Happy New Year Blog

Posted on December 29, 2014 by Brian Krug

Hello Canadensis…

As I sit here with just a few days remaining in 2014, I want to first wish everyone in the Camp Canadensis Family a very happy and healthy new year! This is the time when we tend to both look back at the year gone by and look forward to exciting things ahead. At Camp Canadensis, 2014 was a truly stellar year for all of us. When I remember the past summer, I think about how 2014 saw our largest group of CITs ever assembled at camp…50 CITs! In honor of them, for the first time in the history of camping, our Color War break included their parents to start the annual event. Since Summer ended, I have probably watched that video a handful of times and it still gives me goosebumps when I view it! That moment of this summer’s break will stick with me forever. Of course, there were so many other great memories, too, from a Revolutionary War Day which featured three teams (Red, White and Blue) for the very first time, great Spirit Days like wearing your PJs All Day, the water and shaving cream fight, the MTV Night Finals and the introduction of Snack Chats to camp are just a few of the many that come to mind. Of course, we will do our best to top it all in 2015. We have heard so many great and wonderful ideas from campers and staff and plans are already underway in putting our Summer calendar together.

This time of year is also when we think about New Year’s resolutions. Anyone have anything that they would like to accomplish in the upcoming 365 days?! One thing I’ve been thinking about is trying to blog more. I really enjoy reaching out to everyone in camp cyber-land and have some ideas for some new twists to our blogs. I’d also like to reach out to any camper or staff member or even parent that would like to Guest Blog on our site. If interested, please e-mail me at brian@canadensis.com.

In addition to all of the great planning going on at camp, a few weeks ago I got the chance to get away to a place I had been wanting to go for years. For my birthday this year, my wife Jaime surprised me with a December trip with my buddies to Nashville, TN and to attend the Giants-Titans football game. We had an amazing time! Nashville is a really fun city. Over the course of an extended weekend, we ate a lot of delicious food and barbecue and went to cool places like the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Johnny Cash Museum, Opryland and cruised the Broadway strip of Nashville (we even did a little line dancing with the locals). I’ll have to show off my new learned moves this summer at Rak Dan! Here are a few pictures…

Me and my friends at the Giants-Titans game in Nashville. We actually saw a Giants win, which was somewhat rare this season. Ha Ha!

This is what a Southern Breakfast looks like at a place called Monell’s. You don’t order. They just bring you big plates of food, including eggs, pancakes, biscuits, fried apples, bacon, sausage, country ham, cheesy grits, corn pudding, potatoes, fried chicken and cinnamon rolls. It was fantastic!

And this is what my breakfast looked like on another morning. French toast with Nutella and banana wrapped in a pancake!

This time of year also brings with it plenty of family holiday traditions. In our house, one of our favorites is building Gingerbread houses. Here is how ours came out this year…

Our 2014 Gingerbread houses on display. How did we do?

As always, I’ve been busy seeing campers this month. Here’s an update of my trips to seeing camp families…

In Jericho, NY, I met up with 4th grade girl Maya Akiva, who will be joining us at Canadensis for her first summer as a Lower Inter Girl. This Fall, Maya played on a soccer team, the Jericho Heat. Now in Winter, she is playing on the Nets in the Jericho Athletic Association Basketball League. When at home, Maya loves to sing and dance. Her favorite singer these days is Ariana Grande. She also enjoys playing Tops Trumps card game as well as taking care of her pet fish and snails. When she gets to camp in June, she is really looking forward to canteen, all of the activities on the lake and making a whole bunch of new friends. Here is a picture.

Me with Lower Inter Girl Maya Akiva.

In Merrick, NY, I spent some time getting to know Bradley Rowe, who is currently in the 5th grade. Bradley loves to play baseball and spends a lot of his time playing third base and catcher on his travel team, the Long Island Force. Bradley just started his basketball season and is looking forward to a successful season on his team the Cougars. He also enjoys playing flag football, making up games to play at home and bike riding in the neighborhood. As an Upper Inter Boy in Summer 2015, Bradley can’t wait to play baseball in the CBL, ride the Hondas / Quads and making new friends. Here is a photo…

Me and Upper Inter Boy Bradley Rowe.

In Lower Gwynned, PA, I hung out with Madi Schwartz, who will be an Upper Junior in 2015 as she is currently in the 3rd grade. Madi loves to dance and she is rehearsing for her big recital in the Spring where she will be performing routines in hip hop, ballet, lyrical and tap. In March, Madi will also be performing in the production of “Annie”. In the Fall, Madi was on two soccer teams, the Whitpain Wind and the Green Gators. When at home, Madi likes to do arts and crafts, listen to music, watch movies and cooking shows on the Food Network. When camp time rolls around, she is super ready to meet new people and tray all of the activities in the lake and pool. Here is a pic…

Me with Upper Junior Girls Madi Schwartz.

In Lower Gwynned, PA, I also got to see Sydney Salin, who is currently in the 2nd grade. Sydney takes gymnastics lessons at the Little Gym and she told me that she enjoys the floor exercises and routines the best. Sydney plays on a soccer team, the Sharks. She also really enjoys arts and crafts, likes to draw, play cards games like Uno and board games like Monopoly as well as surf the web on You Tube and play video games such as Minecraft. As a Lower Junior in Summer 2015, Sydney is very excited about the Water Trampoline, Woodworking, the Zipline, Waterskiing and the Water Slides. Here is a photo…

Me with Lower Junior Girl Sydney Salin.

In Livingston, NJ, I enjoyed meeting 2nd grade boy and 2015 Lower Junior Steven Marlin. Steven is currently involved taking piano lessons and doing Crossfit training. He also enjoys this time of year because it means he can go skiing. When at home, Steven enjoys watching TV shows and movies. Some of his favorite shows are “How It’s Made” and “Factory Made.” These days, his favorite movie is “Spaceballs.” When I asked Steven what he is looking forward to in his first summer at camp, Steven gave me a whole bunch of activities, including Tennis, Mountain Biking, Sailing, Ice Mountain, Pottery, all the Lake Activities, Woodworking, Rocketry, Canteen and Horseback Riding. Here is a pic…

Me with Lower Junior Boy Steven Marlin.

It seems like the month of December was a great time for camp friends to see each other as well. Here are some great pictures that were sent to me over the past few weeks…

2015 Freshman Girls Julie Pulewitz, Joey Dallow and Dani Pritikin spent some time hanging out a few weeks ago.

Joey Dallow also met up with bunkmate Jordan Plant for some holiday shopping.

2015 Upper Senior Girl Marlee Krasin celebrated her Bat Mitzvah recently and took some time to show this custom-made Canadensis sign with younger sister and 2015 Upper Junior Girl Ava Krasin. Congratulations, Marlee!

Boys Bunk 7 from Summer 2014 made their way to Connecticut for weekend sleepover.

2015 Lower Senior Girls Morgan Taylor and Lauren Marino got to see each other recently.

Girls Bunk 10 from Summer 2014 met up at Rebounderz in Edison, NJ for a day of fun. Here is a great montage of shots from that day!

Here is a mini reunion that took place while on vacation in Florida that included the Beyda's, the Zibelman's, the Kilman's and the Schwartz's.

Here is a mini reunion that took place while on vacation in Florida that included the Beydas, the Zibelmans, the Kilmans and the Schwartzes.

On a final blog note, a lot of times, I always get the question from jealous parents who ask, “Can the parents come to camp?” Traditionally, their kids always tell them, “No! Camp is for us!” Ha Ha! Well, that didn’t stop Craig and Danielle Nurick, whose daughters attend Canadensis (much to their jealousy), from getting in on the camp spirit. In fact, back in October, they let me know that they dressed up for Halloween 2014 as this past year’s Color War teams. Here is a great photo they sent me…

Danielle Nurick was Varsity Blue and Craig Nurick was Honor Roll Gold for Halloween this year! Love when parents get in on the camp spirit!

Well, that’s all of the blogging for 2014! Can’t wait to see everyone in the New Year! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!

Have a great day!

-Brian

Thankful Blog

Posted on December 4, 2014September 26, 2017 by Brian Krug

Hello Canadensis!

It’s been quite some time since my last blog, but when I got to my desk this morning, I made sure I was committed to reaching all of you in our Camp Cyberworld! I hope this blog finds everyone in a festive and holiday spirit as December rolls upon us. I hope all of our camp families and staff had a very Happy Thanksgiving. Here in the Krug household, we have a lot to be thankful for this year with the arrival of our daughter Emerson, who was so excited to meet everyone during the November Canteen on the Fly events. Me, Jaime and Emmy continued our family tradition of watching the Macy’s Parade in bed all morning. That was followed by gorging our faces all afternoon with a magnificent feast prepared by my mom, who has been hosting the event for close to 38 years now! Thanks mom for another memorable meal.

Speaking of being thankful, I got such a wonderful e-mail sent to me last week from 2015 Upper Inter Boy Daniel Gold. For a school project, Daniel had to write an essay, expressing what he is thankful for this year. I think the second to last line sums it up pretty nicely…

For our Winter office, we really enjoyed getting out on the road once again for our Annual Canteen on the Fly Events in Pennsylvania, Long Island, Westchester and Northern New Jersey. In total, we got to see more than 200 campers and staff. Special thanks to all of our staff, including Melissa Torban, Robin Forti, Heather Fisher, Dave Malter, Dani Corradetti, Brandon Herder, Brooke O’Donnell, Matt “Chipper” Jacobson, Britt Dvorscak, Sam Ginsburg, Allie Ernst, Lauren Gadol, Brett Levine, Matt Siegel, Elizabeth Menkowitz, Jordan Rosen, Ben Portnoy, Hannah Schepps and Lauren Grama, who took the time to meet us at one of the locations. Go to our Facebook Page to check out photos from all of these locations.

The Canadensis Camp Spirit was also in full effect on November 18, which was wear your Camp Shirt Day. If you haven’t done so already, be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages to see all of the campers and staff that participated. Me and Emerson got in on the action, too!

Me and Emerson wearing our Camp Shirts. Emmy is ready for CIT (in her case, Camper in Training) summer in 2015.

The Winter Office is getting busier and busier by the day. Eric and Matt are hard at work with several projects that are taking place up at camp. One of them involves a major renovation to our Rec Hall. In fact, the building, which is one camp’s more historic facilities, has a whole new complexion as it will now feature a new outdoor stage. This will allow for our Theater Program to conduct rehearsals outdoors as well as be an amazing new venue for some evening activities. The stage will feature lighting and a sound system, too! Here is your first look at the work in progress…

Camp’s Rec Hall will now have a new outdoor stage! Here is your first look at this project that is still “in the works.”

Pam and Cara are busy with the hundreds of staff applications that have started to pour in. We are also in the process of finalizing our staff recrutiment trips for Winter / Spring 2015, which puts all of us (me, Eric, Pam, Cara and Matt) at a number of colleges and universities throughout the United States and overseas in places like Australia, England and Eastern Europe. Meeting prospective staff in person is still the way we like to do things at Canadensis. At the same time, we have heard back from so many staff that are interested in returning for another summer. Of course, if you know of anyone that might make for a great Mature Goofball (in our opinion, the perfect definition of a Canadensis staff member), please direct them to our Staff Application here.

Next week, our Winter Office will be assembling the Mystery Boxes that we once again made available to everyone again this year for the Holiday Season, with all of the proceeds going to our Canadensis Cares! Program. Canadensis Cares! is a scholarship program designed to benefit Canadensis campers whose families are impacted by adverse or unusual circumstances. In some small way, every member of the Canadensis community can help families facing circumstances less fortunate than their own. There are still a few left, so if you haven’t ordered one yet, what are you waiting for?! Fill out the order form at www.canadensis.com or call us at 484.674.1941 today! It is for a great cause and any recipient of the box will be happy to receive the totally cool Canadensis swag that’s in it!

Of course, there is our Annual Camp Reunion on Sunday, January 25 to look forward to as well. We hope that many of our campers and staff that were with us in Summer 2014 are able to attend. Just recently, we announced our New Camper Event for Summer 2015. This event is for campers that are currently in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade and an opportunity for children to meet others that will be at camp this year. The event will be held on Sunday, April 19 at the Edison Hotel. Specific times for age groups will be announced soon.

As always, my calendar is starting to book with some visits to camp families. Here are some that I have done over the past several weeks…

In Woodbury, NY, I spent time with twins Hailey and Jesse Mair, who are currently in the 3rd grade and will be joining our Upper Junior division in 2015. Hailey told me that she will be performing in a production of “Peter Pan” soon. On top of that, she takes art classes at a place called Village Artist, plays the violin and likes Gaga. When at home, she enjoys watching the new show “Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Don” on the Nick Channel. This summer at camp, she is looking forward to Archery, the Canadensis Today Show, Lacrosse and all the delicious items on our salad bar. Jesse let me know that he currently takes Tae Kwon Do lessons. The instrument that he is learning is the viola. Jesse also takes art lessons at Village Artist. On top of that, he also plays lacrosse. Finally, Jesse is a big Lego builder and he showed me his impressive pieces. At camp, Jesse can’t wait for Archery, Lacrosse, Windsurfing and the Canadensis Today Show. Here is a pic…

Me with the Mair twins, Jesse and Hailey. Both will be Upper Juniors in 2015.

In Upper Saddle River, NJ, I hung out with the Weisensels, where Adam (currently in the 3rd grade) and Rachel (currently in 2nd grade) will be joining us at Canadensis for their first summer in 2015. Adam likes to play baseball and just recently finished up his Fall Ball season on his team, the Cardinals, where he plays catcher, third base and outfield. He will also play baseball again in the Spring. Adam plays tackle football as well and is a guard, linebacker and defensive end on his team the Bulldogs. In the Winter, he likes to ski. In addition to all of that, he is involved in karate and plays Minecraft. This summer as an Upper Junior, he is truly excited for the Canadensis Baseball League and Color War. Rachel plays soccer on her travel team, the Americans, where she likes when she is put at the striker position. Rachel is also heavily involved in a competitive gymnastics and she is looking forward to the season, which begins in January. Rachel is also a big fan of wintertime skiing. When at home, she likes video games and Facetiming with friends and family as well as coloring. At camp, when she is a Lower Junior, she is ready for soccer and Color War. Here is a photo…

Me with Lower Junior Rachel Weisensel and Upper Junior Adam Weisensel.

In Livingston, NJ, I got to know Josh, who will be part of our Upper Inter divsion in 2015 as he is a current 5th grader. Josh plays forward and midfield on a travel soccer team, the Livingston Levelers. This Winter, he will also be playing in a basketball league. Then, in the Spring, he will play in a baseball league. Josh is a big sports fan, too, and roots for the Yankees, Knicks, Giants and Red Bulls. When he’s hanging out at home, he plays video games like Madden Football and NBA 2K. When camp time comes, Josh is all about trying things like Hondas, Woodworking, Soccer, Baseball and all of the activities at the lake. Here is a picture…

Me with Upper Inter Boy Josh.

In Lafayette Hill, PA, I got to see Max and Alexa Baer. Alexa is back for her third summer at camp and will be in our Upper Inter division while Max joins us for his first year as part of our Upper Junior division. Currently in 5th grade, Alexa is very involved with her dance classes that ranges from hip hop to tap to jazz to lyrical to ballet. She is practicing towards her annual big recital in the Spring. Alexa wanted to give a shout out to all of the girls from Summer 2014’s Bunk 7 and had a secret message for them. She wanted to tell them that, “She hopes the moth doesn’t grab your eyeball.” Alexa is most definitely looking forward to the camp reunion in January as well as MTV Night in Summer 2015. As for Max, who is currently in the 3rd grade, he plays halfback and goalie on his travel soccer team, the Colonial Clash. Now that Winter is upon us, he is just starting his basketball league as well. In the spring, Max will play travel baseball. When at home, Max enjoys playing ping pong and playing NBA 2K12 on the Wii. This summer, Max can’t wait to try the quads and is very excited about Color War. Here is a photo…

Me with Upper Junior Max Baer and Upper Inter Alexa Baer.

I love getting photos of camper get-togethers, reunions, surprise run-ins. As always, please keep them coming. Here are some for me to share with you…

Some of our 2015 Super Senior Girls get together after Aly Waldman’s Bat Mitzvah. Pictured (from L to R) are Becky Seiler, Lauren Greene, Katie Podell, Aly Waldman, Dana Laufer and Reilly Frieder.

A number of girls from Summer 2014’s Girls Bunk 4 got together in NYC for Marissa Halpern’s Birthday party.

(From L to R): Zachary Friedman, Andrew Zazoff and Ryan Friedman got a chance to hang out. All three boys will be Upper Juniors in Summer 2015.

Best Halloween costume goes to Jack McMillan, who designed and built his own. Jack turned himself into a Go Pro Camera. Nice work, Jack!

Well, that’s all the blogging for now. More to come soon. And, I promise that my next blog won’t wait until January.

Have a great day!

-Brian

Fun in Fall!

Posted on October 24, 2014October 24, 2014 by Brian Krug

Hello Canadensis!

I hope this blog post finds everyone in full and festive Fall fervor (how about that for alliteration)! Things here in the camp winter office are all abuzz as we have now have our sights on plans for Summer 2015, which will also be our 75th Anniversary Summer! That’s right…75 Summers! So, in order to make next year extra, extra special, we have to plan now! Thanks to all of our campers that submitted the online end of the summer survey with all of your feedback and suggestions on how to make things so wonderful for camp in 2015. And, thanks to all of our staff who spent their time in end of the summer wrap up talks offering their insights as well. As always, we use this information in our planning and thoughts when constructing the summer calendar of programs. For us in the year-round office, our camp fun begins now!

But, before we fully jump into Summer 2015, we just recently announced the date for our Summer 2014 Annual Reunion. It will be on Sunday, January 25 at Funtime America in Eatontown, NJ from 10:30 am – 12:30 pm. We hope to see as many of our campers and staff in attendance to reminisce one final time just how great Summer 2014 was!

Speaking of reunions, with it being our 75th Anniversary Summer, camp will be hosting an Alumni Reunion on June 14, 2015. So, all alumni, near and far…Mark Your Calendars!…Tell your old bunkmates!….Make your way to the 18325 in June! And, let us know if you have any great ideas for the reunion and we’ll do our best to incorporate them into the weekend.

Of course, we can’t wait to see as many people as possible at one of the upcoming Canteen on the Fly events. Have some ice cream and receive some cool Canadensis swag.

Now that Fall is officially here, it allows me and the family to enjoy several fun annual rituals. A few weeks ago, me, Jaime and Emerson headed to Wightman’s Farms with family and friends for our yearly apple picking event. The day also incorporated hay rides, pumpkin sling shots, pumpkin picking and shopping for a lot of fresh, local produce. Coincidentally, we also ran into New York Giant quarterback Eli Manning, who was also enjoying the day with his family. Here are some pictures from our day…

Me, Jaime and Emerson in the orchards.

Our nephews Dylan and Harry with Emerson.

As many of you know me very well at this point, the Fall is my second favorite season for the reason that it is also Football Season and the time to root on my beloved Giants. With that, home games are filled with incredible tailgates. A few weeks ago, several Camp Canadensis families joined in on the fun. See the picture here…

At a recent Giants game, our tailgate had some added fun with the arrival of the Keim, Konstandt and Lagnado Families.

Fun in the Fall started with one of my favorite offseason activities, which is meeting all of our camp families in their homes and talking camp. First off, in Merrick, NY, I got to hang out with 5th grader Sam Pollack, who will be coming to camp for his first summer in 2015 as an Upper Inter Boy. Sam just recently got elected to his school’s student council, where he recently started putting together ideas for school spirit days. He is also involved in a bowling league. Pretty soon, he will start practices and games in the Bellmore-Merrick Basketball League. He is a big sports fan and roots for the Golden State Warriors in the NBA and the Yankees in the MLB. He also likes Gaga, trampolines and drawing caricatures. At camp next summer, he is looking forward to the sports inter-camps, quads/hondas and cooking. Here is a picture…

Me and Upper Inter Boy Sam Pollack.

In Syosset, NY, I spent some time with 2015 Lower Inter Girl Julia Schwartz. Currently in the 4th grade, Julia enjoys to dance at the World Class Performance Center. She is already preparing for recitals in the Spring in both hip hop and tap dance. Julia is also active in gymnastics and plays tennis. When at home, she plays the drums and takes care of her two dogs, Jett and Bandit. In the Winter, Julia likes to ski. For her first summer at camp, she is excited for all of the lake activities, tennis and hanging out with all of her new friends. Here is a photo…

Me with Lower Inter Girl Julia Schwartz.

In Muttontown, NY, I got to know Jake (4th grade) and Kate (2nd grade) Solomon, both who will be at Canadensis for their first summers in 2015. Jake told me that he just recently got the part of the Constable in a theater performance of Fiddler on the Roof. The show is in December. Over the Winter, he will also be playing on a basketball team. When he’s at home, Jake enjoys playing Minecraft and watching his favorite TV shows, Pair of Kings and Mighty Med. When Summer comes, he can’t wait to try the quads, the foam pit, Gaga and the Canadensis Today Show elective as part of the Lower Inter Boys division. As for Kate, she currently takes gymnastics lessons and plays on the Jericho Travel Soccer Team. She is also on a swim team. When at home, she could be seen watching her favorite TV shows, Pair of Kings and Labrats. When she gets to camp as a Lower Junior, Kate told me that she is excited for the ropes course and zipline, gymnastics and the foam pit. Here is a pic…

Me with Lower Inter Boy Jake Solomon, Lower Junior Girl Kate Solomon and family dog Rudy.

It was great to also get some wonderful e-mails this past month, letting me know that there have already been some camp get togethers and bunk sleepovers. We hope that there will be many more weekends of camp friends seeing each other. And, if you have some great photos, please send them to us. We’d love to see them! Here are some great pictures from the past few weeks…

Some of the Girls from Summer 2014’s Bunk 6 had a sleep over at Abby Yallof’s house. Here are Olivia Wax, Camryn Wax, Abby Yallof, Ella Gehrmann, Alexa Gingold, Alana Curley, Chloe Teig and Dayton Friedberg.

A Day in NYC! Some of the Girls from Summer 2014’s Bunk 4 spent some time in the big apple and stopped off for some lunch as well. Here are Dylan Dennis, Ella Shapiro, Amanda Weitz, Julia Pollak, Hannah Shinder, Jadyn Kestenbaum, Maya Sher and Marissa Halpern.

In one week, the Fun in Fall mantra will be at an extremely high decibel level as I would like to think that many of our Canadensis campers, families and staff will be enjoying Halloween, whether it be in the fashion of traditional trick-or-treating or attending some sort of Halloween party. Send us pictures of you in your costumes!

Well, that’s all of the blogging for now. More to come soon.

Have a great day!

-Brian

Brian’s Look Back at Summer 2014

Posted on September 16, 2014September 16, 2014 by Brian Krug

Hello Camp Canadensis!

I am writing this blog on Tuesday, September 16, one month since the buses pulled out of our seven week summer home. Over the past few weeks, I have taken some time to reflect on the spectacular summer that was 2014. As I look through all of the photos, videos and Canadensis Today shows from our time together, I no doubt smile at all of the wonderful memories we created together. It makes me want to go back in time and do it all over again. If only that time machine at the bottom of the foam pit were real! Ha Ha!

Here are some of the moments I really loved from the summer.

Morning Line-Up continues to be one of my favorite times of the camp day. The spirit and energy is incredibly contagious. The dancing. The singing. It’s all just so good. In 2014, my favorite morning line-up song was Paramore’s “Ain’t It Fun.”

I loved our spirit days this summer like “Wear Your Clothes Backwards Day” or “Wear Your Pajamas All Day” (pictured here). Let us know about spirit days we can do next year in Summer 2015.

The Evening Activities and Special Events at camp this summer were awesome! A particular favorite of camp’s this year was “The Voice.” I know I had fun coaching my contestants. Congratulations to Junior Boy Jake Weiss (above) for winning this year’s competition.

Our surprise shaving cream and water fight was one of my favorite moments from the summer. We got super messy and loved every single minute of it!

I thought the CIT Boys Prom Proposal was one of the best I have ever seen in my time at Canadensis. Their a cappella routine was so amazing!

The Bunk-O Afternoon, which now seems to be a tradition in only it's 2nd year, was great! This year, we surprised camp with a Kona Ices truck. Even Pam got in on the serving action.

The Bunk-O Afternoon, which now seems to be a tradition in only it’s 2nd year, was so much fun! This year, we surprised camp with a Kona Ices truck. Even Pam got in on the serving action.

Joe “Smasher” Lea plays the role of my pregnant ex-girlfriend at Ms. Canadensis. During the final announcement of the pageant’s winners, he pretends that his water breaks! Just hysterical!

In fact, it literally had me rolling on the floor laughing!

Zumba classes this year were awesome! Probably one of our most popular electives in 2014. Great job, Nicole! You were awesome!

Campers loved the sushi making activity in Cooking this year.

Tetherball came to Canadensis in 2014. It was an instant hit (no pun intended).

It always makes me feel good when brothers and sisters find each other at Fruit on the Fly. I’m sure it makes the parents feel good, too.

Some great Color War Fake breaks this year. First, the Chinese fortune cookie drop over camp.

Some great Color War Fake breaks this year. We had the Chinese fortune cookie drop over camp.

We had camp thinking that Barack Obama was making his way to the Pocono Mountains.

Then, for the first time in camp history, the parents of our CITs break Color War!

Our CITs wait their entire camp life for moments like this!

How great is it that tutus and cleats are a thing for Color War tug of war?!

Dean Krug? I was so blown away when I saw this picture as part of the Honor Roll Gold set. Thank you so much, Kate. This will now hang in my office for many years to come.

Congratulations to Varsity Blue on their Color War victory!

We had the largest number of CITs in the history of Camp Canadensis in Summer 2014. And...

We had the largest number of CITs in the history of Camp Canadensis in Summer 2014. Fifty in total. And…

They were amazing! Thank you CITs 2014 for helping make the summer so terrific! We hope you remember this summer for the rest of your lives.

Once again, it was the best summer ever!

What also made it the best summer ever, for me and Jaime, was the arrival of our daughter Emerson Paige Krug on August 23. She weighed in at 8 pounds, 6 ounces. Emerson and mom have been doing well at home over the past few weeks and we can’t wait for everyone at camp to meet the newest Canadensis camper. She is looking forward to meeting all of her camp family. In the meantime, here are some pictures…

Emerson already in her Camp Canadensis blue and gold. Thanks to our good friend Rebecca Konstandt for her photo shoot with Emmy. You can check out Rebecca’s work at www.beccakayephotos.com.

Emmy loves the outfit that Aunt Terri got for her.

Of course, my daughter will always be ready for Gameday!

Now that Summer 2014 is officially wrapped up, we start to look ahead for next year. With that, we hope that all of our campers will help us out and complete the Summer 2014 Camper Survey. We use this survey to help us with many of our plans and scheduling for next year. So, be sure to tell us what you loved about camp. Tell us what you think we can do better. Let us know some new ideas that we should be bringing to camp in Summer 2015, which will be camp’s 75th Anniversary Summer! The online survey can be found by clicking here.

And, even though summer is over and that our campers and many of our staff are back at school, we hope to see so many of you at one of our several off season events. In November, we will have our Canteen on the Fly ice cream events in Philly, New Jersey, Westchester County and Long Island. January will have us celebrating with our Annual Reunion. Then, there will be the Open House in late May up at camp. On top of all that, me, Eric, Pam, Cara and Matt will be on the road, meeting all of our camp families and staff throughout the year. We can’t wait to see as many of you as possible.

For those families that might be still interested in touring Canadensis for their child in Summer 2015. We have several Fall Tour days planned. They will be on September 21, October 26 and November 8. All tours are scheduled for 1 pm. If interested, please call our Winter office at 484.674.1941.

Finally, it was already great to see my inbox filled with a mini camp reunion. The Girls of Bunk 11 got together this past weekend in Long Island to celebrate the birthday of Jordyn Sherman with a sleepover party. Here is a pic…

Happy Birthday Jordyn Sherman. The Girls of Bunk 11 (Back Row from L to R): Bailey Germain, Julie Pulewitz, CIT Alyssa Kruman, Jordan Plant, Ilana Miller, Joey Dallow, Hannah Koenig, Jillian Wexler, Mackenzie Fuerth; (Front Row, from L to R): Rachel Stern and Birthday Girl Jordyn Sherman.

Well, that’s all of the blogging for now. More to come in the off season that lies ahead. How many days until Summer 2015? 283? Is it too early to start an official countdown?

Have a great day!

-Brian

May Day Up at Camp!

Posted on May 2, 2014June 23, 2014 by Brian Krug

This blog entry comes on Friday, May 2, a day after I was up at camp to see how everything is progressing for Summer 2014. I must say that a visit up to camp this time of year got me really pumped up! Even with harsh winter we experienced this year, camp looks absolutely terrific and many of our projects are either completed or in full swing. Matt Unger and his initial team of pre-camp workers are busy setting up camp for the arrival of our first pre-camp group this weekend. And, our kitchen is up and running as Chef David Stein and his team are serving three meals a day in the dining room. Yesterday, it was grilled cheese and tomato soup (a Brian favorite)!

As for all of the projects this year, here are just a few of the things that you will see for Summer 2014…

– Several of camp’s cabins will receive major renovations.

– Our Senior Basketball Courts will be repaved, resurfaced and repainted. They will also have brand new hoops.

– We will be continuing with our multi-year plan to pave many of camp’s internal roads.

– There will be a new deck with additional entrances to our Rec Hall facility.

– New tetherball courts will be added to the campus.

– There will be a new garden at camp.

– Several of our tennis courts will be repainted in addition to receiving new fencing.

– There will be a multitude of new signage around camp.

– We will be upgrading the ventilation system in our Gymnastics Pavilion.

– We will have new decking for the outdoor seating area of our Dining Hall.

– We will have a new Summit (which is currently being custom built for us).

A brand new summit is being custom built for Camp Canadensis!

On the scheduling side of camp things, we are working really hard to bring in a number of different one day workshops and clinics in a variety of different activity areas to make the summer a bit more special and unique. On top of that, we have added a number of new electives to the camp schedule.

Now that we are into May, we remind all of our camp families that CAMPER FORMS are due on May 9. So, please do not forget to submit all of our campers forms by next Friday. Very soon, we will be sending out Camper Elective choices. And, as has always been the case, we will only input choices for campers with all of their forms submitted.

Camper Forms are Due on May 9.

Here were some great updates we received from campers over the past few weeks…

2014 Upper Inter Girl Brooke Bednoff celebrate her birthday, Color War style! Brooke’s mom invited the bunk over (however, with Spring break, several of the bunkmates were away). However, that didn’t stop the fun for attendees Avery Shaw, Paige Miller and Skye Kades as Brook’es mom broke Color War, complete with whistles and silly string. An afternoon and evening of competition ensued between Blue Winter and Gold Summer. In the end, the blue team won, but both teams were definitely winners! Here are some pictures…

Color War breaks!

Gold Summer (Avery Shaw and Paige Miller) vs. Blue Winter (Skye Kades and Brooke Bednoff).

A campfire to end the day!

2014 Lower Senior boy has teamed up with a very special partner, New York Giant David Diehl, as part of his bar mitzvah project. Recently, they were at the Project Sunshine Annual Gala at the Waldorf Astoria in N.Y. and the two will be working together this spring spending time with sick children. Here is a photo…

Lower Senior Boy Harrison Keim with New York Giant David Diehl.

As always, some great home visits to report on over the past several weeks…

In Warren, NJ, I saw Danny and Sophia Brociner, who join us for their first and fourth summers at Canadensis, respectively. Danny, who is currently in the 4th grade and will be a Lower Inter, enjoys fishing and can be found at a nearby Dealeman’s Pond when the weather is warm with rod and reel. He also likes biking and gaga. Year round, he is active in his Cub Scout den and recently competed in the annual Pinewood Derby competition. In the Fall, Danny plays soccer. At camp this year, he is looking forward to Woodworking and the Hondas. As for Sophia, who currently in 7th grade and will be a Lower Senior this year, she is currently playing catcher on her Basking Ridge travel softball team. She also told me that her basketball team won the Warren Rec League. This has also been a big year for Sophia to see so many camp friends at a number of bat mitzvahs. Sophia celebrated her own back in October with an “Under the Sea” theme. Sophia wanted to give a shout out to the girls of Bunk 14 from Summer 2013 and is really looking forward to being a Senior this summer. Here is a pic…

Me with Lower Senior Girl Sophia Brociner and Lower Inter Boy Danny Brociner.

In Livingston, NJ, I got to hang out with Ben and Justin Nikpour. Justin joins us for his second summer as a Lower Inter and welcomes Ben for his first summer as an Upper Junior. Both boys have been very busy these days. Currently in 3rd grade, Ben is taking guitar lessons and also takes art classes, where he is currently working on different sculptures. Recently, he participated in his school’s law fair where students have to present a case and argument to a jury. The winner will actually get to present their case in Trenton, NJ. On top of that, Ben plays soccer and lacrosse in the Livingston Rec programs. At camp in 2014, he is excited to try woodworking and the quads. As for Justin, now in the 4th grade, he is playing attack on his Livingston Lancers travel lacrosse team. In the Fall, he played tackle football as a defensive lineman on the Livingston team. Recently, he had a sleepover with his camp friends from last summer and he wanted to give a shout out to the boys of Bunk 4 from Summer 2013. These days, Justin is also watching a lot of the NBA playoffs. At camp, Justin can’t wait for waterskiing and Color War. Here is a photo…

Me with Upper Junior Boy Ben Nikpour (center) and Lower Inter Boy Justin Nikpur (right).

Also in Livingston, NJ, I was with Ryan and Rachel Stern. Rachel is back for Summer #3 as an Upper Senior and is happy that Ryan will be at camp for his first summer as an Upper Junior. Ryan, who is in 3rd grade, is currently playing baseball on his team, the Brewers, where he plays pitcher, third base and shortstop. In the Winter, he plays on a basketball team. When at home, he can be found making videos. Some of his work can be found at the Awesome Cheese Channel on You Tube by clicking here. Ryan is also a fan of the New York Yankees, likes to write and and enjoys art. When he comes to Canadensis, he is ready for all of the sports, water sports, swimming and art activities. As for Rachel, who is in the 8th grade, it’s been a great year seeing many of her camp friends at a bunch of bat mitzvahs. Rachel celebrated her own big day in November, which was attended by many of her camp sisters. Rachel wanted to give a shout out to the Girls of Bunk 17 from Summer 2013 and she can’t wait to be with them in just a few months. Here is a snapshot…

Me with Upper Senior Girl Rachel Stern and Upper Junior Boy Ryan Stern.

For a final stop in Livingston, NJ, I was with Mason Levitt, a 4th grader who will be in our Lower Inter division this summer. Mason is currently playing third base and centerfield on his Cincinnati baseball team. He is also a purple belt in Tae Kwon Do. Also on his schedule of activities is his involvement with the Livingston Cub Scout pack. Recently, they took a trip to Washington, DC. Mason also let me know that his car won “Most Humorous” in this year’s Pinewood Derby competition. On top of all that, Mason is a trivia maven when it comes to all things Star Wars and Superheroes. In fact, Mason had me stumped on some Star Wars trivia (and I consider myself pretty knowledgeable on the subject). When he comes to camp for his first summer, Mason is ready to try the hondas and quads and waterskiing as well as spending the summer with his cousins (Rebecca and David Altschul). Here is a photo…

Me with Lower Inter Boy Mason Levitt.

In Richboro, PA, I spent some time with Jack and Nicole Zibelman. Nicole will be joining us at camp for her 6th summer as a Super Senior and she is beyond excited to welcome Jack to camp for his first summer as an Upper Junior. Currently in 3rd grade, Jack plays drums and is recently practicing for an upcoming concert at Penguin’s where he will be playing Rolling Stones classic tunes “Satisfaction,” “Get Off My Cloud,” and “Honky Tonk Women.” In addition to that, he plays hockey and tennis and is a talented hip hop dancer. At home, he enjoys magic and card tricks. This summer, he is excited for Color War, the banana boat, water trampoline and the trip to Dorney Park because he really likes roller coasters. Now in the 9th grade, Nicole is playing tennis for her JV school team. As always, she is keeping in touch with her camp friends and recently went to bunkmate Ali Beyda’s house. Nicole wanted to give a shout out to the Girls of Bunk 18 from Summer 2013. She is really looking forward to having her brother at camp as well as all of the privileges of being a Super Senior, including the College Tour trip. Here is a picture…

Me with Upper Junior Boy Jack Zibelman and Super Senior Girl Nicole Zibelman.

In Armonk, NY, I met up with Abby and Alex Yallof, twins who are in the 4th grade and will be part of the Lower Inter division in their first summer at camp. Abby is busy with gymnastics lessons as well as rehearsing her hip hop routine for an upcoming dance recital. She is also involved in her community theater, where she recently played the lead role in Mary Poppins. In another rendition of Mary Poppins, she played as Michael. She has also performed in other shows such as Wizard of Oz, Aladdin and The Sound of Music. At Canadensis in 2014, she is looking forward to having her birthday at camp, meeting tons of new people and making memories with her bunk. As for Alex, he is currently playing pitcher on his baseball team, the Bulls, and midfield on his soccer team, the Castleford Hurricanes. In the Winter, he plays indoor soccer and basketball. Alex told me that when it comes to rooting for teams, he cheers for the Yankees, Nets, Rangers, Islanders, Giants and Jets. At camp, he can’t wait to try the hondas and playing all of the sports. Here is a photo…

Me with Lower Inter Girl Abby Yallof and Lower Inter Boy Alex Yallof.

In Millwood, NY, I saw the Forsters…Sammi, Ally and Erik. Twins Sammi and Ally are back for a 4th summer at camp as part of the Freshman division and are happy to introduce Erik to camp as an Upper Junior. Currently in 6th grade, Ally and Sammi have been busy since camp ended last year playing on the Northeast Regional Olympic Development Soccer team. Sammi plays forward on that team while Ally is a midfielder. Both also play on a local team, the Red Storm. In the upcoming weeks, the twins will celebrate their bat mitzvah. This summer at camp, the girls said they are basically looking forward to everything and wanted to give a shout out to Girls Bunk 10 from Summer 2013. They are also excited that their brother Erik is coming for his first summer. Erik, currently in 3rd grade, is playing right now on his baseball team, the Diamondbacks. He also plays midfield on his soccer team, the Red Storm. When at home, Erick enjoys playing video games like Madden 25 and Call of Duty and rooting for his favorite teams, the Heat, Nets, Mets and Seahawks. At camp in 2014, Erik can’t wait for all the activities at the lake, woodworking, glass fusion, Color War, the water slides and the trip to Dorney Park. Here is a pic…

Me with Freshman Girls Sammi and Ally Forster and Upper Junior Boy Erik Forster.

In Plymouth Meeting, PA, I got to know Zoey and Tanner Joseph, both who will be joining us at camp in 2014 for their first summers. Zoey is in the 5th grade and will be an Upper Inter while Tanner is in the 7th grade and will be a Lower Senior. Zoey is currently rehearsing a modern lyrical dance routine at the Institute of Dance Artistry for an upcoming recital in May. She also plays midfield on her travel soccer team, the Colonial Wildcats. When at home, she likes to write her own songs and sing. Zoey let me know that she loves dogs and animals. When she gets to Canadensis, she is excited for the ropes course and zipline, the quads and all of the sports at camp. As for Tanner, he is playing third base on his baseball team, the Blue Jays. In the winter, he plays in a basketball league. In the fall, he plays midfield on his travel soccer team, the Colonial Pythons. When it comes time to rooting for sports, he is a big fan of the Eagles, 76ers, Phillies, Flyers and Union. Tanner is really excited for the hondas and all of the sports at camp. Here is a snapshot…

Me with Upper Inter Girl Zoey Joseph and Lower Senior Boy Tanner Joseph.

Well, that’s all of the blogging for now. I’m sure everyone coming to camp this summer has their Canadensis Countdown in effect! Have a great day!

-Brian

April Excitement!

Posted on April 10, 2014June 23, 2014 by Brian Krug

Hello Canadensis!

I hope this blog entry finds everyone celebrating with some Spring cheer! Finally, it seems like the bad weather we’ve experienced in the Northeast all Winter long is behind us. For us in the Winter office, plans for the Summer are in high gear! It’s time for some April Excitement!

Excitement for us really hit a great note a few weeks ago when we attended the Annual American Camp Association Tri-State Conference in Atlantic City, NJ. This is the largest gathering of camp professionals each year. This year, there were more than 3500 people in attendance. The multi-day convention is a great opportunity to attend a number of different workshops hosted by trainers and camping professionals in which topics range from child development to facility improvements to new practices and procedures for camps to staff training. We always find our trek to South Jersey really great and it inspired a lot of new ideas for the upcoming summer. The convention also gives us an opportunity to cruise through the vendor hall which features all different kinds of companies that want to bring their products or services to camp. Here was a picture I took of Cara and Eric experimenting with a camp program that teaches campers how to broadcast the weather…

Canadensis Today Show hosts Cara and Eric meet with weatherman John Marshall in front of the green screen.

The image was then on the screen as if they were doing the weather as seen on your local TV newscast.

On Sunday, April 6, we celebrated our New Camper Bounce Event at Rebounderz in Edison, NJ. First off, we wanted to thank all of the families that took time out of their busy schedules and made it out to Central New Jersey. Our Juniors and Lower Inters of Summer 2014 enjoyed their time and spent a few hours filled with bouncing on trampolines, playing arcade games, eating pizza and playing some New Camper Bingo. For those families that couldn’t make it, no worries. We hope that you’ll be at our Open House Event on Sunday, June 1 at camp. Here are a few pictures from the New Camper Bounce…

Many of our 2014 Junior Girls.

Some of our new 2014 Lower Inter Girls and Boys.

Last week, we opened up our tour scheduling book and it has been great speaking to so many families that are interested in seeing Canadensis this summer for their children that would be coming to camp in 2015. We have also had a lot of interest in our Tour and More Weekend and Play Day. For more information about that opportunity (including how to enroll), you can click here.

For our existing families, hopefully you have begun to start working on your camp forms, many which are due a month from now on May 9. If not, you might want to start doing that very, very soon.

We would also like to congratulate the winners of our Annual Camp Canadensis March Madness bracket challenge winners. On the camper side of things, we had a three way tie between Andrew Wagner, Max Wittenberg and Ashton Wittenberg. For the staff, our winner was Samm “Twin Pop” Falk. Congratulations guys! This summer, we will have your prizes waiting for you at a morning line-up. This was the first year that no one in the entire bracket picked the overall winner, UConn.

Congrats to Andrew, Max, Ashton and Samm for winning this year’s bracket.

What would a blog be without reporting on the home visits I was at this month. Here are all of the great visits from the past few weeks…

In Port Washington, NY, I spent some time with Jack McMillan, who will be coming to camp for his first summer. Jack is currently in the 3rd grade and will be in our Upper Junior Boys division in 2014. Jack loves to go skiing and is already skiing double black diamonds while on ski trips to Lake Tahoe, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York and Massachusetts. He recently played in the PYA Basketball League. Jack enjoys biking, building model rockets and model cars as well as racing remote controlled Traxxas cars. He showed me one of his cars and they are really cool! This summer, Jack is looking forward to activities like water skiing, the quads and cooking. Here is a picture…

Me with Upper Junior Boy Jack McMillan.

In North Caldwell, NJ, I saw Daniel Gold, who is a 4th generation Canadensis camper. Wow! Currently in 4th grade, this will be Daniel’s first summer at camp as part of our Lower Inter Boys division. Daniel just recently finished up his hockey season, where he played forward on his team, the Blackhawks, who made it to the championship game. In the Fall and Spring, he plays forward, midfield and goalie on a soccer team. In the Winter, he trains for soccer as well. When at home, he enjoys playing Madden 25 and fantasy football. Daniel let me know that he won his fantasy football league’s championship in his first year of playing. His favorite sports teams are the Flyers, Phillies and Red Bulls. He also enjoys reading Sports Illustrated and Roald Dahl books. At camp, he is excited for Color War and the trip to Dorney Park. Here is a pic…

Me with Lower Inter Boy Daniel Gold.

While at Daniel's home, his dad (Michael), who also attended Camp Canadensis brought out a piece of great camp memorabilia...his Color War T-Shirt from 1990!

While at Daniel’s home, his dad (Michael), who also attended Camp Canadensis brought out a piece of great camp memorabilia. Here is Michael’s Color War T-Shirt from 1990!

In Pine Brook, NJ, I hung out with Camryn Wax, who will be in our Lower Inter Girls division this summer for her first summer at Canadensis. In the 4th grade, Camryn just finished up her basketball season in the Montville Rec Basketball League where she played on her team called the Super Shooters. She is also involved in a Girls Scout Troop, where she told me of a cool experience where she got to camp out and sleep at the Museum of Natural History. Camryn also enjoys gymnastics and takes art classes. At home, she has been known to break out her pogo stick and once set a personal record of more than 1000 jumps. She could have done more if her father (who was counting) didn’t tell her to stop. Ha Ha! When she comes to camp, Camryn told me she is excited for all of the activities at the lake, swimming and the Art Center. Here is a photo…

Me with Lower Inter Girl Camryn Wax.

In Livingston, NJ, I got to know the Friedman twins, Ryan and Zach, who are in the 2nd grade and will be in our Lower Junior Boys division in 2014. Both boys play hockey in floor hockey leagues, but Zach roots for the Rangers while Ryan is a fan of the Devils. Ryan also plays ice hockey. Both brothers also play basketball and tennis. Zach added golf to his list of activities, too. When it comes to video games, they enjoy Minecraft. Zach also plays a game called Head Soccer while Ryan plays a game called Big Win Fantasy. When they get to camp for their first summer this year, both are looking forward to playing in the CHL (Canadensis Hockey League) and all of the sports activities. Here is a picture…

Me with Lower Junior Boys Zach and Ryan Friedman.

In New York, NY, I met up with Jake Herzberg, who is in the 4th Grade and will be in our Lower Inter Boys division this summer. Jake likes to play basketball. Now that the weather is warming up, he just started playing in a baseball league, too. When at home, he is a big fan of Minecraft, watching his favorite TV Show “Family Guy,” playing the piano and rooting for his favorite basketball team, the Chicago Bulls. Jake also told me that he loves to eat a lot of junk food. When he comes to Canadensis for his first summer this year, he is really ready for Color War, fishing, archery, waterskiing, the quads and free play. Here is a picture…

Me with Lower Inter Boy Jake Herzberg.

It’s always nice to hear when our campers have a chance to see each other throughout the year. Here were some pictures of get-togethers and bunk reunions that we received over the past month…

Summer 2013’s Bunk 11 got together over Martin Luther King Weekend for a ski trip in the Poconos. From Left to Right: Max Wittenberg, younger brother Ashton Wittenberg, Reid Wollock, Eli Levi, Spencer Rothfleisch, younger brother Jack Rothfleisch, Max Edelman and Zach Richman.

Some of Lower Junior Girls for Summer 2014 saw each other in New York City. From Left to Right: Rayla Kratchman, Julianna Edelman, Jenna Feig, Ava Krasin, Ruby Spielberger and Alexa Lagnado.

Most of Girls Bunk 16 had a sleepover weekend, which also included some shopping in New York City. From Left to Right: Mallory Kanterman, Amanda Seligman, Rachel Green, Carly Koutcher, Jordyn Marburg, Sabrina Snyder, Alexa Dersovitz and Ally Levitt.

Counselor Jake Asman had some really cool news to share with us. Jake, who attends Ithaca College as a Media Production major, has really kick started his broadcast career. Over the past few weeks, he has had interviews with several big names in the world of sports including ESPN analyst and former football player Damien Woody, former New York Giants punter Sean Landeta and WFAN radio broadcaster Steve Somers (who just so happens to be a favorite of both mine and Jake’s). Jake and partner Dan Budick have their own podcast that you can check out by clicking here. Nice job, Jake!

Canadensis counselor and Ithaca Media Production Major Jake Asman has had some great interviews on his recent podcast. Check out the link at http://ictv.org/asmanandbudick/.

Well, that’s all of the blogging for now. Have a great day!

-Brian

March Means Double Digits for our Summer Countdown!

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Brian Krug

Hello Canadensis…

March is here! For some, March is defined by the weather outside as it will come in like a lion and out like a lamb and Spring will be in the air. For others, it means they are excited for the upcoming college basketball tournament, also known as March Madness. March could also mean Spring Break for college students. And, March is also the time when we think about our taxes (although e’d prefer not to…ha ha). Whereas all of these are true, if you’re coming to Camp Canadensis this summer, it means that in this month, we will hit the 99 days to camp mark and no longer have to use three digits in our Countdown to Summer 2014!

For us here in the Winter office, the past month has been incredibly busy. This time of the year is the “heart” of our new staff recruitment season. We hit the road to a number of different colleges this year in search of the best staff around. For me, I went to upstate New Y0rk to four colleges we hadn’t been to in quite some time. They were Alfred University, Ithaca College, SUNY-Cortland and Binghamton University. In addition to meeting many new interested staff, I was able to catch up with some very familiar faces…

At Ithaca College, I met up and had dinner with counselors and former campers Mike Levien and Jake Asman, both who will be back in Summer 2014!

At Binghamton University, I had lunch with former campers and counselors Paige Gindi and Amanda Mirsky. Both Paige and Amanda say hi to everyone at camp! Paige is excited to return this summer while Amanda will certainly be up to visit.

Last weekend, the camp juices really started to flow with our annual Leadership Weekend Retreat, which was held near our Winter Office in Plymouth Meeting, PA. This time together really allowed our administrative staff to hammer out some of the key topics as we plan an amazing summer. Our head staff discussed many topics from summer planning and scheduling to staffing and personnel to many campers’ favorite topic…Color War! As you may know, this meeting is also the starting point each year to determining the Color War names for Summer 2014. This year, we came up with a number of very good possibilities. If you would like to hear some of the names, you can e-mail us at (Wait! Did you really think that I was going to give you the names…Ha Ha!) Here is a picture from the weekend…

Our Leadership Team came together last weekend for a full weekend of camp talk!

Planning Summer 2014.

In my next blog, I’ll be sure to share some pictures from the 2014 Annual Tri-State Camping Conference in Atlantic City, NJ, where we always seem to get some good ideas for the summer.

Over the past month, I got a few cool pictures from camp families and staff that I wanted to share with everyone as well…

Ava and Marlee Krasin are keeping warm and are in camp spirit wearing their new Candensis hats.

The Snyders and Kilmans met up for ice cream while on their vacations in Boca Raton, FL. From left to right: Sage Snyder, Samantha Kilman, Sabrina Snyder and Emily Kilman.

2014 Lower Inter Boys Drew Spielberger (front) and Ben Keim (back) met up in Mt. Snow, VT for a weekend of skiing and tubing.

Basketball Counselor Vince Tranquillo, who goes to the University of Pittsburgh, sent in this picture of him and legendary Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim. Later that night, Vince saw Syracuse beat his Pitt Panthers on a dramatic buzzer beating shot.

Since my last blog, there are a lot of great home visits to tell you about…

In Merrick, NY, I got to meet Adam and Bradley Lieberman, both who will be coming to Canadensis for their first summers. Adam is in the 5th grade and will be in our Upper Inter Boys division while Bradley is in 4th grade and will be in the Lower Inter Boys division. Both are very busy guys throughout the year. Adam plays defense and midfield on his travel soccer team, the Gunners. He plays rec and travel basketball on his team, the Cougars. In the Spring, it will be rec and travel baseball on his team, the Cyclones. He plays football, too. When at home, he plays X-Box, with his favorite game these days being NBA 2K14, as well as rooting for favorite sports teams the Giants, Yankees and Knicks. This summer at camp, Adam is looking forward to signing up for Super Leagues like the CBL and IBL as well as participating in activities like the hondas/quads, lake, water slides and canteen. For Bradley, his activties include playing on a travel basketball team. Over the winter months, he is training for his upcoming baseball seasons, where he plays in both rec and travel leagues. He also plays football. When at home, Bradley can be found playing X-Box. His favorite game is Madden 25. He is a fan of the NFL, the Knicks and Yankees. Bradley also told me he is a pretty good cook and has been known to cook his family breakfast. Finally, he plays the trumpet. At camp in 2014, he is looking forward to water skiing, all the activities at the lake and intercamp games. Here is a picture…

Me with Upper Inter Boy Adam Lieberman (left) and Lower Inter Boy Bradley Lieberman (right).

Also in Merrick, NY, I hung out with Aidan “Kope” Kopelman, who is in the 4th grade and will be in our Lower Inter Boys division this year in his first summer. Aidan plays forward on his travel soccer team, the Merrick Arsenal, which competes in the Fall, Winter and Spring. He takes tennis lessons. Aidan let me know that he is an avid reader and basically likes to read everything. He is a big sports fan of the Yankees and Giants. In fact, Aidan shared with me a cool story involving each team. First, Aidan had the opportunity to run the bases at Yankee Stadium. Second, a few years ago, he attended the Giants Super Bowl victory in Indianapolis. Some pretty cool stories! Aidan likes to snow ski. One day, he says he wants to be a cook. Recently, he visited the Food Network’s “Chopped” kitchen. At camp this summer, Aidan is ready to try the Canadensis Today Show elective, quads/hondas, water skiing and the zipline. He is also looking forward to the special Thursdays we have planned at camp. Here is a pic…

Me with Lower Inter Boy Aidan Kopelman.

In Short Hills, NJ, I saw Austin and Mitch Braunstein. Mitch returns for his 4th summer in our Freshman Boys division and he is happy to be joined by his brother Austin, who will be in our Upper Junior boys division in his first summer. Mitch plays in the Millburn Basketball League on his team, the Trailblazers. In the Spring, he will be playing baseball. Mitch wanted to give a shout out to the boys of Bunk 10 from Summer 2013. This summer, he is really excited for his division’s trip to Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame. Austin also plays in the Millburn Basketball League on his team, the Bobcats. In the Spring, it will be baseball time for Austin as well. When hanging out at home, Austin likes to play his favorite video game, Subway Surfers. And, when the weather warms up, he likes to fish. Here is a photo…

Me with Upper Junior boy Austin Brauntein (left) and Freshman boy Mitch Braunstein (right).

In Livingston, NJ, I met up with Mason Levine, who is in the 3rd grade and will be in our Upper Junior boys division in his first summer at Canadensis. In the Fall, Mason plays on a soccer team. In the Spring, he plays baseball. When Mason is hanging out at home with his friends, he is a big fan of the game Minecraft, likes to build Legos and watch his favorite TV show, Spongebob Squarepants. Mason is also involved with his Cub Scout pack and recently earned the award for Best Paintjob in the scout’s annual Pinewood Derby. Mason is also a big New York Giants fan. This summer, he told me that he is ready to meet new friends, swimming, the water slides and fishing. Here is a picture…

Me and Upper Junior boy Mason Levine.

In Lafayette Hill, PA, I saw Jordyn and Jared Rutman. Jordyn is back at Canadensis for her 3rd summer as part of our Upper Inter Girls division and Jared joins us for Summer #1 as a Lower Junior boy. Now in 5th grade, Jordyn rehearses in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical and hip hop dance classes in preparation for her recital in the Spring. She also plays on her travel soccer team, the Wildcats. This year, she can be found at the weekly Friday Night Skate at her local ice rink. Of course, Jordyn told me she loves chatting with her bunkmates all year long. She wanted to remind her camp sisters from last summer, that they are still the “Bunk 6 Chicks!” When I asked her what she is looking forward to the most next summer, Jordyn simply replied, “Everything!” As for Jared, now in the 2nd grade, he is busy with all kinds of sports. Currently, he is playing in the Whitemarsh Basketball League, where his team was in the playoffs. In the Spring, he will move onto baseball season. In the Fall, he plays in a travel soccer league as well. On top of all that, he plays football and hockey, too. He is a big fan of the Flyers, Eagles Phillies and Union teams. In his first summer at camp, he excited for activities such as hockey, the lake, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, gaga, baseball and the quads. Here is a photo…

Me with Lower Junior Boy Jared Rutman and Upper Inter Girl Jordyn Rutman.

In Villanova, PA, I spent some time with Skye and Griffin Kades. Skye will be at camp for her 3rd summer in our Upper Inter Girls division while Griffin will be spending his first summer as a Lower Junior boy. Skye, who is in 5th grade, has been busy with her dance team at the Liberty Me Company, where she has been in rehearsals for hip hip, lyrical, jazz and contemporary routines. Skye is also involved with her gymnastics. Skye filled me in that she can certainly be found messaging and texting her bunkmates from last year’s Girls Bunk 8. Her message to all of them was “taco!” She is looking forward to absolutely everything in Summer 2014. Griffin, currently in 2nd grade, loves to play soccer. He plays forward on teams that compete in the Fall, Winter and Spring. He also takes tennis lessons. When at home, he plays Minecraft, X-Box and on his i-Pad. He is also a chess player. At camp this summer, he is ready to play gaga, soccer, the banana boat and fishing. Here is a pic…

Me with Upper Inter Girl Skye Kades and Lower Junior Boy Griffin Kades.

Well, that’s all of the blogging for now.

Have a great day!

-Brian

Can Anyone Make Summer Come Quicker?!

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Brian Krug

Hello Canadensis!

I write this blog post after another snow storm hit our area last night. Woke up with a mix of snow, ice and freezing rain! And, all I have to say about this Winter is…I’m Done! A few blogs back, I wrote that we should consider opening up Camp Canadensis Pacific in the Winter in Hawaii. That thought has crossed my mind several times over the past few weeks. And, when I go to the Camp Canadensis website, it still says that there is more than 140 days until camp. Ugh! Can anyone make Summer come quicker?!

Anyway, thoughts of summer certainly kept us warm a few weeks ago at our Annual Winter Reunion on Sunday, January 26. This year, we gathered at the Funplex in East Hanover, NJ for a few hours of games, rides and fun! We were happy to see so many camp families brave the elements (it was really cold on that Sunday) to make their way to see everyone. We had over 350 campers and staff in attendance. Special thanks to all of the counselors and staff who took time out of their busy schedules to be with us to celebrate this occasion. The counselors always make events like these extra special. For pictures and videos of the Reunion, including a special Canadensis 411, go to our Facebook page by clicking here. Pictures can also be found in the “My Account” section of the camp website. Here are some Reunion pics to share right now with you…

Some of the Girls from 2013’s Bunk 20 got to see counselor Dani Corradetti at the Reunion.

Luca and Cole from Summer 2013’s Bunk 2 were excited to be at the Reunion.

Lindsay and Amanda win an armful of tickets from all of the games.

Jeremy and Ben get ready to ride!

Some of the Girls from Summer 2013’s Bunk 12 just hanging out.

Here are just some of our Summer 2014 CITs!

Speaking of reunions, we are happy to share with our Alumni of camp that our 75th Anniversary Summer Reunion will be held on June 15, 2015. Mark your calendars now and be sure to make your way back to Canadensis, PA to help us celebrate camp’s Diamond Anniversary.

Mark your calendars now!

The camp office is starting to get really busy this time of year. If you haven’t kept up with everything, we have now begun many of our staff travels to hire new staff for Summer 2014. Some destination pictures have also been posted on our Facebook page. A lot of the planning for the summer has begun to take place as well. Pam and I met with other Pike County camps last week to begin to put together our schedule of intercamp games. We are also looking into a number of different one day clinics where we bring in outside instructors to teach specific skills. As always, we received a lot of great feedback from the surveys you completed after the summer was over. We use this information to know what activities you would like to see return in 2014.

With the Super Bowl played last Sunday in New Jersey, I am wondering if any of our camp families were fortunate enough to attend the game? If so, I’d love to see pictures. I also want to use this time to congratulate Boys Head Counselor and his Seattle Seahawks on such a dominating win! The Seahawks were just too much to handle this Sunday and even though he is 3000 miles away right now, I can still somehow hear Marshall saying, “Yeah, Seattle!”

I can only imagine that we will see Boys Head Counselor Marshall Weinstein in a shirt like this in Summer 2014?

Whereas Marshall will be able to tell us that his team is the reigning NFL Super Bowl champion all summer long, I have to do my “talking” while I can. If you haven’t noticed, this week, my alma mater, the Syracuse Orange are the #1 team in college basketball after an amazing overtime win this past weekend versus Duke (which happens to by Girls Senior Head Counselor Shari Tavroff’s favorite team). The Carrier Dome (Syracuse’s home court) set an indoor college basketball record with 35,446 fans in attendance. As is tradition in our household, if Syracuse ever reaches the top spot in the rankings, my wife Jaime says she’ll paint her toenails orange. She has an appointment on Saturday! Here was the picture of the toes the last time we hit #1…

Last time Syracuse was number one in basketball, Jaime painted her toenails orange. She even got Otto (Syracuse’s mascot), too! My wife is awesome!

A few weeks ago, Jaime and I, along with some of our friends, got to see the the musical tour of the show Million Dollar Quartet. This was special for a few reasons. Most importantly, it is the show that my brother Michael works on as a stage manager. Since Michael tours around the world, I don’t get to see him that often. So, it was nice to catch up. Second, it was special because Michael took us on a backstage tour before the show, letting us see how all the magic is done. It also included a sound check by the performers, which was so cool because the show is loosely based around the night in 1956 when rock stars Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins all got together to record. So, the sound check was much like a concert. The show, by the way, was awesome. Here is a picture of us on stage before the show…

Me and Jaime and friends on the set of the Million Dollar Quartet tour.

A lot of great home visits to tell you about in this blog as well…

In Syosset, NY, I met up with Ethan Goodman, who is currently in the 4th grade and will be in our Lower Inter Boys division in his first summer at Canadensis. Ethan has a wide range of interests and activities that he is involved with throughout the year. To start, he plays the trombone and the piano. He will actually be playing the piano at an upcoming NYSSMA competition. His musical skills continue on as he is also in the school chorus, where he recently performed a Winter concert. Ethan is also on a swim team called the Dolphins where he has also won a number of ribbons this season. On top of that, he takes gymnastics classes, likes video games and loves to read. When asked about his favorite series of books, Ethan told me he enjoys Harry Potter the best. This summer, Ethan is looking forward to making new friends along with all of the activities such as the zipline and ropes course, waterskiing, camping, the Canadensis Today Show, Hondas and mountain biking. Here is a picture…

Me with Lower Inter Boy Ethan Goodman.

In Weston, CT, I got to spend some time with Sam and Zac Kurian, both who will be joining us at camp for their first summers. Sam will be in our Upper Junior Boys division while Zac will be part of our Lower Junior Boys division in 2014. Currently in 3rd grade, Sam is busy with parkour classes and tennis lessons. In addition, he also plays ice hockey in the Darien Hockey League on a team called the Blue Blades, which is currently playing for the league championship. When at home, Sam enjoys video games, with Civilization and Skylanders right now being his favorites. When he comes to camp, Sam is excited to play dodgeball, gaga, hockey, football and baseball as well as go on the watermat in the lake. As for Zac, who is in 2nd grade, he is busy with parkour classes and tennis lessons, too. But, Zac also takes karate lessons and is currently a yellow belt. Zac enjoys video games at home, too. His favorites are Minecraft and Skylanders Swap Force. At Canadensis this summer, Zac is looking forward to activities like banana boating, art, woodworking and rocketry. Here is a pic..

Me with Lower Junior Boy Zac Kurian (left) and Upper Junior Boy Sam Kurian (right).

In Orange, CT, I saw Jason Marino, who is coming to camp for his first year as part of our Lower Inter Boys division. Now in 4th grade, Jason loves baseball. In the Spring, he will once again start playing in the Orange Little League, where he usually plays pitcher and 3rd base. While the snow is still on the ground, Jason trains inside to keep his skills sharp at an indoor facility called The Grind. Jason is also a big fan of the New York Yankees. On many weekends, you can find Jason skiing at Mt. Snow. When at home, he enjoys building Legos, playing Minecraft, reading the Conspiracy 365 books and watching movies. Jason recently watched the classic Back to the Future trilogy and loved it. Finally, Jason is a big New York Giants fan and enjoys listening to Maroon 5. At camp this summer, he is excited for the Hondas and quads, playing in the CBL, waterskiing and glass fusion. Here is a photo…

Me with Lower Inter Boy Jason Marino.

In Penn Valley, PA, I enjoyed getting to know Matthew Moskow, who is currently in the 2nd grade. For Matthew, if there is a sports season, he will be playing something. Currently, he plays in the PVJSA Basketball League on his Drexel team. In the Spring, he will play baseball. In the Fall, he played soccer. Matthew also made sure to remind me that he is a big Philadelphia Eagles fan and even told me that he got to attend his first two games at the stadium this year. Matthew also likes to go to sleepovers at friends’ houses, likes to play the Madden 25 video game and likes to read the Big Nate book series. As a Lower Junior in his first summer at camp in 2014, Matthew is excited to make new friends, play a lot of sports, go waterskiing and participate in Color War, especially the Apache Relay. Here is a picture…

Me with Lower Junior Boy Matthew Moskow.

In Roslyn Heights, NY, I was hanging out with Gabriella Fischer, who is currently in the 3rd grade and will be an Upper Junior Girl in her first summer at Canadensis. Gabriella loves to perform. Just recently, she starred as Ms. Hannigan in the Roslyn Theater Company performance of “Annie.” Gabriella takes dance classes. In the Spring, she will take part in the dance company’s recital. While at her house, she shared with me her Yummy collection. For those that don’t know what a Yummy is (I didn’t), you can click here. Gabriella also really enjoys have sleep overs with friends. She let me know that her upcoming birthday party is going to have a baking theme. Finally, Gabriella let me know that camp is going to be a perfect place for her because she is someone that just likes to be silly and funny. When I asked her what she is looking forward to at camp, she said, “Pretty much everything!” She is particularly looking forward to going in the lake, the zipline and free play. Here is a pic…

Me with Upper Junior Girl Gabriella Fischer.

In Syosset, NY, I was with 3rd grade boy Jake Weiss, who will be an Upper Junior in his first summer at Canadensis. Jake has a variety of interests. To start, he likes to act. Some of his recent roles were playing Danny in “Grease,” Phil in “Hercules,” and Mike Tee Vee in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” Jake loves music and plays guitar and violin in addition to singing. He likes to swim. In the Fall, Jake played in a soccer league. When at home, he really enjoys playing X-Box, building Legos and having Connect 4 and Life Tournaments with his family. When Jake gets to camp in June, he can’t wait to try activities like archery, waterskiing, the climbing wall, zipline and performing in the camp show. Here is a photo…

Me with Upper Junior Boy Jake Weiss.

In Newtown, PA, I was having a great time with the Cramer brothers, Ben and Drew. Ben is back for his third summer at camp as part of the Upper Inter Boys division and will now be joined at camp with his brother Drew, who will be in the Upper Junior Boys division for his first year. Now in 5th grade, Ben plays in three different basketball leagues. In the Spring, he will once again be playing travel baseball. On top of that, he takes tennis lessons. When at home, he enjoys playing on the i-Pad. Ben wanted to give a shout out to the Boys of Bunk 6 from Summer 2013 and wanted to remind them of their bunk motto, which was “Bunk 6 gets chicks!” When I asked Ben what he is excited about for next summer, he enthusiastically replied, “Everything!” As for Drew, who is in the 3rd grade, he is a huge fan of WWE Wrestling. His favorite wrestlers are the Big Boss Man and Randy Orton. Recently, Drew attended a few live shows that came to the Philadelphia area. Drew is also a wrestler, too, and is a member of the Council Rock Wrestling team, where he recently took 3rd place in a tournament. Drew also plays basketball on his team the Wolfpack and plays flag football. When at home, he enjoys X-Box and Minecraft. This summer, he is ready for activities like canteen and the wrestling elective. Here is a picture…

Me with Upper Inter Boy Ben Cramer (middle) and Upper Junior Boy Drew Cramer (right).

We love to get e-mails from campers and staff for our blog posts. Here are some pictures I received over the past few weeks…

Before our Reunion, some of the girls from Summer 2013’s Bunk 5 had a sleepover at Zoe Gellert’s house. Pictured here from left to right are Lily Frezel, Haley Brettschneider, Zoe Gellert, Avery Wollock, Haley Segal and Marissa Brucker.

Former camper and recent staff member Greg Ricken shared with us a surprise gift he received recently in which all of his past camp t-shirts were turned into a blanket! So cool!

Well, that’s all of the blogging for now. Supposedly, it is supposed to snow again this weekend! Can Summer get here any quicker?

Have a great day!

-Brian

It’s 2014!

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Brian Krug

Hello Canadensis…

Happy New Year! I don’t know when the latest date you should stop saying “Happy New Year,” so I’m still wishing everyone a Happy New Year! Ha Ha! By the way, when is an appropriate time to stop wishing others a Happy New Year?

I’m sure everyone is happy to welcome in 2014. For those coming to camp in 2014, the best part of entering a new year is that we can now say that camp is THIS year and not NEXT year. Our office is back and busy at work. We have now “hit the road,” starting a lot of our new staff hiring. Eric is in Australia. Matt is in Eastern Europe. And, Pam is in England. We know that they will bring back great stories of all the new wonderful staff they’ve hired. Be sure to check out our Facebook page for instant updates.

Before we got back into the swing of things, we all had some nice time over the holidays to spend with our friends and families. Jaime and I got some rest and relaxation in, but also kept up with some annual traditions. Each year, Jaime and I build a gingerbread structure in honor of the holidays. This year it was a carousel. Here is a picture of our handy work…

Me and Jaime built this gingerbread carousel over the holiday break. In front of the fireplace, it looks very festive!

We also spent our Christmas Day going to the movies as another annual tradition. This year, we saw two really good ones (American Hustle and Saving Mr. Banks). I really thought “Saving Mr. Banks” was terrific! In fact, I thought it was the best movie I had seen this year. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it as a must see.

One final tradition for me and Jaime was going to Madison Square Garden to see the annual Phish concerts. Most years, they play four nights there. This year, we hit up three of the shows. New Year’s Eve marked the final show for their 30th Anniversary Year as a band. Pretty cool. Over the course of a few nights, we ran into Aaron Stutz, who helped run Evening Activities in Summer 2013 and former camper and counselor Adam Scharfberg. Here is a picture of the New Year’s Eve show from the stage with more than 100,000 balloons coming down from the rafters…

Phish on New Year’s Eve

While on his break from college, I met up with 2012-2013 Freshman Boys Group Leader Max Hecht for breakfast at a diner in Long Island. Here is a snapshot…

Me and Max Hecht.

We also had a fun time last weekend babysitting our nephews Harry (2 years old) and Dylan (6 years old). The weekend included an amazing trip to the Liberty Science Center, which had some cool new exhibits. Here are some photos…

Me, Harry and Dylan learning how to use machines that dredge sediment on the Hudson River.

Dylan and Harry pull me out of a “Bob the Builder” exhibit. I guess they wanted a try, too!

At the Gridiron Glory exhibit from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I tried on a pair of shoulder pads. Do I look tough?

Here are some great pictures we’ve received over the past few weeks that we wanted to share with you…

Eric Forti ran into the Miller Family while he was in Aruba. Eric and sister Ilana were playing cards with their Canadensis deck! How cool is that?!

Ilana Miller with her Canadensis cards.

Brooke and Aidan Bednoff rock out their new Canadensis sunglasses while on vacation.

Max and Alyssa Kruman suprisingly ran into Paige Kahn while both were on family trips to Israel.

Upper Inter Girls Joey Dallow and Jillian Wexler coincidentally ran into each other at an ice rink in New Jersey.

Joe “Smasher” Lea set me this photo of him and Amanda Miller, who came to London to visit Joe over the holiday break. Here they are in front of the London Bridge.

Some great home visits to report in this blog…

In Syosset, NY, I saw Alexa and Jack Lagnado. Jack is back for his 4th summer at Canadensis and will be in the Freshman Boys division. He is excited that his sister will be joining us at camp for her first summer as part of our Lower Junior Girls division. Currently in the 6th grade, Jack has been playing on a travel basketball team. In the Spring, he will be playing intramural baseball. This past fall, he also played flag football on his team the Seahawks. Jack is also a big fantasy sports fan and he was excited to tell me that his fantasy football team made it to the championship game this year. When he gets to camp this summer, he is looking forward to being on Freshman Hill and his trip to Cooperstown, Color War and basketball. As for Alexa, who is in 2nd grade, she participates on a gymnastics team for the Hot Shots gym. She also plays indoor and outdoor travel soccer. Alex likes to perform on stage, draw, craft on her rainbow loom and is even currently writing a blog of her own with some of her friends. In her first year at camp, she can’t wait to try gymnastics, cooking, climbing wall, soccer, being in the camp show and making new friends. Here is a pic…

Me with Lower Junior Girl Alexa Lagnado and Freshman Boy Jack Lagnado.

In Montclair, NJ, I got to hang out with Dayton Friedberg, who is currently in the 4th grade and will be a Lower Inter Girl in her first summer at Canadensis. Dayton likes music and even plays the guitar. Right now, she is playing basketball. In the Spring, she will be playing softball. Dayton likes to bake and has even taken a cake decorating class at the Sugar Flower Cake Shop. Dayton is really excited to go to camp this summer. When she arrives in June, she is really looking forward to trying things like waterskiing, mountain biking and all of the evening activities. Here is a photo…

Me with Lower Inter Girl Dayton Friedburg.

Me with Lower Inter Girl Dayton Friedberg.

In Bellmore, NY, I spent some time with Alyssa and Jenna Feig. Alyssa, now in 3rd grade, is back for Summer #2 as part of the Upper Junior Girls division while Jenna, currently in 1st grade, joins us for her first summer in the Lower Junior Girls division. Upon arriving at their house, the girls filled me in on an amazing family trip they took over the holiday break to California and Mexico, where they both had the opportunity to swim with the dolphins! As even seen in my last blog, Alyssa coincidentally was on the same flight to California with one of her bunkmates from last summer, Samara Green. Alyssa told me all about how she is still involved in dance and doing both jazz and tap this year. In the Spring, she will be performing in a show. She is also looking forward to the Reunion in a few weeks. At camp, she is excited for cooking and fabric arts. Jenna let me know that she also takes dance classes, but in hip hop and jazz. Jenna is part of a Daisy troupe (which is the Girls Scouts name for that age group), which does activities like zumba and yoga. Jenns also enjoys doing arts and crafts and reading Junie B. Jones books. At camp, she is ready to try the banana boat, the water slides at the pool and making s’mores. Here is a picture…

Me with Upper Junior Girl Alyssa Feig (left) and Jenna Feig (center). I am holding up a picture made by Jenna.

Also in Bellmore, NY, I got to meet Morgan Galdamez, who is in the 3rd grade and will be joining us at camp for her first summer as part of our Upper Junior Girls division. Morgan is definitely a girl that likes to do a little bit of everything and is certainly busy all year long. She enjoys gymnastics, where her favorite thing to do is back bends on the bar. She plays piano and will be performing at a recital in the Spring. She also plays the violin and recorder. She takes ballet and tap classes. She plays soccer. She likes to sing. And, her favorite color is hot pink. This summer at camp, she is really looking forward to all of the evening activities, gymnastics, cooking and making new friends. Here is a photo…

Me with Upper Junior Girl Morgan Galdamez.

In Melville, NY, I saw the Krasin sisters, Marlee and Ava. Marlee will now be a Lower Senior Girl in 2014 as she returns for her 5th Honor Jacket Summer. She also can’t wait to have her sister Ava at camp for her first summer, who will be in our Lower Junior Girls division. Now in 7th grade, Marlee takes hip hop and tap classes. She is also competing in match play tennis matches. She can’t wait for the camp reunion next week. At camp this year, she is really excited for Senior Choice, canteen every night and her trip to Lake Placid. As for Ava, currently in the 2nd grade, she takes gymnastics and tennis lessons. She was also on a basketball team that went undefeated this season. In the Fall, she plays soccer. In the Spring, she plays softball. When she comes to Canadensis, she is ready to try the climbing wall, Color War and the trip to Dorney Park. Here is a pic…

Me with Lower Senior Girl Marlee Krasin (left) and Lower Junior Girl Ava Krasin (right).

In Villanova, PA, I really enjoyed seeing Brooke and Aidan Bednoff. Brooke is back for her second summer while Aidan joins us for his first summer. Brooke, who is currently in 5th grade and will be an Upper Inter Girl in 2014, has been very involved with many dance classes including hip hop, jazz, lyrical and ballet. In the Spring, she will have several dance competitions. Her team also includes other Canadensis campers. Brooke has seen many of her Bunk 8 camp friends from last summer since camp ended and wanted to say “taco” to them (apparently, that is an inside joke). Brooke is super ready for the camp reunion. When she returns to camp, she is looking forward to cooking, dance, waterskiing and the banana boat. Aidan is currently in the 3rd grade and will be an Upper Junior Boy this summer. He is currently in the PVJSA Basketball League, playing on the Rutgers team. In the Spring, he will be playing baseball, although he also trains for baseball in the Winter months. He also plays soccer and golf. Aidan is a big fan of WWE wrestling and his favorite wrestler is CM Punk. Just last week, he even got to attend a WWE live event. When Aidan gets to camp, he is really ready to try the quads, zipline and waterskiing. He is also excited for Color War and the fact that he doesn’t have to match his clothes. Here is a snapshot…

Me with Upper Inter Girl Brooke Bednoff and Upper Junior Boy Aidan Bednoff.

Some final notes for this blog. I got a really cool e-mail from a camp dad, Dan Beyda, whose daughters Ali and Katie go to camp. Apparently, Dan is going to be a contestant on the upcoming season of “Worst Cooks in America” on the Food Network. Click here to see a preview of the season. As the contestants are walking, Dan is the one in the back row wearing a light blue collared show. The series begins Monday, February 17. We will all be watching! Good luck, Dan!

Father of two of our Canadensis campers, Dan Beyda, will be a contestant on the "Worst Cooks in America." He is pictured here with the entire cast. He is in the back row all the way to the left.

Father of two of our Canadensis campers, Dan Beyda, will be a contestant on the “Worst Cooks in America.” He is pictured here with the entire cast along with chefs Anne Burrell and Bobby Flay. He is in the back row all the way to the left.

Finally, I thought this was cool. Here is 128,000 dominoes on a trip around the world! Enjoy by clicking here.

All the blogging for now…

Camp Reunion on Sunday, January 26 at The Funplex in East Hanover, NJ. Can’t wait to see all of our campers and staff from Summer 2013!

Have a great day!

-Brian

Holiday Break!

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Brian Krug

Hello Canadensis!

As I write this blog entry (probably my last of 2013), I get the impression that most of you are already enjoying your holiday break! We hope that the next few weeks brings everyone an opportunity to relax and be with family and friends. When I was a kid, I got so excited for this extended time off from school and would have sleepovers with friends, have movie marathons in my pajamas and hopefully go sledding if it snowed. Of course, it was also an opportunity to play with all of the new presents I got from the holidays, too. Whatever all of you end up doing over the holidays…enjoy! As always, if you are away on a destination, be sure to pack your Canadensis clothes and take a picture wearing them on your trip. Then, send them to us so we can post them on our blogs and Facebook pages. Here was a great picture we received very recently of campers that coincidentally met at the airport before leaving for their holiday break…

Upper Juniors Samara Green (left) and Alyssa Feig saw each other at the airport before heading off with their families on holiday break.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had some great opportunities to catch up with some of our amazing staff members from summers past. In some cases, I got to sit down and have dinner with them. In Lebanon, NJ, I got to see Jared “Groundhog” Katzman (former Director of Media) for our annual get-together the night before Thanksgiving. The next week, in New York City, me and Alex Feigin (former Counselor and Group Leader) got to hang out and talk camp. After that, I saw Jake Kohler (former Counselor and Group Leader) in Plymouth Meeting, PA for a great meal. Finally, in Newburgh, NY, I celebrated the birthday of Chandler Evans (Theater Technical Director in 2013), who was in town while on tour for his show “The Man of Lamancha.” Here are a few pics (my apologies to Jake and Chandler for not taking any photos while we were enjoying our time together)…

Me and Jared “Groundhog” Katzman while eating dinner at Kirsten’s Grill (our annual meeting spot in Lebanon, NJ).

Me with Alex Feigin in New York City outside of Georgio’s County Grill. By the way, actor Michael Emerson (Lost, Person of Interest) was eating at the table next to us.

The new year will bring an opportunity for me, Eric, Pam and Matt to meet more staff (returning and new) in the upcoming weeks as we hit the road on our annual staff hiring travels. As of now, here is where we are headed…

We have gotten some really great feedback from the Canadensis Cares Mystery Boxes since they were sent out at the end of November. We are so glad to hear that everyone liked them. Here were some great photos that were sent to us from the Finkelstein Family and campers Luke and Sammy enjoying their Canadensis surprise…

Upper Inter Luke Finkelstein chilling after receiving his Mystery Box.

Upper Inter Sammy Finkelstein shooting on his new Canadensis basketball hoop.

Here is a great home visit to report since my last blog! In Plainview, NY, I had an awesome time getting to know Marissa Halpern, who is in the 3rd grade and will be an Upper Junior in her first summer at Canadensis. Marissa likes to do a little bit of everything. She has been taking karate lessons for four years and is currently a blue belt. In January, she will be playing in a basketball league. She likes to go snow skiing and has even been to the challenging slopes of Vail, CO to ski. She has a lot of fun making jewelry on her Rainbow Loom. She enjoys spending time and playing with her dog Hyland. And, she can’t wait to go to Canadensis this summer. In fact, she told me that she wishes she could go to camp in January. Although she will have to wait a few more months until June 28, Marissa is looking forward to activities such as waterskiing, tie dying, the climbing wall, mountain biking and the Canadensis Today Show. She is also excited to make a whole bunch of new friends! Here is a picture…

Me with Upper Junior Girl Marissa Halpern (who was all dressed up in camp colors…gotta love it!)

The holiday season for me and Jaime has once again brought us the gift of music, one of our favorite things to do with our free time. A few weeks ago, we saw Steve Winwood and Rod Stewart at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. It was good show and proof that you can still rock-n-roll when you are in your late sixties (ha ha!). In fact, here is a video clip from the show of Rod kicking soccer balls into the crowd while singing his hit “Hot Legs”. Click here. This past weekend, Jaime and I saw a little known band that we absolutely love called God Street Wine, who were celebrating their 25th Anniversary of their very first show. Back in college, I saw God Street Wine play a number of times and I think they just amazing. If you are interested, you can see a clip from the show here. Finally, the final week of 2013 will find Jaime and I at Madison Square Garden to see one of our favorite bands, Phish and will be ringing in the new year just like we did last year. It looked like this.

So, what are your New Year’s resolutions for 2014? For me, I hope to spend more time with my family and friends. And certainly, to make Summer 2014 the best summer ever!

Well, that’s all the blogging for now. Looking forward to a great 2014! Have a great holiday break everyone! See you soon (only a month away until our camp reunion on January 26)!

Have a great day…Brian

Author: Brian Krug

Happy New Year Blog

Thankful Blog

Fun in Fall!

Brian’s Look Back at Summer 2014

May Day Up at Camp!

April Excitement!

March Means Double Digits for our Summer Countdown!

Can Anyone Make Summer Come Quicker?!

It’s 2014!

Holiday Break!

Summer Address:

Winter Address: