Hey, Camp Fans!

It makes us so happy here at Everything Summer Camp to get such a great response to our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest! Now we’re having a great time publishing each one right here on the Blog! After our ten lucky winners, everyone else who submitted received a $20 gift certificate to our online store!

Today’s post features a submission from Andrew S., who wrote in to tell us all about his great summer camp stay away at Camp Longhorn. Check it out:

“Sleepaway camp is the best!! If you don't believe me here’s why. I went to Camp Longhorn for the first time. Camp Longhorn is so awesome because there are many fun and exciting things like the Tarzan swing, zipline, stand-up paddleboards, sailboating, and last, but not least, the wonderful amazing blob! Those are only half the amazing things that are there! After a long day of enjoying camp activities, you can enjoy a wonderful meal at chow hall! My favorite meals include doughnuts, pizza, hot dogs, tacos, philly cheese steak, and tater tot casserole. I learned to love Cholula hot sauce from my counselor. We went through a whole bottle!

The counselors are so nice, kind, and help the campers. When I arrived at camp I did not know anyone but I left with some great friends from all over the state and even Spain. We always had fun at night at campfire and sang songs. We have a lot of cool traditions at Camp Longhorn, like attawaytogo and Cross Mountain.

On the first day of camp, I pulled my new trunk into my cabin. Boy, am I so glad I had wheels on my trunk. I added fun stickers like Charlie the Longhorn and Bass for my cabin. I can’t wait to add more stickers to my trunk when I go next year!”

Thanks for this submission, Andrew! Summer camps always seem to have the best people and the most fun activities, don’t they?! It’s great to hear what a wonderful time you had during your stay at Longhorn! For everyone else, if Camp Longhorn sounds like it could be the right place for you, check it out for yourself by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!

We all get great enjoyment out of a hard day’s work here at Everything Summer Camp but, just like all you, we want to have our fun in the sun as well. I’ve been asking people all around the workplace to see what kind of summer camp activities people would be most interested in returning to or trying out for the first time! Making the rounds in our Graphics Department recently to talk to Deb who’s been our sewing expert for the last decade!

Check out her camp activity picks:

Pottery
It was just last May that Deb got the chance to take a one-time class in Pottery. She enjoyed her time learning to make a plate and a couple bowls. She is now eager to try her hand again. “I will definitely be going back to try more,” she told me. “I’d like to try a 6 week course.”

Archery
Next, Deb said she would set her sights on Archery. She went to a Women’s Retreat in Rhinelander a few years back where she got to try her hand with a bow and arrow. She didn’t do too bad either. In fact, she hit a bullseye! At this Retreat, she also got to take boatrides, go horseback riding, and enjoy horse-drawn wagon rides—all of which she would love to do again.  

Climbing Wall
Deb’s Women’s Retreat also gave her the opportunity to climb a tall Climbing Wall, but she opted out. Another opportunity found her at Action City in Eau Claire when she took her son and his friend when they were 6 years old. She chickened out yet again, but would return with her son another seven years on and she was brave enough to do it. She said once she was climbing the wall, it wasn’t even that frightening. She’d do it again!

What have you had the opportunity to do at summer camp? Do you share any of Deb’s interests? Let us know in the comments and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Folks. Happy camping! 

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!

A few years back in January of 2019 is when I started this category on the Blog of Pioneers and Record Setters of summer camp activities. The first person I posted about was Brady Ellison, the world’s leading archer. Since Archery and Riflery are considered to go hand in hand, you could say Paul Phillips is the Brady Ellison of Riflery.

Having established 25 years of awesome success in competitive marksmanship, Paul Phillips was already a formidable force:

Over the course of his career, he has acquired 47 national records, 14 national championships, three U.S. Team gold medals, and one individual gold medal at the world championships, three "King of 2-Mile" championships, an International Distinguished Shooting Medal, and a Congressional Medal for Lifetime Achievements in Shooting.

What he and his team of 13 members did just a couple years back, however, is an incredible feat in all history of rifle shooting! His Riflery team made an astounding rifle shot of four miles—an immediate world record that won’t likely be broken any time soon! But that doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

Discover your Riflery skills and maybe you’ll find that your abilities exceed those who first inspired you! Look into the activities your camp offers or get out for a Riflery class near you and test out your skills to see how much you enjoy it. Have fun out there and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Your camp stories for the Everything Summer Camp ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest were all so great! I had such a fun time reading through them all and now I’m excited to be sharing them with all our readers here on the Blog! Since I’ve finished announcing our ten lucky winners who took larger prizes, I’ve moved on to the rest of your submissions and we’re posting each submission one by one!

The following post is from Kate W. who wrote in to tell us about her first summer stay at Camp Arbutus Hayo-Went-Ha. Check it out right now:

“During the 4 weeks I was at camp, during two of those weeks my cabin headed off to Isle Royale National Park, where we hiked 113.2 miles in just two weeks! As the trip was fun we had a few hard days. One of the hardest days we were on our way to Siskiwit and we woke up a little late. We were maybe 2 miles from our campsite when we felt a little sprinkle so hurried to put all our rain gear on. We walked for a little longer until it started to down pour rain. We all tried to keep a good attitude as it was hard hiking in drenched hiking boots. We started moving slower as our socks hair hats boots were all soaking wet and we were all mentally tired. At last the joy on our faces when we finally reached the campsite. We put our packs under a tree to keep dry and half of us took and held up the tarp so our cabin mates could set up a tent keeping it dry and they did the same for us. Our counselors cooked us up a nice meal and we were able to eat, hop in our sleeping bags, and stay warm and dry the rest of the night. As maybe our fleeces and boots were not dry the next day we still had a great time!”

Hey, Kate! Getting caught in the rain isn’t always the most pleasant, but it sure has a way of creating great memories! A hundred-plus miles in two weeks is a long way to go. Nice job rising to the challenge and keeping on the sunny side despite getting rained on. It’s great to hear how you all worked together so well at the campsite and stayed cozy through the night. Isn’t camp magical?  

For everyone else, you can give Camp Arbutus Hayo-Went-Ha a closer look by clicking right here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

The camp stories we received for our ‘Share your Camp Story’ Contest here at Everything Summer Camp were so great! It was a wonderful time reading through them all and now I’m excited to share them with all our followers on the Blog and post each submission right here on its own day!

After our ten lucky prize winners, I’ve moved on to the rest of your submissions. The following post is from Chelsea S. who wrote in to tell us about her daughter’s camp experience at Camp Takodah. Here’s her submission:

“My daughter went to Camp Takodah this summer for the first time and LOVED it. She's 10 years old so I was nervous for her to be away—it was definitely her longest time being away from us, and no contact except letters was tough! Every day I would run to see the camp photos to spot her, even if she was in the distance! She always looked like she was doing well but I wasn't entirely sure what her review of the experience would be. The two letters we got from her listed all the classes she was taking, but she never came right out and said how much fun she was having.

Needless to say, the day we picked her up was one of the highlights of my life! Not only did she run over to us and give us a huge hug, but afterward, with a huge smile on her face, she said "Can I PLEASE go again next year??"

It was all I could ask for! So glad we decided to send her to camp—and that she had the greatest time!”

Awesome, Chelsea! This is such a great testimony to the summer camp experience from both a camper’s perspective and a parent’s. I’ve posted a few times on the Blog about the different reactions parents may get from their kids on pickup day. I’m glad for your sake that your daughter’s response on closing day was such a clearly joyful one!

For everyone else, you can give Camp Takodah a closer look by clicking right here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John