Shortly after I joined St. Louis Park Medical Center (before it changed its name to Park Nicollet) an elderly employee told me about Fair Hills Resort, and her enjoyment there every summer. At that point in time there were no public computers, but on her recommendation, we decided to take a chance.
Ellen and I took Carl, who was three years old. We drove three hours and forty-five minutes, and got a small cabin, which was adjacent to the ninth hole of golf, and was one of about 100 cabins. Occasionally a golf ball hit our cabin. It was the end of August, and it rained nearly every day, and was chilly. One of the owners played the role of Santa Claus because of the weather. Despite the bad weather, I loved Fair Hills, and we started going for one week most summers while we lived in Edina. One time I convinced us to attend for two weeks rather than one.
For many years we attended the same week of early August, and saw on a yearly basis some families who also attended that week (one lived in the Twin Cities, and the other in St. Louis). We were assigned a table in the dining room, and there were a few choices for meals. Meals were somewhat similar to my happy meal time in college, as I did not have to cook, and I chatted with a variety of guests. Everyone was dressed casually, but sometimes that was deceptive. One summer, someone injured himself badly, and a staff member made a loud plea in the dining room for help. Three men said they were physicians, and they attended to the injured person.
Similar to attending camp as a kid (which I did for five years), there were many choices of activities every day. I learned to sail at Glen Lake when I was a child, and continued to learn at camp. Fair Hills was a continuation of sailing, and I often taught family members. When Thaddeus and I visited Fair Hills together years later, Thaddeus became an excellent sailor and we appreciated windy days. At Fair Hills we also jumped or dove off a tall wooden ramp.
Fishing was most effective when we hired an elderly man for a few morning hours, as he was very effective at finding fish, and he happily spoke to Ellen, who occasionally fished.
One afternoon per week they used a large hill, and set up very long pieces of plastic sheet. Staff members poured hoses at the top, and it was a chance to slide down. Some kids tried to engage in stand-up procedures, and children were often helped by their parents. Of course, there was an end to the long plastic ramp, and we slid onto the grass, which soon became mud. We ended the afternoon with a jump into the lake to remove the dirt and grass.
Evening activities were geared for the whole family. One night per week the employees, who were hired partly because of their talents, performed a funny musical performance, including silly songs and humor (right up my alley). Another evening involved performances by vacation members, with many
children in groups or with their parents. Not surprisingly, that was my highlight of the week, as I regularly took a scene in which I told three jokes (difficult to remember clean ones which were also funny), followed by drinking a glass of beer while standing on my head. A lifetime personality of mine was rewarded.
The resort added a great golf course across the street, and moved hole nine so that our first cabin was no longer a frequent place to experience golf balls. Otherwise it is relatively unchanged (except for repair and modernization), and run by the same family since 1926.