Hey, Summer Campers!

Such a plethora of folks have attended summer camp at some point or another in their lives that former summer campers aren’t at all hard to find. And it seems like everywhere you look, in Hollywood especially, you come across summer camp alumni naturally. I’ve written a good number of Blog posts about all the celebrities who have gone to camp and today I come with another—Mr. Samm Levine. 

Camp Nah-Jee-Wah is found on 1250 beautiful acres just 90 minutes from New York City. With campgrounds that feature athletic facilities, a lake, a pool, ropes challenge courses, a skate park, and much more, Samm had a wonderful time for his summer camp stay. As early as his days at camp, Samm wasn’t necessarily interested in acting, but he definitely had his heart set on working in comedy.

He went straight to work too, performing standup routines at friends’ Bar Mitzvahs (a Jewish rite of passage) and his jokes were typically received well by the crowds. During one Bar Mitzvah performance in particular, the actress Lisa Kudrow happened to be present and saw his routine. She ended up giving him some advice that he had ought to audition in Manhattan.

By the time he had turned 15, Samm made his first appearance on an episode of the soap opera ‘One Life to Live’ and that was only the beginning. With a different Sam Levine already registered in the Screen Actors Guild, Samm decided he would hang an additional ‘M’ at the end of his name.

He continued with a television and film career, making appearances in shows such as ‘Ed’ and ‘The Drew Carey Show’. But the role that he remains best known for is Neal Schweiber in the short-lived cult classic of 1999, ‘Freaks and Geeks’ in which he played one of the geeks alongside later Golden Globe winner James Franco.

Samm Levine did a lot for his career in his young adolescence and he continues to be a well-received presence in television and film. Check out Camp Nah-Jee-Wah for yourself on their website by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Here at Everything Summer Camp, we love being the provider of all your summer camp needs, but we’re so much more than that. Much more than a business, we’re a family and we like to show the faces of our family so you can learn something about the people who work here.

Let me virtually introduce you to the Foreman’s Assistant of our Production crew, Teresa—she’s pretty much next-in-line after our Production Supervisor, Shirley (who you can read about right here). Having occupied every station in our production department, Teresa is well-versed with the factory and what goes into a well-constructed camp trunk. She’s had a hand in making them for 11 years now!

Having come from Mason Shoes in Chippewa—a company of more than 600 employees, Teresa loved the change of pace at Everything Summer Camp where we never have more than forty people under our employment. While she still loves how small we are, Teresa’s favorite part about her job is the ten-hour days she has which makes every weekend three days long!

Teresa comes from a warm family upbringing in which they braved the cold together for the sake of fun. The oldest of her two brothers and two sisters, Teresa and her parents and siblings would do what they called ‘makeshift camping’ which was essentially in their backyard—they would go year-round.

Winters didn’t stop them. They would cut firewood, cook dinners, and go for sleigh rides in their family’s legitimate sleigh (pulled by the snow blower). And when they were done playing in the snow, they would hang their mittens over the fire and huddle close to the flames to get warm. It wasn’t exactly summer camp, but it certainly gave her lasting memories!

Thanks to her mother and her grandmother, Teresa is a unique artist of two different media. Since she was 10, her mother coached her on how to decorate a cake. Her grandmother shared a great project with her classroom students first and then her family: colorful snow creatures!  I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little about Teresa at Everything Summer Camp and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Summer Camp Folks!

We’re back today to feature yet another one of the amazing summer camps with whom we’re delighted to have formed a strong relationship. Laity Lodge Youth Camp is an awesome place for your soon-to-be-camper. Check it out to see how it might fit for your family’s summer camp experience on today’s Blog post. Dive into the world of Laity Lodge!

Found in Hill Country’s most fantastic canyon with the Frio River, Laity Lodge is known for its excellent hospitality on their exceptional 1900-acre ranch, 13 miles north of Leakey, Texas. Beauty surrounds in this natural environment that’s ripe for adventure, games, activities, and the kind of serenity that you can only experience at this level of remote seclusion.

Have fun in the Frio River kayaking, snorkeling, swimming, and more at Laity Lodge’s awesome waterfront. Go mountain biking, try the zip line, rock climb, and sharpen your arts and crafts skills. Laity Lodge offers tons of other activities like shooting sports, field sports, sword-fighting for the boys, nail-painting for the girls, and so much more than just that.

On top of these traditional activities, campers have lots of wild times with their cabin mates or “home groups”. They engage in friendly fights as in organized food fights, shaving cream fights, water balloon fights, and a number of other crazy battles. Quality time together brings cabin mates close together and helps create unbreakable bonds between campers.

Laity Lodge has been showing summer campers the time of their lives for 56 years and they continue to do an amazing job every summer season. You can look into this amazing camp even closer on their website sometime. Good luck on your summer camp search for the right camp for your camper and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Families!

- John

Hey, Summer Camp People!

We consider ourselves fun people here at Everything Summer Camp. We stay hip to the fun times by surrounding ourselves with equally fun companies and develop strong ties with them. We love singing the praises of the wonderful folks whose amazing products are offered on our online camping gear store. 2010 was a big year. There was a general excitement everywhere you were. There was a change in the air. Things were electrically charged! Fun was growing in the world—a world that was already a great deal of fun exploded in colorful jubilation. iScream was born. Made up of an extremely creative team, iScream is the best in bedside and road trip entertainment!

These awesome activity books and stationery are the best things for occupying your time in the car on the way to camp or while you get sleepy before ‘lights out’. With an intriguing discovery in photography method called ‘lenticular’ photography along with a desire to create hours of fun for kids during the times that might otherwise be the dullest.

With images that accentuate color and stress depth, iScream Activity Books and their Seal & Send Stationery offer explosively detailed treats for your eyes and provide interesting, absorbing material that will keep you amused for as long you desire!

We’re thrilled to offer the insane amount of fun that comes along with our excellent selection from this excellent brand. Have a good gander at all the fun in these activities by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

The history of things is interesting. Learning the origin and purpose of our own inventions typically says a great deal about who we are as a collective people. The history of the hairbrush tells us that we’re a crafty people with a universal desire to always be lookin’ good! And we’ve pretty much always been this way.

In fact, archeological digs for ancient artifacts in Egypt have revealed that combs—not to be confused with hairbrushes—have existed in primitive form as early back as 5500 B.C. Our Egyptian ancestors knew that the design of a comb would work best for untangling and straightening hair.

If a comb is like shampoo, then the hairbrush is like conditioner. Hairbrushes aren’t any help when it comes to tangled hair. You need to run a comb through it first. The comb makes your hair manageable. Now it’s ready for brushing—designed to massage your scalp, enhance circulation, and induce your scalp to release its natural oils.

While combs go back over 7000 years and maybe longer, hairbrushes have only been around for 240. A man named William Kent began making them by hand in England, 1777. He crafted them in the same fashion as the original toothbrushes (which you can read about by clicking here). He made his brushes with the hair of boars—which is still what they’re typically made of today.

Hairbrushes were initially only for the upper class that could afford products of such luxury. Of course, nowadays, most households are entitled to the luxury of hairbrushes. Pack one along for your summer camp stay and grab the Folding Brush with Mirror here at Everything Summer Camp. Keep your head feeling clean and looking good!

You can get a closer look at the Folding Hairbrush on our website by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John