Hey, Firestarters!

Happy Campfire Day, Fire Fans! I’ve posted about campfire safety and good how-to knowledge in previous years, but today, I want to share a handful of different items that can be used to help start your fire and ensure you have a great Campfire Day! Often enough, you can use tree twigs and branches, but nature doesn’t always provide the dry materials you need to get your fire ripping and roaring!

There’s still hope, however, if you left home with the right material!

Don’t throw away that dryer lint! Instead, pack it into a used-up toilet paper roll. When it’s time to make your fire, you can place your firewood around the lint-packed roll. Light the center of the roll and the flames will burn outwards, catching on the firewood as it goes. Made from household items that would otherwise be thrown away, these tinder rolls are lightweight for easy packing!

Another option you have is to take five dry newspapers and to roll them into a tight tube. Then tie the tube into a knot. Place your firewood around this tied newspaper roll and light the knot on fire. The tightly knotted paper will burn slowly, allowing more time for the firewood to catch.

What kind of snacks did you pack? If you have a bag of potato chips you can actually use them as a fire-starter thanks to their fat content. Light a single chip on fire and it will burn for about 3 minutes. Pour a little pile of chips. Toss the burning chip into the pile of chips. Then, while this potato chip kindling is burning, place light, dry wood on top to catch fire over the burning chips!

While wet conditions will ruin most natural items you could otherwise use, you can still use sap from evergreens! Trees ooze this pine resin out which happens to be highly flammable. Collect some for a good means of starting fire. 

Use these inventive ideas for tinder to start your own campfires this evening (with the supervision of adults, of course) and enjoy the hypnotic dance of the flames on this great National Camp Fire Day! As always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Music Lovers!

If you like country music as much as you like your chicken fried, there’s a good chance you’re a fan of the Zac Brown Band. You know we’re fans here at Everything Summer Camp; we already published a Blog post about him five years ago. We covered a good amount of ground in the previous post. For instance, he was a cabin leader at Camp Mikell in his home state of Georgia as well as Camp Glisson

But that only scratches the surface. Learn some more about Mr. Zac Brown—

A wunderkind is a German word that refers to somebody who is very successful at a rather young age. Zac’s musical career started at just seven years old when he started learning to play the classical guitar. When he was just 19, he started touring, playing classic covers and original music—his dog and a drummer were his only company. By 25, Zac made his own recording label, Southern Ground.

Along with his father, Zac opened up a restaurant called ‘Zac’s Place’ in 2004. Located in his home state of Georgia, Zac’s Place featured southern-style food. The father/son team eventually sold their restaurant which enabled Zac to fund his tour—he bought a tour bus and began touring full-time with the entirety of the Zac Brown Band under their new label Southern Ground (which was initially named Home Grown).  

Zac’s got five children! His kids’ names are Georgia, Alexander, Frost, Joni, and Lucy—a nice-sized family (not quite the dozen sons and daughters like the family to which he was born, but still…pretty big)! Zac himself was his parents’ penultimate or second-to-last child.

Are you a fan of Zac Brown Band? Go ahead and enjoy some of their music today and enjoy your chicken fried! And, as always, thanks for reading, Folks!

- John

Hey, Mountaineers!

Making your way up the challenge of a majestic mountain has been described as a life-changing experience which would explain why we have a day designated completely to these awesome natural formations. And while other countries have their own dates for celebration, today is America’s Mountain Climbing Day. Happy Mountain Climbing Day to all you thrill seekers, adventurers, and hiking aficionados. Today is a day just for us!

The history of this country’s Mountain Climbing Day goes back at least as early as 1838. It started all those years ago as a student celebration at Mount Holyoke when a group of students from Mount Holyoke College journeyed off into the foothills to make their way up and reach the peak. They declared the day Mountain Climbing Day which inspired other colleges.

Eventually Smith College, Juniata College, Colby-Sawyer College, and others took part in the tradition and made themselves a part of the club. Students from Williams College had been climbing Mount Greylock—Massachusetts’ highest peak—maybe even earlier than the first recorded mountain-climbing party from Mount Holyoke! With so much interest across the nation, Mountain Climbing Day was finally declared a National Holiday.

Conquering a mountain is no easy feat. Breathing gets harder at higher altitudes and each step is work to lift yourself that much higher. But the feeling of accomplishment paired with a view that can’t be beat urges folks onward and upward to do what many others might say is impossible.

Vice President of Everything Summer Camp recently climbed a mountain in Colorado. Keep your eyes peeled to see his story posted here on the Blog. And you can catch the story from Reannon, a representative from our Customer Service team, about the peak she reached from her adventure in the Blackhills of South Dakota. Check that out by clicking right here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Summertime Explorers!

We love discussing all the awesome activities that may have been available to you for your summer camp stay. If you’re passionate about Caving (also known as ‘spelunking’), maybe you were lucky enough to attend a camp that offers it as one of their activities!

But what’s even a little bit more interesting than discussing the activities themselves is diving into the stories of the people behind these fun pastimes which have become popular at summer camps. I’ve drawn from the local region from our Everything Summer Camp headquarters for subjects to focus in on with this Blog post.   

West of us at Everything Summer Camp, the Crystal Cave isn’t too far from the Stateline with Minnesota. If you live in Wisconsin or Minnesota, there’s a decent chance that you’ve at least heard of the Crystal Cave. I’ve had the pleasure of taking the guided tour of this fantastic and spectacular cave myself! Today, I’ll be disclosing the tale of the brothers who discovered this hollow, underground formation.

For this story, we’re jumping back nearly 140 years to one evening in 1881 when two young brothers from Spring Valley were running around in the woods near the farm where they lived. 13-year-old William Vanasse and his brother a couple years younger, George, were chasing after a small animal that vanished in the blink of an eye. The brothers investigated its sudden disappearance and found the animal slipped away down a large hole.

How deep was the hole? they wondered. The brothers used a stick to investigate and they were amazed to find they couldn’t reach the bottom. When the stick slipped from their grasp, it seemed to disappear into the ground. They never heard it hit a floor.

The sun was already setting and the boys had to head back home, but the next day they were right back out there to explore the intriguing hole they’d discovered. They went out prepared with rope and they descended straight down into a vast opening beneath the earth. They entered a domed area filled with clay and debris. Though they could have no way of knowing just how big, there was no question that they boys had discovered a cave.

A magical place, the Vanasse boys’ discovery has since been christened ‘Crystal Cave’ and is a great, educational attraction! Thanks to William and George, maybe you can check it out for yourself someday or maybe a cave that’s more local to you! Spelunking is an awe-inspiring experience! As always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, School Shoppers!

School’s right around the corner and entering into a new grade is almost as exciting as heading off to summer camp—a different kind of excitement perhaps, but still as exciting! We’re blasting past the camp season straight into back to school right along with you!

We’re prepared to get you prepared as the next school year sneaks up quick. In fact, we’re so prepared, we added a whole new department to our store that’s dedicated entirely to our school products that will help you ace every test!

Set up a sweet, little studying area in the comfort of your bedroom with ENO Hammocks and their indoor suspension products along with a plethora of plush pillows, fleece blankets, clamp flashlights, and more!

Sport the best Bags and Backpacks for your textbooks and other school supplies. Our cool Designer Cinch Sacks make convenient transportation for smaller supplies and our backpacks can handle a full load of textbooks!

Soup up your school locker with these great locker accessories. Decorating will surely make the little world inside look and feel way more fun, more functional, and definitely more you!

Label up your school clothes and other supplies for the coming school year! Even add fun stickers to your notebooks to give yourself a smile every time you start studying!

Whether it's your son or daughter or brother or sister that's playing in the big school tournament, cheer 'em on with school colors and products to keep you cool or stay warm depending on when game time is! Show your support and get your accessories right here!

Pick up any products you’ll need to start your school year feeling organized, clear-headed, and ready! Enjoy shopping this new department and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John