Hey, Camp Lovers!

We love summer camp too. That’s why we love hearing your stories from camp in our annual ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest at Everything Summer Camp. Your stories were fantastic and it’s such a fun time reading through them! Get a look at each submission as I post them one-by-one right here on the Blog!

Today’s post comes from Sam P. who wrote in to tell us about his time at Camp Seneca Lake, located on 200 acres in the Finger Lakes region of the state of New York. Get a look at his submission about this last summer at camp:

“My name is Sam P., I am 9 years old, and I went to Camp Seneca Lake. This was my first summer at overnight camp. The food was delicious. My favorite food was cheese quesadillas. There were 5 villages at my camp. I lived in Cayuga Village. During village time most days, I played roof ball with my friends. The people in my bunk were really nice. I knew some of them since I was very young but I also met some new friends. The counselors in my bunk were really cool. When I was homesick the first day, they made me feel better. My hobby group was theater and we did an improv play for the entire camp. We had some special all camp programs like Mass Program. My team, the Scientists, was victorious in the program. My grandma bought me packing cubes from Everything Summer Camp and they were really helpful. Camp was so awesome!”

Hey, Sam! Happy to hear that camp in the Cayuga Village was such a blast! You make Seneca Lake sound like a pretty special place! Roof Ball sounds like fun and cheese quesadillas sound great! Glad you like our Packing Cubes—thanks, Grandma! And thanks to you for sharing, Sam! As for anybody else interested in Camp Seneca Lake, give it a closer look for yourself some time and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Lovers!

We love camp too. That’s why we want to hear your stories from camp in our annual ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest at Everything Summer Camp. Your stories were fantastic and it’s such a fun time reading through them! Get a look at each submission as I post them one-by-one right here on the Blog!

Today’s post comes from Melissa B. who wrote in to tell us about her daughter’s time at an outdoor expeditionary camp called Ripple Effects in Maine. Set your eyes on her submission about this previous year’s camp experience right now:

“The Ultimate Compliment (to a mom)

As a mom, I am always trying to prepare the kids for what they might not expect when I am not around. This year I ordered frogg toggs ultra light rain suit for my 9 year old. She was thrilled to have the gear. But, I didn't get one for my 12 year old because she immediately rejected it as "unattractive". Of course, the day came where it poured rain at Ripple Effects (Outdoor Expeditionary Camp) while they kayaked around Cow Island. According to my older daughter, her sister was the dryest kid at camp that day while everyone else suffered. The ultimate compliment came when she asked me to order her the same suit. Once rejected as unattractive, it was now revered as the source of protection and a good choice by mom. I did end up buying a suit for her -- and one for myself, too!”

Fashion can’t beat functionality! Glad your older daughter came around now. Too bad she had to find out the hard way. You’re too kind to order her some raingear this time around and wise to get something for yourself! Thanks for sharing, Melissa. And for anybody else interested in Ripple Effects in Maine, give it a closer look for yourself some time and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Storytellers!

We love our annual ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest at Everything Summer Camp and with the turnout we saw from your experiences last summer, this has been the best year yet! Your stories were fantastic and it’s been great fun reading through them. Get a look at each submission as I post them one-by-one right here on the Blog!

Today’s post is from Rachel N. who wrote in to tell us about her returning year at YMCA Camp Tecumseh. Read over her summer camp story right now:

“This summer I spent my second summer on staff at YMCA Camp Tecumseh, aka the best camp out there. This was my 11th summer at Tecumseh, and I am actually going to school so that I can work at a camp fulltime, so my dream is to do camp forever! This summer at Tecumseh I learned a lot about having great relationships with others. I created some of my new favorite friendships and relationships with campers. I had campers between the ages of 8 and 12 and loved getting to do life with them a week at a time. I also became friends with some incredible people who I love dearly and really believe that camp friends are the best friends. These people have become my home team and I am so excited to be able to do life with them in the future. Camp Tecumseh’s motto is to Live Third, and I think this idea is so important to live by. It states that you should be putting God first, others second, and yourself third. This is so relevant at camp because we try really hard to instill these basic Christian principles into our campers, and in return we are able to learn a lot from our campers about God’s unconditional love for us as well. I cannot express enough the love I have for Camp Tecumseh and all of the experiences that I had this summer. I will forever be in love with my time spent at Tecumseh!”

Glad you had a fun return for your summer experience at Tecumseh, Rachel! I love that you continue to get so much from your time at camp—even into your eleventh year! How awesome for you to have such a constant positive influence for so many years! For anybody else interested in Camp Tecumseh, give it a closer look for yourself some time and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Kids!

We love our annual ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest at Everything Summer Camp and with the turnout we saw, this has been the best year yet! Your stories were great and it was such a fun time reading through them. Get a look at each submission as I post them one-by-one right here on the Blog!

Today’s post is from Zoe N. T. who wrote in to tell us about her returning year at Philadelphia International Music Festival. Take in her summer camp story right now:

“It was tough keeping out the anxious, highly anticipated thoughts that would pop into my head about the new and unknown experience I was about to have at P.I.M.F. Sometimes, it would keep me up at night, wondering what I was going to learn there and if I could really do all that I had planned to do. Once I got there, I didn’t want to leave.

People come from all over the world for the education that’s in this camp.

When I went for the first time, I was surprised to see people from different cultures and ethnicities. Music is universal, it’s unifying, and inspiring. It’s what makes this camp the best.

The Bryn Mawr campus is where P.I.M.F is held. It’s beautiful and easy to navigate.

The buildings look like castles and have acoustics like them, too. They look identical to the one pictured in the Harry Potter films. The food is satisfactory; it can withstand any picky-eater with a variety of selections. The coaches on staff are brilliant. But talking about the camp doesn’t do it justice. You have to be there to experience just how exceptional it truly is.

It’s an international camp, and the people that come from all over the world are intelligent, kind, and talented. You will make lifelong friendships there, I should know.

You only need to go there once to meet great people.

You will endure intense but constructive practice sessions. It’s tailored to your playing ability and it will help you improve. The more I practiced, the more I benefited from the sessions.

The dorm rooms are located in two buildings. You can choose which building you want to stay in and you’re able to request a roommate. I bunked with one of my friends I made at camp the following year, and that made it easier to talk about what we’ve learned.

Every night, you go to see a performance. Most of the time it’s several shows in one.

It can either be a masterclass or a concert. The masterclasses are taught by a player of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Any kind of performance they put on is a great one.

Everyone travels to Ocean City, NJ for a day with their new friends. You hang out on the boardwalk with them, go back to the campus, have a pizza dinner, and relax for the rest of the night. It’s a marker for the end of our time there and how hard we’ve been working before the Grand Finale concert.

The staff is more than willing to accommodate you if you want extra lessons or if you need help with your schedule. They also offer secondary lessons, so if you play another instrument and you want to take lessons there, they will help you schedule it.

You will become a better person from the learning experiences you gain at this camp. Whether it’s from a person you’ve met, from the lessons, or from one of the performances that left a mark on you, you will strive to do better. You will want to learn more.

Your new friends will encourage you on this journey, and you’ll do the same for them because you’re all in this together.

When I came home from P.I.M.F, I couldn’t remember what life was like before. I am becoming a better musician from the challenging and intense music training and I have great friends from across the globe. I can’t wait to go back next year!” 

Glad you had yet another fantastic summer stay at Philadelphia International Music Festival, Zoe! I love how cool you make it sound at camp—like a castle and it’s great to hear your passion and musical drive! For anybody else interested in Philadelphia International Music Festival, give it a closer look for yourself some time and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John