Hey, Camp Aficionados!

It was great to read all the camper submissions we received this year for our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest at Everything summer Camp. We’re happy to share them with our online community and post each submission right here on the Blog! Besides our seven lucky winners of larger prizes, all other entrants received a $15 gift certificate to our online store! Today’s post is from Gwendolyn M., who wrote in to tell us about her first year at Camp Cayuga. Here’s her submission:

“This year was my first year at sleep away camp which is called Camp Cayuga, however, I have attended numerous day camps within the past 8 years. Camp was so much fun because I became really close with everyone including my counselors within only a few days.
          lI loved camp because you got to sign up for what activity you wanted to do such as trapeze, horseback riding, lake, archery, and many other fun activities. At camp it was my first time doing archery, however, the counselors that were also instructors made it easy and fun to learn and by the second or third time I did it I was able to shoot a bulls-eye.
          lEven though it rained a lot while we were at camp, no matter what the weather was, we always had fun. Before I left for two weeks at camp I was nervous that I was going to become homesick, however, camp was so much fun that I would go back for 6 weeks next year because there was so much to do and we had so much fun that I didn’t miss not being at home since I had so many friends that comforted me.
          lThe counselors were also really nice and it was interesting because two of the counselors were from the U.K., 3 of my bunk mates were from Italy, and one was from France. There were also many other people from different places around the world at camp. It was nice to meet people from places outside of the United States because you get to see how people of different cultures live.
          lNobody was allowed to bring their phones and it was probably a good thing because if we had our phones we would have been glued to the but instead we played cards, made friendship bracelets, and talked to each other face-to-face instead of through the phone. There was also plenty to do at camp so not having phones was not an issue. Overall Camp Cayuga was so much fun and I would definitely go back for long than 2 weeks next time!”

Congratulations on your first year at sleep-away camp, Gwendolyn. You clearly had a blast making friends and enjoying the fun at camp. Gwendolyn obviously loved Camp Cayuga. You may love it yourself if it’s a good match for you. Look into Camp Cayuga on their website by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

We saw an excellent response to our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest here at Everything Summer Camp and now we’re eager to publish each one right here on the Blog! After our seven lucky winners, everyone else who submitted received a $15 gift certificate to our online store! Today’s post is from Victoria F., who wrote in to tell us about her exciting acrobatics at Camp Louise. Here’s her submission:

“‘Finally!’ I said quietly. Even though it was only the third day of summer camp our bunk schedule finally said ‘Ropes Course.’ We found out yesterday, but we had been counting hours until our second activity of the day arrived. As our counselors led us downhill to the tool shed I could not help but wonder what we would be doing. One of the Outdoors staff approached us and led us to the Leap Of Faith. After she explained what to do I decided not to go first. Instead, I watched my friends climb up the twenty foot pole using the staples, hoist themselves on top of the pole, and scoot off. Nobody actually grabbed the trapeze like they were trying to. Then, it was my turn. When I made it to the top the pole shook in rhythm with the rest of my body. I triple-checked my harness and my helmet and counted in a whisper one, two, three. I couldn’t move. At least I was the first one that stood up on the pole. Without counting I bent my knees and flew off of the pole. As I extended my arms I felt the trapeze and quickly grasped the black pole. I did it! I was the first one. When I got down on the ground I heard my bunk cheering for me. I could not believe it. I look forward to activities like this all year long. Now I was positive this would be an amazing summer!”

Victoria clearly had a blast during her summer camp stay. Congrats for being the first to succeed at The Leap of Faith at Camp Louise. Check this camp out at home to see if it’s a good match for you. You can visit their site by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

l
- John

Hey, Camp Aficionados!

The 30+ camper submissions we received this year for our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest at Everything summer Camp were great to read. We’re happy to share them with our online community and post each submission right here on the Blog! Besides our seven lucky winners of larger prizes, all other entrants received a $15 gift certificate to our online store! Today’s post is from Josh B., who wrote in to tell us about his first year at Beber Camp. Here’s his submission:“This was my first year going to camp. I am 8 years old and I was super scared to go to sleep away camp. Camp was so much fun! On the Friday before camp started we got to visit Beber. I saw the Ropes Course and said NO WAY! Then I decided to try it because my cabin friends were doing it. I loved it so much I got to do the catwalk and the climbing wall. I loved doing the zip line and the flying squirrel too. My cabin also got to visit the farm at camp and see the goats. We also got to do rock painting. The Banquet was so much fun! They served “cocktails” and “trail mix.” The music was great! I loved my field trip to the Elegant Farmer. I also got to light the torch at Maccabiah! Makor Mania was also so much fun. Camp was GREAT! It was sad leaving camp. I had great counselors and I met so many new friends. I can’t wait to go back next year!”

Josh clearly had a blast during his summer camp stay. He obviously loved Beber Camp. You may love it yourself if it’s a good match for you. Look into Beber Camp for yourself right here and as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

We’re announcing the ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest Winners this week and today concludes our list of seven prize winners. Everyone who submitted receives a $15 gift certificate and seven lucky winners receive larger prizes of $25, $50, and the grand prize of $100. Find out right here and right now who the winner is of our grand prize—$100 gift certificate! And the winner is….

Delaney W.!

Congratulations, Delaney! You’re our grand prize winner! A mother’s traditions are passed down to her daughter for summer fun at Prude Ranch. Read this mother’s account of seeing her daughter off for her own camp adventure in this entry:

“This summer my daughter ventured off to her first sleep away camp. She chose to attend Prude Ranch in Ft Davis, Tx. Prude Ranch is also the camp that I attended in the 80′s. After listening to countless stories about my fabulous years at Prude, she decided she would like to go to Ft. Davis for camp. We currently live in NJ so choosing a camp in Texas for her first time away was a big deal. I could not have been more proud and also a bit nervous. Would she like it? Would she have the same great experiences? Would she make friends? My memories had gotten us to this point but it was now her turn to make memories.
l       lTwo weeks went by with only a couple of letters which seemed positive but really we had no idea how it was going. We checked the pictures every day trying to get a glimpse of her and see if we could read anything from her face. Was she smiling? Did she seem to be having fun? Finally, it was time to pick her up. I saw her walking toward me with a big smile on her face and I knew it had been a good experience. She was so excited to recount her stories, show me her bunk and introduce me to her friends. I was so relieved and so happy because she truly had made this her own adventure. It was a great experience for her. She made the right choice and is already asking to go back for longer next year. Thank you, Prude Ranch, for allowing me to introduce a great summer camp experience to a new generation of campers.”

Thanks again for your submission, Delaney. We’re happy to hear that the same camp traditions will be shared between mother and daughter! For anyone else interested in Prude Ranch, be sure to check it out sometime. 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 seven lucky winners and sharing their stories right here on the Blog. Everyone who submitted receives a $15 gift certificate and seven lucky winners receive larger prizes of $25, $50, and the grand prize of $100. Today’s winner of the $50 gift certificate is….

Annie M.!

Congratulations on winning the second $50 prize, Annie! She wrote in about her summer stay from the previous year. The summer stay at Nellie Huckins obviously had a major impact on Annie. Camp has a tendency to do that—so much so that it might just squeeze the tears right out of you. Read Annie’s entry now:

Candle Light

“It was a peaceful night at the chapel and everybody from Camp Nellie Huckins was crowded there.
    Jody Skelton, the exclusive director, was giving her speech. I could hear her voice quivering and I saw a tear shed down her face and at the same time I could feel one down mine as well.
    My friend, Charlotte, was next to me and she whispered, “Are you okay?” I nodded and our eyes went back to Jody.
    Before long, I heard myself singing “Love the Life you Live,” with everybody else, followed by “Pass it On.” As Jody lit her candle and passed it on to the staff who passed it on to the campers. One by one, everybody went back to our cabin.
    Around me was silence. I could only hear the loons chirping and the booms of the fireworks. I could smell smoke surrounding me. One by one, everybody gave a compliment and a kiss to the person on their right. After giving a kiss you blew out your candle. When everyone blew out their candle except for Lindsey, everyone re-lighted their candle with Lindsey’s. Taps started with a big boom and went till the last note and, all at once, the circle lighted with candles around me became invisible.
    As we entered the cabin, tears filled my eyes and I began sobbing. Everybody around me knew it, camp was over.
    At the end of the night, my counselor, Courtney, said, “I will miss everybody here.” Camp was over and I knew it would be a long year till 2017 when it was time for camp.”

Thanks again for your submission, Annie. We’re happy to hear how much you love your time at Camp Nellie Huckins! Summer camp will often have an emotional impact on us because of how dear it is to us. Nellie Huckins must mean a whole lot to you! For anyone else interested in Nellie Huckins, you can check it out right here. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John