Siviva Antsel, who lives in western Massachusetts and whose parents met at camp, is down at the nature pond, looking for the resident frog and wondering how her pet snake and hedgehog are doing. At Shire Village, you can bring your pets, at least those in cages. In this politically correct version, the fairy godfather lectures Cinderella on the dangers of restrictive clothing such as glass slippers and tight ballgowns. Another night is devoted to handicap awareness. The kids walk around blindfolded, climb stairs with one foot, and draw with their less dominant hand.
Some topics are personal, some political.
Some say nukes. Others think technology. If it all sounds like a throwback to the '60s, it is. In 1971, a group of dissatisfied counselors and campers split off from a Quaker camp in Pennsylvania, found a former dairy farm here, and opened for business the following summer. At first looked upon as a bunch of hippies up in the hills, the camp has since earned the respect of this community of 600.