Hey, Camp Folks!

Everything Summer Camp has the itch to spread the word about how great the camps are with whom we’ve formed great relationships. It should be no surprise we love them so much—we work with over 240 of them! Today I want to tell you about a camp that’s been with us for years—Camp Merrie-Woode for girls!
Settled beneath Old Bald Lighthouse alongside Fairfield Lake in Sapphire, North Carolina, Camp Merrie-Woode sits on beautiful land which is registered as a U.S. National Heritage Area because of the nearby Northern Red Oak Forest and two historic grassy balds.

Remaining the Camp Director for almost the first 30 years since 1919, the founder, Mrs. Jonathon C. Day (or Dammie as many called her) brought traditions, honor, and an appreciation for simple living to the young women of her time.
Offering a wide range of activities that balance tradition with exciting camp adventures, find fun in a variety of sports such as Archery, Tennis, Soccer, Kickball, a number of performing arts such as Drama and Dance; they have Visual Arts, Arts & Crafts, Sewing, Weaving, Photography, Ceramics, Horseback Riding, Hiking, and a great deal more options from which campers can choose.

The cabins at Merrie-Woode are rustic buildings made of wood. Most cabins only house four to six campers and one or two counselors. Older campers live in larger groups of eight to ten campers. Very accommodating and comfortable, girls who share cabins develop very close-knit communities and special friendships.

Awesome summer experiences are taking place every year at Camp Merrie-Woode just as they have for nearly the last hundred years. Be sure to check it out for yourself and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

P.S. Check out their really cool map right here!

Hey, Trail Mixers!

If this ultimate treat for the road is one of your favorites, then today’s Blog is definitely right up your alley. I’m posting about ‘Trail Mix Day’ in advance today in order to give you enough preparation time before August 31 arrives. Be sure to get to the store for all your ingredients ahead of time so you can have your trail mix made up and ready to enjoy ON National Trail Mix Day.

You might hear a bunch about when it was invented or who gave trail mix its name. You might see dates that go back to 1968 or even 1910, but, truthfully, trail mix is ANCIENT!

Ideal for any outing, from hikers to soldiers, this lightweight, long-lasting, easy-to-store, protein-packed, nutritious, and tasty snack has been a popular favorite among nomadic tribes thousands of years ago. It wasn’t called Trail Mix back then, but it was essentially the same thing. From scouts to pioneers, hunters and cowboys, people have always put their own spin on this ancient high-energy Travel Snack.

Requiring no special storage nor cooking preparation, many different cultures resorted to this snack as it was the easiest method of storing food for long periods of time. Native Americans had an interesting spin on this snack. They called it pemmican: dried buffalo, moose, and caribou meat along with berries. It lasted the Natives months and delivered lots of energy in a tasty and satisfying, little snack.

You’ll find a wide range of trail mix variations. The snack has gathered a number of names as well. Here are just a few:

Scroggin
If you wanted trail mix and you lived somewhere like New Zealand or the United Kingdom, you would ask for some ‘Scroggin’.

Studentenfutter
German for ‘student feed,’ this snack is not only popular for hikers, it’s also known to be a cheap snack among on-the-go students who are looking for an affordable, yet nutritional, snack.

GORP
It’s been called GORP by many, which according to some, stands for Good Ol’ Raisins and Peanuts—OR—Granola Oats, Raisins, and Peanuts—OR—Gobs Of Raw Protein. But then, it’s also been said that Scroggin stands for Sultanas, Carob, Raisins, Orange peel, Grains, Glucose, Imagination, and Nuts.

However, trail mix likely gets its name Gorp from the verb listed in The Oxford English Dictionary which means, ‘to eat greedily.’

No matter what you call it, be sure you to find some for yourself whether you get creative and make your own or if you just enjoy a packaged mix from the store. Click here for the creative inspiration of over 80 trail mix recipes! And, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Campers!

Here at Everything Summer Camp, we really want to know how your summer camp stay went! That’s why we’re asking for submissions about your summer camp stay. In mid-July, I asked you to send us letters about your accomplishments, friends, fears that were overcome, favorite parts of camp, or a diary/journal-style submission that chronicles the jam-packed days of your camp experience. And now, at the end of August, there’s no time to dally anymore! Only six days left, the deadline for these summer camp submissions is next week Monday! Get ‘em in now!

In case you forgot: Everybody who submits gets a $15 gift certificate to Everything Summer Camp!

Seven random winners will be chosen. Our first randomized winner will receive a $100 gift card for our website. We’ll then randomly pick two more winners to receive $50 gift cards to our site. After that, four random winners will get our $25 gift cards. Everyone else who submits will get the $15 gift cards.

As I advised last month when first announcing these children’s submissions, if you should find it difficult to single in on just one part of camp among all the fun the likely stretched from the beginning of camp to the end, here are some ideas:

Write about the one thing you did that was the most fun. Tell about things you learned whether they’re athletic skills, artistic skills, thinking skills, etc. Share stories about the great people and friends you made at camp. Describe how it felt to be away from home. Exercise your creative muscle and talk about the beautiful, natural surroundings you saw at camp.

In your submissions, we encourage you to talk about your camp and why you think it’s the best. Please include your first name and your last name’s initial, what camp you visited, and how long you’ve been going to camp.

We would love to hear about your time at camp, so click RIGHT HERE to submit and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Today is Mount Vesuvius Day, commemorating the terrible tragedy that took place nearly 2000 years ago in a place near Naples, Italy. After sitting dormant for centuries, one of the most deadly volcanoes erupted on August 24, in the year 79 AD. Volcanic ash filled the sky, blocking out daylight and raining down six inches of ash every hour. By the end of the eruption, roughly 15 feet of ash had accumulated.

The eruption destroyed the two Roman cities Pompeii (as well as the lesser known Herculaneum). Pompeii always steals the spotlight because four-times more people lived in Pompeii and also because of the peculiar way in which it was destroyed.

The ash rained down in such a way that it preserved everything perfectly when it buried the city in large amounts of ash and solidified lava. There were many buildings, remnants of the city, and most of all PEOPLE who were well-preserved and ‘frozen’ in time, just the way they were during their sudden and scary deaths!

Herculaneum, on the other hand, saw the death of 5000 (compared to Pompeii’s 20,000) people who were buried under 60 feet of not just ash and volcanic materials, but lots of MUD too!

I leave you with these three facts concerning Mount Vesuvius and its violent wrath:

1.) The people in Pompeii and Herculaneum truly did not see their deaths coming. They were very surprised when they looked up to see the frightful sight of this mountain spitting molten rock and other volcanic emissions. They didn’t know better than to take heed from the series of massive earthquakes that had been shaking the region—as we now would know.

2.) We know that the terrible tragedy from 2000 years ago was not the first eruption from Mount Vesuvius and that it had previously erupted at least two other times. Recent excavations have pointed to the belief that it erupted almost another 2000 years before 79 AD. (1800 BC), again destroying large settlements of people in that region.

3.) Mount Vesuvius is still active! It last erupted in 1944 and experts say that it poses a threat to the 2 million people who now live in the area. According to them, it’s due for an eruption some time in the not-too-distant future.

If you happen to live in Naples or know someone there, tell them to beware warning earthquakes and hot lava! And, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Summer Campers!

There are lots and lots of kids who attend summer camps every year. So many, in fact, you’re more likely to find adults who went to camp as kids than you are to find adults who DIDN’T. A crazy amount of celebrities are known to have spent a week or two at camp. It seems everywhere you turn in Hollywood there’s another former summer camper! 

Jonah Hill Feldstein—or, since you likely know him better as just, Jonah Hill—is an actor who has really shaped a strong career for himself. With passion for both writing and  acting, Jonah has loved to do both his whole life. He was encouraged by his supportive home life, school, and his days at Indian Head Summer Camp.

Spending those summer days in the splendor of the Endless Mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania, Indian Head Camp certainly played a role in encouraging Jonah that, when he grew up, he could be anything he wanted to be.

During his college days, Jonah started to write plays that he performed at a bar in New York City. When his plays started to develop a returning audience, he realized his calling in life was to be an actor. Friends with Dustin Hoffman's children, Jonah was introduced to Dustin, who then advised Jonah to audition for a role in a film called ‘I Heart Huckabees’. It ended up being Jonah’s film debut!

Since then, Jonah’s acting career has been on fire! He’s in lots of films, has appeared as a guest star, and done voice work in an episode of ‘The Simpsons’ in which he plays an immature prankster.

Starring alongside other funny, former summer campers such as Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen, Jonah played a role in Judd Appatow’s ‘Funny People’. With wild success in comedies like ‘Superbad’ and ’21 Jump Street’ as well as his more serious roles in films like ‘Moneyball’ and ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’, Jonah has been nominated twice for Academy Awards and has nowhere to go but up.

Your future success could be similar to Jonah’s. Summer camp may just set you on the right path! As always, thanks for reading.

- John