AVONDALE DAY SEPT 1ST, 2012
CAMP HELEN STATE PARK 10 am until sunset‏

floridajuju@bellsouth.net

From: floridajuju (floridajuju@bellsouth.net)
Sent: Mon 6/11/12 2:38 PM
To: Chuck Jones (chuck1j@hotmail.com)


Hello All!

This is Judy Padgett Moore and I want to tell you about a great day coming up.
I am hoping ya'll will be able to make this day at Camp Helen to meet and greet old friends and share memories and to make this a yearly event. Any questions please feel free to email me at floridjuju@bellsouth.net. Let's show the state that Avondale people does care about Camp Helen!

The Department of enviromental Protection's Camp Helen State Park Invite all former Avondale employee's and their family members to come for a day of memories and friendship renewals. Camp Helen State Park is dedicated to preserving the cultural history of this important place and is requesting that all former vistors bring old photos, memoribilia and written stories for donation to the park for display in the Vistor Center!
Anyone bringing something to donate will receive FREE park admission for the day. Bring your own tasty dish for a Potluck style picnic with old friends.

The Friends of Camp Helen State Park will be hosting a Silent Auction to help raise money towards the rehabilitation of the Old Kitchen Building, the last remaining historic building to be restored. Come help us save this important piece of Camp Helen history from the Avondale Era! Don't forget to bring your memorabilia, photos, or written stories about Camp Helen during the Avondale Era to donate to receive FREE park admission for the day! Regular park entry fees apply without donation of items.

I have another event that weekend. I know it will be a great day. Chuck you and I will not have problem with lodging but that is "Labor Day Weekend". If I find there will be a good group at Camp Helen, I will four go my family reunion. Would love to find out who will be attending. Please let me know.

I know Jimmy, It's also opening day of football season. If I attend I'll still be close to a TV or Radio and preoccupied for about 4 hours. AU vs Clemson @ Auburn. Bound to be a good game! If some folks from home want to come down, I'll do my best to make it a good day for them too. If any of our crew here on the connection can attend, please give me a heads-up here so we can have an idea who to look for.

I'd certainly love to be there, but the "Labor Day Weekend" part of it kills it for me. I might be able to stand the thousand-mile-drive, but I bet I couldn't get a cabin at Sunnyside for thirty bucks anymore, especially at that time....and the last time I slept on the beach, I almost lost an ear to a sand crab.

It's just about healed up now, but I can't take anymore chances.

If it was not a holiday weekend I would try to get a block of rooms at a discount. Will not try on a holiday.

Someone please tell me,who was HELEN?

Never saw that name among the Comers.

Was she a mystery woman?

What was going on with Helen that she had a Camp named for her?

I really don't know, but, of course, I'll give you an answer, anyway.

Helen's full name was Helen Camp. She was the original owner, but when the papers were filed, they asked for "Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial," so she wrote "Camp, Helen NMI," and for many years after her death, the property was known as Camp Helen NMI, but when the Comers shelled out a little pocket change for the property 'WAY back before The Andalusian Era --- as my Mama always said --- they thought it meant "Camp Helen IN Michigan, so they decided to change the name to Camp Helen NFL, but the National Football League protested, so they just dropped that, and the place became known simply as "Camp Helen, Florida."

Any more questions?

I don't blame you, for sure.

There WAS a Helen in the Comer family. If you dig deep enough into the family history, she's there.
I remember reading her name once in a Comer article....

Update on Camp Helen name: Named after Helen Comer (nee Browne), who was Braxon Bragg Comer's daughter-in-law. She was married to John Fletcher Comer, one of Braxton Bragg's sons, of course....

"And,now we know the rest of the story."

Thanks.

Somebody always has to mess up a good story with facts!

Shoot!