By Ian Paisley

The Garden City Buffalos The lush green forest provided a perfect canopy over the ground below. Sunlight filtered through the trees like a prism and the smell of pine was everywhere. Campfires billowed smoke in every direction as birds danced and sang from their perches. This was the scene at Lake Taghkanic State Park last weekend as the Garden City Buffalos arrived for their 4th annual camping trip. The beautiful setting soon began to bustle with excitement as cars filled with tents and camping gear began to arrive with children overwhelmed with excitement. More than 30 fathers and 65 children made the two hour trip to Lake Taghkanic, which is located just two hours north of Garden City in the beautiful hills of Dutchess County. "The campout is by far, one of the best outings of the year," says Jim Rich. "My kids absolutely love it."

As the tents went up, children could be heard running from campsite to campsite, inspecting the scene with curiosity and amazement. "I found a caterpillar!" shouted Anna Paisley. "And here's a frog!" exclaimed Will Crowley. Before long, there were packs of children ranging in ages from 3- 13 roaming the campgrounds. The youngest were eager to explore as they put on their bathing suits and headed down to the lake for a swim. The older children headed over to the fields for a game of softball, while others went for a rowboat ride on the lake. A few even tried their luck fishing, undaunted by the fact they didn't catch anything. There were arts and crafts set up as Tim Paisley held a clinic in ty-dying t-shirts, which was a big success despite the mess!

The entire weekend was an extraordinary effort honchoed by Brad Hildreth, who had a tremendous support team in fellow Buffalos, Bobby Freeman, Andy McGowan, Michael Paisley and Malachi Crawford. The weather was perfect with temperatures reaching the low 80's on Saturday and plenty of sunshine. As the sun began to set, the campfires came alive. Dinner included standard cookout fare, hot dogs and hamburgers followed by the largest assembly line of s'mores one has ever seen. Dusk turned to night and the woods suddenly flickered with light as the kids ran around playing flashlight tag. Still, it wouldn't have been a campout without the group gathering around the fire for a chorus of camp songs followed by a calming rendition of "God Bless America."

As I looked around the campfire, I could see the culmination of a perfect day. Fathers holding their youngest as they fell silent with exhaustion. Giant smiles on the faces of those still standing, hoping the night would never end. The campground suddenly grew quiet as everyone made their way back to their tents. Echoing in the darkness, there was a chorus of "goodnights" reminiscent of the last scene on the television show "The Waltons." The whispers of the children slowly faded and the fathers gathered around the fire to hear Carl Weiss strum a few riffs on his acoustic guitar. After the last was to go to bed, the crackling of the fire was all that remained and all was well. Sunday morning brought a light drizzle and after breakfast the crew packed up their gear and the Buffalos headed for home. The last thing uttered as we pulled out of the park was "dad, can we stay longer next time?" It was a good trip indeed.