Hey, Camp Fans!

We’re announcing the winners to our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest right here on the Blog. Come back each weekday to see who else won; it might just be you! This year, we have more prizes, more laughs, and more fun! And, now for our third $50 winner—congratulations to….

Erin A.!

“This was my son’s second year attending Camp Ridgecrest. While he had a great time his first year, he got very homesick and was extremely anxious about returning. As we pulled up to camp for drop off, I could see the tears in his eyes and it was really pulling at my heart strings. I was so proud of him for getting out of the car, and the way he lit up when he saw a counselor he recognized made all my fears go away. We got his cabin ready and, when it was time for parents to leave, he gave me a huge hug and told me that it was going to be ok. When we picked him up two weeks later, his counselors told us that they had won honor cabin, and that he was the best leader in their cabin. When I asked about him being homesick, they laughed and told me that he was not homesick at all. He loved the friends me made this summer, loved the activities, and always raves about the food. The two weeks he spends at camp are the best experience for him and I am so proud of him!”

Thanks for this great submission, Erin! It’s good to hear how Camp Ridgecrest has been such a success with your son. His growth just from the last camp stay—overcoming homesickness and anxieties—must be wonderful to see! It’s great to hear that homesickness wasn’t an issue for him this summer. For anyone else interested in Camp Ridgecrest, take a closer look by clicking right here.

Come back tomorrow to find out who our fourth $50 winner of this year’s ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest is! Who knows?! It might be you! If your entry is announced a winner, you’ll receive an email with the gift certificate code once all other winners have been disclosed. As always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

We’re announcing the winners to our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest right here on the Blog. Come back each weekday to see who else won; it might just be you. This year, we have more stories, more laughs, and more fun! And, now for our second $50 winner—congratulations to….

Claudia B.!

“During the night, after dinner, camp comes alive again on certain nights. Campers go to be seated in the pavilion, and we get ready to play special games called 'Night Games.' While the name isn't the most creative, it is a source of great joy for the campers, CITs, and even counselors to play. This specific game was known as 'Animal Game', where you were on a certain color team and had to run from a designated color while chasing a different color. The object of the game is to get tagged the least amount of times. I was team red, running from green and tagging purple. While I got tagged four times that night, that didn't really matter. What mattered was that there was a twist. Counselors disguised as 'minions', which are brainwashed henchmen of the camp myth 'The Man' and 'The Woman', were to chase campers around and when they tagged a camper, the camper had to sit down for the rest of the game. We needed a plan, and fast. We teamed up with another team, a friend named Lucas who I had met before. We started running toward the back tree line, desperate to find a good cover. And there it was, a cabin hidden so that the back could not be seen by anyone in the regular area. It was right before the back tree-line, which was our boundary, so it wasn't breaking any rules. In short, it was perfect. We waited in silence, occasionally peaking out to see if anyone was coming. Suddenly, we heard a rustling. We all got ready to run. But when peaking around the corner, it was another team made up of people I knew. We let them hide with us and devised a plan for lookouts. One clap to hide, two to run. Finally, it happened. A kid whom Lucas knew snitched on our hiding spot, and a minion came over. Preparing for the worst, we almost took off running before he just told us we couldn't hide behind cabins, before running away to tag someone else. That was fair enough, so we looked for a different hiding spot. It was almost over, so we just needed something sufficient for a few more minutes. We saw a clothesline and thought it would probably do. And it worked. One second after the end, I got tagged. Our team won, and I will always remember it as one of the most fun night games of my camp experience.”

Awesome, Claudia! Sounds like you got the full summer camp experience at The Pines Catholic Camp. I like how everyone kept gravitating to your hiding spot until the wrong person saw you! Darn friend of Lucas! At least your team still came out victorious. Your storytelling really put me in the game with you! Thanks for sharing this memorable moment at summer camp with us!

If any of our readers want to take a closer look at The Pines Catholic Camp, check it out by clicking right here. Come back tomorrow to find out who our third $50 winner of this year’s ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest is! Who knows?! It might be you! If your entry is announced a winner, you’ll receive an email with the gift certificate code once all other winners have been disclosed. As always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

As the summer season makes its subtle shift into fall, we like to look back and reflect on the fun that you had. That’s why, when the camp season is over, we’re always excited here at Everything Summer Camp to keep with our traditional ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest.

This year we have ten winners for prizes of $50, $100, $200, and the grand prize of $500! Today we're announcing the first of our five $50 winners.

Today’s winner is Gregory C.! Congratulations, Gregory! You’re our first $50 prize winner! Gregory spent some fun summer days at Camp Longhorn this year for camp! Read all about it in his submission right now...

“This summer was my first summer attending camp. My whole family was really excited for me. I am the oldest and the first in my family to attend a sleep away camp. We counted down the days since the moment I received my acceptance letter. I had my awesome orange trunk in the corner of my room reminding me of the adventure I was about to have. I was so nervous to leave my family but from the moment I arrived at Camp Longhorn, I knew it was going to be what I looked forward to every year. My favorite part of camp was the BLOB and church mountain. The blob was endless fun and church mountain was so peaceful. I really missed my family when I went to bed but I cannot wait to go back and have the best of week of the year every summer!”

Thanks for this great submission, Gregory! We’re so glad to hear how much you loved your time at Camp Longhorn. Being the first in your family to attend a sleep away camp must have been a special experience, and the anticipation leading up must have been both alluring and intolerable! It’s great to hear you’ll be returning to Longhorn in the years to come!

For anyone else interested in Camp Longhorn, you can check it out right here. Tune in the rest of this month as we continue to announce our prize winners. Tomorrow we'll have our second $50 winner. Once our winners have been announced they’ll receive an email with your gift certificate code. As always, thanks for reading, Camp Folks!

- John

Hey there, Campfire Wordsmiths!

Are you still sitting on the sidelines, pondering whether or not to participate in our awesome, annual 'Share Your Camp Story' Contest? Well, grab a pen and paper or get your camera recording so you can get your camp tales recorded and ready for submission! You're reading this post, but you should be getting ready to submit your story! What's the urgency, you wonder? Today is your last chance to join the Camp Story frenzy and time's a-tickin', so get past the hesitation and get your story TOLD!

We eagerly await your stories of epic friendships forged, fears conquered, and unforgettable camp moments. Did you conquer the climbing wall? Or perhaps you danced like nobody was watching at the camp talent show? Spill the beans and let us in on the best parts of your summer camp experiences!

Hold on to your camp hats, folks! In just one week, we'll unveil the winners of our coveted contest prizes. We've got five lucky campers snagging a sweet $50 gift card, followed by two champions claiming a $100 gift card. Then, we’ll have two more winners of our second-place $200 prize. And, finally, the grand prize winner will take home a mind-blowing $500 gift card!

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, September 5th—the day after Labor Day—when we'll kick off the celebration by announcing our first random winner right here on the Blog. Get those fingers crossed! It could be you?

We can't wait to dive into your incredible camp stories. So, hurry up, grab a pen and a pad of paper or just hit the record button with your camera and get those entries in before it's too late. Don't let this golden opportunity pass you by—we want to hear from every single one of you!

So share your camp adventures, triumphs, and mishaps before the sun sets on this contest! Thanks for being a part of our camp community and keep those camp stories burning bright! Keep reading and, as always, Happy Camping!

- John

Hey there, Storytellers!

Summer is in full swing, and we don't want you to miss out on sharing your incredible camp story with our camp community! It's time to unleash your creativity and join our 'Share Your Camp Story' Contest, right here at Everything Summer Camp for a chance to win as much as $500! But even if you don’t get a seat in the winner’s circle, you’ll still be part of our storied tradition and win our $20 participatory prize!

We've been collecting all your thrilling camp tales for all of August and there are only two weeks left until this Contest closes at midnight on August 31st. Grab your pen and paper or get your camera rolling and start immortalizing your memories. Remember, every camper who submits gets a $20 gift certificate for our online store. But that's not all! Ten lucky winners will be randomly selected for some bigger prizes! And this year we've increased the prizes!

Once we've gathered all your captivating submissions, the winners will be revealed one story at a time. Will you be our grand prize winner, walking away with a jaw-dropping $500 Everything Summer Camp Gift Card? Maybe you'll snag one of the two second-place prizes for $200. Or maybe you’ll be one of the other two winners for our third-place price of $100. And, after that, we still have five more winners who’ll each receive a sweet $50 Gift Card!

Telling stories is more than just fun—it's a powerful way for campers to relive their incredible adventures and reflect on all the skills they've gained. It's like hitting the replay button on the best moments of your life! Need a little inspiration? Check out the Contest announcement I wrote last month for some storytelling prompts.

Parents, we'd love to hear from you too! Share your unique perspective on your camper's experience or regale us with your own camp memories. All submissions should include your first name, last name initial, the camp you or your child visited, and how many summers you or your camper have visited camp.

Click right here to submit your tale of adventure, friendship, and s'mores! Thanks for being part of our amazing camp community! Unleash your inner wordsmith and keep those campfire stories burning bright!

- John