Hey, Camp Folks!

Can’t stop thinking about summer camp? Well, you don’t have to! We’re thrilled to keep the camp vibes going strong by sharing all the amazing stories we received from our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest right here on the Everything Summer Camp Blog for the remainder of the year. Each story captures the spirit of camp in its own unique way, and we’re excited to showcase them all with our community!

Today, we’re featuring a heartwarming story from Belle W., who shared her unforgettable experiences at Camp Lake Hubert with us. Jump into her adventure right here, right now…

“Camp was an amazing adventure! It was my second year and I was really looking forward to all the fun activities. Of all activities offered at camp, horse riding and archery were my favorites. I loved being able to connect with the horses. My favorite horse was named Monkey. I enjoy being able to get up early and head to the stables to take care of them before breakfast. I was able to get to 2nd class level to be trotting with horses. I also got to water ski this year and it was something I didn’t get to do last year. Another fun activity that was new is the camp to camp swim. We were able to swim across the lake. I’m a swimmer so this was very exciting!

Our councilors were amazing, fun and supportive. I would like to some day be a camp counselor. My parents have mentioned how confident I was upon returning from camp. I enjoyed seeing old friends from last year and making new ones. This year I got to see my neighbors at camp and we really enjoy our time at camp together.

I’m already planning to go again next year and the summer only just over.”


We’re so glad you got to enjoy a fun summer with horse riding and archery at summer camp! Connecting with the horses must have been a great experience and reaching the 2nd class level for trotting with Monkey is quite an achievement! Water skiing and the camp-to-camp swim across the lake sound like fantastic additions to your camp experience, especially as a swimmer. It’s wonderful to hear that your counselors were so supportive and inspiring; I bet you would make a great counselor someday!

Thank you so much for sharing your story, Belle. We hope next year’s adventure is even more memorable! If anybody else would like to check out Camp Lake Hubert for themselves, have a gander at their website when you click here. Thanks for reading, Everyone. Come back next week for more camp stories! Till then.


- John

Hello, Camp Lovers!

Still can’t get your mind off summer camp? You don’t have to! We’re going to be posting all the stories we received our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest here at Everything Summer Camp through the rest of the year! Your stories have been great so far and I can’t wait to share them with our online community! By the time we’re done, every story will be featured right here on the Blog.

Today’s post comes from Naiomie M., who shared her experience dropping off her younger sister at Jamaica YMCA. The story starts right now…


“Summer of 2011, I walked my little sister to her middle school, where the school buses were lined up and parents/guardians were dropping off their children (in my case my sister) for Summer camp. It was her first day, and she was anxious. As soon as we arrived, she started to cry, pleading with me not to leave her and begging to go home. Seeing her so upset, I couldn't help but give in, and we returned home. That evening, our family sat down with her to talk about how summer camp was nothing like school. It was about exploring, trying out new activities and making new friends. The next day, when I dropped her off again, she was still teary-eyed, but just as I was about to leave, she suddenly smiled and said she saw her friend. This memory always reminds me of a quote from The Good Dinosaur: ‘Sometimes you got to get through your fear to see the beauty on the other side.’”


Thank you so much for sharing this heartfelt memory with us! It sounds like such a challenging yet rewarding moment for both you and your sister. It’s never easy to see someone we care about struggle, but the way your family supported her and encouraged her to embrace the camp experience is truly inspiring. Her courage to return the next day, even with lingering nerves, and then finding a friend right before you left, must have felt like a triumph for both of you. It’s amazing how a little reassurance and a familiar face can make all the difference. That quote from The Good Dinosaur sums it up pretty perfectly!

Thanks again for writing in to us, Naiomie. You must be a great older sister! Nice work on seeing your little sister to her own path of independence, growth, and authenticity! As always, thanks for reading, Everyone! Come on back later this week when we post our next story from Camp Lake Hubert. Till next time.


- John

Hey there, Camp Fans!

We’re absolutely thrilled with the amazing camp stories you shared for this year’s ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest here at Everything Summer Camp! Your submissions were nothing short of spectacular, and we’re so excited to highlight each and every one of these incredible camp adventures on the blog for our whole community to enjoy.

With our ten prize-winning entries already revealed, it’s time to shine a spotlight on the rest of the fantastic stories we received. Today, we’re featuring an inspiring tale from Aleksandra F., who had a memorable experience at Keystone Camp in North Carolina. Let’s dive into her story and see what made her camp stay truly special!

You can listen to Aleksandra giving her camp story right here!

 

“Hi. My name is Aleksandra F. Today I’m going to tell you about my favorite moments at Keystone Camp. One of my favorite moments was at the end of the summer where we have a horse show here on horseback riding. The horse that I…chose or was chosen for…his name is Sailor. He’s a super nice horse, but we were walking around the arena which is basically where the horses trot, walk, jump, pulls, and stuff like that. There’s another field of grass and the gate was open. My horse wanted to have some grass, so he was heading right for that and then they had to stop the horse show and restart. And, even though I messed up, all the people in my camp cheered for me and didn’t even hear about that. And then, after that, I trotted which is basically like jogging, but for the horse it’s just trotting, and I got second place. What that taught me was that even if you mess up at a camp, they won’t put you down, they’ll raise you up. One of my other favorite moments was on the first day when I got into the cabin. All of my cabin mates that were already there were super nice to me. And, something that I always knew was, if you bring photos of your family or something like that, you can always have them there; you don’t have to take them down. That’s what I love about all the camps (not specifically Keystone Camp), because we can have photos of our parents that remind us of back home. Those are my favorite times at Keystone. Bye.”

 

Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful memories from Keystone Camp. It’s heartwarming to hear how your horse, Sailor, became such a big part of your camp experience. And wow, trotting your way to a second-place finish in the horse show must have been such an exciting moment! It's fantastic how your campmates’ support made you feel encouraged, even when things didn’t go exactly as planned—that’s the true spirit of camp life! We’re so glad to hear that your cabin mates made you feel right at home and that keeping family photos helped you stay connected to home while you were away.

Thank you again for sharing your story with us, and we hope your next summer is filled with even more amazing camp memories! For those interested in learning more about Keystone Camp, be sure to check out their website by clicking right here. As always, thanks for reading, Folks! Stay tuned for more inspiring stories from our awesome camp community. Till next time.

- John

What’s up, Camp Fans?!

We love all the camp tales you've shared for our 'Share Your Camp Story' Contest here at Everything Summer Camp. These stories are great and I can't wait to showcase them all to our online community. Every submission is getting featured right here on the Blog!

And now that we’ve finished announcing our ten lucky winners last week who took larger prizes, we’re ready to share the rest of the submissions we received. The following post is from Cynthia W. who put pencil to paper about her time and the smells at her Assembly of God Bible Camp. Read her camp story right now…

“I was lucky and got to go to summer camp with my older sister. I was super excited and a little scared, but I knew my big sis would take care of me. As soon as we got off the bus, everything smelled different. I could smell the pine trees and there was an obvious smell of dirt. The smell of pine trees kind of went away the longer we were there, but the smell of dirt stayed the whole time. I really like the smell of pine trees, but I’m not crazy about the smell of dirt, especially when it never goes away. And especially when it seems like everything there smelled like dirt. Everything and every place smelled like dirt. Even the cabins and cafeteria smelled like dirt. Dirt, dirt, dirt, everywhere dirt. I tried to find the smell of pine trees again, but I was doomed to smell the dirt I guess. I still had a lot of fun!”


Hey, Cynthia! It’s awesome that you got to experience camp with your older sister by your side! It’s so funny how you noticed the distinct smells of the camp environment right away—pine trees and, of course, all that dirt! It’s such a bummer that the pine scent didn’t stick around, but it sounds like you made the most of your time there despite the never-ending dirt aroma. We’re glad you still had a lot of fun amidst all the earthy smells!

Thanks for sharing this unique perspective on camp life, and we hope you find more pine trees and less dirt next summer! As always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!


- John

Hey there, Camp Fans!

Your stories from the ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest have truly stood out, and it’s been a joy reading through all the amazing entries. Now, it’s time to share these fantastic camp adventures with our online community! We’ll be featuring each one right here on the Blog!

We’ve already revealed our ten lucky prize winners, and now we’re excited to highlight even more of your stories. Today, we’re featuring Victoria S.’s heartwarming tale about her memorable time at Camp Harlam. Read her story below and relive the magic of her summer right now...

Click here for an enlarged view of Victoria's Letter.

“Camp means so much to me. Whether we’re climbing the tower or it being a rainy day, and everyone hanging out together inside. When I’m at camp, I feel happy and adventurous in whatever I’m doing! Camp is so special to me because I get to see some of my best friends that I don’t get to see a lot. One thing at camp that means a lot to me is Shabbat services. It is a time where the whole camp gets together and we all sing prayers and songs. Everyone is just so happy and glad to be here, all together. Another thing that I love at camp is Maccabia (Color War). The whole camp is separated into 4 different groups, red, green, gold, and blue. We all complete in different games and sports. Like Tug of War, soccer, and more! It’s always so much fun and makes camp even more special. I have spent the last 4 summers at Camp Harlam! Every summer gets better and better as we learn different things.

I am so happy that I decided to go to Camp Harlam, and get to experience the best summer every year! I am so glad that I get to call Camp Harlam my second home!”

What a wonderful camp experience you had at Camp Harlam, Victoria! Fun summer activities like climbing the tower and rainy day hangouts sound very exciting and full of fun! The way you describe Shabbat services really shows how special and meaningful the community is at camp, especially when everyone comes together to sing and be joyful. And Maccabia (Color War) sounds like such an exciting tradition! Tug of War, soccer, and all the competitive spirit must really add to the fun! It’s clear that Camp Harlam is your second home, and I can see why every summer is even better than the last.

Thanks for sharing this submission on what Camp Harlam means to you! If anybody else would like to check out Camp Harlam for themselves, have a look-see around their website when you click here. Come back next week to see what other stories we have ready to share and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Folks!


- John