New Milford, PA: 1982. Leaflet, folded once to create 4 pp. (8.5" x 6.75") printed in green on pale yellow paper (toning to outer margins of pp. 1 and 4; unobtrusive vertical fold). Very good. Item #4598

PROMOTING HEALTH, SAFETY AND SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE, THIS IS A RARE 1982 PROMOTIONAL PAMPHLET FOR THE OLDEST GAY-OWNED AND OPERATED CAMPGROUND IN THE NORTHEAST DEDICATED TO SERVING THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY. IT IS ALSO ONE OF THE LONGEST-RUNNING CAMPGROUNDS OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD. INCREDIBLY, NO TRACE OF THIS QUEER COMMUNAL GROUP CAN BE FOUND IN WORLDCAT / OCLC. OURS THE ONLY EARLY RELIC OF IT CURRENTLY ON THE MARKET.

Founded in 1980 by John Bickell, the Oneida Campground and Lodge has a rich history. Originally a small campsite with only a few tent sites, our pamphlet demonstrates its tremendous growth and success in just two years. Owing to the formidable energies of the organizers and participants, the Oneida Campground provided a much-needed safe place for people to connect with nature and each other.

The present 1982 pamphlet shows that the mission in these early days incorporated a VERY significant component of New Age spirituality, as is attested by the extraordinary May-September Calendar which features for yoga, astral readings, pyramid power, Kundalini sex and magnetism, prophecies of the spiritual world, astrology, UFO, American Indian meditation, etc.

There are festivities beginning on Memorial Day weekend, with an "opening bashing including a seance and a visit to
a local cemetery." Regarding the New Age style of Yoga taught, the brochure announces that that programs were conducted by Yoga Master Carl Berky "who has studied Transcendental Meditation, Hatha and Krya[sic] Yoga" and "is a student of Dr. Vijayendra Pratap of Bombay, India." Tangential to his interests in yogic practice, he appears to have had deep interests in Krishnamurti and the Theosophists. The governing principle of the group was drawn from the New Thought maxim: "The Laws of Thought are the Laws of Destiny."

Judging from the 2026 Events Calendar on the Oneida Campground's own website, the original New Age components seem to have been largely abandoned.

Price: $750.00