Someone suggested last year that I should conduct a workshop on covert Getaway drinking, as I have many years of experience...

Ramblewood, where the Getaway has been held for the last 5 years, is the only camp we've ever used that did not have an official no-alcohol policy, and I understand even they did have such a policy written down somewhere, but chose not to enforce it. I expect the main reason for such policies is insurance -- if people get rowdy and do damage, they would have grounds for kicking us out. But over the 40-plus years we've been doing this, we've never had anyone get obnoxiously or dangerously drunk, and we've gotten fairly good at subterfuge.

As this will be the first year in the new place (West River Camp, a Methodist facility), we'd like to make a reasonably good impression, and be careful not to be obvious. We don't know how much the camp staff will be around during the event (at Prince William Forest Park they were almost never on site, but rangers would show up unexpectedly on rare occasions; at Camp Letts there was always a staff member in the kitchen, but we almost never saw anyone else; at Ramblewood the kitchen staff was there all the time, but they didn't care). We'll see how it goes.

Basically, the deal is, no obvious alcohol containers in view, and haul out the empties.   Either disguise cans and bottles somehow to look innocuous (my friend Nan used to have funny plastic wrappers that looked like soft-drink labels to wrap around beer cans -- "Dr. Pecker" and suchlike -- but I haven't seen those in years) or decant the beverage into another container. I highly recommend insulated mugs with lids. At the Washington Folk Festival, where the no-alcohol policy is very strongly enforced, I have been known to pour my beer into an empty coca-cola can, and this has saved my butt on a few occasions, but is more trouble than it's worth for the Getaway. Perhaps others will have more suggestions. Oh, and do take care not to discard empties in the regular camp trash containers -- maintain a "classified trash" bag or whatever in your room and take it with you when you leave.

I hope that answers your question and eases your mind. I for one am looking forward to the new place -- I visited it with Charlie and Rita and several others last year, and it's a very nice facility. All of the buildings are heated and in MUCH better repair than those at Ramblewood, rest rooms are conveniently located in every building, there are several excellent workshop spaces, and the site itself is flat (no more Camp Escher!) and lovely -- right on the Chesapeake Bay (well, West River, actually). It is true that half the beds are upper bunks, but hopefully enough of us are agile enough to deal with that so it won't be a problem. I expect we'll have a good time in any event. I can hardly wait!

Nancy