The Activities subseries consists primarily of publications, event announcements, writings, and art produced by campers, or counselors of Camp Woodland. Notable materials include copies of the Camp magazine, Neighbors; programs, announcements, news clippings, and correspondence related to the Folk Festival of the Catskills; ephemeral publications; and various creative writings. There also are materials about the Folk Museum.
The publication Neighbors was originally published as the Folk Festival of the Catskills program, but eventually became a separate publication in 1944 and continued until 1962. It evolved into an annual magazine devoted to recording the explorations and discoveries of campers and camp counselors each summer. Please note that the Studer Papers do not have a complete run of Neighbors. Noted musician and composer, Norman Cazden, and occasionally Herbert Haufrecht, supervised the folk music contributions of Neighbors; as a result, it became a rich source of sheet music and lyrics for regional folksongs.
Camp Woodland culminated each year with the annual Folk Festival of the Catskills. Studer invited many of the local fiddlers, musicians, dance callers, and ballad singers to join the campers in a folk festival performance for the counselors, community members, and parents. Studer organized the folk festival with the manifold purpose of reviving the Catskill heritage of folk music and dance. Pete Seeger periodically performed at the Folk Festival of the Catskills, particularly during the early years. Many of the festivals were recorded by Studer, and are located in Series 6: Audio Recordings and Series 7: Films. Please note that the Folk Festival of the Catskills files have different types and amounts of materials depending upon the year. Some simply have programs or a list of events. Others have this, but also feature extensive planning records, newspaper clips, analysis and speeches.
The Folk Museum of the Catskills began with a small collection of tools representing folk life in the region. These were held at Camp Woodland, but the museum sought a more permanent home during the next two decades. The museum was first housed in the Butterfly House at Camp, then in a home on Main Street in Phoenicia, and later at the Ski House at Simpson Ski Slope. In 1957 campers began clearing land and a site at the Camp for a new museum structure. The Museum was dedicated during the 1962 Folk Festival of the Catskills. After Camp Woodland closed, Studer relocated the materials to a museum at the Downtown Community School and eventually these tools were donated to other museums and repositories. Several tools are now held at the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives. Please see the Folk Festival of the Catskills files for additional content on the museum.