Compiled by Louis Levin
For our campers, it’s all starting soon. In just 16 short days, our 96th camping season will begin in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. On the evening of June 18th, these 77 acres will be overflowing with the boys, and all the things that come with the boys – the laughter and hugs of reuniting, the introductions and where-are-you-froms, the din of silver on plates in the Rec Hall, and the water bottles, so many water bottles. (Trust us, put your camper’s name on his water bottle.)
But to say that’s when summer starts… Well, that would be omitting the enormous amount of preparation that goes into the camping season; work that our dedicated staff began months ago.
On June 11th, our whole staff will be at camp for our week-long staff training, learning everything they need to know about creating the best summer possible for our campers. On June 10th, our new staff arrive for a special introduction to working at camp. On June 9th, the Steering Committee arrives – the broader group of senior leaders who will set the tone for the folks who will work for our leadership team. The in-person Steering Committee meeting is actually the group’s second – the first was a video call last week to check and double check our calendar and logistics. On June 8th, our stellar health care team arrives for a bit of extra organization time, as well as our climbing instructors for a day of safety orientation. On June 7th, cabin staff working on the waterfront come to camp for our Wilderness Water Safety course, a two day training focused on keeping campers safe in open lakes and rivers. Those cabin staff will be joined in that course by our Wilderness Trip Staff, who are already at camp and leave on their five-day shakedown training trip tomorrow. Some of those trippers actually arrived at camp last week following their 80-hour Wilderness First Responder course. Our Village Directors arrive at camp for their second meeting of the year on June 8th – their first meeting was last week on zoom. And, our kitchen and office staff will be at camp at the end of this week to begin opening up camp for all who follow them.
The crew gathers for the first night of pre-camp
Of course – the pre-camp crew has been here for a week now, putting the docks in the lake, planting flowers, and putting whirligigs (our handmade lawn decorations) and Adirondack chairs where they belong for the summer. Our core team of full-time staff have been at camp since early May doing… Well, doing just about anything and everything you could imagine camp needs to open up for the season.
And it goes without saying, but it’s worth saying again and again and again, our caretaking staff have been up at camp preparing for the campers’ arrival since the minute the campers left on August 11th, 2024.
So yeah, summer is starting soon. But really, the people who will make summer magic for our campers have started, and will start, their summers before that first camper steps off the bus. And when they do…let the magic begin!
As we head into the summer, we’ll be on break for news of the camp family until the fall. If you have updates to share, keep them coming to my inbox, louis@campnebagamon.com, and we’ll share them along after the summer!
IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW… In Phoenix, Milo Gilman and Vinny Lipuma completed the Team Party Pizza Challenge at Venezia’s Pizzaria in a record time of 17 minutes, earning them a coveted polaroid on the wall, free t-shirts, and bragging rights forever.
ENGAGEMENT CONGRATULATIONS GO TO… Sam Feldman (St. Louis, MO, 2005-’10, ‘17) and Brooke Hyman.
WEDDING CONGRATULATIONS GO TO… Ross Chukerman (Highland Park, IL, 2004-’09) and Jessica Ziniel.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW… Rick Woldenberg (Highland Park, IL, 1971-’73) appeared on MSNBC to discuss how current events are impacting his toy company, Learning Resources. You can watch his spot here!