Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums & Friends,
Welcome to the “off-season.” It’s hard to believe we’re there already! This is our monthly newsletter, which we will post towards the beginning of each month. We use this to keep in touch with you, keep you apprised of things going on with camp and the upcoming 
summer, and we also like to share news about our campers and counselors with everyone. Back in the old days, this publication was on paper, and we would mail it out each month. We heard stories of kids waiting for the new “Timberlife!” to appear in their mailboxes. It wasn’t just for the sharply written prose or even for the newsy tidbits about camp. Nope, it was so they could find out what’s going on with all of their camp friends, who’s coming back next summer, etc. These days social media keeps them very well connected to each other, which we think is great – even if it does steal a little of our monthly thunder. That’s okay. But not everyone is in the same electronic circles, so we still like to share news when we get it. So….our little appeal: PLEASE SEND US NEWS ABOUT YOUR CAMPERS! Parents, it’s mostly up to you….kids don’t always think about telling us cool stuff….like achievements at school, in sports, in theater, in student government, in extra curricular activities and events. Heck, even if our reading public doesn’t always jump up and down when they read this stuff, WE DO! We truly want to hear about events going on in your campers’ lives, so please help us with a few emails here and there. And staff, that goes for you too. Your kids LOVE hearing about you….please make an effort to fill us in every once in a while. Thanks!
Not very long ago, BILL MILLER, GREG FUS, JAKE REUTER and I finished all of the little tasks involved in closing down camp. It’s funny….it takes us a solid 6 weeks to get camp opened up in the spring and ready for the campers. Once the boys depart on that sad final day of 2nd session, it takes us about 10 hours to get the place 90% of the way closed down. Much of that is attributable to a very hard-working staff that’s focused on getting camp closed up so they can head for home and get on with their other lives. You wouldn’t believe how hard they work and how much they get done in a sprint of activity! It’s truly amazing. The other 10% or so of the things we have to do to get the facility buttoned up for winter we tackle a little more leisurely. Closing down cabins, meeting with contractors to work on next year’s projects (more on that soon!), putting away boats and vehicles…..it’s slow and steady work.
The very last thing we do before we head south is we take down the sign at the front entrance of camp, and close the front gate. On August 25th, Bill and I were performing that ceremonial task as a neighbor of ours and her daughter went roller blading by on Airport Rd. “Oh no…already?” our neighbor asked. “Yep, it’s already that time.” I replied. “Well that means summer is over, then.” She said. “All of us around here sort of gauge how much time is left by when we first hear the bells stop ringing and then when the sign comes down.” We finished our work and drove down the driveway back into camp talking about how our little camp influences so many people within and beyond our property line. We have some great neighbors around camp, and we love that they’re passionate about summer too…though probably more to enjoy the nice weather.
So, now what? We’re actually well on our way in preparations for the summer of 2015. It’s going to be FANTASTIC!! In fact, our enrollment is already cooking, and we’re already well beyond1/3 of the way filled up for the first session, with second session just a bit behind. Let’s get right to it!
It’s just now September, but welcome back to the following “old-timers” who re-
enrolled in the few weeks since camp ended: AIDAN MEASE of Tucson, AZ; DILLON BERLIN, EVAN & KYLE GROSS, JESSE MC CAULYE, JONAS & OWEN MONIESON, ADAM RUBIN, and DANIEL SOLOT of Glencoe, IL; JAMES LOVETT of Los Angeles, CA; JACKSON TURNER of Denver, CO; DEVON BIERMAN, HENRY & WILL COEN, ADAM COHN, ETHAN & TYLER DEUTSCH, OWEN FRENCH, GRANT & JASON GARLAND, JUSTIN GOLDENBERG, JACK KAHN, TYLER & ZACH NEWMARK, ADAM POGER, JARED SETTLER, CHRISTIAN SIEVE, BEN & SAM SIWAK, CHARLIE SMOLLER, and OWEN TAYLOR of St. Louis, MO; JACK BARUCH of Buffalo Grove, IL; ZACK CONNELL and ALEX PECK of Deerfield, IL; JAIMARI COTTRELL of Cleveland, OH; COLE KAPLAN of Atlanta, GA; CONNOR O’NEIL, JACKSON SCHNEIDER, and JACOB VINER of Nashville, TN; MAX BORON, RYAN HOFFMAN, BEN & ARI KADEN, JACK KRISER, JOEY ROSENBLUM, and ALEXANDER ZLOTNIK of Highland Park, IL; ZACHARY LISS of Kansas City, MO; MARK DAVID of Herndon, VA; EVAN WALDMAN of Northbrook, IL; and PARKER ANNAN of Oconomowoc, WI. Wow!!!
We even have a few new campers to welcome aboard. Say hello to SETH FISH and JORDAN PLOCKER of Deerfield, IL and GABE SCHULTZ of Franklin, WI. Glad to have you all with us. It’s going to be a crazy fun summer!! We just have to wait a few months, but it’ll get here!!
YO PARENTS & CAMPERS: This is the informational section of the newsletter. If there’s anything really important going on, we’ll let you know via email. For now, we want to remind you that the camp Memory Books most of you ordered will be mailed to you directly from the photographer, Mobile Photo, in early November. Since the photographer is based in Chicago, he will actually come to our Chicago reunion on November 1st and distribute the Memory Books there. If you’re unable to attend the reunion (what?!), don’t worry….he’ll mail it to you right afterwards.
YO CAMPERS & STAFF: Did you know that we have a camp address list with US Mail and email addresses on it? The list is located on your parents’ Keylog Page, which they can log into and print for you. The list is also on the Staff Keylog page for all of our staff members. We hope you’ll use that to reach out to your friends on their birthdays (I know, I know…you can do that on Facebook. I’m old-fashioned.)
YO STAFF: Quick reminder to you that if you change your address, we really need to know about it. Please just send us a quick email to let us know so we can keep you in the camp loop. Thanks!
Speaking of reunions, we have Chicago already set, and many more will be on the calendar very soon. A few weeks before the reunion, we will send you an email with an attached invitation to the reunion. Please clear your calendar and join us for a few hours of hanging out with camp friends, reminiscing about the past summer, getting excited for the summer ahead, and – of course – viewing the 2014 Reunion Video…sure to be another box office hit! Here are the details for Chicago:
| City | Date | Time |
| Chicago | Saturday, November 1st | 12:00 PM |
So….this is the section where we hope to share some news updates about everyone. We have very little to share at the moment, but we’re happy to report that DAVID BERK is still involved with swimming back in Tucson. CONNOR FEHRENBACH returned to Dallas after camp and took a lifeguard training course, so he is now a certified lifeguard! And….that’s all the news to report. More next month!
JEREMY SUTTON has landed a job with an NGO (non-governmental organization) and will be working in rural locations in India on education and finance projects. Wow! Jeremy also plans to apply for a spot in the US Peace Corps in the coming months. Out in Colorado, TOMMY CROSBY has applied for a position with the National Park Service. In the Chicago area, JACOB ROSENSTEIN has applied for two jobs, one as a volleyball coach, and another as a lifeguard. In Madison, DUSTY COHEN has applied for a job at an outdoor retail store. That’s lots of job applications going on out there! Keep it up, y’all!
BRAVO TO THE SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS: Jake Feiger - 9/2/1997, Aidan Doyal - 
9/3/1997, Christian Sieve - 9/3/2004, Greg Fus - 9/4/1955, Max Gootter - 9/5/2001, Joey Flom - 9/6/2001, Rick Jones - 9/9/1957, Ethan Rothstein - 9/10/2001, Jeremy Sus - 9/10/1998, Graham Elliot - 9/11/2001, Laura Franco - 9/11/1989, Jesse Stolberg - 9/11/2001, Donovan Swan - 9/11/1999, Scott Wolf - 9/11/1991, Cody Kendall - 9/12/2002, David Tamsky - 9/15/1999, David Artzi - 9/17/1993, Dustin Cohen - 9/17/1993, Jordan Fishel - 9/17/1997, Naveen Krishnan - 9/18/2000, Luth Nolasco Ruiz - 9/18/1987, Jesse Mc Cauley - 9/19/1999, Ari Singer - 9/19/1999, Andrew Cramin - 9/22/1999, Jacob Viner - 9/22/2003, Zev Burton - 9/23/1999, Spencer Vernier - 9/24/2002, Aidan Mease - 9/26/2004, Aviry Christy - 9/27/1992, Emma Smith - 9/27/1993, Chris Tompkins - 9/28/1998, Miles Gottesman - 9/29/2000, Ben Siwak - 9/29/2004, Sammy Cohen - 9/30/1996, Owen Shaffer - 9/30/2003.
So, we’re off and running towards another great summer ahead. There’s so much fun in the coming months, and we’re looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our reunions around the country. Please keep in touch, share your news with us, and we hope you’re all enjoying a fun and productive start to the “off-season.” We’ll write you again next month.
Benches up,
