Hey, Camp Folks!

We’re happy to bring back what you guys wrote in for our July ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest submissions, though the subject matter of these submissions may not be very happy themselves. Coronavirus has had a huge impact on us all—camp included. We asked to hear from kids who weren’t able to attend camp this season to record this very unusual time in our world.

Our first place prize winner of this randomized contest will receive a hundred dollar gift card to Everything Summer Camp. Congratulations to Sadie C. who wrote in to tell us about what should have been her fifth year at Camp Nokomis. Here’s her submission:

“Camp has always been the highlight of my year. The second I come back home, I start my countdown all over again. This would’ve been my fifth year going to Camp Nokomis on Bear Island. There is so much I will miss about camp. Whether it be sailing in the perfect clear water or singing songs around the campfire, there are so many memories that I will miss this year. It’s hard to name just one thing I will miss most. It could be my activities throughout the day where I do things like archery or ceramics, olympics when we split into teams and complete challenges fighting for our country, or the overnight where we sleep outside under the bright stars. I will miss all of these things so much, but I think the things I will miss most are the small things. Sitting in my cabin playing cards, or braiding a friend's hair at the waterfront. Eating in the dining hall and talking about crazy memories we have from previous years, or teaching someone how to make a new friendship bracelet. Those are the moments I’m going to miss. There are so many life lessons I’ve learned at camp and they happen in those moments. It’s the things you can’t learn in your daily activities. I learn things about friendships and community that I wouldn't learn at home. There is something so strange about the friendships you make at camp because you go in not knowing anyone, and you come out with some of the best friends of your life. And it’s the small moments that make that possible. Even though I’ve known for a while that camp has been cancelled, I don’t know if it’s fully hit me yet. Imagining a summer without camp is so crazy to me. I’m so sad I won’t see my camp friends and that I won’t get to make any more memories this year, but it will only make it more special when I get to go back.”

I’m so sorry to hear that you couldn’t return to Camp Nokomis this year, Sadie. The fifth year that wasn’t. This is a very touching entry that really points out how much there is to miss about camp because—you’re right—it’s not just the big stuff you didn’t get to do, it’s ALL the little things that kind of make up a major part of the camp feeling.

You do a good job pointing out what you missed out on this year. Nice work, Sadie. Hope you’ve been able to get out and still have some summer fun! Keep your head up and look onward to a trip to Nokomis next summer!

- John

Hey, Blog Buddies!­­

It’s always good to be friends—but it’s even better today; it’s World Friendship Day! Friendships can be created wherever you are: at school, the beach, the park, your brother’s birthday party…the world is brimming with friendly, smiling faces for you to befriend. And it doesn’t come any more naturally to make some good friends than when you’re at summer camp!

For many kids, the friends they have at summer camp become the best friends they have. And at summer camp, kids are likely to make friends with other kids from all around the state, country, and even the world. Some friends are so far apart that they have to wait all year long until the next camp season in order to see some of their closest friends again.

The camp off-season can feel like a pretty long time to be apart from friends and, unfortunately, those eager kids who have special camp friendships at places that were closed this summer will have to wait for another year longer.

Don’t leave your friends hangin’. Use World Friendship Day as your reminder to reach out and keep in touch with your good friends. Go with an old-fashioned written letter to keep in the spirit of summer camp. Also writing letters can allow us to formulate more cohesive thoughts and express ourselves in ways that we rarely do verbally or in more casual means of contact like phone calls or text messaging.

Of course, a fun phone conversation is a great way to catch up and text messages are incredibly convenient. No matter what, just be sure you let your friend know that you’re thinking of them and that you appreciate having them be a part of your life. Happy World Friendship Day to everyone and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Team Tucker!

Today’s post isn’t the first time we’ve talked about former summer camper and famous actor, Jonathon Tucker. In his first post, we learned about his summer days spent at Camp Chingachgook in Kattskill Bay, New York. We covered his home life growing up. And we took a look at the path toward his acting career.

For our follow-up post about him, let’s take a deeper dive and learn a little more about what makes Tucker tick. Check it out:

Bulletproof Boy
Tucker is a huge fan of Bulletproof Coffee. Bulletproof Coffee is made with a tablespoon of both butter and oil (such as coconut oil), stirred into your morning coffee. I too was once a daily Bulletproofer. It’s essentially breakfast all on its own containing fats that come recommended by some health advisors.

My Benign Addiction
In the past, Jonathon has confessed to his addiction…to dark chocolate peanut butter cups. Feeling powerless against his intense cup cravings, Jonathon has noted that his relationship with peanut butter cups helps him understand the many addictions the world faces. If he can hardly resist candy which is “out of this world”, as he puts it, then it must be pretty tough for people who suffer heavier addictions.

Work-outs to Worship
Among a wide range of music that inspires him at the gym including Avicii and Kanye West, Jonathon enjoys Christian rock worship songs. With no explanation as to why, Jonathon isn’t sure why he likes it so much, but offers the background of his Jewish mom, Irish Catholic dad, and his wife’s Hindu and Muslim family that has all influenced his eclectic appreciation for music.

An interesting guy to say the least, I hope you enjoyed this closer look at Mr. Tucker and these three loves in his life: Bulletproof Coffee, dark chocolate peanut butter cups, and working out to worship songs. As always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

Hey, Writers!

Time is just about up to get your submissions entered for the July ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest here at Everything Summer Camp. For now, our mailbox is still open, but the deadline is in a couple days—through the end of the month. If you haven’t done it yet, we suggest you hop to it! In these unusual times, we asked to hear from kids who weren’t able to attend summer camp this summer: how it made you feel, what you did instead, and how much you missed the camp experience.

Submit your written entry of your time at camp 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.

For the month of August ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest, we want to hear from all you camp families out there who found themselves fortunate enough to do camp this year. In general, things have changed quite a bit and summer camp isn’t exempt from the changes. Tell us about how summer camp was different from previous years. Or maybe it didn’t feel so different—we want to hear about that too. 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 camp went and submit your stories to be shared right here on the Blog! Check out the entry form for further details and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Buggy Boys and Girls!

We all know bugs go back a long way. Longer than people do! Bugs have a history that surpasses even dinosaurs—back to a time when some would grow to the size of a soccer ball. Fortunately, they don’t get so big anymore, but bugs are still a big botheration and they always have been for people.

Insect repellents help prevent and control the outbreak of insect-borne diseases such as malaria, Lyme disease, dengue fever, bubonic plague, river blindness and West Nile fever. But our bug repellent formulas are less than a hundred years old.

So what did we do in the past about the bugs and how did we arrive at the handy dandy insect repellent we use today?

People and animals alike have been employing some means of bug repellent for a long, long time—likely back to prehistoric times. Multiple species of primates have been observed smearing one another with millipedes and a few different types of plants. Birds have been seen performing a similar anointing behavior. Both birds and primates are thought to be doing this to deter bugs.

The use of repellents was first recorded around 450 BC by the writer Herodotus who saw Egyptian fishermen use oil they extracted from the castor-oil plant. Other remedies of the time were the burning of a slew of different items such as fish, shells, bones, dung, snakeskin, and feathers.

One of the earliest means of keeping the bugs at bay is still widely used in the modern day—smoke from

wood-fires (sometimes with herbs like mango wood, coconut husks, and wild ginger leaves thrown on the fire). People used to stand in the smoke in order to cloak themselves in the deterrent.

It was only in the 1950s that military research started concocting formulas they could spray on themselves and ‘wear’ like the Repel brand you can find right here as well as the all-natural route the Ranger Ready brand which is also available at Everything Summer Camp. As advancements continue, you’ll find some apparel is made with built-in repellent so you are quite literally WEARING the repellent just by getting dressed!

Be sure to protect yourself with the most convenient means of the modern day found here at our one-stop camping gear shop, Everything Summer Camp and enjoy the outdoors without all the bites! As always, thanks for reading!

- John