December 5, 2012
Stony Point, NY: The National Association of Russian Explorers held
its Autumn Ball
Every
summer for almost half a century, the National Association of
Russian Explorers (NORR) holds a Russian Orthodox camp for children
and young adults in the Catskill Mountains. In July of this year,
over 140 children, young adults, counselors, and camp personnel
gathered from several states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut,
Massachusetts, and Florida. In the fall, NORR holds its annual
Autumn Ball, attended by campers, their friends and family members,
as well as camp counselors and organizers. Traditionally, the ball
is held either on the Friday following Thanksgiving Day, or one week
earlier, depending on the beginning of the Nativity Fast. After
covering expenses, all funds raised at the Ball, including ticket
sales and lottery income, go to fund next year’s camp and pay for
underprivileged campers to attend.
This year, owing to the diligent efforts of Andrei Mouravieff and
Natalie Marlow-Joukov (who themselves attended the camp as children,
progressing to troop leaders and later counselors), the Autumn Ball
was held on November 23rd at the beautiful Clubhouse at Patriot
Hills in Stony Point, NY. From the first minutes of the Ball,
attendees were struck with a feeling of joy at meeting up with their
friends, despite the unusual sight of men in suits and tuxedos and
women in long evening gowns, instead of the camp’s customary
t-shirts and shorts. All evening, the orchestra played favorites in
Russian, English, and Italian, and young and old alike took to the
dance floor – although only younger campers came out to dance the
Gopak – while conversations, laughter, and recollections of summer
reigned. The time flew by, and when the music died down and it was
time to bid farewell, the young men and women all gathered in the
center of the dance hall, joined by the older generation of NORR
alumni, and together sang "Sleti
k nam, tikhiy vecher" ("Embrace us, quiet evening"), which is
traditionally sung in NORR camp as the bonfire dies down, before the
camps take to their tents under the stars on a dark summer’s night
in the Catskills.
Until we meet again next summer!
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Story and photos by Matushka Elizaveta Temidis
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