A Success Story: Spring Cleaning 2008 at Hat Creek

By: Judy Rogers, Camp & Conference Committee

Changes have been taking place at Hat Creek! This included a most successful "spring cleaning" event with the donation of time and labor by 51 hard-working people of all ages who gave nearly 600 hours of their time. Our spring cleaning dates included: March 9-12, March 23-25, March 28-30, and April 12. Volunteers chose the dates and times they could work. Whether they volunteered for two hours or two days, their hard work and dedication were greatly appreciated. We worked long and hard (and sometimes we groaned a bit), but we also enjoyed times of fellowship and laughter as we worked, not to mention our "ice cream break" in the afternoon.

In addition to the spring cleaning work, other improvements have been made to the Retreat Center, thanks to a generous, anonymous donation of $1500.00 specifically for improvements to the Center, and another $500.00 worth of items donated to the Center. Thanks to these donations, the Retreat Center has been "spruced up" with the following:

• New bedspreads as needed (replaced the worn out blue and red cords)
• New mattress covers
• New pillow covers
• New area rugs at sinks, etc.
• New hearth rug
• Fireside pillows
• New shower curtain for handicapped shower/bath
• New linens for tables (bronze, green, blue, white)
• Clock for the dining area
• A rolling cart/cabinet in dining area for beverages and supplies
• Outdoor tables beside rockers on porch
• Slipcover for the loveseat in upstairs meeting room
• Small chest freezer (on sliders) for the kitchen

The hospitality area near the dining room now has a paper towel dispenser near the sink, and a light on the overhead cabinet. The donation of three new frying pans, two small crock pots, baking dishes, fresh new dish towels and dish cloths, and an assortment of other small items help to make the work in the kitchen easier and more efficient.

The laundry room wasn't forgotten. The ironing board has a fresh new cover, and a steam iron was donated. Even the vacuum cleaner got a fresh bag!

Back to spring cleaning! Many, many thanks to all of those who came and helped with "spring cleaning" at the Retreat Center and other areas around the camp. These included two youth groups, and folks from Peaks Pilgrimage, as well as many other individuals.

Who did "spring cleaning?" Our volunteers, in alpha order, were:

Churches represented:

• Colonial PC (Roanoke)
• Covenant PC (Lynchburg)
• Diamond Hill PC (Gladys)
• First Presbyterian (Lynchburg)
• Madisonville PC (Cullen)
• Mallow PC (Covington)
• New Concord PC (Concord)
• New Hope PC (Salem)
• Northminster PC (Roanoke)
• Quaker Memorial PC (Lynchburg)
• Rustburg PC (Rustburg)
• Trinity UMC (Buchanan)

What they did - Retreat Center!

• Completely re-screened porch
• Painted porch, inside and out
• Washed porch floor
• Cleaned light fixtures throughout Center
• Replaced bulbs in overhead and hallway lights
• Washed windows
• Painted downstairs meeting/dining areas (two coats)
• Repaired piano bench
• Re-glued edging strips on stairways
• Worked on fireplace chimney
• Swept and wet-mopped stairwells
• Washed mildew off outside walls and doors
• Each bedroom received a thorough "spring cleaning," including dusting down the walls
• Drapes washed, pressed and repaired as needed
• Wallpaper edges repaired where peeling
• Cleaned and reorganized linen closets
• Cleaned and reorganized shelves in hallway
• Cleaned and reorganized kitchen cabinets
• Installed light over sink in kitchen
• Installed light over small sink in hospitality area
• Cleaned and reorganized laundry room
• Cleaned upholstery on beige chairs
• Repaired hole in wall under soap dispenser-ladies restroom
• Painted outside door (main entrance) and trim on inside
• Repaired overhead light at main entrance door
• Cleaned out all closets in Retreat Center

What they did - outside the Retreat Center and around the camp!

• Filled hole in yard near Kris Kin
• Cleaned winter debris from yard at Kris Kin
• Cleaned limbs from yard at site manager's residence
• Cleaned leaves away from mowing equipment
• Put gravel in large mud hole by kitchen door of Retreat Center
• Replaced dirt around sign-in kiosk, and mulched area
• Mulched miscellaneous areas
• Cleared limbs from trails
• Cut and moved small trees that had fallen across trails
• Stacked logs at hogans
• Cleaned fire circles
• Dug two ditches along roadway to facilitate drainage
• Removed dead tree from parking lot
• Cleaned yard around infirmary and lodge
• Clipped bushes along roadway and around lodge
• Cleaned entrance to camp
• Swept picnic shelter
• Filled in holes in Retreat Center yard
• Set overblown storage sheds near hogans back on bases
• Edged grass around Retreat Center
• Moved logs away from Lodge wall
• Cleared brush from many areas around camp
• Cleaned "morning watch" chapel area
• Cleaned amphitheater area
• Trimmed overhanging branches on trees
• Hauled away debris
• Picked up limbs in grassy areas
• Hauled away wet cardboard boxes near manager's residence
• Raked and cleaned parking lot at Retreat Center
• Repaired split rail fence at Retreat Center
• Mulched entrance area

Looking ahead: thanks in advance to a group of men will be coming in early May to remove some large trees which have fallen across trails.

AGAIN, THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO WORKED SO HARD AND SO CHEERFULLY ON THIS PROJECT. If I have inadvertently omitted or misspelled anyone's name, please accept my apology.
Judy Rogers