Hey, Camp Fans!

Time for Everything Summer Camp’s annual ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest has rolled around once again! We’re excited to give away our prizes and announce our lucky winners as well as posting their stories right here on the Blog. Today, I’m announcing our first $100 gift certificate winner right now!

And our first $100 winner is….Anna F.!

Congratulations, Anna! You just won $100 for our one-stop camping gear shop for your future equipment purchases! Thanks for sharing your summer experience at Camp DeSoto. Read her submission right here:

“Hello! My name is Anna F., and I’m going to tell you about my Camp DeSoto experience. When my mom first told me about camp I did not want to go, but when I heard that my best friend was going, I got super excited. When we pulled into camp I started to get nervous. My amazing counselor Grace made me feel right at home. DeSoto has three tribes. Blue Jays, Chickadees, and Cardinals. I am a Cardinal. The tribes compete in different activities to win the cup at the end of the term. This term the Cardinals won the cup! I was sooo happy.

During camp there is a horse show. I was the youngest rider but I still got second place! There are a lot of camp songs to learn. My favorite is ‘Lookout Mountain 35984’ It’s a song about wanting to back to DeSoto. There are also tribe songs. Song Fest is where your tribe leaders write a song and you perform it in front of the other tribes. If you win Song Fest you get a lot of points. The Cardinals won Song Fest so we won the cup.

Sleeping in a cabin was one of my favorite things about camp. The bug noises outside our cabin scared the first few night, but as I got used to them, they helped me go to sleep. I also loved getting mail. Every day (except on Sunday) we sit on our bed while Grace our counselor passes out mail. I loved this camp because you can go not knowing anyone and leave with tons of friends.”

Great, Anna! Camp DeSoto sounds extra special! I’m glad you were happy with your camp stay despite not wanting to go initially! Good job giving camp a try! Nice job winning that cup too! Go Cardinals! I know how it can be trying to sleep in a new environment, but once you get used to it, I bet your cabin was really cool to fall asleep in. Glad to hear you enjoyed yourself, Anna!

To anybody else interested in Camp DeSoto, you can check it out by clicking right here. Be sure to tune in tomorrow to find out who our grand prize winner is! And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

It’s the Everything Summer Camp ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest! We’re in full swing for this year, announcing our lucky winners and sharing their stories right here on the Blog. Today, I’m announcing the last of our $50 gift certificate winners! Today, the winner is…. 

Dana C.!

Congratulations, Dana! You won a $50 gift certificate to our one-stop camping gear shop! Dana took a trip down memory lane sending her kids to camp this summer! Read about it in her Contest entry right here:

“Sending the kids off to camp and the stories they brought back so many memories from my days at Camp Echo. Icky deli and bbq night meals, learning how to shave and having shaving parties in the middle of our bunks, woolite parties, being boy crazy, fake break and then finally the BIG break, closing ceremonies and so many other fun memories. One of the most special things we did at Echo was our Friday night shabbat services and the traditions that went along with it. Wearing our clean uniforms, coming down from girls side in silence, dinner (fried chicken, challah and jello) followed by brother/sister night on the back ball fields and then services on infirmary hill with our special poem. Its nights like this that made camp special. They say camp friends are your best friends for a reason. The memories and laughs never fade away no matter how often or little you see your camp friends. E-C-H-O echo echo lets go!!!!!!”

I love this submission, Dana! Thanks for writing in to us. It’s great to read about all the fond memories you still have of Camp Echo. It must be pretty cool to send your kids off for their own summer experience now. I hope their summer stays can *ahem* echo the fun you had back then! To anybody else interested in Camp Echo, you can check it out by clicking right here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

The ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest is in full swing for this year. We’ve been announcing our lucky winners and sharing their stories right here on the Blog throughout September. And today, I’m announcing our next $50 gift certificate winner! Today’s winner is….

Jacob W.! Check out his submission about his time at Cedar Lake Camp right now…

“At Cedar Lake I was having a blast. We have a big lake that has multiple things to do such as a trampoline, jet ski, and boating. I have been going there for 6 years. I go back every year because I have so much friends and a ton of fun. My favorite thing to do is athletics. I got really good at tennis at camp. We also have a small weight room so I can workout. There is always 4 shows that campers can sign up for to do. On Friday nights we have Shabbat dinner and services. But instead of do a ton of prayers we turn those prayers into songs. Saturday morning we also do services. And then Saturday night is havdalah. I can’t wait to go back next year. There is also a great program for when I get older. The camp takes us to Israel for a few weeks. My story isn’t that unique but I feel it shows how much fun I have at Cedar Lake Camp. Which is apart of NJY camps and has around Lake Camp for special need kids and Tac which is for Israel. Finally there is Teen Village which is for kids with special needs. But it goes up until your 23.”

Thanks for writing in to us, Jacob! You’re right, your story isn’t the most unique—nothing wrong with that! Sounds like you had a great, well-rounded, and really fun time at Cedar Lake Camp. I’m glad you’ve found your summer home here! And how exciting will a trip to Israel be in the future?! Cedar Lake Camp truly sounds like a great place for summer fun! Thanks again for sharing.

If Cedar Lake Camp sounds like the right camp experience for you, give it a closer look by clicking here. Tune in tomorrow when I reveal our next winner! And, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

The end of summer’s always bittersweet, but year-after-year, we’re excited here at Everything Summer Camp to keep with our traditional ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest! We saw an excellent response with your submissions this year with more stories, laughs, and good times. 

Today we have our fourth $50 winner. And that winner is…. Tamara G.! Check out her submission about her time at Laity Lodge Family Camp right now:

“We have been attending Laity Lodge Family Camp since 2018 with our three children, and love every minute of our time in the canyon alongside the headwaters of the Frío River. All of us feel more adventurous at camp—perhaps it’s the fun activities, being completely disconnected from the stresses of life (no cell service there!), or having the support of family telling you that you can do it—but even so, until this year I haven’t had the nerve to jump off the high rock ledge over a favorite river spot into the deep water. I’ve been great at avoiding it, always claiming the need to stay by my littlest one’s side, but this year my middle child was having none of it. He begged me to jump alongside him, and practically dragged me up to the ledge. In the end, with lots of coaxing and reassurances, I jumped! Guess what…it was fun! I had done it three more times when I heard the excited chatter of a young camper about the Apple Watch he found at the bottom of the river (the water is that clear). Wow—an Apple Watch! Even better? It worked!! “It works?” a counselor asked, “maybe someone lost it.” Yes, someone had lost it—I had. Apparently it fell off when I plunged into the river from up high. Thankfully, it was found even before I knew it was lost! I thanked the treasure hunter and told him that we’d treat him to an Icee from the Outpost. That was the story of the day at camp. With aspects of fear, bravery, joy, (unknown) loss, restoration, and more joy, what story could be better or more satisfying than that?”

What a wonderful thing for you and your family to do together, Tamara! Laity Lodge sounds like a really great place with some fun opportunities for adventure and it sounds like you guys had a blast! You’re right. Your story has it all—and an Icee! Hope your family continues to enjoy summers together and fun adventures! Thanks for sharing your story, Tamara.

If you’re interested in checking out Laity Lodge Family Camp for yourself, do it now by clicking here. Be sure to come back on Monday when we’ll continue announcing our winners and publishing your camp stories right here on the Blog! As always, thanks for reading (and writing), Boys and Girls!

 - 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 prizes, more laughs, and more fun! And, now for our third $50 winner—congratulations to….

Gigi S.!

"This summer, I went to Wet ‘n Wild as part of a field trip on my birthday. The field trip was with a day camp, and it was fun! I liked the Tunnel of Terror water slide because the whole ride is in the dark and it has a big drop that makes everyone scream! I also liked the wave pool, but I kept floating away because I am not that tall. But I liked it because every single person from my camp was in the wave pool. I also liked a tan colored water slide – I can’t remember the name of it, but I liked it because it was tall and fast. I also liked how, at the end of all of the water slides, I could get a souvenir and a few slushies because the slushies were yummy flavors red and blue. I got a water timer and a mini pop-it as souvenirs, and I liked them because they were very interesting.”

Thanks for this great submission, Gigi! Sounds like you had a really fun time this summer! I’m glad you liked the Tunnel of Terror—it sounds a bit spooky! Wet n’ Wild must be a pretty great place! You must have had an absolute blast with all the fun stuff at the water park. Slushies were probably the perfect way to end a day like that!

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