Bonclarken

Beginning in the summer of 1994 and for every summer after that for the next 7 years I travelled south from my home in Lexington, Virginia to a small town called Flat Rock, North Carolina where I attended Bonclarken's Music Conference. Our church youth group made the trek down the valley and through the mountains for a week in July filled with singing, swimming, and socializing. 

I have many fond memories of camp: sleeping in bunk beds, making friends from the Carolinas that I would keep in touch with via snail mail throughout the year, trying new adventures like obstacle courses and rock wall climbing. I slow danced with a boy for the first time at one of the socials, looked up to the older girls in my group, had a major crush on a boy that I looked forward to seeing summer after summer. Many fond memories indeed.

Bonclarken has sort of been a family affair for the Smiths. My dad and uncle, along with Maw-maw used to attend various conferences in the 1970s. My uncle still visits frequently for Synod meetings and to open up the Virginia cottage for other groups attending camp. The same uncle, along with my aunt and mom chaperoned the conference my cousin, brother and I went to with the rest of our youth group.

On my recent road trip home with mom we took the route that would take us by Bonclarken. I have not been there in nearly fourteen years, and though some buildings are new and everything seemed closer together than my younger memory led me to believe, it still felt the same. So enjoy a photo dump of pictures from our drive down memory lane as well as some snap shots from days gone by!

The Virginia Cottage. We would climb out the dormer windows and sit on the roof because we were too cool for school :) A lot of time was spent hanging out on the porch swing and in rocking chairs

Map of the camp taped to the wall inside the cottage |  A sign inside that has probably been hanging there for 40+ years

Mom and I poked around in some of the registries from ages ago (the ones from my days were missing)

I found lots of familiar names (Chester Smith, John Smith, Mrs. Orville Smith) from the Junior High Conferences in 1971 and 1972

Mom & I squinting in front of the house.

A new apartment style lodging building | The chapel

 Memorial Hall where we stayed our first year attending the Music Conference

 Dining Hall | Hotel

 Cloudy view from the dining hall towards the lake

Oh the Nibble Nook. Possibly my favorite place at Bonclarken. Each night everyone attending the camp would gather together to sing songs, buy snacks, and make memories. You also got to watch people brave their way through the elevated obstacle course in the trees (it has been taken down and relocated). 

 The Swiss Cottage where you went if you needed a bandaid or got a bee sting!

Rock climbing wall

Our little group in 1994 outside of Memorial Hall (I am the first one on the left sitting)

My first year there I forgot to pack a dress for the final music performance at the end of the week. In a pinch my aunt's blouse + a belt made do! Hahaha!

Some of our group posing with our music teachers at the 1996 conference (far left)

Sliding Rock is a local attraction near Asheville and is just what the name says: a large flat rock surface waterfall that people slide their tushes down into a pool of water! I remember it being cold but fun! 

The group staying at the Virginia cottage (third row up, far left, sitting)

The girls all grown up a few years later! (middle, white shirt)

Possibly the same year with a few of the guy friends from South Carolina. (bottom row, far right, sitting)

While I distinctly remember detesting getting up early in the morning to go to music practice (I really have never been a morning person), I won't ever forget paddle boating in the lake, swimming in the pool, exploring the caboose at the playground, buying trinkets in the gift shop, or being terrified at the top of the pamper pole. Each year I looked forward to seeing friends I had made from other states and each year I was sad to leave. I am very thankful to have spent eight lovely summers at Bonclarken :)