Informant: Mary McGeagh is my 15 year old younger sister. She is now a freshman in High School and attending Catholic school her entire life. She is an avid volleyball player and enjoys spending time with friends and going to the beach. She lives with my parents in Pacific Palisades, California and has since she was born. She comes from Irish, German, Jewish, and Swedish roots but mainly was exposed to the cultures of the Irish, Catholics, and Jewish people. She attended a summer camp from the age of 5 to the age of 12 that has many interesting folk tales and traditions. The camp is pretty much run off of its lore and it is what makes it so unique. She carries the lore of St. Matthews Day Camp to this day.

Mary sang: “Saint Matthew’s Day Camp, Saint Matthew’s Day Camp, Scooo-ba-dee-doo, Scooo-ba-dee-doo. Swimming an Hiking, Takes to my liking, Scooo-ba-dee-doo, Scooo-ba-dee-doo, It’s the grooviest camp there is so much to it, all you got to do is get right to it, I like camp and I really want to stamp, for Saint Matthew’s Day Camp. HAZAHHHH!”

This particular song is sung at the closing of every camp day of Saint Matthew’s Day Camp. It is tradition that this is always the last thing sang or said before the campers are sent out for carpool to be picked up by their parents. It is a song that encompasses activities performed regularly at camp and also brings to the table the goofy atmosphere that the camp provides to its campers. The song is companied by a ritual dance that goes along with it. The dance has incredible goofy gestures but my sister could not remember them. This is sung by all campers and staff of any age and allows for everyone to acknowledge that another day of camp has passed. Its a fun-loving way to say good-bye until tomorrow and show appreciation for what the camp does to all people involved.

I am a counselor and was a camper at this camp, and this song has extreme sentimental value. I will remember this song for the rest of my life and it brings me joy every time I sing it. I see that my fellow counselors, my sister, and all campers that I see love and appreciate this song so much. It sums up the overall themes and values that the camp hold and bring together an array of different cultures. It is a beautiful thing and I am glad that my sister brought it up to me as being a genuinely folklore tradition.

Annotation: An example of how the camp is run is shown in this link: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EVCRqjSDw4