Hey, Camp Fans!

He’s been held in high regard as one of the finest actors to ever come around. I wrote about Burgess Meredith in a previous Blog post from a handful of years back. We learned about his time spent at Camp Dudley summer camp in New York, his experience on Broadway, as well as his military service in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. You can check out the last post about Burgess when you click right here.

That last post only scratched the surface, however. There’s a lot more to learn about this guy and we can get an idea of who he is by the roles he’s played throughout his time on the screen. Check out who he’s been on the screen…

In the Zone
Presented for your consideration: Mr. Meredith appeared in a few different episodes of the classic TV show, ‘The Twilight Zone’. One of his best-known roles from the show is the episode ‘Time Enough at Last’ in which he plays the character Henry Bemis. Henry one day discovers that he’s the last person alive. He takes solace in this as it finally gives him time to catch up on all his reading. But in a horrible twist of fate, his reading glasses fall off his face and break. “But…but that’s not fair! There was time now!”

Playing the Penguin
Along with his roles in ‘The Twilight Zone’, Burgess played The Penguin (a.k.a. Oswald Cobblepot) in the classic TV series ‘Batman’ that ran from 1966 to 1968 as well as the 1966 film that was based on the show. His portrayal of the Penguin character was so well-received that the show's writers made sure they always had a script ready to go that featured this birdlike villain whenever Burgess was available.

One Grumpy Guy
Contrary to his own personality, Burgess played one of the old grumps in the ‘Grumpy Old Men’ movies that debuted in 1993. He played as Grandpa Gustafsen alongside his fellow grumps played by Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. While, sadly, all three of the ‘Grumpy Old Men’ have now passed on, their humor is immortalized in this hilarious and high-profiting surprise-classic!

But whether he played the last man alive, a penguin, or a grump, Burgess became a huge star who was sought after during his time on the big (and small) screen. Hope you enjoyed learning more about this classic actor from over 60 years ago! And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

¡Hola, Amigos!

Today is the fifth of May (or Cinco De Mayo for those of you who know your Spanish). This is one interesting holiday in that it’s incredibly misunderstood. For instance, did you know that Cinco De Mayo is actually more widely celebrated in the United States than it is in Mexico?

It’s seems preposterous at first, right? I mean, how can a holiday with a SPANISH name be a primarily AMERICAN holiday? And why wouldn’t Mexicans celebrate their own Independence Day? It doesn’t make any sense!

Well, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. First and foremost, the main thing to understand about Cinco De Mayo is that it is NOT the Mexican Independence Day.

Mexico’s Independence Day (as relayed in my September 16 Blog post) is on September 16. It was on this date back in 1810 that one Father Miguel Hidalgo, a Catholic priest, literally rounded people up from the markets and streets of Mexico to declare their independence from Spain.

Cinco de Mayo, on the other hand, celebrates Mexico’s regaining of their freedom in 1862 from the short-lived French invasion. The Mexican state of Puebla calls the holiday The Day of the Battle of Puebla (or El Día de la Batalla de Puebla, Spanish Speakers).

Though the day is celebrated in parts of Mexico—especially in Puebla—their freedom from Spain is much more important to the Mexican people.

But despite the fact that Cinco De Mayo may be as confused and misinformed as it is, it’s also a day in which the Mexican culture is celebrated and honored by the citizens of another country—which I think is pretty cool! It’s certainly a day that’s worth acknowledging. Its purpose has just become a little clouded.

So with a clearer understanding of today’s celebration, I wish you all a good Day of the Battle of Puebla. Thanks for reading.

Hey, Riders!

We’re always adding more camping gear of all sorts to our selection here at Everything Summer Camp! Each year brings new products and fun stuff that we want our campers to have available to them. From camping gear to games and stationery, we’ve got a whole lot of the gear to help you make the most of your summer camp stay!

Horse Riding is a favorite activity among many summer campers! It’s a display of mastering the partnership between yourself and your horse. It’s a sport that works the rider’s core muscles and builds abdominal strength, as well as strength in back and pelvic muscles. It sharpens coordination as well as stability and increases focus on anticipating the motion of the horse.

In order to ride on horseback with comfort and enjoyment, shop our horse riding gear when click right here. One of our latest additions to our horseriding department is our mid-weight, mid-rise classic fit Riding Pants, the Kids Endura Classic Knee Patch Horse Riding Tight from Ovation. You’re sure to reel in awe while you ride in the total comfort of this classic-fit Jod.

The Kids Endura Classic Knee Patch Riding Tights from Ovation is made from a four-way stretch polyester and spandex called EnduraKNIT™, this Riding Tight likes to sit right at your natural waistline and provide comfort along with functionality when you’re riding!

This Neutral Beige Kids Tight wears easy with a faux closure and snap. This Tight has a mid-rise waist with washable knee patches that feature Syn-Tec™ stretch suede. Treated to resist odor-producing microbes and provide UPF 30 sun protection against 96% of long-wave light, these Riding Pants are just what you want for perfect comfort!

Ride without hindrance in this Kids Tight from Ovation and enjoy your time on horseback when you get out to summer camp! Shop the rest of our horseriding gear and, as always, thanks for riding  I mean, reading!

- John

Happy First of May, Camp Fans!

Spring is in full swing which means that summer is right around the corner! As this pandemic wraps up, I think folks are looking forward to summer camp now more than ever before. We’re excited too here at Everything Summer Camp which is why we’re proposing a countdown! In celebration of the coming camp season, we want you to post your own creative way of counting down the days until opening day for your camp stay!

Figure out how many days you have until you’ll be arriving at camp and then start getting creative! Find some good items to use so you can shape the numbers for your countdown. Maybe grab some of your camp gear from last year or gather some sticks and form the number of days you have until camp officially begins. Snap a picture of the number you created and post it on our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Try and use some camp-themed items—a straight stick and a round rock could make a cool number 10. A tennis racquet laid in the opposite direction of another racquet would be an easy 8.

In our anticipation for the summer camp season, we’ll be getting in on the fun too here at Everything Summer Camp. Instead of counting down to a first day of camp, we’re counting down to the first day of summer: Saturday, June 20.

We’re starting our countdown today at 51 days to go till summer officially begins! And for our first post, here’s what we’re putting out:

Enjoy the creativity in coming up with your own ways to shape the numbers of your daily countdown and make the most out of each day until your camp season arrives. Each day is one day closer to camp! Have fun counting down and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hi, Excited Campers!

These current times with coronavirus has left everyone with a lot of questions, but summer camps across the country have an optimistic resolve about the coming summer camp season. A couple weeks ago, I featured Forest Lake Camp in Chestertown, New York. Today let me tell you about Camp Lantern Creek in Montgomery, Texas. 

Camp Lantern Creek provides a picturesque escape from city living with fantastic views of sunrise and sunset over the beautiful hundred acres of Texas Piney Woods. While prepared for a worst-case scenario, Camp Lantern Creek sounds positive about the summer camp season. Check out this video from the Lantern Creek director, Sunni Markowitz.

In hopes of a best-case scenario, Lantern Creek has some pretty fun things planned for the summer including sports like Archery, Basketball, Kickball, Ga-Ga, Volleyball, Canoeing, Knitting, Singing, Doll-Making, Drawing, Painting, Stage Crew, Dance, and more. Their Rosie the Riveter program is full of girl power skill building in activities like changing a tire and making a fire.

Check out their great facilities in this cool video tour and see their campus, complete with a couple pools and a 40’ waterslide that’s known around Lantern Creek as Sally Ride, the theater and studio called The Muse, as well as Rally Hall where meals are had, and more.  

Lantern Creek campers (or ‘Creekers’) live in one of the five cabins—North, South, East, West and Compass. The cabins are well-kept and setup with the works: central air-conditioning and heat, and full bathrooms. They’re also set on enough space for its own yard, clothesline, and fire pit! Cabin life is at the heart of Creekers’ summer camp experience and relationship with each other.

Get a deeper look at this magical place on their website by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John