BLUE LODGE VIDEOS
Below you’ll find ten unique sections from our two years at the Blue Lodge.
Ben and I edited these together decades ago, so be prepared for some stupid shit.
Lodge Life
Some of the daily happenings around the Lodge. Whether we were skating the ramp on the deck, or cramming for an exam up on the roof, we were always enjoying our experience of life. This video may not be appropriate if you’re offended by naked butts or NSYNC t-shirts. Check out Matty Johnson’s insane lipslide on the rail in the yard though. Geez.
Lodge Life - 03:46
Sunday Nights
Each Sunday night three or four of us would rotate through cooking and cleaning duties and make dinner for everyone. It was always fun to start each week by checking in with everyone and making plans for the upcoming week. For the most part, these dinners were just for lodge residents but we would open it to a few of our closest friends here and there.
Sunday Nights - 03:15
The Kia
Diana’s Kia was being repossessed and she recklessly gave us the all clear to smash the hell out of it before the bank came to claim it. When the tow truck driver came to pick it up he quite thoroughly explained to Ben and myself how it had clearly been involved in a ‘roll-over’ accident and sort of speculated about how certain dents had been inflicted. We just politely nodded knowing deep down that Shane Flood stomping on the roof was more likely. Either way Diana had claimed bankruptcy and the transmission was on its way out so we went full Lord of the Flies on it. Sorry Kia, love you.
The Kia - 02:46
WMSC
The whole reason George Greer (rip) had agreed to rent the lodge to us was because we had been running the White Mountain Snowboard Camp our of our apartments the previous two years. On long weekends and holiday breaks Billy Fahey and Glenn Wilson would pile the kids into the AYS van and come up with tons of taco fixings and cases of root beer. The camps were always a fun way to connect with a certain youthful freedom that only the Andover Youth Services could really tap into.
WMSC - 03:51
Backyard
We had really good snow years both winters of the Lodge, if I remember correctly. I mean, hell, it was over two decades ago and you’re asking me about the friggin’ weather?! Kid!
Anyways, what was I saying… oh yeah, we would build crappy jumps all over the ski trails and used the upper shed of the tow rope as a base to build a hip on to. Backyard snowboarding was always about making everyone else laugh by launching yourself through a loveseat stacked on top of a couch or whatever that was. Thanks for that image James Smith. Also this one on the title card for the video. That’s Preston, of Crab Grab fame, leaving his snowboard, and his center of gravity, at the lip of that jump back there. One of my all-time favorite clips.
Backyard - 04:20
Party Time
This one is a montage of a bunch of different parties. We had a year-3000 Future Party, 80’s parties, Halloween, Lodgapolooza, Holiday parties, all kinds of dinners and such. It was a fun place to party and I think we did a good job of making everyone feel welcome, even though our crew was vast and oddly connected. You know your parties are legendary when some of the guys from Jackass show up, put cling wrap on toilet bowls, icy-hot on toilet seats, and shoot the front gutter off of the porch with a bow and arrow. Oh, college.
Party - 02:42
Snowboarding
Snowboarding was most definitely the common thread that united our thirty-two roommate revolving cast of characters. We all worked at either Loon or Waterville Valley for passes and rode as much as we could without failing out of state school. During our first winter, Shane won the world quarter-pipe championships, which Snowboarder Mag put on the day after the US Open. The awards ceremony rolled into a huge party, which of course we hosted without question. The next year, Travis Rice won and Pat Bridges presented him with a dirt bike as part of the prize package. He gave it to him in our living room, Travis started it up and wrapped around the dining room which made all the smoke alarms go off. Twenty five windows got broken that night, but Bridges paid for all of it, as we knew he would.
Snowboarding - RIP Coolio 🕊- 03:17
Lodgapalooza
This event was linked to Loon mountain. We started with some sort of weird contest where I brought a bouncy house up to the base of the half pipe and we had people holding piñatas on each side of the last hit. People would try and air out and sort of slice at the piñata with the tails of their boards. We staged kids on the deck and they would slide down the wall when the candy came out. It was fun. That night, Piebald played in our dining area and our next door neighbor smoked a pig and sold jello shots out of his driveway. We set up a secondary halfpipe that Gormely or someone let us borrow from Waterville.
Lodgapalooza - 01:28
The Nice Aviators
Al Englehart was writing for Boston Magazine at the time and asked if a crew of us would come down to take part in the open audition to be street performers at the popular Boston-tourist destination, Faneuil Hall. He crafted the idea of the sabotage-like Nice Aviators with the hopes that the boys from the Blue Lodge could walk a very fine line where the audience wouldn’t be able to tell if they were serious or not. At least, I think that was the goal, either way, I loved filming this, it was amazing to witness. I remember my folks came to watch. My dad was probably muttering, ‘look at these friggin’ wherdohs’ under his breath, but loving it.
Nice Aviators - 01:48
Conclusion
Oh, the Blue Lodge. What more can I say, it was an amazing experience packed full of incredible memories. It’s hard not to miss those days, but I’m sure we are all glad that they happened. Thank you George Greer (RIP) for allowing us in, thank you Blue Lodge for everything, can’t wait to see you again on the next pass around the Universe.
Conclusion - 02:50