Auctioneers Extraordinaire: Dan And Lara Friedman-Shedlov on Scottish Auctions and more

Description

Fiona Rogers connected virtually with Dan and Lara Friedman-Shedlov to hear about their experience working as the accounting firm Friedman-Shedlov and Friedman-Shedlov processing all the bids from the Scottish auctions from the last 20 years. Scottish Sessions have raised record sums to donate to Pinewoods, and we hear some of the best auction items in this interview: a small boulder from Long Pond, a ringtone recorded from the Dining Hall bell, personalized tunes and dances written by people on staff, and of course, Kat Dutton’s notorious last-night dessert campaign which culminated this year with Friday night kale pudding for a whopping $5000. Popular auction items from previous years included Bagpipe Insurance to protect the bidder from roving camper-amalgamated bands of “musicians” and Rock Insurance to protect the bidder from discovering the aforementioned boulder on their doorstep or in their beds. These were some of many hijinks that this week has become known for, but the culture has shifted a bit over the years. From the astoundingly generous fundraising by the Scots that subsidized the purchase of the walk-in fridge/freezer in the kitchen and two ice machines, our conversation turned to the ever-relevant topic of inclusion. The community continues to navigate how to preserve the technical and traditional elements that make the dance what it is while also having it be a welcoming space. Scottish Sessions and ESCape have made a concerted joint effort to make Pinewoods an inclusive Scottish community by including walk-throughs in the evening dances, moving away from gendered calling terms, and focusing on encouraging young and new community members through scholarships and reserving them spots at Camp. Finally, Lara and Dan shared that some of their favorite moments at camp have been playing games like cribbage and chess, enjoying the obligatory cold brew coffee from the Campstore, and their family tradition of playing John Denver’s Thank God I’m a Country Boy every time they arrive to camp.

Participants

• Fiona Rogers
  
• Lara Friedman-Shedlov
  
• Dan Friedman-Shedlov
  

Interview By

• Fiona Rogers