Hey, Camp Fans!

It’s that time again to take a moment here on the Everything Summer Camp Blog to highlight one of the many summer camps with whom we’re proud to have developed a wonderful relationship. For our first Summer Camp Spotlight of the new year, we’re fixing our light on our friends in the heart of Missouri where we find Bear River Ranch.

This beautiful summer camp is located on 300 acres nestled away in the Ozarks. Bear River Ranch is used exclusively by Cub Creek Science Camp throughout the summer season. Learn, collaborate, and have fun in a beautiful outdoor setting of Bear River Ranch!

A well-rounded, educational experience, you’ll learn all about the natural world of physics when you execute a run-through the Ropes Course at Bear River Ranch. Or brush up on your chemistry in the Bear River kitchen! Get your geology lessons in in their gemstone quarry. You’ll even have the opportunity for zoology with Bear River’s very own private zoo of more than a hundred species of animals!

That’s right! Bear River has their own zoo for their campers to enjoy; take a llama for a walk, make friends with a fox, give a lemur its lunch, hold a snake or lizard, and plenty of other fun things with furry (or not so furry) creatures.

On top of all that, you practice your Archery and Riflery, Hiking Trails, Survival Skills, and Spelunking for summer adventures. Engross yourself in fun crafts like friendship bracelets, tie-dye, pottery, ceramics, photography, and more.

As mentioned above, this ranch provides miles of hiking trails, Archery and Riflery range, a gemstone quarry, and Ropes Course. But besides that, they also offer a craft lodge, fishing ponds, game pavilion, the Bear Den (which is a large multipurpose building), a newly constructed dining hall that comfortably seats 350 people.

As for their living quarters, Bear River Ranch boasts 15 cabins which are all set up with heat and air conditioning. Each cabin sleeps 20 folks which means Bear River invites 300 campers for their summer sessions with Cub Creek Science. At this ranch, campers aren’t just suited for overnight stays, but treated to an unforgettable summer camp experience! If Bear River Ranch sounds like the place for you, give it a closer look and check out the Cub  Creek Science website by clicking right here. As always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hello, Fellow Readers!

You can all breathe a sigh of relief; you’ve made it through to the end of 2020 (the craziest year the world’s seen in a long time). We all know what a trying year it’s been—chock full of questions, concerns, and hardships. But we’re positive people here at Everything Summer Camp. Despite the difficult challenges we’ve faced this year in terms of both business and our personal lives, we have also found our own silver linings of 2020.

I asked around the office to see what good we all extracted from this year and the results were so uplifting, it’s only right to share them with everyone. Check out all the good things that happened this past year.

Mark
Our Vice President, Mark, was happy to get more time at home with his family. He was able to accomplish more around the house with time that he and his family typically spend traveling. He’s also been able to increase his efforts in physical fitness. For instance, he recently installed an impressive gym in his basement.

Brian
Operations Manager, Brian is excited about two new additions he’s made to his home as well. This year he acquired a video game arcade machine as well as an arcade style dartboard. A dead-eye when it came to darts in his younger years, Brian’s skills seem to need some sharpening. “Dartboard’s defective,” he told me. “Can’t hit bullseyes.”

Nate
Our manager of the Graphics Department, Nate used a calmer schedule and more time at home to work on projects around the house. He spent more time outdoors and enjoyed frequent golf outings. He also used this year to think on how to improve our products and processes here at Everything Summer Camp to better serve our customers in 2021!

Diane
Diane, our Call Center Supervisor, felt blessed with a slower pace of living this year. But, in much more exciting news, she was blessed with three more healthy grandchildren this year. Congratulations to her and her ever-growing family!

Amy
Thrilled just to still have a job, our Graphic Artist, Amy, has counted her blessings throughout 2020 and is glad that her family has stayed healthy. Her husband and their little boy, Charlie visited more state parks than ever before this year and had a wonderful time. 

Drew
Not hard for Drew to pick this year’s highlight, he excitedly responded, “I got hitched!” Earlier this summer, he tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend, Adrianna. Congratulations to the both of them!

As for myself, 2020 has been a year for the books! It’s been my first year in my new house, located in the same small town as the Everything Summer Camp headquarters: Boyd, Wisconsin. I love it here and, what with lockdowns and quarantines, I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time making my new home feel like mine!

While many of us faced tragedy and challenges throughout this trying year, see what good things you can reflect on that came from the last 364 days. You may be surprised at all that you come up with! Goodbye, 2020. It’s been one crazy ride. And a happy New Year, Everybody. We’ll see you all in 2021!

- John

Hey, Curious Camp Folks!

It’s something that we all do—probably at least a few times every day! Checking your reflection to make sure you’re looking good and don’t have any boogers or spinach in your teeth is a ritual people have been practicing since before mirrors even existed! People would use ponds, streams, and lakes for reflective purposes as a sort of primitive mirror.

The first mirrors to actually be constructed were first made around 6000 years ago. They were made from stones that had been polished down to a smooth, reflecting surface. This took patience as well as methods of trial and error. If black volcanic glass obsidian was able to be acquired, it provided was much easier to create a reflective surface. The volcanic material was created as it cooled rapidly after volcanic activity.

Nowadays, a major part of a mirror is glass. But glass has more transparent than reflective properties, so it needs to be coated in order to reflect light. Metallic coatings of silver, gold, and chrome would eventually prove themselves to be the best for the job. These mirrors made of metal alloys or precious metals, however, were very valuable items that were only afforded by the rich in ancient times.

Mesopotamian Mirrors
The ancient people in Mesopotamia were one of the first to switch from stone-polishing to metal-polishing to make their mirrors a rough 4000 years ago.

Reflect like an Egyptian
Ancient Egyptians discovered polished copper was a great metal for mirror-making. They became experimental with their mirrors, adding ornate frames to border their round mirrors.

Check yourself in a Chinese Mirror
In China, they took it a step further and made their mirrors from metal alloys—a combination of tin and copper and sometimes bronze too. This was the very beginning of our modern means of making mirrors.

Thanks to all the preceding processes and experimentations of our ancient ancestors, flawless mirrors are a part of every household. So give your reflection some attention today and be thankful that you’re able to check yourself with such crystal clarity in that reflective window. As always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

It’s that time again to take a moment here on the Everything Summer Camp Blog to highlight one of the many summer camps with whom we’re proud to have developed a wonderful relationship. For today’s summer camp spotlight Blog post, we’re fixing our light on our friends down south in eastern Texas where we find The Pines Catholic Camp.

This beautiful summer camp is located on 130 acres of gorgeous piney woods in Eastern Texas. With Catholicism being a large part of this summer camp’s identity, The Pines work summer after summer to help their campers both discover and develop a personal relationship with Christ.

There’s no shortage of waterfront fun at The Pines with their Slide, BLOB, Log Rolling, Canoes, Power Tower, and more! Brush up on skills in Archery, Arts and Crafts, Riflery, Dance, Music, and more. And have fun with sports and other activities such as Ultimate, Ga-Ga, Football, Volleyball, Soccer, Basketball, Eagleball, Capture-the-Flag, Messy Wars, Granny’s Candies, High Ropes, Zipline, Low Ropes, Climbing Wall, Power Pole, Card Games, Trailblazing, Theme Team Training, and more.

The campers of each cabin at The Pines share meals together, have prayer time together, and participate in spiritual programs together. And, before bedtime, campers have ‘Winner’s Circle’ where the counselors of each cabin lead discussions about faith and life. This develops a strong connection among the campers of each cabin.

A magical campus, their facilities are made with both accommodation and fun in mind so campers at The Pines aren’t just suited for overnight stays, but treated to an unforgettable summer camp experience. If The Pines Catholic Camp sounds like the place for you, give it a closer look! You can check out their website by clicking right here and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Flashy Folks!

Is it just me or is it getting darker outside earlier? It seems that ever since Halloween night—October 31—the sun sets in the late afternoon instead of its typical mid-evening time. The days seem to be shortening and I suddenly seem to be using a lot more electricity for lighting. I’m beginning to fear that the sun may continue to grow more and more distant until one day it blips entirely out of sight.

What’s that? Oh! It’s just Daylight Savings? Phew! What a relief!

Yes, that makes much more sense. The cycle of our years mean that the days get shorter in the fall and winter, culminating in the Winter Solstice—the shortest day of the year. Today is that day. Located on the opposite side of the year from the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, the Winter Solstice is the day with the least amount of daylight.

A magical day of the year, the Winter Solstice reminds us of how harsh and unforgiving Mother Nature can be. Especially in locations up north—like us at Everything Summer Camp in Northern Wisconsin—Winter Solstices are always cold, dark, and typically covered in ice and snow.

This year, we’ll see just under nine hours of daylight in Boyd, Wisconsin where Everything Summer Camp is located (roughly the same amount as New York City). If you travel to Helsinki, Finland, you’ll be getting something shy of six hours of daylight! That’s less than a typical day of work or school. But at least that’s better than nothing! In Barrow, Alaska, they don’t even see a sunrise!

And since it’s the darkest day of the year, it would only make sense that National Flashlight Day would coincide. A handy item to have around in our dark winter days, it’s a good idea today to test your flashlights to make sure the batteries are still good. Be sure everyone knows where the flashlights are kept in your household. And remember to keep a flashlight in your vehicles as well.

It’s the holiday season, so let your hearts be…LIGHT and make the darkest night of the year the warmest and brightest. Peruse our selection of flashlights, headlamps, lanterns, and more when you click right here! Happy National Flashlight Day and a magical Winter Solstice, Everybody! As always, thanks for reading!

- John