Thanksgiving is here!  As I have mentioned before in other blogs, this is my favorite holiday by far.  Since I was a little kid, I always loved this day of stuffing your face and being around family and friends.  For me, the day has usually played out similarly from one year to the next.  I love waking up and watching the Macy’s Day Parade from bed.  A little bit later, we will head over to the house I grew up in for a feast of epic proportions.  In fact, at our Thanksgiving, a lot of it has to do with the appetizers.  Every year, my mom makes somewhere between 10-12 hors d’oeuvres even before the big meal.  Another odd tradition for me personally is that my mom always saves me the turkey neck that she used to make the gravy.  This is my favorite part of the turkey.  I know it might sound gross, but it is delicious.  Of course, there is always football to watch, too.  I hope everyone enjoys their holiday and a Happy Turkey Day to all!

Certainly, this holiday is all about giving thanks.  For me, as many of you know, I love being a director at Canadensis.  I am extremely thankful for that day back in September 2005 when Aunt Terri asked me to join the Canadensis family.  I am thankful for having a job where I can be a mature goofball.  I am thankful for all of the campers that continually tell me how much they love camp.  I am thankful for all of the staff that work their tails off making each and every year “the best summer ever!”  I am thankful for family and friends that support this crazy lifestyle of mine where you have to leave every year for 3 and a half months.   

In the spirit of being thankful, I want to thank all of the senior campers and their parents who took time out of their schedule to attend one of our Senior Summits, which were held in Long Island, Main Line PA and online.  The online format was very cool and something we might try again in the future.  The feedback we received in these three sessions provided us with a lot of good ideas and gave us insight on how to make our senior program better and better.

Just the other day, me, Eric and Pam started placing events on the summer calendar which got me really excited for the summer.  That’s right!  We even know when Color War is going to be!  The planning of the 49 days of camp truly is an all-year round project.  From coordinating the buses on opening day to deciding when we can do all the overnights of the summer to planning the nights when we can actually do all-camp activities to slotting in all of the inter-camp athletics, it really is a daunting task.  The meeting had us discussing some new options and activities for the summer as well, much of which was given to us by our campers through the surveys we received after camp.

Speaking of campers, in Merrick, NY, I got to have dinner with the Grama Family and get to hang out with campers Lauren Grama and Isaac “Ice G” Grama.  Lauren will be back at camp for her 7th summer in 2012 as part of our Super Senior Girls division while “Ice G” will be back for his 3rd summer in our Upper Inter Boys division.  While eating “Grandma’s Chicken” (delicious, by the way), both told me what they have been up to.  Lauren is absolutely loving her first year at Kennedy High School even if the workload has been a lot.  She is currently on the Cougars Cheer Squad as a base position.  The team cheers at football and basketball games as well as competing in year-round competitions.  She wanted to give a huge shout out to the girls of Summer 2011’s Bunk 19.  She also let me know that she is an avid reader of the Canadensis blogs and Twitter.  As for Isaac (aka “Ice G”), now in the 5th grade, he just finished up his fall baseball season as part of the Yankees team where he played second base, third base and outfield.  Now, it’s onto basketball season, which just got underway.  His team, coached by his dad, is off to a 1-1 start to the season.  On Sundays, Isaac loves watching his New York Jets on TV.  He will also be attending the Jets-Giants game at Met Life Stadium later in the season.  Here is a picture from my visit…

Me with 2012 Super Senior Lauren Grama, 2012 Upper Inter Isaac "Ice G" Grama and their dog Woody.

It’s always great to be surprised by fellow Canadensians, too!  At last week’s Giants game , I was spotted by the Appelbaum sisters, Brooke and Haley, who were both campers and counselors at camp.  Both mentioned how much they miss camp.  However, it was great to hear just how well their studies are going and that they will both be finishing up their degrees in college very soon.  And yes, Eagles fans, I know who won the game.  You got us this time.  Our tailgate was still really good with a menu that included Philly cheese steaks (of course), bacon-wrapped scallops, shrimp, short ribs, chili, mac & cheese, soft pretzels (another Philly tradition), sirloin steak tips and grilled pineapple.  Here is a picture…

Me with Brooke and Haley Appelbaum at the Giants game.

On a completely random note, has anyone ever continually had a song stuck in their head for more than a day.  I have.  As many of you might already know, I love music.  Well, last week, I went to see Chris Robinson (of the Black Crowes) with his new band called “The Chris Robinson Brotherhood.”  The band played a cover of the Three Dog Night Song entitled “Never Been to Spain.”  The next day, I went to YouTube because all I could think about was this song.  I was surprised to find that the song has been covered by a wide range of artists.  It’s a great song and you can check out versions by (click on the band to see their link): Three Dog Night, Elvis Presley, Waylon Jennings, Chris Robinson, but my personal favorite is the one by my guilty pleasure band Hanson.    In fact, I think it’s the Hanson version that is stuck in my head.

Finally, for someone that rarely travels, Jaime and I will be going heading to New Orleans (or as they say, Nawlins) on Friday for a mini vacation.  We have some great stuff planned including an airboat ride in the swamps, a bike tour and a Monday Night football game, the Giants vs. the Saints.  Should be fun!  I will include pics in my next blog.

Until then…Have a great day!

-Brian

Hello Canadensis…

Thanks to all those out on Long Island that stopped by our final Canteen on the Fly for 2011 last Friday.  It was great to see so many campers that are looking forward to any opportunity to see camp friends and talk about our favorite topic…Canadensis!  After a total of six different locations, we saw a staggering numbers of camp families and staff.  Here are some pictures from our Long Island Canteen on the Fly at Carvel in Westbury, NY…

2012 Super Senior Girls Bari Cohen, Tori Handler and Lindsay Gelber show off their Canteen on the Fly T-Shirts.

Me with 2012 Lower Inter Girl Elana Abrams.

2012 Lower Senior Girls Ashley Shogan, Rachael Newman and Zoe Hiller.

Me with 2012 Junior Boy Ryan Sher.

2012 Super Seniors in the House! From L to R: Melissa Goldstein, Lindsay Gelber, Casey Greenbaum, Tori Handler, Carly Lieberman, Bari Cohen and Jordan Rosen.

Alway joking around are 2012 Upper Senior Boys (from L to R): Josh Gindi, Matt Wiener, Justin Zak and Matt Rothman.

Great Glasses! That's me with 2012 Upper Inter Girl Paige Kahn.

As mentioned in my last blog, this past weekend, I got the chance to go up to camp and check up on things.  Camp looks great!  We have a number of projects “in the works” and will unveil them all to you very, very soon.  Be sure to read our upcoming blogs to see what new things you can expect at camp in 2012.  While up at camp, I took some pictures.  Here they are…

No morning line-up today. 🙁

Although not there, I swear I could hear the girls of Bunks 2 and 3 from Summer 2011 having fun in their cabins.

Hey J.Cal...your Canadensis Today Show studio is missing you!

All year long, the bear still watches over the Canadensis campus.

On Monday, I headed down to Newtown, PA and spend some time with Ben Cramer, who will be coming to Canadensis in Summer 2012 as part of our Junior Boys division.  Ben is currently in the 3rd grade.  While hanging out, he told me about all of the activities he is involved with all year long.  For starters, he plays defense on his traveling soccer team, the CRUSA Storm.  He also plays center field for his Newtown travel baseball team.  This winter, he will also be playing in the Council Rock Basketball League with fellow new Canadensis camper Cole Newman.  When not doing these sports, Ben can also be found playing football and hockey outside, playing on his Wii or trading Pokemon cards.  This summer, he is looking forward to a wide range of activities including lacrosse, the sports leagues and inter-camps, rocketry, Color War and water skiing.  Here is a photo…

Me with 2012 Junior Boy Ben Cramer.

I can’t believe that Thanksgiving is already next week.  If you didn’t know, Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday of the year.  It is defined by what I call the Three F’s holiday…Family, Food and Football!  Ha Ha!  Last weekend, Jaime experimented with a new Thanksgiving Day recipe that you have to try at home.  It’s called a Pilgrim Pie and is a take on the traditional whoopie pie.  And, if you think good old whoopie pies just can’t be improved upon, just wait until you try these: pumpkin cookies filled with fluffy cream cheese frosting. They’re guaranteed to be a popular new addition to your standard Thanksgiving dessert offerings.  Here is the recipe…

Ingredients for the pumpkin cookies: 2 eggs.  2 cups light brown sugar.  1 cup vegetable oil.  1 teaspoon vanilla extract.  1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin.  3 cups flour.  1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice.  1 teaspoon baking powder.  1 teaspoon baking soda.  1 teaspoon salt.

Ingredients for the cream cheese filling: 4 ounces cream cheese (softened).  1/2 cup butter (softened).  2 teaspoons vanilla extract.  4 to 5 cups confectioners’ sugar.

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the eggs, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in the pumpkin. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture a half cup at a time, blending each time until smooth.

2. Drop a heaping tablespoon of batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet, using a moist finger or the back of a spoon to slightly flatten each mound. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. Meanwhile, make the frosting.  Beat together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in a bowl until light and fluffy.  Mix in the confectioners’ sugar a half cup at a time, until the frosting is spreadable.
4. To assemble the pies, turn half of the cookies bottom side up and spread a generous amount of cream cheese frosting on each one.  Top them with the remaining cookies (turned right side up).  Makes 10-14 Pilgrim Pies.

Here is what they look like…

Here is a Thanksgiving Dessert I bet you will love...Pilgrim Pies! Make them in time for your holiday feast!

As most know, I am huge New York Giants fan!  And, this weekend is one of the games I look forward to most as we host the Philadelphia Eagles.  If there are any Giants or Eagles fans attending the game, please be sure to stop by our tailgate at Lot L12.  On the grill this weekend…sirloin steak tips.  Can the Giants get revenge on the Eagles after the Miracle at the Meadowlands II last season when Desean Jackson returned a punt in the game’s final seconds for TD?  Hope to see you there!  Let’s Go BIG BLUE!

In other camp news…Our 2011 Video Yearbook is currently on its way to the duplicator.  Campers can expect to receive their copy real soon!  If you haven’t checked it out yet, see our new Facebook page at  http://www.facebook.com/campcanadensis.  Recently posted are pictures of all the 2011 bunk plaques.  What do you want to see on our Facebook page?  Let us know!

Finally, a big CONGRATULATIONS goes out to Eric and Robin Forti, who just recently announced that they will be expecting a new arrival to the Canadensis Family in May.

Eric and Robin Forti are having a baby! CONGRATULATIONS!

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

Have a great day!

-Brian

Hello Canadensis…

So.  I really missed camp today.  I know that as a director of camp that my life gets to be Canadensis, 24/7, but today was one of those days where I really missed the summer.

I missed the bugle call of reveille and wondering what song was going to be played on the PA right after.  I missed waffles and ice cream for breakfast.  I missed the dance party on the amphitheater right before line-up.  I missed not shooting hoops on the office courts.  I missed not seeing someone go down the zip line for their very first time.  I missed talking about “what are the color war team names going to be” with the campers.  I missed Swedish Fish at canteen.  I missed MTV Night.  I missed talking with the counselors outside of the HQ at sign-out.

It’s days like this when I truly love that we do have the opportunity to do it for seven weeks every summer!  I also think about how awesome Summer 2011 was and really can’t wait to be back up there next year (although it still feels so very far away).  I will actually be heading up to camp this weekend and know that I will be able to “hear the voices” as I like to say even when camp is empty.  I will be sure to get some photos for the next blog of what camp looks like in the off season.

In my “missing camp” mood, I think I might watch one of my all time favorite movies about camp.  I actually found it on cable a few weeks ago and set it to my DVR.  It’s called Indian Summer.  The short plot is…A group of childhood friends, now in their thirties, reunite at the camp they went to as children.  The people share experiences and grow while at the camp. They are dismayed to discover that the camp’s owner, Unca Lou, is going to close the camp down.  It’s really a great movie.  To see a scene from the movie, click here.

If you haven't seen, definitely try to get a copy of Indian Summer. In my opinion, it's one of the best movies about camp.

Things have definitely started to pick up at the winter office now that November is upon us.  We have started to hear back from many of our staff that plan to return for Summer 2012.  We have begun to talk about programming and activity scheduling.  Once again, thanks to all the campers that completed the camper survey.  It was extremely helpful to get your feedback.  And, we’ve been busy making all of our off season plans.  My schedule has started to really fill up for November and December with many camp family home visits.  I am so excited!

I got to see some campers this past weekend as I headed to Wayne, NJ on Sunday morning after getting an invitation from Lauren Schwed to come and surprise her boys, Matthew, Alex and Ben Schwed, who were hosting a camp sleepover.  In attendance was Alex Leon, Brett Podell, Josh Rogers,  Josh Halpern and Seth Brand.  Apparently, the boys stayed up extremely, extremely late, hanging out all night long, playing video games, watching movies, etc.  When I got there in the morning, we played some touch football in the backyard.  It was great to see everyone and hear that everyone is very busy at school and enjoying a wide array of after school activities.  Here is a pic from the weekend…

Got to hang out with some of the 2012 Lower Senior Boys. Me with (Bottom Row, L to R): Alex Schwed, Brett Podell, Josh Halpern, Alex Leon; (Top Row, L to R): Josh Rogers and Matthew Schwed. They had a sleepover this past weekend. Also at the sleepover, but not pictured, was Seth Brand.

In Plymouth Meeting, PA, I got the chance to see 2012 Lower Senior Adam Center play a game for his middle school football team.  After camp, Adam decided that he would try a new sport and went out for the football team.  After conditioning camp, the team placed his at the center position.  Now, could it be anymore perfect?  Adam Center is the center.  Anyway, I got to see the last game of the season the other night.  Adam’s team, the Colonials, have had a pretty good season.  Here are pictures from the game.

Adam Center (#69 on the left) waits with his quarterback on the sidelines, ready to go into the game.

Me and Adam after the game.

Can’t wait for our final Canteen on the Fly Event this Friday (Veteran’s Day) in Long Island.  A two-hour ice cream fest with Canadensis T-Shirts for all campers that attend.  It will be from 2-4 pm at teh Carvel on Old Country Road in Westbury, NY.  For those campers that will be Upper and Super Seniors and CITs in Summer 2012, we hope you will join us at 4 pm as well for a Senior Summit, an opportunity for campers to give their input and hear some of our ideas for next summer.

THE FINAL CANTEEN ON THE FLY FOR THE YEAR WILL BE THIS FRIDAY IN LONG ISLAND!

This blog certainly wouldn’t be complete without some mention of New York Giants Football.  Halfway through the season and the Giants are 6-2!  Woo Hoo!  What a win by Big Blue over the Patriots on Sunday!  Memories of Super Bowl 42 all over again!  I have also noticed that all of our Canadensis Eagles Fans really haven’t been hounding me as much lately.  Wink, Wink.

By the way, one more thing.  Do you know there is a video game about camp called “Summer Camp Showdown”?  Does anyone own this game?  Is it good?  If you never heard of this, check this out and click here.

A video game about camp!

Well, that’s all the blogging for now.  I still miss camp.  But, writing this blog made me feel a little bit better.

Have a great day!

-Brian

Hello Canadensis…

So much to say, so I’m just going to get right to it!  First off, thanks to everyone that came out to our first and second rounds of Canteen on the Fly.  In two days, we hit New York City, West Chester, Northern New Jersey on Saturday and two locations in the Philadelphia suburbs on Sunday.  First off, what a turnout!  It was so good to see so many campers, parents and staff, all who are missing camp immensely!  It was good to see what so many campers are up to as well.

Here are a few tidbits from the Canteen on the Fly…

In NYC:  Upper Inter Boys Jones Pearlman and Derek Coval came from a sleepover get-together.  Jones has been busy with swimming, sports and skateboarding while Derek is playing tennis and basketball.  Upper Inter Boy Zach Sher told us that he was in the new State Farm Insurance commercial directed by Spike Lee!  Upper Inter Girl Gaby Hirsch told us she was auditioning for the the upcoming school musical School House Rock.  Freshman Boy Andy Grossman was headed to a soccer game, but will also be playing basketball and baseball later this year.

In West Chester County, NY:  Freshman Girl Brianna Havraniak has been active with lacrosse clinics.  In the spring, she will be playing full games.  Junior Girl Jordan Plant was telling new camper for Summer 2012 Zoe Gellert just how much fun they will have at Canadensis!  New campers Jordana Binday and Elizabeth Knox got to meet for the first time as they will both be Junior Girls in Summer 2012.

In Northern NJ:  Lower Inter Girl Stella Scheier and Lower Inter Boy Jacob Dennis are both wrapped up in their soccer seasons.  In fact, both showed up in uniform.  Lower Senior Boy David Altschul was also in uniform, having come from a fall baseball game.  He was joined by 2012 CIT Girl Becca Altschul, who just can’t wait for next summer’s CIT experience!  New camper and Junior Boy Brandon Shaw told me all about how he loves to bike as much as possible.

In PA:  Freshman Boy Adam Aronson is busy with two fall baseball teams.  Junior Boys Alex Solomon and Idan Jaffe are playing soccer as is Upper Inter Girls Lauren Greene and Brianna Marburg.  Freshman Boy Eric Miller is back playing on his travel ice hockey team.  His sister, Ilana Miller, who will be joining us for her first summer in 2012, is incredibly active with a number of different dance classes.  Super Senior Girls Mindy Rosenthal and Allie Ernst were already thinking about designs for a Super Senior sweatshirt for 2012.  Special hats off goes to Mindy and Allie as well as Lauren Greene, Brianna Marburg and Valerie Solomon, all who actually attended both PA Canteen on the Fly Events.

Here are some pics from the Canteen on the Fly…

Eric Forti with the Sher Boys, Ben and Zach.

Jason "J.Cal" Calabretta with Gaby Hirsch and Jones Pearlman.

Jake Garfinkle, Sammy Halpern, Harrison Keim and Josh Silverstein from Summer 2011's Bunk 8.

Pete Tarnoff and Eric Miller having some ice cream and a smile!

Me and 2012 Junior Girl Ilana Miller.

Me with (From Left to Right): Idan Jaffe, Alex Solomon, Jordyn Marburg, Brianna Marburg, Lauren Greene and Valerie Solomon.

Special thanks to Cold Stone Creamery, Rita’s Ices, Mark and Julie’s Ice Cream, Udder Delight and Carvel for putting up with all of our camp craziness.  We hope we will see all of our Long Island campers on Friday, November 11 for our last Canteen on the Fly.

A few weeks ago, as also reported on the other blogs, we had a very special occasion to attend in Holyoke, MA.  Assistant Girls Head Counselor Alyssa Thibodeau and Assistant Boys Head Counselor Mike Lindquist got married!  If you didn’t know, Mike and Alyssa met at camp in Summer 2007, which was Mike’s second summer and Alyssa’s first.  They also got engaged at camp in Summer 2010.  The wedding was at a place called the Log Cabin (very campy, don’t you think) and the ceremony had spectacular views of fall colors at the top of a mountain.  The guest list was comprised of so many Canadensis people.  Really, there were so many that I can’t name them all.  In fact, there was so many Canadensis people there, we could have had a legitimate Color War.  Ha Ha!  Seriously though, it was so good to have so many people from our extended camp family attend and goes to show just how our Canadensis community is so supportive of each other.  And, of course, because it is probably funny for all of you to see us in formal wear, here are some pics…

Alyssa and Mike say "I do."

Me and Jaime with Cara and Phoebe.

Me and J.Cal.

Congratulations, Alyssa and Mike!  We loved that we could be there on your very special day.

With the fall season upon us, it is definitely safe to say that my schedule is starting to get full with home visits to campers.  As I’ve said in previous blogs, this is one of my favorite things to do in the off season.  Getting things started, I met two of our new Junior Girls (both currently in 3rd grade), Joey Dallow and Zoe Bustin, in Livingston, NJ.  Joey and Zoe met at this summer’s Tour and More Weekend and are super excited to be coming to Canadensis in 2012.  Joey and Zoe (hey, that rhymes) filled me in on all they were up to.  Joey likes to do art, play soccer, basketball and lacrosse, likes to run and loves hanging out with all of her friends.  Zoe, who is also a 2nd generation Canadensis camper as mom Dina attended camp, told me that she also plays soccer, loves to go sledding in the winter and in the spring will play softball.  She also mentioned that she loves to eat candy.  This summer, Joey and Zoe are looking forward to activities such as the ropes course, the theater program, art, cooking, canteen, free play and swimming.  In fact, when I asked them what they are excited about for camp, both answered, “Mostly everything!”  Great answer!  Here is a photo…

Me with 2012 Junior Girls Joey Dallow and Zoe Bustin.

Last week, we were back up at camp.  Eric, Matt and I were looking into some new projects that we want to get underway.  There is a big announcement coming soon for our big project for Summer 2012, but right now, we can also let you know that we will be adding a new fitness room at the back of the Rec Hall and will be upgrading our baseball and softball fields with new backstops and fences.  It’s going to look great! Again, be on the lookout for our big announcement.

On a personal note, I always like to share what I’ve been up to when not involved with camp things.  As always, I’ve been in Lot L12 for every Giants home game so far.  For two weeks, I was even joined by some Canadensis families.  At the Seahawks game, I was met by Canadensis parents Dan and Gail Keim.  At the Bills game, I got to hang out with Upper Inter Boy Noah Stern and his father David, who drove all the way up from Philly to root for their Giants!  As always, if you have a ticket for the game, be sure to stop by and say hello to me in Lot L12.  There is always plenty to eat as well.

As you may know, outside of camp, one of my other passions is music.  I’ve seen a number of great acts the past few weeks, including Bruce Hornsby, Trey Anastasio (of Phish), Chris Robinson (of the Black Crowes) and G. Love and Special Sauce (yes, it’s a funny name).

Finally, what’s everyone dressing up as for Halloween?  We want to know.  Send us your pics and we’ll include them in our next newsletter or post them on our blogs.  You can send them to me or anyone in the Canadensis office at info@canadensis.com or brian@canadensis.com .

More blogging to come!  Have a great day!

-Brian

Hello Canadensis!

I hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful Fall weather we’ve been having.  For us, Fall means that it is officially time to start thinking about next summer already.  The cycle starts over!  People always ask us what it is we do when we are not at camp.  Well, putting together the two months we spend with each other certainly takes a lot of planning and preparation and that all begins now.

We want to thank all of the campers of Summer 2011 that completed the online survey as it has given us a good idea of what activities were most popular, what meals were enjoyed the most and what special events were considered great!  The feedback we received will be used in our plans.

Of course, we just announced last week the first of our many off season events…CANTEEN ON THE FLY.  We hope that many of our campers, staff, alumni and future campers will join us for some free ice cream.  All those that attend will receive a T-Shirt as well.  The dates and locations are as follows…

Our third year of our CANTEEN ON THE FLY event has us coming to seven different locations on three different days. Hope you can make it!

Speaking of plans for the summer, I spoke with magician extraordinaire Brad Henderson today.  He says hello to everyone in Canadensis world and is excited to return in Summer 2012.  Our campers and staff are truly amazed every summer by Brad, through his magic clinics, magic show and hypnosis show.  If you want to see just what I am talking about, you can check out some tricks here:  http://www.bradhenderson.com/multimedia/.  Some great stuff!

Brad Henderson, an annual entertainer at Canadensis, seeks out counselors for his Hypnosis show.

Brad had our counselors doing some crazy things while "under his trance."

As we have just begun to plan for Summer 2012, we’d love to hear anymore ideas and input from you.  If you have an idea, you can e-mail or call us.  Maybe you see something at school or at a bar/bat mitzvah or wedding that might be good for camp.  Let us know and we will look into it.

Outside of camp, things for me have been great, especially since my Giants are off to a 3-1 start this season.  As always, I will be in Lot L12 this weekend if there are any Canadensis Giants fans going to the game.  Haven’t heard much from any of our Philadelphia Eagles fans as of late.  I wonder why?  Ha Ha!  Got to see a great concert last week at the Bergen Peforming Arts Center when I saw Bruce Hornsby.  Many of you might know his bigger hits like Mandolin Rain and The Way It Is, but this guy is one of the most talented musicians and has one of the best bands out there these days.

With the “New Summer” underway, I can’t wait and see many of our campers in the upcoming weeks and months.  More blogging to come soon.

Have a great day…Brian

Hello Canadensis!

Yes.  Yes.  I know.  It’s been way too long since my blog has appeared on the site.  Maybe it’s because I am in denial that Summer 2011 is actually over!  Ha Ha!

What a great summer we had!  When looking back on the 49 days we shared together, I especially miss the morning line-ups.  In fact, on August 19 (which was the first Friday we had up at the summer office without camp in session), Eric Forti was sure to blast the song “Friday” from his computer speakers to get us all in the camp spirit!  Every morning, I love to see all of camp gather together with the music blasting, the campers and staff dancing and all of us laughing before we begin our activity-filled day.

Girls Cheering at Morning Line-Up.

Olivia Watman peforms her Cruel and Unusual Talent at Morning Line-Up. Wow!

A game of Unnatural Siblings at Morning Line-up!

This year, line-ups became extra special with the weekly announcement of our Camper TAC (Tagged at Canadensis) nominations.  It really made me feel good that each and every week there were so many campers that went above and beyond to help our their fellow campers and counselors.  This summer, 366 TACs were given out to campers!  Amazing!  I also enjoyed the weekly Honor Bunk announcements and getting to learn which bunks won prizes.  Of course, how could I also forget the morning line-up in which I was set up by Steph “Camp Mom” Vorcheimer and Jason “J.Cal” Calabretta who tricked me by announcing the wrong lunch for the day, ultimately causing me to have to jump into Lake Lenape?!?

Jones shows off the TAC he received.

Dani, Chloe and Olivia are proud of the TACs they received.

Bunk 4 wins Honor Bunk for their fifth time! Awesome job, guys.

Camp Mom Steph and Jason "J.Cal" Calabretta tricked me at morning line-up. I announced the wrong lunch for the day. So, I had to jump in the lake. Nice belly flop, huh?!?!

Once again, our CIT Program was so stellar.  Hats off to our oldest campers that totally set the tone for an incredible summer!  They were truly great leaders and role models to all of our campers.  I can specifically recall a moment during the Color War Sing when all of them gathered together for a picture and I was caught thinking just how truly special this group of campers was in making the summer so great.

2011 Girls CITs In The House!

2011 Boys CITs Dressed to Impress!

Speaking of Color War, WHAT’S IN THE BOX?!?!  Ha Ha!  The build up to Color War break was great this year with the mystery of what was in the box that sat on the amphitheater for several weeks before it mysteriously disappeared, leading to a multitude of fake breaks, including what has been called the “best fake break of all time” when the CITs entered camp on a bus to see all of camp screaming and yelling for Color War to begin!  Camp still had to wait a bit longer for our annual competition to begin though.  And, when Color War finally did break with the help of the entire camp, the five days of Blue vs. Gold was extremely close, especially with a Sing that was determined by all of two points.  Congratulations to Comic Book Blue in capturing this summer’s victory!

Best Fake Break of All Time!

Congrutulations to Comic Book Blue!

With all of this, there is still so much more to reminisce about such as our first ever live broadcasts of the Canadensis Today shows as well as the Color War Sing or the two astounding camp theater productions of “Aladdin” and “13” or even the wonderful special event days like the Scavenger Hunt, Survival of the Fittest and Revolutionary War Day just to name a few.  I also think about all of the campers that progressed in activities like Hondas (where we now have so many campers that ride clutch bikes), Mountain Biking (including all of those campers that learned how to ride a bike at camp this year) and Woodshop (the projects this summer were some of the best we’ve ever seen).  The sports leagues this summer were also filled with so many close games that came down to final moments.  The new triple dare at the lake was a highlight for not only me, but so many campers and counselors!

Just thinking of all this makes me want to fix myself a big plate of Waffles and Ice Cream!  We can’t wait until we do it all over again in about 275 days!

Of course, the winter will bring us so many opportunities to see each other again.  Our winter reunion will be in early January, our Canteen on the Fly events will be in October and November in select areas and this fall we will also have several Senior Summit meetings to hear from our older campers on what they think should be brought to their program.

And, I am going to make more of an effort to make continual updates to my blog.

Have a great day!

-Brian

Hello Canadensis…

So, I just logged onto www.canadensis.com and saw that there are only 57 days until camp!  Woo Hoo!  Tomorrow, I will actually get up to camp for a preliminary sneak peak.  If you don’t know, we host many groups up at camp before and after our summer season.  And, our first group arrives this weekend.  For this group, I actually get to be down at the lake helping out, which is one of my favorite areas of camp.  I will post some pictures in a future blog.

Some of our pre-camp staff and counselors have already arrived this week to help us out with these groups and assist with setting up camp for the summer.  In fact, Matt Unger has been up at camp for a few weeks already preparing and getting camp into summer shape.  Be sure to check out the Twitter feed, http://twitter.com/#!/Canadensis , which now has all the updates coming directly from the 18325.

Eric, Pam and I have started to work on and have almost completed our 6-Day Master Schedule.  This really gets us excited for the summer as we are setting the schedule for all of the fun that will take place.  However, putting together a balanced day for 400+ campers is one heck of a task!  But, we are almost done.  On top of that, I just got back a list of all of the Pike County Inter-Camp Tournaments we will be participating this summer.  Looks like we will have basketball, baseball / softball, swimming, dance, gymnastics, hockey, lacrosse and soccer games for many of our age groups.

Also, in talking about the summer, campers can once again look forward to outside guests coming into camp.  Already booked for the summer are Brad Henderson magic workshops (www.bradhenderson.com), Adam Issadore’s Path To Rhythm Drum Circles (www.pathtorhythm.com), Rak Dan Dancing (www.rakdan.com) and Future Fashionistas (new for 2011 Girls Side) workshops (www.futurefashionistas.com).  Of course, these are just a few of the many exciting things we have planned for the summer.

There are definitely some more wonderful home visits to report on as well.  In Merrick, NY, I saw the Talarico Family, which will now have all three of their children at camp this summer.  Oldest brother Ross, who will be a Lower Senior this summer and returning for his five year jacket, and sister Paige, who will be an Upper Inter in her fourth summer at camp, will be joined by their younger brother Drew, who is currently in the 2nd grade and will be in our Junior Boys division.  All three Talaricos had great things to tell me about all they have been up to.  In the fall, Ross played his first year of tackle football as an offensive lineman for his team, the Rams.  He also played basketball and baseball this year.  He can’t wait for his new journey over to Senior side this year, the Hondas elective and having his younger brother at camp in 2011.  As for Paige, she has been rehearsing for her school music production  of “Hank and Gretchen,” which is a take on Hansel and Gretel and will premiere in June.  She is also very busy with all kinds of dance classes and competitions in hip hop, jazz, tap and ballet.  This summer, she can’t wait for the go-karts elective and a later bedtime.  She also wanted to say hello to all of the girls from Summer 2010’s Bunk 7.  And for Drew, he just started baseball season on his team, the Orioles, where he plays pitcher, first base and outfield.  He also played soccer this year on his team the Dominators and played on a basketball team, too.  At camp this year, he looks forward to all of the sports, making new friends, the trip to Dorney Park and being with his brother and sister.  Here is a picture…

Me with Lower Senior Boy Ross Talarico (left), Junior Boy Drew Talarico (center) and Upper Inter Girl Paige Talarico (right).

In Philadelphia, PA, I met up with Luke Jaspan, who is a second generation Canadensis camper, as his mom Jodi was a camper.  Currently in 3rd grade, Luke will be in our Junior Boys division this summer.  At home, his big passion is ice hockey and he plays on a team, the Warriors, which posted a 30-4-1 record this season.  Luke plays wing, defense and goalie on the team.  Luke also participated in the “Mites on Ice” at a Philadelphia Flyers game this year, where he played goalie and earned the “Mite of the Night” honor.  Luke also plays baseball and lacrosse.  He is a huge Flyers and Harry Potter fan.  When he gets to camp this summer, he is excited for the inter-camp athletics against other camps, hockey, baseball, lacrosse, gaga, waterskiing / wakeboarding, fishing, woodworking and ceramics.  Here is a photo…

Me with Junior Boy Luke Jaspan. To answer your question, "Yes. I was able to smile even while Luke proudly wore his Philadelphia Flyers shirt."

In Dix Hills, NY, I spent some time with Alexa and Tyler London.  Tyler, currently in the 6th grade, returns to camp for his fourth summer as part of our Freshman boys division while Alexa, now in the 4th grade, will be in our Lower Inter girls division in her first summer.  Tyler has been playing a lot of USTA tennis tournaments lately and also been involved with basketball and flag football.  At camp, he can’t wait for hondas, waterskiing and his division’s trip to Cooperstown the the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Tyler wanted to give a shout out to his bunkmates from Summer 2010’s Bunk 9.  Alexa plays a lot of basketball and just recently finished up her team’s season, which made it to the championship game.  The coach even created a special “hotness” play for her this season.  Alexa also enjoys bike riding, going to the movies, swimming, being with her friends and family vacations.  When she gets to camp in 2011, she is excited about the climbing wall, the Dorney Park trip and “getting away from home.”  Here is a pic…

Me with Lower Inter Girl Alexa London and Freshman Boy Tyler London.

In Northport, NY, I got to see the Kahane brothers, Sam and Max.  Sam joins us for his third summer at Canadensis as part of the Lower Senior Boys division while Max is coming for Summer #1 and will be in the Junior Boys division.  Now in 7th grade, Sam has been attending some bar mitzvahs of some of his bunkmates which he was really excited about.  At the same time, he has been playing numerous USTA tennis tournaments.  In the winter, he loves snow skiing and has even been skiing double black diamond trails.  At camp this summer, he looks forward to cooking, the Tennis Academy and of course, being on Senior side.  He certainly wanted to say hi to all of his bunkmates from Summer 201o’s Bunk 14.  Max, who is in the 2nd grade, likes lacrosse, basketball, tennis and snow skiing.  He, too, skis double black diamonds.  He is also a big fan of WWE wrestling and his favorite wrestler is Batista.  When he gets to camp, Max will be all about trying activities like waterskiing, cooking, flag football and lake boats.  Here is a picture…

Me with Lower Senior Boy Sam Kahane (left) and Junior Boy Max Kahane (and their dog Cooper).

Last weekend, I also had lunch with the Shaw Family, who are from Caldwell, NJ.  It was great catching up with Oliver Shaw, who is back for his fourth summer as part of our Upper Inter Boys division, and his younger sister Avery Shaw, who will be joining us for her first of many summers at camp as part of our Junior Girls division.  Avery told me all about how she loves gymnastics, dance and art.  She also told me that she just can’t wait for the summer since she has been hearing about all the good things that Oliver has told her each year.  Avery attended last summer’s Tour and More Weekend and has already connected with some of the girls that will be part of her division this summer, which has gotten here even more excited.  On top of that, she told me that she can’t wait to try “everything!”  As for Oliver, he had some very exciting news!  For the past year, he has been part of a band called Going Dark.  A few months ago, the band entered “The Break” Contest, which started with close to 500 bands competing for the grand prize…a chance to play at the Bambooze Festival and the New Meadowlands Stadium.  After several rounds, Going Dark won the competition!

Here was their promotional video…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpKP1cvDmvY&feature=related

Here was when they won “The Break” Competition at the Stone Pony in NJ…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbnW7nRm9ic&feature=related

Oliver Shaw and Going Dark will now be playing Sunday, May 1 at the Bamboozle Festival.  More info here:  http://thebamboozle.com/ .

Congratulations, Oliver!

Here is a picture, too…

Me with Junior Girl Avery Shaw and Upper Inter Boy Oliver Shaw.

I also got to have lunch with the Greenspan family, who were in town from North Bethesda, MD, visiting relatives.  It was great to see Marshall and Haley, both who are joining us for their second summers at Canadensis in our Junior division.  Both Marshall and Haley are excited for their return to camp and told me all about what they have been up to, including recently getting a new dog and a family vacation they went on in the winter.  Here is a photo…

Me with Junior Girl Haley Greenspan and Junior Boy Marshall Greenspan.

On a final note, I wanted to wish Will Armon and his soon to be wife a CONGRATULATIONS!  Will and Amy will be married tomorrow, April 30 in Missouri.  Many Canadensis staff will be in attendance!  I hope everyone has a great time!

Well, that’s all for now.  More blogging next week.

Have a great day…Brian

Hello Canadensis!

So glad April is here!  That means we are one month closer to the best summer ever!  And, the month of April got off to an amazing start with our Annual New Camper Bowling Event in North Brunswick, NJ at the Brunswick Zone!  This get together for our new campers and some of our younger returning campers was an unbelievable opportunity for a meet and greet, some games, pizza and bowling!  The event, which was split up into four different meeting times for different age groups in the Junior and Lower Inter divisions, started with each group playing a game of Camper Bingo, which allowed all the campers to meet one another.  Some age groups even played a name dance game.  Then, campers were split up into different lanes for bowling and a pizza lunch.  All campers left with the names of all campers in their division as it is our hope that they will set up get-togethers of their own before the summer begins.  The New Camper Bowling was also attended by many of our staff including me, Eric, Pam, Cara and Matt as well as Girls Head Counselor Robin Forti, Camp Mom Stephanie Vorcheimer, Boys Group Leader Pete Tarnoff and Camp Media Guru Jason “Jay Cal” Calabretta.  Thanks to all of the families that came to the day.  Here are some pictures from this wonderful day…

Me and Group Leader Pete Tarnoff with some of our new Lower Inter Boys.

Eric and Robin with some of our new Junior Girls for Summer 2011!

Pam with some of our Junior Boys for 2011!

Me getting to know some of our Junior Boys.

The home visits keep on comin’ and it’s so great to see all of our campers and camp families.  In East Rockaway, NY, I got to hang out with Mitchell Klee, who is in the 3rd grade and will be part of our Junior Boys Division.  He has been so excited for baseball season to begin.  This season, Mitchell is playing on the RiverCats and will be playing 2nd base, 3rd base, short stop and 1st base.  In the winter, he played on a basketball team.  He also takes tennis lessons.  He is a big sports fan and roots for the Yankees, Islanders and Miami Heat.  Mitchell is also a big follower of WWE and his favorite wrestlers are the Undertaker and Jon Cena.  This summer, he is excited for baseball, boating and meeting new friends.  Here is a picture…

Me with Junior Boy Mitchell Klee.

Also in East Rockaway, NY, I got to hang out with the Goldbergs, Robbie and Sammi.  Robbie, returning for his 5 year jacket summer as part of our Freshman Boys Division, is busy playing both soccer and baseball (his biggest passion) while Sammi is working her way through her junior year in High School.  Sammi is now part of our staff as a Junior Counselor this summer, which will be her 10 year jacket summer!  Sammi showed me her room at home, which is basically an homage to Camp Canadensis, including actually lake water and beach sand from Lake Lenape.  Needless to say, she loves camp!  Along with dad Lionel, the four of us got to hang out at one of my favorite places…Ralph’s Italian Ices.  Here is a pic…

Me with Freshman Boy Robbie Goldberg and Junior Counselor Sammi Goldberg.

In Merrick, NY, I got to see Freshman Girl Sophy Feldman, returning for her 5th summer, and her younger brother Joey Feldman, who is coming to camp for his first summer.  Sophy told me just how excited she is for camp to start, saying that it is one of her favorite places.  In fact, she was hoping to skip the rest of school to come up and help us open camp for everyone in June.  As for Joey, who is in the 2nd grade and will be in the Junior Boys Division, he was starting his baseball season as part of the Blue Jays team, where he will be playing catcher, pitcher and 1st base.  Joey also plays goalie on a soccer team.  He is a big fan of Star Wars and video games, his favorite game being Ninja Garden these days.  He also roots for the Islanders and Rangers hockey teams.  This summer, he is ready to try the batting cages, golf, soccer and making new friends at camp.  Here is a photo…

Me with Junior Boy Joey Feldman. Freshman Girl Sophy Feldman had to leave before we took this picture.

In Summit, NJ, I spent some time with Lily Ufberg, who will be part of our Junior Girls Division and is currently in the 3rd grade.  Lily is a 2nd Generation Canadensis camper as her father Jeff Ufberg remembers all is wonderful days at camp.  Lily is rehearsing with her hip hop dance team as she has an upcoming performance in the spring in which she will be dancing to the song “My Shoes.”  She is also already skiing black diamond slopes when she and her family go skiing in Scranton, PA.  She loves gymnastics and bike riding with friends.  She is also a fan of the TV show “Zoe 101.”  This summer, she is excited for the activities on the lake such as kayaking and boating, activities at the Art Center like Glass Fusion and Ceramics and making a whole bunch of new friends!  Here is a photo…

Me with Junior Girl and 2nd Generation Canadensis Camper Lily Ufberg.

In South Orange, NJ, I got to know 3rd grader and Junior Boy Ethan Goldman a whole lot better.  For starters, Ethan is an accomplished piano player and he even played me a few tunes.  That was nothing compared to the recent performance he put on in front of his entire school!  Ethan is also playing soccer on his travel team called the South Orange Fireballs.  He also enjoys rock climbing, tennis and ice skating lessons.  This summer, he can’t wait for all the stuff to do on Lake Lenape including banana boating, waterskiing and boating.  He is also looking forward to the climbing wall, ropes course and zipline and the hondas / go-karts.  Here is a picture…

Me with Junior Boy Ethan Goldman.

In Plymouth Meeting, PA, I saw the Brucker Family!  David Brucker, now in the 4th grade, will be returning for his second summer in the Lower Inter Boys division.  David filled me in that he just recently competed with some classmates in the Odyssey of the Mind Competition.  For this, his team had to write and perform an 8-minute skit, which was called “Le Tour Guide.”  His team finished 8th out of 26 teams.  Way to go, David!  David is also playing the oboe (which I initially thought was a string instrument…ha ha!) and is taking tennis lessons.  He also visited the Casino Movie Theater near camp on a recent ski trip in the Poconos.  This summer, David looks forward to the lake activities and waterskiing, the zipline and ropes course and Color War.  He also wanted to say hello to all of the boys from Summer 2010’s Bunk 4.  Younger sister Marissa Brucker, who will be attending our Sibling Sleepover Weekend at camp this year, is now in the first grade.  She is busy with skiing, piano and gymnastics.  Here is a shot…

Me with Lower Inter Boy David Brucker and Future Canadensis Campers Marissa Brucker and Matty Brucker.

In Short Hills, NJ, I spent some time with 3rd grader and Junior Boy Austin Peng, who will be joining us for his first summer.  Austin is currently playing catcher, 1st base and 2nd base on his baseball team, the Thunder.  He also likes to swim and build with Legos.  Austin is a pretty good Wii player and Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros. and Mario Party are his favorites.  At camp this summer, he is excited for baseball, go karts / hondas, archery, basketball, climbing wall and ropes course, fishing, mountain biking, soccer, rocketry, lacrosse and cooking.  Here is a picture…

Me with Junior Boy Austin Peng.

Also in Short Hills, NJ, I saw Mitch Braunstein, who is in the 3rd grade and will be in our Junior Boys division for his first summer at camp.  Mitch currently plays baseball on his team, the Royals.  He also plays basketball.  Mitch loves building with Legos and he showed me a wide assortment of his amazing creations!  He also likes having sleepovers with friends, fishing and candy!  When he comes to camp, Mitch is excited to play newcomb, go waterskiing and banana boating and the hondas and go karts.  Here is a photo…

Me with Junior Boy Mitch Braunstein.

As someone that “lives camp all year round,” I always get excited to learn about bunk reunions and get-togethers that are planned.  A few weeks ago, the girls from Summer 2010’s Bunk 8 had a get-together in southern New Jersey for a full day of fun, swimming and dinner.  Here are some pictures I received…

2010's Girls Bunk 8 first went swimming.

Just goofing around! I love this pic!

Finishing a great day off at dinner!

Also, I got a great picture from Lauren “L-Mac” Mcguire of a recent trip she made to the Midwest to see other camp staff.  Here is the shot…

Some of our great camp staff (from L to R): Nora Tkac, Lauren "L-Mac" McGuire, Casey Lotz, Andi Riemersma and Mike Millinger.

Finally, thanks to everyone that participated in our First Annual College Basketball Bracket Pool for the NCAA Tournament.  Our camper winner was Junior Boy and first year camper Jake Brownstein.  Our staff winner was our very own year round employee…Cara Corradetti!  Congratulations!

Cara Corradetti won the staff entry for our first annual college basketball pool. And, she claims to know nothing about sports! Sure. (Wink, wink).

Well, that’s all the blogging for now.  More to come.  Counting down the days to camp.  My count says  74 days!

Have a great day…Brian

Hello Canadensis!

Yes.  Yes.  I know.  A few weeks without a blog.  To make up for it, though, here is one of my Mega-Blogs to re-cap the time that has gone by without my filling in everyone in Canadensis Cyberspace.

First off, thank you to all of the camp families that came out to Philadelphia, PA on Sunday, March 13 to represent Camp Canadensis at the Jewish Relief Agency (JRA Event).  This was the second year that we did this and just like last year, I was personally amazed at what they do at JRA.  For a few hours, volunteers work together to package kosher, non-perishable food in boxes.  After packing, the volunteers load their cars and deliver the food packages to more than 2500 low income Jewish homes.  The feeling you get doing this is just remarkable and the recipients are just so grateful for the boxes they receive.  Here are a few pictures from the event…

Our Canadensis Team takes a break from our food deliveries for a quick photo.

 

Me (with my crazy hat for Purim) and Jaime with the Cebula Family...Mike, camper Rachel and Suzanne; younger brother Adam (not pictured was still working hard with his volunteering when this picture was taken).

On March 15-18, the winter team of me, Eric, Pam, Cara, Matt and Neil headed down to Atlantic City for one of our favorite times of the year…the American Camp Association Tri-State Camping Conference.  This four day event has over 3000 attendees from camps all over the country and allows us to attend sessions that discuss all aspects of camp.  The conference brings in many speakers.  This year, two of the keynote speakers included best selling authors Seth Godin and Jean Kilbourne.  The conference also hosts one of the largest exhibit halls and gives us the opportunity to scout out new services for camp.  If you would like to learn more about this event, you can visit the website here:  http://www.aca-nynj.org/.  In the exhibit hall, Cara and I stopped and competed in a dancing game.  Here is a shot…

Cara and I in a "Dance Off" at the Tri-State Camp Conference. Cara, who won this match-up again?

For all of our new campers in grades 1-4, we are so looking forward to our annual New Camper Bowling Event in North Brunswick, NJ this weekend on April 3.  This is a great event, along with our Open House on June 5, for campers and parents to meet one another and talk all about camp!  We play ice breaker games, bowl and eat pizza.

BOWLING TIMES

There have been a number of wonderful home visits to fill you in on as well.  In Warren, NJ, I got to hang out with Sophia Brociner, who is in the 4th grade and will be in our Lower Inter Girls Division this summer for her first summer at Canadensis.  In the fall, winter and spring, Sophia is one busy girl.  She is active with a softball team and a dance team, which has a performance in the spring.  She participates in a program called “Girls on the Run,” which promotes physical fitness and self-esteem through long distance running.  She also plays the saxophone, swims, bike rides and is involved in her local Girls Scouts troop.  With all of this, she always finds time to take care of her guinea pig Penelope.  When she gets to camp this year, she is excited for Glass Fusion, the Banana Boat, going on her division’s overnight and the high ropes course.  Here is a photo…

Me with Lower Inter Girl Sophia Brociner and her guinea pig Penelope.

Also in Warren, NJ, I got together with 3rd grader and Junior Girl Sydney Cohn.  Sydney, who is coming to camp for her first summer, is very busy with several different activities.  She is in a hip-hop dance class at Dance Express and will be performing in the spring to the hit song “Supersonic.”  She takes tennis lessons and also likes to play forward on her soccer team, which has games in both the spring and fall.  She told me that she also likes to learn about and collect crystals.  Sydney let me know that she is completely psyched about the upcoming summer and is eager to try the ropes course, archery, swimming, kayaking and biking.  At the same time, she can’t wait to make a whole bunch of new friends as well as get a break from school.  Here is a pic…

Me with Junior Girl Sydney Cohn.

In Short Hills, NJ, I met up with 2nd grade boy Justin Green, who will be in our Junior Boys division.  When I asked him about what he is looking forward to in his first summer, he replied with excitement, “I can’t wait for a great summer at Canadensis!”  Justin also filled me in that he plays left midfield for his travel soccer team, the Millburn Blast, and that he takes tennis lessons.  At his house, I also got introduced to his new dog Rafa.  While there, Justin also beat me in a game of Foosball.  Justin let me know that he is a really good joke teller.  This summer, he is ready to try activities like rocketry, all of the lake activities, the Banana Boat and soccer.  Here is a photo…

Me with Junior Boy Justin Green and his new dog Rafa.

In Morristown, NJ, I spent some time with the Hawks brothers, 6th grader Drake and 2nd grader Branden.  Drake, who will be back at camp for his 4th summer as part of our Freshman Boys Division, has been playing a lot of lacrosse as an attacker for his team the Colonials.  With the many weekends he spends skiing, he just recently placed 5th out of 90 skiers at the Kandahar Challenge Championships.  In the fall, Drake also played goalie on his soccer team.  Drake wanted to say hello to all of his bunkmates from Summer 2010’s Bunk 11.  He is also looking forward to a Lacrosse inter-camp and Color War.  Drake’s younger brother Branden will be at Canadensis for his first summer and will be in our Junior Boys Division.  Also a big skier, Branden just took 2nd place in a recent Hunter Mountain Race.  In the next few weeks, he will be starting his baseball season, where he really enjoys pitching.  He also plays flag football for his Jr. Colonials team.  In the fall, he will be moving up to play tackle football.  When he gets to camp in 2011, he can’t wait for baseball, fishing, waterskiing, sailing, woodworking and the Corn Man!  Here is a photo…

Me with the Hawks Brothers, (left) Junior Boy Branden Hawks and (right) Freshman Boy Drake Hawks.

In Bala Cynwyd, PA, I had so much with the Rosenau Girls, Julia and Emma!  Julia, now in the 7th grade, is so psyched for her 5th summer at Canadensis as she will now receive her 5-Year Jacket!  She has been extremely busy this year on the Bar and Bat Mitzvah Circuit seeing all of her camp friends.  She also showed me pictures from her own Bat Mitzvah which took place  a few months ago.  She has also been playing basketball and softball.  Julia is so happy to be a Lower Senior this year and wanted to give a shout out to all of her bunkmates from Summer 201o’s Bunk 12 as well as Assistant Head Counselor Karen Sharir!  She also can’t wait for Cooking and Hondas.  Emma, who is now in 4th grade and will be in our Lower Inter Girls Division as part of her second summer at camp, has been involved with gymnastics, softball, basketball and playing the cello.  At camp this year, she anxiously awaits Color War, Glass Fusion and once again beating me in Basketball.  Last summer, myself and two other counselors lost fair in square to the Girls of Bunk 4.  This year, we will have a rematch!  Emma also wanted to say hello to all of the Girls from last summer’s Bunk 4.  Here is a picture…

Me with the Rosenau Girls, (left) Lower Senior Girl Julia Rosenau and (right) Lower Inter Girl Emma Rosenau.

Finally, in Rye Brook, NY, I saw first time camper and 3rd grader Zack Richman, who will be in our Junior Boys division.  Zack plays travel soccer in both the fall and spring as part of his team, the Rye Brook Raptors, where he plays left wing and striker.  Zack told me about his recent trip to Breckenridge, Colorado, where he just learned how to ski a black diamond trail.  Zack also enjoys basketball and is even a real student of the game and learns about NBA legends such as Walt Frazier, Clyde “The Glide” Drexler and Wilt Chamberlain.  He also likes ice skating and hopes one day to start playing ice hockey.  When he gets to came in a few months, he is looking forward to the Banana Boat, waterskiing, making S’Mores, tennis, and most importantly, making new friends!  Zack’s younger sister Zoe, a future Canadensis camper, let me know that she has been busy with hip-hop dance, cooking, ice skating and soccer.  Here is a pic…

Me with Junior Boy Zack Richman and Future Canadensis Camper Zoe Richman.

As is always the case here on Brian’s Blog, I love to hear about camp friends getting together over the fall, winter and spring months.  When I get this information, I am always eager to see pictures, so I can then post them hear.  Well, it turns out that a few weeks back, the girls of Summer 2010’s Bunk 6 had a sleepover at Alexa Dersovitz’s house.  According to Alexa’s mom Nicole, the girls had an absolute blast!  Here is a pic…

The Girls of Summer 2010's Bunk 6 recently had a sleepover.

I hope all of our camp families are gearing up for the summer as we are now less than 100 days away from an amazing summer.  We just recently sent out our latest camp mailing with a whole new bunch of forms.  If there are any families with questions, please call us.  If there are any prospective families looking to book tours of camp this summer, please give us a call as we are beginning to book tours on April 1.

Well, that’s all for now.  More to blog next week.  See everyone soon!

Have a great day…Brian

Hello Canadensis!

I hope everyone out there in Canadensis Cyberspace is doing well.  It’s been a few weeks since my last blog, so I figured I’d put together one of my Mega-Blogs as there is a lot to fill you in on.  And, I’m sure you’ve been chomping at the bit for your daily scoop on all things Canadensis.  Well, here is a double scoop.  Scratch that.  A triple scoop!

Last week, we had a great time at the Camp Canadensis – Philadelphia 76ers Night at the Wells Fargo Center in Philly.  The 76ers organization rolled out its welcome mat in full force and gave our campers and camp families an amazing event!  First of all, our campers were able to get courtside for the team’s shoot around before the game.  After that, the got onto the court for the game’s fan tunnel where they gave high fives to all of the 76ers players as they came onto the court.  During the game, which was a close battle all night long, Upper Inter Boy Adam Aronson even got onto the court to compete in a basketball game during one of the game’s time outs.  In the end, the 76ers came up a bit short to the Dallas Mavericks, but all in attendance had a great time!  Here are some pictures from the evening…

Mindy Rosenthal, Mel Sukonik and Alix Steerman courtside before the game.

Lower Inter Boys (from left to right) Noah Stern, Matthew Center, David Brucker, Michael Poulshock and Jacob Batt were courtside at the 76ers shoot around.

Canadensis on the Court at the Wells Fargo Arena.

Canadensis Campers form the Fan Tunnel.

Ready to give High Fives! Or, in this case, Low Fives!

Pam with Junior Girl Paige Miller (center) with Future Canadensis Campers Marissa Brucker (left) and Ilana Miller (top).

Upper Inter Boy Adam Aronson with his dad Eric.

Junior Boy Jason Green and his dad Stu.

Freshman Boy Josh Brownstein (right) and Junior Boy Josh Brownstein (left) with mom Iris.

Group Leader Pete Tarnoff with Upper Inter Boys Sammy Miller (left), Eric Miller (center) and Adam Aronson (right).

Some real big news hit the airwaves last week when it was announced on a Winter Special Edition of the Canadensis Today Show that our new Lower Boys Head Counselor will be Roy Kaplan.  After a few months of a nationwide search, we are so thrilled to have Roy as part of our leadership team.  Currently, Roy is an elementary school teacher in Utah teaching first grade.  He is originally from Ohio and received his degree in Early Childhood Education from Ohio Northern University where he also played college baseball.  He then went onto receive his Master’s Degree in the same area at UNC-Charlotte.  Roy brings with him some wonderful camp experience as well as he has worked at several private residential camps in both Pennsylvania and Maine.  In his free time, Roy is an avid skier and runner and is even currently training for a marathon before camp.  Roy is excited to get to camp and work alongside Mike Lindquist, Robin Forti, Karen Sharir and Alyssa Thibodeau as part of our Head Counselor Team!  Roy will be at our Annual Open House on June 5 to meet campers and parents.  Here is a photo…

New Lower Boys Head Counselor Roy Kaplan (center) met up at camp with me, Eric, Pam and Robin.

Last Thursday after work, me, Pam and Matt had the privilege to witness the theater directorial debut of our very own Cara Corradetti.  Back in the fall, Cara got a call from her former middle school and they asked her if she would be interested in directing their annual school musical; an opportunity she immediately jumped at.  So, for the past several months, Cara has been in the camp office for half the day and directing for the other half.  Well, last Thursday was Opening Night!  And, I must say that we had a really fun time watching her show “Disco Inferno.”  The basic story is of a struggling singer that wants to become famous.  He eventually makes a deal with the devil to do so.  In the  end, the moral of the story is “be careful what you wish for.”  Seated right in front of us were some of Cara’s sorority sisters, who even had custom-made T-shirts for the event.  Here are some pics…

The Disco Inferno Program.

Flipping through the program, we were so proud to see the words "Direction by Cara Corradetti."

Here was the front of the T-Shirt made by some of Cara's biggest fans...her sorority sisters. Love it!

The backs of the T-Shirts, when put together, spelled out CORRADETTI.

Now, what would a blog be without updating you on some of our campers?  Of course, I am still getting a chance to see our campers in their homes and they have been telling me about all of the good stuff they have been up to.  In Wayne, NJ, I got to hang out with the Schwed Boys, Freshman Boys Matthew and Alex, who are back for their fourth summer, and younger brother and Junior Boy Ben, who is coming to camp for his first summer.  After some X-Box football (I got my butt kicked), the boys told me all they have been up to this year.  Alex, in the 6th grade, has been playing soccer all year long.  He plays left midfield on his travel team, the Wayne Timberwolves.  In one season, they even went undefeated with a record of 8-0-2.  Matthew, also in 6th grade, played tackle football in fall where he played on both the offensive and defensive lines.  His team posted a record of 6-2.  Currently, he is playing flag football.  When asked about the upcoming summer and what they were looking forward to, both said, “Being away from my parents!”  Ha Ha!  They also can’t wait for Color War and more electives now that they are in the Freshman division.  Ben, who is currently in the 3rd grade, is playing in a basketball league and taking karate lessons.  This summer, he is excited for basketball, photography and all of the activities at the lake.  Here is a pic…

Me with the Schwed Boys. From left to right, Freshman Boys Matthew and Alex and Junior Boy Ben.

In Syosset, NY, I caught up with Upper Inter Boy Ryan Lefkowitz who will be joined by his brother this year at camp as a Junior Boy Devin Lefkowitz.  In the 5th grade and joining us for his second summer, Ryan continues to be busy playing guitar in his band that goes by the name of c4.  His next gig is scheduled for the spring.  He is also been playing tennis and basketball (his team even made the playoffs) as well as getting together with camp friends.  He wanted to say hello to all of his bunkmates from last summer’s Boys Bunk 6 and wants to let them know that “we are going to have an excellent summer in 2011!”  He is also looking forward to Color War and Rock Band.  Ryan has also started his own blog, too.  You can check it out at:  http://dopolomo.wordpress.com/ .  As for Devin, currently in 2nd grade, he has been playing a number of different sports including flag football, basketball, lacrosse, baseball and soccer.  He also started playing the drums and is involved in a chess club.  He has also started his own blog which can be found here:  http://chessesblog.wordpress.com/ .  This summer, Devin will be active in many different areas of camp and is looking forward to waterskiing, hockey, soccer, cooking, gaga, all the activities at the lake, Color War and hondas / go-karts.  Here is a photo…

Me with Junior Boy Devin Lefkowitz (left) and Upper Inter Boy Ryan Lefkowitz.

I recently got an e-mail from Upper Inter Boy Andy Grossman, who reminded me that no matter where you go, there is always a good chance you might run into camp friends.  While on a family vacation at the Deer Valley Ski Resort in Park City, Utah, Andy was in ski school with a few other kids his age.  When the instructor took attendance, a boy in the group said he was Daniel Goldstein from Westchester, NY.  This immediately got Andy’s attention as it was a fellow Canadensis camper from his division!  In Andy’s words…”What a small world.  Canadensis was well represented.”  Thanks Andy for sharing the story.

As I always like to say to former campers and staff that come back to visit camp in the summer, you can always come home again.  Well, last weekend, I got a chance to go back to an old home of mine.  Me, Jaime and a few of my roommates from back in my college days made a trek back up to our ‘ol stomping grounds of Syracuse University.  We realized that it has been close to 20 years since we first started SU.  The whole weekend long, we reminisced about all of the great times we had, including all of the bad weather (a common joke for those that have been there).  We checked out the new Carmelo Anthony Basketball Center on campus, took in a Syracuse-DePaul basketball game (we won big) and had a dinner at the famous Dinousaur BBQ.  On Saturday and Sunday, I got a chance to meet up with a number of former campers and staff who were on campus.  That list included Rachel Dender, Brittany Kahane, Rebecca Waxman, Jaime Jacobson, Brooke Appelbaum and Josh Gilbert.  Here are some pictures from the weekend…

Me and two of my college roommates, Kevin and Jon, stand next to the 2003 Men's College Basketsball Trophy Syracuse won in 2003. All of Syracuse's trophies are now on display at the new Carmelo Anthony Basketball Center on campus.

Me with some of our wonderful camp staff (all who were former campers at Canadensis). From left to right: Rebecca Waxman, Jamie Jacobson, Brittany Kahane, Brooke Appelbaum (who drove up from Ithaca College) and Josh Gilbert. I had also gotten together with Rachel Dender the day before.

As you know, now that we are in March, we are closing in on the 100 days to camp mark!  As a sports fan, it also means that we are in March Madness time, one of my favorite sporting events of the year.  Next week, our camp families will be receiving an e-mail for our campers and staff to complete an online bracket, with prizes going to the best camper and best staff brackets.  Hopefully, many of you will play!

Next week, our winter team will be heading down to Atlantic City for the Annual Tri-State Camping Conference, which allows us to attend many camp-related sessions and discussions as well as purchasing a number of different items for the summer.  You can learn more about it here:  http://www.aca-nynj.org/index.php?tri-state-conference .  This is always a great time and a wonderful learning experience for us each year.  Maybe we’ll even put together a video to see what we do down there.

That’s all of the blogging for now.  More to come soon.

Have a great day!  Brian