We all recognize, Charlie, the hours of planning that went into that program. Lets all give 3 silent "atta-boys" for Charlie.

     Seriously, the program was superb. We had some fine singing from pick up quartets and our own "Sound Hounds" and "No Names". We had combinations such as the Riverboaters, Eventides, good Guys, Bad Guys, Cross Keys all mixed together which really produced some great harmony. We even had the voices of some 20 girl scouts intermingled in our program. This was somewhat unplanned by Charlie, but a rather pleasant change for awhile anyway. I think we will go down in their books' as "Good Guys" so I'm sure we all feel it was worth it.

     As the early morning hours crept on us, we again were pleased to have 4 more of the St. Charles guys as our guests. This is to say nothing of the splendid array of talent displayed by St. Charles' own Gerry Mohr. He was a real inspiration to all in attendance. It's easy to see now how St. Charles has forged ahead over the years with such individual courage and talent to gage themselves by. Brother that "Dirty palm" bit was something to savor. We won't be forgetting that Gerry! By the way, those other St. Charles boys were Hal Maples, Rich Meyers, Richey Dunger and Al CaHill. They did a pretty good job as a quartet also! Thanks fellows. Your as welcome as the flowers in May.

     As the last ringing chord faded in the night being absorbed in total by the shrill sound of a howling wolf, our St. Charles friends began to depart. As the Florissant boys began to disappear and file into their respective bunking places, the night seemed to swallow up the fun and game of the previous day. Now I ask ya, isn't that a beautiful piece of writing????

     It was good night pamper campers, I thought! I knew there was something bad wrong when I heard that awful sound, like an African tribal dance, yes the dance of the "dirty palms". As i lay there in bead, it got nearer and nearer. As the door of the trailer opened, I knew I had had the course. As I looked outside there was Charlie Buehrle, Paul Fair, Fred Madorin, Kent Davs and that one and only Gerry Mohr. They were singing, surprisingly, well only they all were singing different songs. Believe it or not, every once in awhile they would touch upon a chord for a moment. I tell you, you have never heard any thing like it.

     It didn't take me too long to get rid of them and the night melted away in the hush of the cool morning breeze. The only thing I had to tolerate from then on was Al Rubin's snoring.

     Well the morning again brought about bacon, sausage and eggs, juice and hot black coffee. Kent Davis cleaned up on the remaining tennis show soup. Gotta be sumpin wrong with that guy! After a walk to the river, clean up began. Pamper campers began to pick up their belongings and headed for home and mama.

     We all are looking forward to next year for an even more glorious pamper camper. Forristal says he wll make lentil soup next year.

     A Fellow Barbershopper