2015 Season Recreation Highlights

By:  Jonathan Bellingham, Recreation Manager and 3rd Generation Family Member

Glenn Austin calling BINGO

Every summer part of the Capon experience includes spirited contests for guests looking for both sporting and puzzle-solving fun. This past June, July and August, we had a few modifications and additions to the regular recreation mix. Not surprisingly, any change provided much fodder for front porch chatter.  One notable addition was my rec assistant for the season, Kyra Kenney.  Kyra served as the first full-time female recreation helper, following in her father's footsteps from when he was rec assistant at Capon almost 30 years ago.  At the other end of the spectrum, 3rd generation Capon family member Glenn Austin used 2015 as his "farewell tour".  He is set to retire at the beginning of the 2016 season.  Most guests encountered "Mr. G" either at the first tee on the golf course or as the regular Wednesday and Sunday night Bingo caller. It will be hard to replace his experience, calm demeanor and gentle humor.

Besides all the usual antics and anecdotes, here are some of my top recreation highlights from 2015:

REROUTED RUNNERS:

After 28 years running the same route, the 2015 Capon One Mile Race followed a somewhat simpler and safer course.  With less downhill racing, times posted 20-40 seconds slower overall than previous years. Still... just as many participants came out for this fun run.

Race participant Bryan Wolf cools off with some refreshing Capon Water

Fastest times for 2015:

Male: Austin Riddaugh 5:37 August 18th

Female: Eliza Hoover* 6:10  July 21st

*This 11 year old competitor left Capon at the end of her week and participated in National Junior Track & Field Championships!

THE CAPON WATER CURE REVEALED:

The 2015 edition of Caponchase Adventure (a code-cracking treasure hunt) returned to its roots both literally and figuratively.  Besides focusing on the 250th anniversary of the discovery of the famous spring, its style, format and difficulty harkened back to the first series 8 years ago.  While this challenging puzzling quest meant very few teams solved it completely, all three of the final summer weeks had one team with perfect results:

1st August week: Donna & Katie Katterman, Courtney & Leah Golden
2nd August week: Cathy Fisher, James & Brooke Steele, Chris Fox, Kendal Marking
3rd August week*: Bailey Ham, Emily Ferdon, Will Ervin, Sallie Permar, Fiona Gannon
*This last summer week had the fastest completion time of 2 hrs 37 minutes.

DISC GOLF FUN:

The New Disc (Frisbee) Golf course enjoyed instant popularity with a doubles "best throw" tourney.   During the grand opening May 29-31, twin brothers Kit & Tim Ravenscroft set the best mark of 8 under par with a score of 19.  In mid July, father/son duo Colin & Connor Callaghan tied that record.  In the last tourney of the season, David Miller scored the first "ACE", with a hole in one throw off the first tee with an excited crowd celebrating this amazing achievement.  Later in the October, Rob Tombes scored the second documented 1-throw, this time on hole number two.  Who will get the next one in the 3rd?

PICKLE-WHAT?

Capon managers Tom Austin and Jonathan Bellingham try their hand at pickleball.

The most unheard of sport in 2015 was Pickleball.  With an unusual name and unfamiliar format, this doubles wooden paddle/wiffle ball activity was slow to catch on.  While only a few summer regulars climbed the hill to the upper all-weather court to try this cross between badminton, tennis and ping pong, fall guests enjoyed the indoor version set up in the Meeting House for rainy day fun.   James Fischer & Leah Wingeart of Henderson, NV especially enjoyed this fast-paced volleying sport.

A BINGO PROPOSAL

Besides the usual fabulous prizes given away at Bingo, on August 19th, Gabrielle Dowell took home the most treasured.  Her boyfriend Kenny Flynn had arranged to have a diamond ring placed in the surprise box and for Gabby to be the lucky winner.  Then, in front of 250 of Gabby's closest family and friends, Kenny pulled out the treasure, got down on one knee and proposed.  Not a dry eye remained in the Meeting House after this creative demonstration of love.

WHAT'S COMING NEXT IN 2016?

Stay tuned for some more exciting additions to the recreation fun next year.....

Capon Water: History of Healing Continues

By: Jonathan Bellingham, 3rd Generation Family Member and Manager

The Spring House as it is today

“If you use your imagination, you can picture Capon water flowing into the creek, which flows into the Capon River, which flows into the Potomac, which flows into the Atlantic.  In that sense, Capon water really is everywhere!”  

I have shared that observation during the Spring House tour every Saturday of the Capon season over the last 25+ years without giving much thought to the mystery of the water itself and how those of us who have benefited from it over the years are connected. With 2015 being the 250th anniversary of its discovery, now seems like as good a time as any to contemplate its significance through the American experience-- past, present and future.

Capon Water flowing from one of Capon's many drinking fountains

So I wonder, when Henry Frye (the first known European to discover the Spring) filled his thirst in 1765 after a day of hunting bear, did he have any idea one day it would be a watering hole of presidents and military leaders or part of the debt to settle a war between a country that hadn’t even formed yet?  Could he have ever considered that two American Olympic Teams would drink Capon Water exclusively?  Or, that someone like me would someday be enjoying my morning pool dips, post run hydrations or relaxing hot soaks at the Spa?

Soaking Bath at Capon's Hygeia Bath House & Spa

Certainly from personal experience he might have been able to envision it becoming a prescribed medicine; after all, his wife was restored to health after she consumed it. Though he did not have the means to do it at the time, it would not have been that far-fetched to dream that 150 years after they first sipped Capon water, it would be prized as a bottled product delivered to home and office.

Ad for Capon Springs Water from 1924 and 1928

I certainly am amazed how our own family entered the story when our grandfather got into the water distribution business in 1928, which led to the purchase of the spring and eventually resurrecting the resort.  After his failed efforts to make a go of the bottling business, the water eventually became the life-blood of the resort.  Now many come to fill up their containers so they can continue Henry Frye’s efforts to maintain good health for their families.  And guests still tell us stories of how the water has restored them to a better quality of living.  My own experience supports their testimony.

Water bottle filling station in the Main House vestibule

And when I think about the hydrologic cycle itself, I realize that those of us who partake of this precious liquid are tied both to our predecessors and our descendants in a very concrete way.  For in the process of the water flowing, past meets present and future.  Consider for a moment that the spring water coming to the surface now first came down as rain many decades ago.  So whether we drink, soak or bathe with it, we could be experiencing the same water that our grandparents watched come down on a lazy September afternoon back in the 1940s when they were our age.  Likewise, the thundershower that got us wet recently is the same substance our great grandkids could be splashing about in the kiddie pool someday down the road.  And there is great comfort in just the contemplation of that connection.

Thus, the water's healing power continues from generation to generation...  drink up!

Fall Update from Eddie

By:  Eddie Brill, 3rd Generation Family Member and Manager

Dear Capon Friends,

Here we are a few days after Labor Day weekend, a wonderful summer behind us, and the fall colors looking us in the face. The unseasonably cool temperatures, especially at night, and lower humidity during the day made for great weather days at Capon this summer.  It was great seeing so many familiar faces enjoying that great summer weather.

This season is ending up to be the most numbers of people ever visiting in one year, averaging 220 people a day for 70 days straight since.   We got to see people that we haven't seen for a few years as well as many new faces that came through our front door.  It is great to see so many families meet here from all over the country and just enjoy the outdoors, being together, porch sitting, or enjoying a homemade meal together.  In the hustle bustle of day to day life it is a rarity to see people taking time to just enjoy each other's company.

Eddie, age 2

Ginny and I have some great news to share with you.  Some of you may have heard already over the summer when you arrived for your time with us here at Capon Springs: Our daughter, Megan and her husband Brian are expecting their first child, a son and our first grandchild!  They are expecting him to arrive in about 8 weeks which will be around the time Capon will be closing for the season.  It has been a long time since we had a little one in our household, needless to say we will get our baby fix right away and then all winter long.  I didn't tell them but I have been ready to be a grandfather for awhile now and can't wait until his arrival.

The baby's Uncle Sam, "Farmer Sam", has increased the size of his cattle herd, Scottish Highland cows, from four to seven.  The anticipated arrival of 3 baby calves this spring was a welcomed sight on the scenic Hilltop property by the second fishing pond.  Sam has also been busy with his lady friends, 200 red sexlink laying hens that lay brown eggs, supplying Capon with about half of the amount of eggs needed to serve those high guest counts during the summer with brown eggs for poached and fried eggs  for breakfast.  The mobile chicken house Sam built has made a wonderful home for those ladies where they can go outside to roam and scratch for food on the ground and come inside when weather is bad when they want.  His 15 piglets purchased in June for kids to feed left over bread and rolls to at Hog Heaven, are doing well and getting big and fat.  Sam's friendly sidekick - loveable 100 pound dog, (a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix), Leonard will greet anyone he comes in contact with.  He will definitely give you a lick on the face if you want him to.  Sam could show you some of the tricks he has taught him if you ask about it.

Ginny and I plan to go on a trip out west at the end of November with my brother and his wife and then to the beach sometime in February for our summer in the winter beach trip.  We hope this update finds all of you doing well and we are still open for another two months so we may still see some of you before we have to close for the winter.  We wish all of you a colorful fall! 

Take care,

Eddie