Hey, Camp Fans!

It can obviously go without saying that camping gear is very important to us at Everything Summer Camp. We carry a wide array of pretty much everything under the sun that kids are going to need for those long days of the summer camp lifestyle! Take a look at the latest quality camp gear we’ve brought on from the renowned brand name Under Armour. Here’s what we have:

New Apparel
New lightweight Rain Jackets, the Sack Pack for Boys and Sack It for Girls are constructed of Under Armour’s Storm technology—made to repel water at no cost to its breathability. We also have the Tech Big Logo Long Sleeve Tee which is quick-to-dry, super soft, and incredibly natural-feeling. Don’t forget our Boys Shorts, the Stunt Printed Short as well as the Tech Prototype 2.0 from Under Armour make for awesome shorts for all those active camp activities.

New Backpack
The Hustle 3.0 is constructed with Under Armour’s Storm technology to provide hard-wearing, water-resistant, and incredibly durable backpack with a plethora of handy pockets and other features.

New Duffle
Give your camper the extra baggage that’s sure to be needed and bring your remaining belongings along to camp in this new Undeniable Duffel 3.0 Mid-Sized Bag. It’s treated with Storm technology finish from Under Armour to give this bag resistance to water and whatever else the elements throw at it.

New Backpack/Duffel
Whether you’re in need of a backpack, a duffel, or a backpack/duffel, the Contain 3.0 creation from Under Armour is sure to do the trick. You can carry it by the top grab handle like you would with a standard duffel bag or throw it on your back with its adjustable, padded, HeatGear shoulder straps. It’s water-resistant with tons of storage room and pockets galore!

Feast your eyes on our entire Under Armour collection by clicking here for your camper’s fashion, comfort, and gear. Enjoy all that Under Armour has to offer you and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

In 2013, this Blog was first launched and ever since the start, I’ve posted about famous folks who have a history at summer camp or those who have at least had significant ties within the camp community. And covering over 100 celebrities who’ve had a past at camp since the beginning of this Blog five years ago, it’s now time to review some of these big names who were previously featured already with a bit of a deeper look this time around.

In William Shatner’s original post, which you can see by clicking here, we talked about how he attended Camp Massad in his home country, Canada, featuring 20 acres of private forest, just north of Winnipeg, in Winnipeg Beach, Manitoba.

Contributing his legendary role to the science fiction genre, check out further interesting facts about Mr. Shatner that we didn’t quite get around to in the initial post about the captain of the starship, Enterprise:

Multi-lingual
Yes, William has learned to speak more than just the English language, but French too as well as the rare Esperanto language that comes from no country but is rather a language invented for two differently speaking people who can communicate while still holding onto their native tongue—something of a global language. It’s no Klingon, but still pretty cool.

Calcium Deposits of Gold
When you’re known as the great Captain Kirk, everything you touch automatically goes up in value. In 2006, Shatner sold something that he not only touched, but something that he created himself. This item went for $75,000. The item: a kidney stone he passed. Shatner donated the money a Louisiana charity housing complex.

Not Horsin’ Around
William Shatner loves horses! He owns 360 acres in Kentucky dedicated to saddlebred horses that he breeds. A believer in the therapeutic effects of horseback riding—something you can read more about in this recent Blog post about equestrian benefits–he provides support for those seeking therapy on the back of a horse.

The Captain is Vegetarian
A longterm vegetarian, William Shatner is dedicated to the frontier of the food he eats, cutting out the consumption of animals. An admirable position to hold on the proper diet, perhaps we can all look to the Captain for a dietary role model.

Forever seen as Captain Kirk, we thank William Shatner for the job he did to portray this icon of science fiction storytelling. About his time in the series, he’s said, “’Star Trek’ never really caught on with audiences, ran for three seasons, and was canceled. I wish I had taken notes at the time, because you people sure do have a lot of questions about it.”

We appreciate Mr. Shatner’s acceptance of this eventually embraced role that he played six decades ago. Click here to check out Camp Massad to see if it the Captain’s old camp might be a good fit for you and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp People!

I’ve written lots of Summer Camp Spotlight posts over the last five years here on the Everything Summer Camp Blog—more than 75 to be specific. We love to sing the praises of the awesome summer camps with whom we’ve been fortunate enough to have formed excellent relationships. We love all the 270 camps across the country with whom we work!

Allow me to whisk you away to 400 beautiful acres in the forested land of the Incomparable Camp Ozark in Mount Ida, Arkansas. Offering the serene waterfront of Lake Ouachita, Camp Ozark provides a truly beautiful experience for each of the 6500 campers it sees each summer!

Camp Ozark has no trouble keeping its campers busy! They offer waterfront activities like Waterskiing, Wakeboarding, Water Polo, Swimming, Canoeing, Kayaking, Fishing, and more. Play land sports such as Baseball, Basketball, Football, Volleyball, Soccer, Tennis, Golf, Disc Golf, or Capture-the-Flag. And they also offer Outdoor Adventures, Mountain Biking, Hiking, a Ropes Course, Horseback Riding, and more!

There are Performing arts at Ozark too such as Acting, Guitar, Cheerleading, Dance, Gymnastics, and more. Additionally, they offer Creative Arts like String Art, Woodburning, T-Shirt Printing, Woodworking, Wax Painting, Rocketry, Pottery, Robotics, Jewelry-Making, Candle-making, and a plethora of other creative projects.

With accommodating Summit and Pine Cabins, Camp Ozark provides campers with comfort during their summer stays. Aside from the cabins, Ozark has fine recreational facilities including three large covered pavilions for basketball, volleyball, and tennis. They have a smaller covered pavilion for gymnastics, the dance studio, a woodshop, a wrestling/weight room pavilion, and a large Arts & Crafts building which includes a pottery room.

Get a closer look at Camp Ozark for your camper if it sounds like it could be a great fit for your family. You can get a better look at summer life at Ozark by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Spring-Lovers!

In the aftermath of Easter, today we have National Jelly Bean Day to show our appreciation to these little candies that have become springtime favorites. To celebrate this holiday, I brought our work team together to compete for $20 by eating Jelly Bean treats. However, these were not your ordinary beans; I brought Bean-Boozled Beans! The recipients roll a color die, and pick a Jelly Bean according to their roll.

Bean-Boozled Beans are a mixture of sugary treats and revolting flavors. And all the beans are paired to look identical to a certain other flavors so players don’t know if they’re about to eat a Buttered Popcorn Bean or a Rotten Egg…

It’s a pretty awful game.

But with $20 on the line we gathered a crowd of brave souls who weren’t afraid to stomach the potential flavor of Boogers, Spoiled Milk, Dead Fish, or worse! Some folks hoped they might luck out and see their way through the competition with the good flavors—pulling beans like Berry Blue, Chocolate Pudding, or Tuitti-Fruitti.

The rules were simple: If you make a face at the flavor, you’re out. If you make it to the end, you win.

Our Vice President, Mark, was the first to bow out as the taste of Canned Dog Food did not sit well with his palette. But Brian, Matt, Nate, Deb, Sara, Mike, and Bob all carried on until Bob quit in the third round when he hit a Barf flavor bean. “I’m out!” He exclaimed.

The numbers dwindled one by one after that. Brian couldn’t choke down the Dead Fish flavor. A Moldy Cheese bean got the best of Deb while the Spoiled Milk flavor made Sara cringe.

And then there were three.

Nate, Matt, and Mike passed round after round with a little bit of luck and lot more perseverance until Matt hit a bean that tasted like a Stinky Sock that took him right out of commission. His eyes watered and he went beet-red. Only Nate and Mike remained. The two matched each other swallowing some terrible tastes but holding back their frowns and gag reflexes.

After a handful of rounds, we upped the ante, making it so each of them had to eat a combo of flavors. “The Toothpaste is sort of overpowering whatever the other one is,” said Mike. Meanwhile, Nate just shook his head. “I don’t know what this is,” he said. “It’s not good.” But despite their struggles, the two powered through and moved up to three beans in the next round.

Eventually, the remainder of the beans were divided in half which left about ten for Nate and ten for Mike. The two bid one another good luck and with an anxious called out “Cheers!” And then—down the hatch! You could see the pain behind their straight faces as they chewed and chewed their mystery hodgepodge of nasty corn syrup creations. But neither of them would cave.

With these two left standing, it seemed only right that they split the prize money after such equal displays of bravery and valor. More than just $10 each, these two won National Jelly Bean Day! Congratulations two Nate and Mike for this disgusting accomplishment. Please, see the video below to catch a moment or two from this cringey contest and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Fishing Aficionados!

Waterfront activities are pretty much essential to every summer camp experience! And no matter what your favorite thing to do is when it comes to the water, everyone knows that the water welcomes us into almost another world. From Swimming to Kayaking to Canoeing and Wakeboarding, summer camps offer lots of activities involving the water. But one of the most relaxing ones is Fishing.

People have been Fishing since…forever ago. You can check out this Blog post from a few years back in which we look into the history of Fishing by clicking here. Fishing is an age-old sport—like prehistoric kind of old. It goes WAY back. Even long before ancient Egyptians caught Perch and Tilapia in the Nile, Stone Age cavemen would fish for their food. We see evidence of our ancestors Fishing as early back as the ‘Paleolithic Era’ which was around 40,000 years ago.

More than just a sport—more than just a pastime, some people love spending their days Gone Fishin’ just as often as they can. Check out what people get out of the Fishing experience and why they love it so much:

Peace and Serenity
It’s easy to understand what people love about Fishing. Sitting out on the serene surface of the water out in the wilderness provides an immediate sense of peacefulness. We could probably all benefit by breaking from out busy lives and finding some stillness as Fishing offers.

Teaches us Patience
Whether the fish are biting or not, you can enjoy a day out on the water. Fishing doesn’t require excitement. It’s enjoyable to just look out on the water, soak in the sun and relax. Fishing brings enjoyment even when nothing is happening and we welcome stillness into our lives. It teaches us to be patient with our time.

Adrenaline Rush
The thrill of the catch brings an edge to this patient, peaceful activity. It’s not all about resting and waiting. And you better be ready when the moment comes that you get a bite! The battle can go either way. Feel out the motion of the fish on your line and reel it in with steady force!

Atmosphere
Like many things, your time Fishing depends on your company. But whether you go with friends or you go alone, Fishing offers you time away from everything else. It creates the atmosphere for bonding time among friends and can be a meditative time to know yourself better for times you go alone.

Remain peaceful and patient with Fishing as your guide. A common activity at summer camps, find one where you can Fish to your heart’s content with other kids who love Fishing just like you and be sure to enjoy your time on the water. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John