Hey, Camp Folks!

We’re happy to hear from our participants for the August ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest. We have today’s camp story submission, not from a camper, but from a grandmother who got to participate in some fun summer camp activities this year.

Our featured submission today for our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest comes from Carol H. who wrote in to tell us about the time she got to spend with her grandkids at Camp Seneca Lake. Congrats on your $25 prize, Carol! Check out her submission right here:

“A slender ray of sunshine peeked through the cloud of COVID-19 for my family this summer. My name is Carol H; I am the grandmother of two very disappointed campers, Sam P. and Abby P. Sam and Abby truly live “10 for 2”. They cherish their summers at Camp Seneca Lake and speak enthusiastically about their experiences all during the school year. Fortunately, Camp Seneca Lake was able to offer several CSL Family Weekend Getaways in July and August. Parents and grandparents and kids spent time at camp all together. My husband and I shared a cabin with our grandchildren, their parents, and two of their closest elementary school friends. I even celebrated my birthday there! I have not been a camper since 1965. The weekend made me remember why I loved camp so much and showed me some of the things my grandchildren enjoy at CSL. We did archery, arts and crafts, kickball, and lakefront and pool activities. Socially distanced meals were served in the dining hall. There were Shabbat services at the beautiful lakefront fire pit. And we hung out in our cabin and talked to new friends and old friends who sat on the porches of their nearby cabins. I walked on the gravel trails and on the paths through the woods. What a hike it was down to the lake –and back up again! Camp is Sam and Abby’s happy place. Next summer, if all returns to normal, I will be able to picture them on the 200 acre campus doing everything we did together and so much more. The experiences I shared with my family at CSL were priceless!”

Woohoo! Grandmothers don’t typically get to attend summer camp so thanks for sharing this cool story with us, Carol. I’m sure it was a treat for Sam and Abby to enjoy some camp fun with you there to experience it alongside them. Sounds like CSL offered you guys a great getaway during this difficult time our world is facing. It’s great to hear your family salvaged some summer fun this season!

If anybody else is interested in checking out Camp Seneca Lake for your own future camp stay, take a look at their website by clicking right here. And, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!

We’ve been thrilled to hear from our participants for our August ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest submissions. Though some were, many kids weren’t able to attend camp this year. Nevertheless, we still wanted to hear from kids to see what their experiences have been this year.

Our next submission for our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest comes from Emily D. who wrote in to tell us about the trip to Camp Green Cove that she didn’t get to make. Her submission won our $25 prize! Here it is:

 
“It was my last year to attend Camp and would have been my sixth year. I was very excited and had anticipated it all year long. We suspected that camp might get canceled in April, but we kept our hopes high. In mid-May my session of camp was canceled. I decided that I wanted to get on the waitlist for a five week session from the beginning of July to mid-August. We knew that this session might as well get canceled, but we still have our hopes up. About mid-June, the news came that all sessions were cancelled. Although I was bummed, I asked my mom to email the owner of the camp to see if I was allowed one more year, despite the fact that I would’ve aged out this year. She responded to our email within 24 hours and let me know that I was allowed to go one more year with one or two of my closest camp friends. Although the situation was not the situation we had planned for it let us to something even better.”

 
Hi, Emily! Thanks for submitting your story about this strange summer season. What a bummer you weren’t able to attend camp this year. I’m really sorry to hear that. It’s pretty cool that you’ll get to make up for what should have been your last year next summer, though. It’s bound to be a blast! We’d love to hear back from you next year after your final camp stay!

Anyone else interesting in looking into Camp Green Cove for their next summer camp stay, check them out on their website by clicking right here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!

We’re happy to bring back what you guys wrote to us for our August ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest submissions. In our previous month, we heard from kids who weren’t able to attend camp this season to record this very unusual time in our world. In turn, this month we asked to hear from kids who did get to go to camp this year to tell us how camp was different this year or how it wasn’t much different at all.Today we have our first prize winner of our randomized contest. Congratulations to Bella E. who won a $25 gift certificate to Everything Summer Camp. Bella wrote in to tell us about her summer which was anything but ordinary. Here’s what she wrote:

 
“Hi, my name is Bella and I am 12 years old. I had a great time at Camp Newaygo, even though it was quite different this year.

Before we could go to camp, we had to do a lot of safety checks and quarantine for 14 days. I even had to get a COVID test (negative) before we could go.  All of these things were in place to keep us safe. When we got to camp, we were assigned to our cabin groups, which we stuck with the entire week. Because we spent so much time with our cabin, we got to know everyone really well.

I had 2 amazing counselors – their names were Athena and Hannah. We did 3 different activities each day with our cabin. Some of my favorites were tie-dye, paddle boarding, and outdoor cooking.

For evening program, we did a Harry Potter game, a pageant and some other fun activities. Even though it was different, we enjoyed many advantages like NO DISHES and breakfast in bed. I missed doing song block in the dining hall, but I really didn’t miss doing the dishes.

I had a blast at Camp Newaygo. I will always remember the memories I made there and I can’t wait to go again next year.”

 
Awesome, Bella! It’s great that you got to go to camp this year (even if it wasn’t quite normal). It sounds like Camp Newaygo did the best to make this camp season as fun as it could be! I’m glad you like your counselors so much and the activities were lots of fun. I don’t much care much for dishes either, so that must have been a nice bonus to your camp stay—haha! Thanks for writing in to us, Bella!

Anyone else interested in Camp Newaygo should check out their website by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

While some families were fortunate enough to send their kids to summer camp, many of you had to hunker down and make the most of this summer. We’d love to know what you did with your summer season. Avoiding overnight accommodation, many families opt for what some have coined a stay-cation or a holi-stay. These sort of vacations give families time for leisure activities as well as day trips to local parks or hiking trails.

For the month of September ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest, let us know what you did with your family. Were you fortunate enough to spend whole days in your backyard pool or hot tub? Did you hold board game tournaments in your household? Did you enjoy sitting around a campfire or set up a tent for backyard camping? Maybe you started your own family summer reading challenge.

We want kids to write in and tell us how they spent their summer days! Entries from parents and grandparents are welcome as well.   

The Contest Everyone Wins!
For this contest we’ll be picking six random winners. Our first randomized winner will receive our top prize of a $200 gift card to use on our website! Second place prize is a $100 Everything Summer Camp gift card. Third place will receive a $50 gift card. And three more random winners will receive $25 gift cards. All other participants will get 1000 S’more Bucks.   

Tell us how this summer was for your family and we’ll share your summer story right here on the Blog! Submit your written entry of your summer fun by clicking here. There is no entry fee. If you're under the age of 18, you'll need permission from your parent or guardian to participate in this Contest. Check out the entry form for further details and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!

Here is our last submission from our July ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest entries. The coronavirus has had a huge impact on everyone—camp included. And, though many kids were unable to attend camp this summer, we still wanted to hear from you. We asked to hear from kids who weren’t able to attend camp this season to record this very unusual time in our world.

This last submission for our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest comes from Keely A. who was unable to attend Mountain Lakes Camp this year. Here’s her submission:


“After being afraid to go to camp for so many years, last year I went to camp for the first time! It was the greatest summer ever! I loved meeting new friends, my counselors, playing in the woods, and just having fun at camp. I was so excited to go back to camp this summer. I understand that we have to stay safe, but was really looking forward to camp. I can't wait to go next year and get back to playing with friends and having fun!”


Hey, Keely. Thanks for writing this. It sounds like you’re handling your disappointment well. You’re right that we all need to stay safe, but camp is supposed to be a really healthy influence in a kid’s life and help you grow. It’s really too bad that you had to miss out on what this year would have had to offer.

It will definitely help to look forward to next summer when you can actually go to camp and enjoy the fun and the friends that will be there with you! It’s sure to be a blast! To everyone else, you can check out Mountain Lakes Camp for yourself by clicking here. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John