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Sheep Hole Day:
Sheep Hole Day is a beloved Camp tradition in which everyone at Camp journeys to a nearby creek for a picnic day. Once there, campers play cards, relax on beach towels, splash in the creek, listen to music, talk, and more.
After tent clean-up, campers and counselors pack for the day, making sure to bring their bunks’ assigned supplies - from Magic cards, to sports equipment, to radios. After Meeting for Worship, everyone is called to make a very very important choice: Walk on the Road or Journey by Creek. Counselors make pitches for the superior route (the way they are traveling, of course!), and two parties head out to the swimming hole!!
We reached out to alumni to ask them about their memories of Sheep Hole and we learned a lot, though we’re still unclear on the origin of this much-loved tradition!
Sue Neiger Gould, Former Camp Director and Counselor alum said Sheep Hole Day started as a logistical plan, “It became a way to deal with the lack of counselors on the second Wednesday of the session when Pioneer canoe counselors went to meet the hikers for the canoeing part of the Pioneer. The hiking counselors were brought back but for a good part of the day, there was a shortage of counselors. Late wake up and Meeting for Worship in the morning made it a very relaxing day.”
Before Sheep Hole Day became an Onas tradition, Campers would take a much longer journey to Ralph Stover Park and enjoy a similarly laid back day once they reached their destination.
Photo from our archive of Onas at Ralph Stover Park, an earlier iteration of this trip. Here, they are playing horeshoes.
David G., an Onas camper and staff alum, who lived at Onas for years with his wife Sue and their family, says, “I don't recall regular trips to Sheep Hole prior to my last year on staff which was 1974. I do remember the long hike to Ralph Stover Park, going on it a couple of times. Images are picking your way across the creek on rocks and then just getting wet and enjoying it. The high, looming sense of the palisades rising above you on the far bank. The old Ford tractor or Russ' jeep hauling a flatbed down with lunch.”
Photo Left: Swimming at Ralph Stover.
Sue remembers the trips to Ralph Stover Park, “I do remember loving the hike to Ralph Stover Park and swimming in the creek. Sheep Hole Day replaced it and I don’t think too many people missed it. From time to time we did take hikes to Stover with campers willing to try it but never again the whole camp.”
Jessica P., an Onas alum and one of our Camp Champions wrote, “Back in my day it wasn’t a set thing but was a surprise. Once it was staged as an emergency evacuation (late 70’s/early 80’s). It was just the right level of confusion/uncertainty and comfort in knowing we were always safe.”
Claire S. also recalls a randomness to the day. “It started as a way to get everyone out of Camp due to blown over tents, extreme heat, or some other disruption, then later turned into a scheduled event when the Bernsteins moved away and the new owners of the beautiful green grass wanted some notice before their bucolic setting was overrun with red clay-stained Onas campers and counselors. Always a great time and not nearly as long a walk as the dreaded trek to Stover.”
One of the ways this tradition has been able to continue is through the goodwill of the owners of Sheep Hole Farm and also the property we traverse when we travel by creek. While the properties have changed ownership through the years, each owner has allowed our Sheep Hole tradition to continue, and we are incredibly thankful for their generosity!
And finally, why is it called Sheep Hole? Because it’s on Sheep Hole Road! And how did the road get its name? The jury is still out, but we’re guessing that at one point in time, there were sheep involved. 😂
Sheep Hole Then...
Sheep Hole Then...
& Now!
& Now!
More Memories of Sheep Hole Day
More Memories of Sheep Hole Day
"Gotta take the creek! I think I spent the entire time swimming in the water hole." - Mazie B.
“I remember Sheep Hole day. We went by the creek by the pond, then through the old archery area. Spent the day there playing and then went back by the road. They used the tractor and flat trailer plus the van to ferry the campers back who could not or would not walk.” - Mike S.
“I remember it fondly and the huge grass hill on the other side of the road. That hill still lingers in my memory.” - Avram S.
“I remember it was random. I think it was only super hot days that it happened.” - Todd S.
“Sheep Hole was certainly a regular event by the time I came along; ‘76-ish. I always thought it was Sheep Hole Creek. Now and again I’ll ply those roads less-traveled to reminisce. I could sit by the hole tomorrow, eating a PB&J, and bring it all back.” - Mark F.
“Remember the black labs who would dive for rocks we threw in for them? I loved swimming there, not to mention the hike there.” - Amanda A.
Thank you to everyone who shared their stories and memories!
Thank you to everyone who shared their stories and memories!
Do you have photos from Sheep Hole Days that you attended at Onas? If so, please send them to us! We’re revamping the History Project and we would love to include submissions and photos from you. By submitting your photos, you'll help us create a visual history of Onas for current and future generations, and we hope you’ll enjoy the trip down memory lane. To help us tell our collective story, email your submissions to historyproject@camponas.org!
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