Hey there, Good Deed Doers!

Don’t we all just love it when some kind-hearted person holds the door open for us or lets us pass them in the grocery line? It’s wonderful to be on the receiving end of random acts of kindness like that, but that’s only half of what today’s about.

See, good deeds are a two way street. If you expect them to happen to you, then you in turn should do them for others—it’s the old Golden Rule that says “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Today is a day to celebrate acts of kindness. Make Someone’s Day Day is celebrated the world over. Do good deeds for others and Karma’s bound to come back to you (in a good way). In fact, doing good deeds for others usually gives you a good feeling. So a selfless act can actually benefit you (even though the good deed you did wasn’t really about you).

Doing small and unexpected good deeds for a friend is great. Doing them for a stranger is even better. Maybe your good deed isn’t for a person at all. Pick up litter in the streets and do the planet a favor! Or maybe you can volunteer at your local Humane Society to help take care of some animals that could use your help.

It really doesn’t matter who (or what) the good deed is for, the important part is to put that goodness into the world. Remember: what goes around comes around. And, HEY! By the way—what exceptional readers you all are! Thanks for reading this post!

- John

Hey, Candy Cravers!

Certain holidays seem to have complimenting candies that go together like sidekicks hang around superheroes. Easter has Cadbury eggs for instance while Valentines offers candy hearts with suggestive messages printed on the side to say what secret admirers can’t say in person.

But this is the month of October when we celebrate All Hallows Eve. I think everyone knows that candy corn is Halloween’s candy sidekick. But other than that, not much is known about this popular, yet mysterious candy treat.

People say that candy corn was created in the 1880’s by someone named George Renninger who worked for a place called Wunderle Candy Company. But this really only refers to the candy once it was marketed and sold as candy corn. This stuff had been around for a much longer time than just 133 years.

Candy corn never had a patent in the beginning. It’s recipe was simply passed down from generation to generation. At first candy corn was made by hand—forming sugar, corn syrup, wax ,artificial coloring, and binders into multicolored, candy imitation of a corn kernel.

When the candy first hit the market, it belonged to a company called Goelitz. It wasn’t called candy corn at this point; it fact, it wasn’t really called anything. Goelitz gave it its first, official marketing name, christening it, “Chicken Feed.”

The name didn’t last long as it sounds absolutely revolting, but the recipe hasn’t really changed since the days before it was patented. Since this candy’s hit the market, it’s exploded (which is surprising since most people don’t even like candy corn).

Lots of people find the taste of candy corn to be too bland and waxy. Personally, I think they’re all crazy! I’ve loved this treat since my first Halloween!

So remember to get your Chicken—er, candy corn this year, Kids, and enjoy the age-old treat!

- John

P.S. Can you guess how many pieces are in here? Win our Candy Corn Contest with the right number! Submit your best guess here.  You could win a $100 Everything Summer Camp gift card!

Hey, Ball Fans!

Who can resist America’s favorite pastime—Baseball?! It’s come quite a long way from hitting a ball with a stick in an alley. Baseball today is far from your great-grandfather’s baseball. Instead of an unorganized activity for fun after school, it’s become the Major Leagues, Homeruns, Stadium Hot Dogs, and Bob Uecker. This is the story of the World Series and how it got be the way it is now.

Way back when—and when I say way back, I’m talking 1870’s—there was only one league: the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (who soon changed their name to the National League). They were the top dogs until 1882 when a second major league was formed—the American Association.

Up until that point the championship simply went to the team with the best record at the end of the season. But with the American Association now in the picture, the two leagues decided to face each other in a series of games to see who would win the championship.

These championship series are essentially what evolved into the World Series, however, they weren’t nearly as organized or official as the World Series we know today. Some series only lasted three games. Others lasted fifteen. And some even ended in ties!

The games were advertised as “The Championship of the United States” or the “World’s Championship Series,” which birthed the shorthand “World’s Series.” Up until 1930, people considered Baseball’s Championships to have started in 1884 near the rise of the American Association; however, nowadays the World Series isn’t considered to have started until 1903.

Last year, the San Francisco Giants took the World Series after defeating the Detroit Tigers. Who will take the Series this year is anyone’s guess. Keep watching and remember to root, root, root for the home team! Till next time, Ball Fans!

Hey, Farley Fans!

Who doesn’t love this king of comedy? Chris Farley will forever be remembered in our hearts and in our laughs as one of those one-of-a-kind kinds of people who could easily tap into that lighter, brighter, and funnier side of life.

Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Chris grew up with four other siblings—Tom Jr., Kevin, John, and Barbara Farley. Growing up in his hometown, Chris went to a number of Catholic schools and is said to have always made it to Mass.

Chris had a close connection with his summer camp. He spent many of his summers as a camper himself, and then later as a camp counselor at Red Arrow Camp around Minocqua, Wisconsin. Even from an early age, Chris enjoyed making people laugh.

Chris went to college at Marquette University to study communications and theater. He graduated in 1986 and one year later, moved to Chicago. Chris had developed a passion for improvisational comedy—comedy skits that are unscripted and unrehearsed. He performed at the Ark Improv Theater in Madison, the Improv Olympic theater in Chicago and, eventually, Chicago’s Second City Theater.

It was during one of his performances at Chicago’s Second City Theater where Chris was discovered by a producer of the ever-so-popular sketch comedy show, Saturday Night Live (SNL). Chris boomed with popularity in the coming years on the show as he resurrected characters of his own from Second City Theater for sketches on the show.

After SNL, Chris started making movies. Along with his best friend David Spade, Chris made such classics as Tommy Boy and Black Sheep.

Few people know that Chris was actually supposed to be the voice of the lovable ogre, Shrek. The story was pretty different than the one we’ve seen too. Chris had recorded 80 to 90% of the lines for the movie. Unfortunately, he died before being able to finish the movie. Mike Myers later stepped in to make Shrek after the script had been rewritten.Though his passing is a tragedy, he still has us laughing with his unique brand of comedy.

Hey, Cupcake!

If you didn’t already know, I’m happy to be the one to tell you about one of the nation’s best holidays! No, I’m not talking about Christmas or Halloween—I’m not even talking about Easter or Valentine’s Day. No, the holiday I’m thinking of is Chocolate Cupcake Day. And it just so happens to be tomorrow!

Why CHOCOLATE Cupcake Day? Because chocolate is the very best flavor cupcake you can make! We here at Everything Summer Camp feel like one day to celebrate this chocolaty holiday really just isn’t enough. And that’s why we’ve been celebrating Chocolate Cupcake Day all week long.

We’ll be sampling each other’s cupcakes and sharing our tasty recipes with all of you. I can almost taste them now! What a great sensation it is sinking your teeth into that unapologetically moist bite of explosively chocolate intensity. Is it any wonder that we have a national holiday to celebrate this dessert?

While the debate exists about how this dessert got its name—because they were originally baked in cups or because the recipe is measured out in cups—the most curious part about the name is that the dessert wasn’t always called a cupcake.

No, they were first called number cakes since the measurement of the ingredients weren’t hard to remember. That was back some time in the 1800’s, when people first started making them. They’ve really come a long way since then—haven’t they?

Nowadays, you’ll find delicious cupcakes in bakeries, coffee shops, or even on TV when you turn on the FoodNetwork! Cupcakes aren’t just tasty, cup-sized cakes with frosting anymore. They’ve become a sweet tasting treat that you can top with your own creativity. Decorate them to fit the theme for a party or simply for your own delight!

So enjoy baking, frosting, and then decorating your own masterpieces like we are this week. And happy Chocolate Cupcake Day, Everybody! Thanks for reading!

- John