01/12/2014
Is Normandie for sale? We get that question often, so here goes. The short answer is Yes. The longer answer is that Normandie is much more than a piece of property located at 96 Furnace Point Lane, Westport, NY 12993. Normandie is our story, our life. Selling a story is very different. Waldemar found this property in 1970 while enjoying a drive through the ADKs with his mother. At that time, it was known as Camp Champlain and we still have Grumman canoes with that painted on the side. Camp Champlain is best known for the song written by a camper’s father: “Hello Mudder, Hello Fadder…..Camp Granata”. Waldemar was blown away by the beauty of the property and was at that time renting one in NH to run his children’s camp, so he did all he could to buy this gem. He brought his French heritage to this place he called Normandie. Back then, 1971, he taught French to American children and English to French children while enjoying the glory of Lake Champlain. As times changed, and mostly children changed, Camp Normandie turned into a watersports camp. In 2006 again, as times and children changed, we transformed the property into a family resort, some still call it a family "camp" as Waldemar still rings the bell, calls everyone into a circle to play Simon Says or “Jacques a dit”.
It is time to pass this story on to the next generation. Waldemar deserves to retire peacefully and to see that the legacy will continue, with a new story. We are not going anywhere until that fit is found and the story continues, we will open in 2014 and it promises to be a good one. However, we do ask that you pass this on as we look for that young couple looking to enjoy a laid back life on our Great Lake making folks welcome as they enjoy the majestic views and breathtaking full moons that rise over Vermont. Maybe an ex-camper? Or one of the thousands of staff members? Thank you for Sharing this whenever you see it posted.