Hey, Halloween Lovers!

There’s an autumnal chill in the air with little spirits running around laughing as they haunt the streets for tricks or treats. And everyone’s porches are decorated with bright orange pumpkins and ghoulish gourds, carved with faces. Filling today with absurd activities, dreadful decorations, and creepy costumes, no other holiday embraces the morbid and macabre like celebration of Halloween…or does there?

Over the years, I’ve written a number of posts to discuss the many means of celebration for one of the world’s most popular holidays: Halloween. Always coinciding in the harvest season, another holiday is celebrated in Mexico called Día de los Muertos or, the Day of the Dead—landing very close to Halloween on the calendar. The Day of the Dead begins at midnight tonight.

Often considered something of a Mexican Halloween by those who don’t observe it, the Day of the Dead may appear as a similar celebration on the surface, but Día de los Muertos is much more meaningful to the people of Mexico than Halloween is to the folks who observe it. You may love Halloween—I do too!—but Día de los Muertos is about loved ones gathering to remember friends and family who have passed on. Traditions of this holiday are to construct private altars and decorations to honor the dead.

Día de los Muertos wasn’t always so widespread in Mexico as it is nowadays. As of a few years ago, it’s gained popularity and celebrations have expanded to include live music, dancing, and parades from residential neighborhoods to cemeteries where family members can visit the gravesites of their loved ones.

With its increasing popularity, we wanted to join in the celebration of life that once was with our Seasonal Day of the Dead Storage Trunk. Featuring the festive artwork of Mexican culture, this trunk is a surprisingly colorful explosion amidst the dark abyss of death that easily inserts itself into part of your family’s altar. Keep your altar decorations inside this beautifully constructed storage trunk and make the most of your Día de los Muertos celebration! And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Storytellers!

People have told stories since our languages and other means of communication were developed. Everyone wants to hear a well-told story! Stories are built into our genetic makeup. I suppose that’s why we’ve incorporated a full day into our calendar which is dedicated to the art of story telling. Today is National Tell a Story Day.

This time of year, stories tend to tilt toward the side of terror—people become obsessed with the spooky and supernatural; after all, All Hallow’s Eve is just on the other side of the weekend. These scary types of tales are traditional material for kids around the campfire as they hold a flashlight below their chin.

And speaking of telling camp stories, we’re happy to show our appreciation once more this year to everyone who participated in the Everything Summer Camp ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest! They may not be very scary, but they do a great job at illustrating the camp experience. It’s great to see our customers having such positive reactions to their summer camp stays.

I’ve been posting the camp stories that were submitted to us ever since September 5th and I’ll continue posting our customer’s submissions until they’ve all been shared stretching far into the month of March. Check back on the Everything Summer Camp Blog frequently to catch the next camper submission. I typically post a ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest submission on a weekly basis, except for certain breaks throughout the holiday season.

Stories are an instinctive part of the human species. They are the way our minds make sense of the lives we live. Enjoy the rest of Tell a Story Day and share a good story with some of the folks in your life. They’re bound to appreciate you for it. Happy Tell a Story Day, Everyone!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Having received more than 30 entries for our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest here at Everything Summer Camp, we’re eager to publish each one of them right here on the Blog to share with all our readers! We had seven lucky winners and then everyone else who submitted received a $15 gift certificate to our website! Today’s post is from Lauren B., who wrote in to tell us about her first year at overnight camp…

 “This was my first time going to camp and I was nervous/excited. I went with my best friend and it was her first time too. We are both 10 so we knew we were OK being together. My mom asked me what was the most surprising thing I did or felt while being away from my home for two weeks and I told her I was surprised at how much I DIDN’T miss my parents! Surprisingly, she was happy to hear that! I loved meeting new friends and having new experiences. I enjoyed the skills training although I never got the hang of archery. My friend and I can’t wait to go back next summer and we want to stay a whole month but our parents said no only two weeks! We had such an amazing time three of our friends want to come with us next summer! Thank you for letting me tell you about my awesome time at Camp Crestridge!

Love your friend,
Lauren B.- Chickasaw Cabin 8”

Glad to hear how much you loved your stay at Camp Crestridge, Lauren! It’s great that you didn’t really get homesick either (although don’t be surprised if you should encounter it in years to come). Sounds like you sparked an interest in camp among your other friends as well! Camp certainly is contagious! Check out Camp Crestridge to see if it might be a good match for you. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Football Fans!

To kick off the arrival of the football season, I began September on the Blog by going around the office to see what teams we here at Everything Summer Camp predict to see playing in Suberbowl LI. With our prized teams in mind, everyone here has their fingers crossed that our predictions come true. With the seventh week of the regular season just having passed, next week marks the season’s halfway point, so I thought we’d review our employee’s predictions and see how our teams are looking so far.

As you’ll have it with a bunch of Wisconsinites, lots of us are rooting for the Packers to take the Superbowl and predicting that we’ll play against the New England Patriots. People who made this prediction include our company president, Ed; our Operations Manager, Brian; our Graphics Department Manager, Nate; our Assistant Shipping Manager, Mike; and our Printing Technician, EJ. So far the Packers are sitting at 4 wins and 3 losses while the Patriots have 5 wins and 2 losses.

In other offices, our Vice President, Mark says it’s going to be a close Packer win against the Tennessee Titans who also have 4 wins and 3 losses. And our Graphic Artist, Amy, thinks the Texans who are currently 3 and 3 will be taking the backseat in a Superbowl against the Pack. Our Sales Director Matt thinks the Packers are going to match up with the Pittsburgh Steelers and that the Steelers are going to win! The Steelers are currently 5 wins and 2 losses.

Tim’s prediction being the only one that didn’t include the Packers, he says we’ll see the Dallas Cowboys who are 3 and 3 match up with the Oakland Raiders at 3 wins and 4 losses. He believes the Cowboys are going to take the Superbowl.

The season still has a whole half to go, but this is where our Employee NFL Picks stand for now. The odds look likelier for some teams more than others, but you can’t quite tell at this point in the season just who will be moving into the playoffs and who doesn’t stand a chance. Join us at Everything Summer Camp and enjoy the rest of the NFL season. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Summer Campers!

It’s exciting to find so many famous folks who were once summer campers like yourselves! Over the years, I’ve posted about more than 100 celebrities. I’m keeping them coming today with another celebrity who, like so many other famous folks, attended Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Summer Camp—Jesse Swanson himself, Skylar Astin. 

Along with the likes of Mandy Moore, Natalie Portman, Robert Downy Jr., Zach Braff, and Bryce Dallas Howard, Skylar spent his summer days in the Catskills Borscht Belt in Loch Sheldrake, New York at Stagedoor Manor getting the experience of being on the stage, in the spotlight within a most inviting and supportive environment.

Having grown up in Rockland County in New York, Skylar graduated from Clarkstown High School North and, following that, he went on to study at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. He wound up taking a leave of absence from school, however, in order to perform in ‘Spring Awakening’ on Broadway.

But it wasn’t until 2012, when Astin turned 25 and found his breakthrough role, starring as Jesse Swanson in the musical comedy film ‘Pictch Perfect’. He returned to the role again just three years later for the sequel. Musically inclined, Astin also appeared on the musical television show ‘Glee’.

Using the talent of his gifted voice in his work, he’s also taken a couple roles as a voice actor for the movies ‘Wreck it Ralph’ in which he played the character Roy, as well as the movie ‘Monkey Up’ as the voice of Monty. He’s still passionate about stage acting as well. In 2010, he played the character Mark Cohen in a production of ‘Rent’ at the Hollywood Bowl which was directed by Neil Patrick Harris.

If you’re passionate about the art of acting as well, be like Skylar, Mandy, Natalie, Robert, Zach, and Bryce—check out Stagedoor Manor for yourself and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John