IT'S NOT YOUR ORDINARY MADISON REUNION LIKE MEETING OVER LUNCH WITH TABLE LINENS (though there is fine cuisine). Nor is it quite like getting together for a downtown happy hour (though the spirits are flowing). This Madison group's annual reunion runs gently down the stream.

For 22 years running, my Alpha Chi Rho brothers and I have mustered on the first weekend of June with coolers, camping gear and canoes to trade Madison tales in an annual float trip down the Shenandoah River. 
The brothers of AXP were a very close-knit bunch in the 1970s. I'm not sure if the frat is still active on campus, but we were an active group with the usual Greek-related activities, intramural sports, keg parties and community service projects. AXP brothers also took a particular liking to all the great outdoor activities available in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. We enjoyed frequent camping trips to Hearthstone Lake and Elizabeth Furnace, Friday afternoon swims at Blue Hole and Hone Quarry, and cruises to Reddish Knob. But what we really dug was canoeing on the Shenandoah River. The Madison recreation department used to provide us with canoes.

We had such great times on our canoe outings that the AXP graduate chapter organ-ized a canoe campout on the Shenandoah in 1982. It was such a huge hit, we've been doing it for 22 years straight. When you consider the improbability of about 30 guys, who are now in their late 40s to early 50s, being able to set aside busy work and family schedules to regroup like this every year, it really is a testament to the strong bond that we formed at Madison. Bill Conner ('75) sums it up best, "These are friendships that you just can't buy."

Most of our group still lives in Virginia, but we have brothers who regularly come from Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania. We camp right on the river at a place well-known by local river rats as Printz's Campground, near Bentonville. On Friday, Danny Dunn ('78) organ-izes a golf outing in Front Royal, and the rest of us set up camp and get in some serious fishing. We also dig out three horseshoe pits for an annual tournament. Our group parks in a big field right near the river, and every conceivable modern convenience is brought along. This year, Randy Hedrick ('79) brought "the pride of the campground." The "Hedrick Hilton" tent has three rooms, an air sofa and kitchen. The second screened-in structure is of course the Beer Pavilion.

Only two brothers, Tony Coder ('75) and Mike Miller ('79), have made all 22 trips; and a few others (including me) have only missed one. This year, Mike "Big Daddy" Damon ('72) joins us for the first time in a few years. He gets very little ribbing though, because he was one of the original organizers of these outings.

An amazing transformation takes place when we see each other -- it's like we're all 20 years old again, and we proceed to talk about nothing else but our Madison glory days. Some of the stories have gotten a little hazy with time and embellishment, but exaggeration is the rule. "Tennessee" Mike Miller ('79) tells the same jokes every year, but still gets the laughs. It's all in the delivery.

Sooner or later the conversation gets around to reliving two Spring Jams we held in the spring of 1975 and 1976. Many Madison alumni will remember these colossal events. The '76 jam -- held on a piece of farmland on the outskirts of Harrisonburg -- was a mini Woodstock. Several bands played on the back of two flatbed trucks outfitted with huge speakers. Jack Feldmayer ('76) strung spotlights through the trees and got them to work. The Dixie Road Ducks performed and went on to have a huge following in the mid-Atlantic region. We had rent-a-cops patrolling the grounds, Don's John's, hot dog stands and 110 kegs dropped off by a Budweiser truck. More than 3,000 students  and townies showed up. Other than a few lost cows we had to track down for the farmer the next day, we were able to pull it off.

This year, unseasonably cold and rainy weather forced us to forego the float trip part of our weekend. We decided to get right to the storytelling, horseshoes and relaxing instead of hypothermia on the river -- our JMU educations at work. The brothers used to work like dogs building fires to cook the big Saturday dinner, but with old age comes laziness and a little more disposable income; so for the past few years, we've had the meal catered. This year's feast included barbecued ribs, spiced shrimp, green beans and corn on the cob. John Lancaster, a professional chef who attended Madison, tows in his huge mobile grill and sets up a feast.

With dinner out of the way, our attention turns to fireworks. No one has lost any fingers, but a few years ago a stray bottle rocket landed across the river and prompted a late-night canoe sprint to make sure we didn't burn down the Shenandoah National Forest. We now curtail this activity except under wet conditions. Other entertainment includes several accomplished musicians in our group. Bill Conner ('75) on banjo, Kevin Cadigan ('77) on guitar and Eric Korn ('03) on guitar have led some peculiar Led Zeppelin jams. The brothers call them "Led Grass" music. Picking, grinning and joking go on well into the night.

We often wonder how long we can keep our fountain of youth weekends going, and the consensus seems to be as long as we're healthy -- and as long as our wives will put up with our little indulgence.

Story by Craig C. Cook ('77)

Photos by Woods Pierce

Can it be a coincidence that picnic food kings Oscar Mayer, founder of Oscar Mayer Meats and Robert J. Wise, founder of Wise Potato Chips, are both Alpha Chi Rho alumni? Madison's AXP brothers, however, have turned camp-side lunch into fine dining.