Hey, Camp Folks!

The Everything Summer Camp ‘Share Your Camp Story’ drawing saw an excellent response with about 30 entries! That’s why we’ve published each and every one right here on the Blog! We received a handful that weren’t long enough to qualify for our contest, but we thought we’d at least share them on the Blog. Check out these three accounts from excited campers!

First is this entry from Jacob T. who attended Camp Caraway:

“This was my first overnight camp. I LOVED it! I participated in archery, go cart racing, air rifle, ziplining, paddleboard, and hiking. The facility was really nice! Our cabins were clean and air conditioned. The food was delicious! I like the billiard. The canteen had good snacks. My favorite part was being away from home. There were lots of things to do and lots of friends to play with me! I would like to go back to Camp Caraway next year!”

Next up is a submission about Liam F. and his time at Camp Onas:

“I was a bit nervous going to camp this year for 4 weeks. I asked my mom to print out a photo of my dog Romeo. This is my first year with your “soft” trunk and it made finding my clothes easy. There is a pocket in the top to put my dogs picture – so it didn’t get wet.

It really rained a lot – we enjoyed the mud on the boys side.”

And, lastly, we have a camp submission from Linnea P. who went to Camp Lake Hubert:

“My husband attended Camp Lincoln as a child. We were in the area a few years ago and took a tour. Ever since then, my husband wanted to go to Family Camp at Camp Lake Hubert. I was reluctant to go, but I finally said yes this year.

I am so glad that I did. Everyone in our family had a great time! I found out that two of my kids are really good at archery, and the other one is really good at kayaking. The activities were fun. The food was good, and the staff was top notch! We would love to go again!”

And thus concludes our entries to our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest from the 2017 camp season. A huge thanks to everyone who submitted and shared your camp memories with us! It’s been great to hear from all of you. Look into these camps for yourselves if you’re interested and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Fans of Springtime!

It’s great to come alive again after enjoying a rather hibernative state here in northwestern Wisconsin where landscapes turn a pretty white and the temperatures drastically drop in the wintertime. We Wisconsinites tend to fare well throughout a season of such scarcity, but it’s always nice to see it come to an end as we enjoy the unfolding spring and a step closer to summer camp season. And today we celebrate the arrival of the Spring season!

Today is the Vernal (or Spring) Equinox.

Right now you may be saying to yourself: Equi-what? However, if you’re an avid reader of this Blog, you may already have an idea of what this is since I posted about the Autumnal Equinox roughly six months ago. These things occur twice a year, y’know! Like the more popularly known Summer and Winter Solstices, equinoxes mark the beginnings of the spring and fall seasons.

The word ‘equinox’ is Latin in origin: ‘aequus’, which means ‘equal’ and ‘nox’, which means ‘night’. While the solstices mark the longest and shortest days of the year, the Autumnal and Vernal Equinoxes hang in a fragile balance to mark equal day and night at 12 hours apiece all across the entire planet!

Of course, the folks who live in the Southern Hemisphere are all celebrating the Autumnal Equinox as we ring in the Spring. This is because the earth’s axis as it rotates tilts toward and away from the sun. As we tilt toward it here in Northwestern Wisconsin, folks in Southern Brazil start tilting a similar degree away.

As we continue to shake off the frost from the winter, enjoy your time outside, soak up that sunshine, and play until you’re happy! Stay equipped for the rainy days on the April horizon by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Happy St. Patty’s to you, Lads and Lassies!

Today we parade, we feast, and—most importantly—we don our green apparel to show our Irish pride (or admiration) and the culture in which the Irish surround themselves. It’s interesting that a holiday that’s thought to be so celebratory of the Irish culture owns up to so many elements that aren’t Irish. It might sound like a sin to say, but there’s actually little to do with Ireland when it comes to this celebration.

St. Patty’s Day is GREEN. And while it may be the current color of Ireland, it actually used to be a light shade of blue. It was the shamrock itself—used by St. Patrick—that eventually, by the end of the 18^th century, swayed the people to accept their Irish blood was green, despite the fact that his teachings and spreading of Christianity went on more than a thousand years prior.

Okay, so what about the man St. Patrick—the patron saint of Ireland himself. His name sounds Irish. Well, it’s actually not known where St. Patrick was born; but we do know where he wasn’t born: Ireland. While unknown, he is believed to have been Scottish; but wherever he was from, we know it wasn’t Ireland as he was brought to the island as a consequence of being bound in slavery.

Okay, okay…So the color and the celebrated figure don’t actually originate in Ireland. But the celebration itself is an Irish holiday—right? Nope. St. Patrick’s Day was first celebrated on March 17, 1737 in Boston, Massachusetts as a means for Irish immigrants to commemorate their heritage. What started as a community party run by less than 30 people is now a celebration seen across the globe…but it didn’t originate in Ireland.

Even so, the holiday has everything to do with Ireland! After all, it’s the homeland that the folks who first celebrated it were honoring. And why not?! Ireland and the culture of its people is certainly worth celebrating. Happy St. Patty’s Day to all of you, whether you be from Ireland or not and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!

The Everything Summer Camp ‘Share Your Camp Story’ drawing saw an excellent response with about 30 entries! That’s why we’ve published each and every one right here on the Blog! We received a handful that weren’t long enough to qualify for our contest, but we thought we’d at least share them on the Blog. Check out these three accounts from excited campers!

First is this entry from Ainsley S. who attended Camp Illahee:

“I had so much fun at summer camp! It was my first time to go away. We labeled my clothes and items before I left (with stickers and stamps from Everything Summer Camp). Then I made new friends while I was there. I was able to keep everything pretty organized because of some other items my mom had ordered from your website. I can’t wait to go back next year!”

Next up is a submission about Audrey S. and his time at Camp Mystic:

“When I was at Camp Mystic, I went fishing. I wanted to go fishing far away from the bait table and I needed a minnow. As I walked to my fishing spot, I put it in the water. Then all of these bass came swimming up to it and then one bit it! It was a baby bass. I reeled it and got a picture. After that, I threw it back in the water! Was really excited to catch my first bass.”

And, lastly, we have a camp submission from Eileen S. who went to Camp Merrie Woode:

“I arrive at camp. My cabin smells of wood. I get my bunk all set up and head down to the docks for a swim test. The next day I start my activities. I started with kayaking across Lake Fairfield at 10:15. Then I go to Modern Dance. Then I go to the riding stables. The one I get put on is named Nugget. Then I had a delicious lunch as always. Then I made a bulls-eye on the archery field! Then I ended the day by playing a match of tennis.”

A thank you to our contributors today for sharing your camp memories with us! It’s great to hear from all of you. Look into these camps for yourselves if you’re interested and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Families!

I like to think of our Summer Camp Spotlight posts here on the Everything Summer Camp Blog as being less like Blog posts and more like love letters. Of course, we have a lot of loves—that’s why we work with more than 270 summer camps across the nation. And there’s a lot to love about them. That’s why I sing their praises here on the Blog; and today, I’m singing the praises of Kennolyn Camp!

Located in the Santa Cruz Mountains on 300 acres of Northern California Redwoods that overlook Monterey Bay, Kennolyn Camp got its start in 1946 (the year after the end of World War II). It was during that war, that the seed of Kennolyn Camp was born. Max served on an ammunition ship in the Pacific Ocean. He wrote to his sweetheart, Marion, “If I EVER get out of this alive, let’s start a school or a camp.”

When he got back home, that’s just what they did.

At Kennolyn Camp, you’ll fill your time with awesome activities such as Archery, Badminton, Basketball, Batting Cages, BMX Biking, Carpentry, Ceramics, Chess, Climbing, Crafts, Dance, Diving, Drama, Horseback Riding, Fencing, Forest Exploration, Gardening, Glee, Golf, Guitar, Animal Care, Cooking, Ropes Course, Ping Pong, Riflery, Ropes, Rugby, Self Defense, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Volleyball, and even more than that!

Camp friendships are powerful, and living in a cabin group is one way to make lasting friendships while taking steps toward independence at the same time. With all the comforts of home, each cabin is unique with its character and its charm, and they all have electricity, windows, built-in shelves, bunk beds for up to eight campers, as well as an inviting front porch. Separate girls and boys areas lie on opposite sides of the camp.

Look into Kennolyn Camp for your own camping experience! You can peruse their website by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Folks!

- John