Happy, Honey Bee Day!

Today we celebrate a day started by beekeepers FOR beekeepers and to develop awareness of the community about the facts and the benefits of honey. Observed on every third Saturday in August, this day is designated to honor honey bees and those noble beekeepers.

Honey Bee Day was started almost a decade ago by a little group of beekeepers. They made their dream come true by petitioning for a formal proclamation by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that honored honey bees and beekeeping alike.

The bee industry community has made great advancements thanks to Honey Bee Day which has opened up the opportunity for beekeepers across the nation to share methods, education, and further efforts to share the best in beekeeping techniques among one other.

Did you know that honey bees contribute a lot more to the world than just honey? A LOT more. I’m sure you know that bees pollinate our crops, but did you realize that an entire third of the food we eat hinges on this furry, little insect actually?

That’s right! We rely on honey bees for an incredible list of produce such as apples, avocados, blueberries, broccoli, cranberries, cherries, cucumbers, grapefruit, melons, onions…the list goes on and on. Certain foods, such as almonds, rely entirely on honey bee pollination.

There are some beekeepers that produce and sell honey while other beekeepers’ business is all about ensuring there are bees to pollinate our farmers’ crops. Without them, so many crops (like the ones listed above) would disappear completely from our grocery stores.

Send your appreciation out to honey bees and beekeepers far and wide! Support your bee love with Burt’s Bees products from Everything Summer Camp—check it out by clicking here. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Jokers!

All joking aside, today is National Tell a Joke Day. It’s a day for laughter, levity, and wit. Unfortunately, I already took my serious pills this morning, so this post isn’t likely to make you laugh much. Instead, we’ll be taking a good, hard, and serious look at the origins of The Joke.

How did the first joke go? Who told it? And was it a good one? Well, I don’t have the answers to those questions, but I’ll share with you as much as I’ve learned…

The Knock-Knock
The Knock-Knock Joke is thought to have its origins around the year 1900 in which a journalist of the ‘Oakland Tribune’ wrote of a jokester in the streets who was approaching random strangers and asking if they knew Arthur. And when they expectantly replied, “Arthur who?” he would call out “Arthur-mometer!” and then run away laughing.

The humorous spirit of this street jokester caught on and over the years his antics developed the Knock-Knock format that we all know today. By 1935, everybody had heard of Knock-Knock Jokes. Strangers engaged one another in the street with a “Knock-Knock.” Knock-Knock Contests were held by businesses. You couldn’t even turn on the radio without hearing a Knock-Knock gag.

Poultry X-ing
More than 50 years earlier than Knock-Knock Jokes, a question was posed concerning the reason for a flightless fowl to cross a thoroughfare. This was first asked in an 1847 issue of a New York magazine called ‘The Knickerbocker’. It read:

Question: ‘Why does a chicken cross the street?’ Answer: ‘Because it wants to get on the other side!’

This was the first popular example of a non-joke in which the punchline isn’t clever or funny in any way—the humor lies in subverting the expected, knee-slapping reason that the listener is waiting for. The joke is that there is no joke. Love it or hate it, it’s led to a million alternative and ridiculous answers as to why exactly a chicken might cross a road.

Timeless Toilet Humor
But jokes go back even further than that. In fact, jokes are so old that there likely aren’t any new ones really—just twists on age-old observations. Did you know that toilet humor has been traced back to our ancient ancestors because—let’s face it—farting is funny no matter what generation you’re from.

An unearthed Sumerian tablet that dates back nearly 4500 years yields the oldest recorded joke ever. When translated, it reads:

“Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband’s embrace.”

The joke being that women are so discrete about passing gas that they won’t do it in front of their husbands. A modern retelling of this joke might look more like this: Question: ‘What’s something that’s never happened in all of history?’ Answer: ‘A wife farting while she hugs her husband.’

…Funny stuff…

Okay, well, nobody said the ancients were hilarious. Our humor has evolved as time goes on and things that we found funny years ago may not be so entertaining in this day and age. But the essence of what makes us laugh will always remain. Have some good laughs today and share some of your favorite jokes with your friends and family. Happy Joke Day, All! And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Zooey Devotees!

Most people who are aware of Zooey Deschanel are quick to become fans of her. You know where we stand at Everything Summer Camp; we posted about Zooey just as soon as we got this Blog up and running. It was her that led us to realize just how many actors have attended summer camp and launched this entire Celebrities at Summer Camp series for the Blog.

Since I posted about her some five years back, I thought we’d go back in order to get to know Zooey at least a little bit better. In her previous post, I discussed how she attended French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts and some other information like her most notable projects in her acting career.

I also covered interesting little tidbits, like how she’s won nominations for awards like the Golden Globe, a Grammy Award, and an Emmy. Today, however, I want to go real deep so we can attempt to really get to understand what makes this woman tick:

Singin’ in the Fame
Most people are aware of Zooey’s side singing career—another item I mentioned in her previous post was that she’s in a duo with musician Matt Ward and together they are ‘She & Him’. But did you know that not only did she sing all her songs in the movie ‘Elf’, but also on most of her movie soundtracks? That’s her voice in movie melodies such as ‘Once Upon a Mattress’, ‘Yes Man’, ‘500 Days of Summer’, ‘Winnie the Pooh’, and more!

ADHD
Zooey suffers from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). She takes medication to reduce her symptoms which include the difficulty to keep focus, disorganization, impulsive behavior, and fidgeting. Throughout her life, the actor has coped with her problems and yet she has made her way to the top.

Seamstress
When Zooey was in high school, she was a huge theater nerd—big-time—and she always needed new clothing for costume attire in private productions with friends. An issue was that she wasn’t allowed to go to the mall until she was 17 so she didn’t have great shopping opportunity. And even when she did, she didn’t ever have much money at that age anyway. As a result, she learned to sew and crafted her own clothing.

All in the Family
Her name may not be quite as recognizable as Zooey’s, but Emily Deschanel, Zooey’s sister, started her acting career five years before Zooey. Emily has four years on her younger sister and is best known for her role as Temperance Brennan in the Fox television series, ‘Bones’.

Zooey has accomplished much in her life and learned so much in the process, but there’s one thing she’s never been able to call herself is a morning person. There are more inspirational quotes of hers out there, but I like this one from her a lot: “In an ideal world no one would talk before 10am. People would just hug, because waking up is really hard.” And, with that, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Camp Aficionados!

If your kid has expressed interest in attending summer camp in the coming camp season, visit the Summer Camp Spotlight posts on the Blog to peruse potential camps where you can send your curious kid. I’m shining my spotlight on a great camp for boys near the southwestern corner of Massachusetts. Check out Camp Lenox.

The current director, Rich Moss first started at this camp as a 10-year-old camper himself whose father—Monty ‘Coach’ Moss—just bought the campgrounds. Enjoy the same 170 acres of beautiful New England forest neighboring the awesome water of Shaw Pond that Rich enjoyed when he was a camper back in the 1960’s!

Have fun playing lots of different sports at Camp Lenox such as Baseball/Softball, Basketball, Cheerleading, Dance, Football, Gymnastics, Hockey (on wheels and on ice), Lacrosse, Soccer, Team Handball, Tennis, Volleyball, Wrestling, Yoga, and more. And master your sense of adventure with camp activities like Archery, Camping, Climbing Wall, High Ropes, Hiking, Ziplines, and more!

Of course, there’s tons of fun in the water too. Enjoy Canoeing and Kayaking, Swimming, Fishing, Sailing, Scuba Diving, Wakeboarding, Waterskiing, and more on the serene Shaw Pond. And Camp Lenox loves getting campers to tap into their creative sides with activities like Ceramics, Crafts, Jewelry-Making, T-shirt Design, Photography, Video Broadcasting, Audio Mixing, Theater, Science, Music, and more!

And not just full of fun times and beautiful nature, Lenox also offers great facilities for camper care and convenience—a Dining Hall where all the fantastic Lenox food is prepared, The Lodge where performance fun is enjoyed, the Waterfront where things are both serene and wild, of course the bunkhouses for Boys and Girls, and more.

Look into Lenox further if it sounds like it might be a good fit for your family! You can check them out directly on their website by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Pedalin’ People!

Mountain Biking is a popular activity found at summer camps all across the nation. Maybe you’re just returning from a great camp experience where you got a lot of Mountain Biking time in. Keep the fun going post-camp and hit your local biking trails! Nothing hits the spot like a rugged ride through a woodsy park trail or the sights along a rocky terrain! Strap your helmet on and get out there!

While mountain bikes are certainly designed to endure the tough trails they’re made to travel, they aren’t actually necessary for the sport of Mountain Biking. All it takes for this sport is off-road riding on a bicycle of any sort actually.

So, knowing that, the history of Mountain Biking goes back to the invention of the bicycle which—believe it or not—goes all the way back to 1817. Of course, it probably took people a while to muster up the courage to traverse any rough terrain on these early bicycle designs.

Mountain Biking is an exhilarating ride that gets your blood pumping and makes you feel good! Why is that exactly? Well, here’s a quick look at some of the boosting benefits that comes from Mountain Biking:

Heart
Regular exercise is known to improve cardiovascular fitness. Mountain Biking requires lots of oxygen which makes your heart work steadily and builds heart fitness.

Joints 
Mountain Biking puts less stress on your joints as opposed to other activities such as running. Cycling offers seated aerobic exercise taking the pressure off your joints!

Immune System
Consistent, moderate exercise strengthens the immune system and keeps you healthy. Mountain Biking typically doesn’t push you too hard and is habit-forming!

Sleep
Mountain Biking decreases a hormone in us that keeps us awake called cortisol. Lowering this hormone brings you regenerative sleep!

Mood
Mountain Biking entices your body to release natural endorphins and boosts serotonin—the body’s way of feeling good, getting more energy, and feeling happy.

In conclusion, how better to experience the gorgeous majesty of Mother Nature than taking a seat as you cruise along her beautiful sights while also getting some exercise in?! Mountain Biking is the perfect activity during and outside of your summer camp experience. Enjoy hitting the trails and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John