Hey, Camp Fans!

It’s that time of year again! Yes, it’s sad to say goodbye to another camp season, but at least now you get to look back on all the fun! That’s what the Everything Summer Camp ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest is all about! Yesterday we announced Julia M. as our first of the four $25 winners. And, now, I’m about to announce our second winner.

For today’s winner we have….

Janet F.! Congratulations, Janet! You’re second $25 prize winner! Janet wrote in to tell us about her own camp experiences which she is delighted to share with her daughter now at Camp Kandalore. This is her submission:

I grew up looking forward to camp every summer. I felt it was a chance to spread my wings, take a break from my school crowd and reinvent myself. Once I transitioned from camper to camp leadership, camp proved to be a fantastic way to spend my college summers developing my leadership skills in the most majestic outdoor settings, meeting amazing friends and earning money to pay for tuition. When we had our daughter (Nya), my husband and I knew that camp was definitely going to be on the summer agenda. Thankfully, Nya has thrived in the camp environment (completing her 5th summer away). There are a lot of options for the summer, but for Nya, residential camp is always top of the list.

I grew up in Canada and now live in the States, but we send Nya back to Northern Ontario, Canada each summer to Camp Kandalore. The camp offers a wide range of land and water activities as well as an extensive tripping program. Activities are scaled to give campers of all ages a chance to push their boundaries and develop their skills at a higher level each year they attend camp. Every day campers get six periods; two are predetermined (swim and canoe) and the rest are choice. The goal is that all campers will come out of camp with some proficiency in swim and paddle and get to try a wide range of other activities.
 
Kandalore also offers nature and craft based activities and hosts an array of camp wide programs. One of the most anticipated camp-wide activities is the bi-monthly Waterfront Regatta. Campers join their camp-wide teams – Furtraders, Lumbermen, Pioneers or Voyageurs for this competition. Campers are assigned to these teams their first year at camp and remain on them for the lifetime they attend camp. Throughout the summer, the teams come together to accumulate points and compete for the overall team title. Bragging right not withstanding!!!
 
The other aspect I love about this camp is that it attracts campers from a wide range of geographic locations, both nationally (within Canada) and Internationally (the US and beyond). Nya’s cabin mates over the past few years have come from various provinces within Canada, the US, England, France, Dubai, Mexico and China. Many of these campers return each year, so Nya has developed some very treasured friendships and has a greater perspective on the world at large.
 
The camp setting itself is wonderful. The camp does an excellent job at maintaining the facilities and they are constantly making upgrades and improvements to the cabin structures and program equipment. We feel very confident dropping Nya off at Kandalore and allowing her to explore the various camp offerings at will. The camp also promotes a healthy respect for the natural setting in and around camp and the environment in general.
 
This stewardship is an important example for our youth and is necessary to protect and preserve the beauty and sanctity of this amazing area. Overall, Kandalore is extremely responsible and responsive; as parents, we have been extremely pleased with her experience and will continue to send her back to camp each summer.
 
Camp Kandalore rocks!

Thanks again for your submission, Janet. We’re so glad to hear that summer camp has provided such a healthy growing environment for, not just you, but Nya now as well! Camp Kandalore sounds like a wonderful camp. If any of our readers are interested in Camp Kandalore, you can check it out for yourself sometime.

Keep coming back each weekday in September as we continue to announce our prize winners. If entry is announced a winner, you’ll receive an email with the gift certificate code once all other winners have been disclosed. As always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

As the summer season makes its subtle shift into fall, it’s nice to look back and reflect on the fun that you had. That’s why, when the camp season is over, we’re always excited here at Everything Summer Camp to keep with our traditional ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest.

We decided to up the ante this year and—boy, did you guys respond well! We more than doubled the submissions that we’ve received in the past! We have ten winners this year for prizes of $25, $50, $100, and the grand prize of $250! And today I’m announcing the first of our four $25 winners.

Today’s winner is (drumroll, please)….

Julia M.! Congratulations, Julia! You’re our first $25 prize winner! Julia spent some fun summer days at Camp Merrie-Woode this year as she keeps coming back for more every year. Read all about it in her excellent entry:

Bracelets
Camp Merrie Woode has three sessions a 2-week, 3-week, and a 5-week. My first year I went to 2-week but, soon realized it was way too short. So, my next year I tried out 5-week and have gone to a 5-week for 4 years since. After you have gone to Merrie Woode 4 years or 17 weeks you get a silver bracelet that has your initials and an MW on the other side. The bracelet shows how long you have been at camp. When you are getting your bracelet the whole camp sits around a camp fire and sing songs, tell stories, and at the very end the camp directors present the campers who are getting their bracelets with their shiny new bracelets. When I got mine it was so exciting and it makes you feel sooo happy.

Uniforms
At camp everyone wears a gray shirt that has a pocket and a collar. It is called a middy. We also wear green Sophie shorts and a tie that we tie in a square knot. We always have to wear that except on Sundays where you wear all white and your tie all day except during Sunday activity where you can where whatever you want to. On Sundays we have cinnamon rolls for breakfast, then we clean our cabins, then we have chapel outside, then we sign up for Sunday activities. You can swim, or hike, or tie dye. Or anything else pretty much. Then you have free time, then lunch, then rest hour, then you go do your activities. I really liked slip’n slide. It is so fun.  It is also long.

In conclusion my camp is really fun you can learn new things, meet new people, and experience sleeping at a camp with people besides your family.

Thanks again for your submission, Julia. We’re so glad to hear how much you love your time at summer camp year after year. Sounds like you love it more every year.

Tune in the rest of this month as we continue to announce our prize winners. Once our winners have been announced they’ll receive an email with the gift certificate code. As always, thanks for reading, Camp Folks!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Here at Everything Summer Camp, we work with more than 270 camps and we’re eager to share what excellent camps each and every one of them is. Today we’re shining our summer camp spotlight over some good, classic Pennsylvanian land. Perhaps you’re familiar with Camp Lindenmere? Let me give you the virtual tour…

aSitting on almost 175 acres among the gorgeous Pocono Mountains, Camp Lindenmere is beautiful private, boys and girls overnight camp. Founded in 1935, Camp Lindenmere shows an amazing time to the 350 campers that visit for three to six weeks every summer.

Fun abounds with majors and minors in activities of the campers’ choice. And there is so much from which to choose! They have awesome activities on their beautiful waterfront such as Swimming, Water Aerobics, Water Volleyball, Water Basketball, Canoeing, Kayaking, and more.

There’s lots of fun on the land with activities like Archery, Baseball, Basketball, Gymnastics, Fitness, Tennis, Basketball, Fencing, Field Hockey, Flag Football, Golf, Kickball, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Volleyball, and so much more.

They also offer fun Outdoor Adventure activities such as Horseback Riding, and Ropes Courses as well as quieter (but equally fun) activities like the Creative and Performing Arts as well as Circus Training, and work with contemporary media like video and podcasting.

Lindenmere facilities are not just functional, but they look good too, like everybody’s favorite building, the Dining Hall (with a pasta bar and nacho bar offered for each dinner, how could it not be?). And the 140 cabin leaders that are brought on for camp sessions are friendly, welcoming, responsible individuals, eager to create summer fun!

The cabins are large and airy, complete with indoor bathrooms and showers and more than enough space to accommodate for campers’ belongings. Perhaps the fun and welcoming atmosphere at Lindenmere is perfect for your next camp experience. Check out their website by clicking right here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp People!

When it comes to summer camp, we like to think that we do the best in assisting your preparations. After all, we strive to not only offer the best in quality gear for summer camp, but also offer the knowledge and advice that will be helpful as your camper continues down the summer camp path. And while we’d love to take all the credit, we certainly couldn’t think of ourselves in such high stature without the involvement of many others.

Because our work relies on a collaborative effort, we like to sing the praises of the summer camps and vendors with whom we have great working relationships. We’re proud to offer the camp gear that’s available on our website and we certainly owe our gratitude to TexSport when it comes to some of our most essential camping gear.

Products like the Self Inflating Ground Pad, Deluxe Fan/Light, Mosquito Bunk Netting, as well as the Pack-Lite Ground Pad all play a huge part in our camping gear selection! Get a good look at the best gear for campers who want to go exploring by clicking right here.

Offering excellent gear for your summer camp adventures since the 60s, TexSport knows the business of camping and outdoor recreational equipment. With these excellent products from TexSport, you can go camping in style and be prepared when you plan on roughin’ it! Bring luxury, comfort, and convenience with you when you travel into the wilderness.

With practical gear of theirs available right here, we’re happy to stand behind TexSport and their quality products. We hope you appreciate TexSport camping gear as much as we do here at Everything Summer Camp! Bring only the best camping gear with you into the wilderness with you and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans—Hard brake! *URRRRrrrrrrrr!*

If you’re reading this and you plan on participating in our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest but have yet to actually enter your story, then stop what you’re doing and visit our submissions page right now—click here! Take your entry, put it into the submission field, fill out the other fields, and hit submit. Or you can opt to upload your camp story too—whichever method you prefer.

Today is the last day for taking submissions, however, so make with the haste before the cutoff cuts you out of this year’s contest!

We want to hear from as many of our readers as possible! This has quickly become one of our favorite times of the year; not only does it mark the close of our busy season, but we also get to hear about all the accomplishments and friendships you made as well as what fears you may have overcome or simply what your favorite part was about going to summer camp!

We hope you’re as excited as we are to find out who among our participants will be winning the gift card prizes. To reiterate the breakdown from previous posts, there will be the first round of winners made up of four participants who won the $25 gift card to our site. Next, there will be three $50 gift card winners. Then two winners for $100 gift cards. And the grand prize winner of a $250 gift card to Everything Summer Camp.

Make sure you don’t miss out on the fun! Tune in a couple weeks from now on Wednesday, September 12^th when we reveal our first random winner and publish their entry right here on the Blog to kick off this year’s ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest collection. Maybe it’ll yours! Looking forward to it, Camp Fans! And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John