Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums & Friends,
It’s never easy leaving the Northwoods for the “off-season,” and this year was no exception. The weather at camp had been really nice, save for many, many days of moisture that raised the lake level a good 6 inches since the camping season ended. Other than that, it was mild and very peaceful up there, and as we were leaving, the coming winter chill was starting to make itself known bit by bit. The leaves had only just started to change colors as all the rainfall had kept everything green past the typical time when the grass begins to go dormant and the leaves fall from the trees. But the nighttime air had a little bite to it the last few days we were there, and all the folks up there know what is coming soon. That was our cue to throw the dogs in the car and head southwest!
And now we’re back in Tucson. To us, the change is palpable, and it feels hot. To the folks who are here all summer, they’re digging out their jackets and sweaters already. It’s nice to be back, catch up with our friends here, and turn our attention from lakes to mountains. One nice part of being up north was spending only a little time in front of the television. We’re back in “civilization,” and honestly, what is showing up on the tube often seems far from civilized. For the first time this year, both of our children will be eligible to vote in a presidential election. Yep, that’s how we know we’re getting old! Neither of our kids are political junkies by any means, but they both seem to be engaged and tuned in to the importance of the whole process. That balance feels healthy to us. If you think about it, if your son is in 9th grade now (even 8th grade for some), he will have the opportunity to vote in the next presidential election. That, folks, is how fast things go! So the question might be how to present this whole election process (or circus) to an interested young mind? Anyone can turn on a television and see non-stop coverage, and if we can be frank, a lot of it ain’t pretty right now. Seeing that can be confusing to a young person who has heard many times that democracy and self-government is the most noble of all. How do we explain this apparent disconnect? Like most things, we believe it comes down to balance.
Our kids have grown up going to camp. At camp, they lived in cabin groups with other kids, most of whom they got along with well, agreed with, and enjoyed spending their time with. Most…but not always all. Certainly any camper will find himself with a cabin mate with whom they have disagreements. The camp experience, and most assuredly the cabin group living experience teaches our kids how to disagree without being disagreeable! Our kids learn how to compromise, accept others’ beliefs even if they don’t share them, and to move forward. That is a balance skill that seems to be lacking in so many of our leaders today. So maybe you can just tell your curious youngins that those folks running for office probably never got the chance to go to camp 
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  Wow! Talk about a great way to get the ball rolling!! We are really pleased with how strong our re-enrollment is already for next summer. We are well ahead of last year’s pace, and that’s awesome! Welcome back to the following campers who re-enrolled in September: JARED SAEF of Chicago, IL; SPENCER FARBER, JARED LETWAT, and BEN & DREW SPIEGEL of Deerfield, IL; DAVID BERK and AIDAN MEASE of Tucson, AZ; ELI & JOSH KATZ and JEREMY GROVER of Los Angeles, CA; LEO HANDELSMAN of San Diego, CA; CALEB & JONAH GERSTEIN of Evanston, IL; DILLON BERLIN, BEN ELLIS, ALEX GOLDBERG, BEN GOLDMAN (after a summer’s absence), ALEX GORDON, COLIN GOTTSHALL, and OWEN MONIESON of Glencoe, IL; PETER FINK and COLE KAPLAN of Atlanta, GA; ZACHARY LISS of Kansas City, MO; HENRY & NOAH COEN, JEREMY COHN, AKIL DICKERSON, JUSTIN GOLDENBERG, JACK KAHN, CONNOR LANDER, LUCAS LEVY, ALEX MC CLOUD, and CHRISTIAN SIEVE of St. Louis, MO; MAX BORON, XANDER BREGMAN, GABE FELDMAN, and JACK KRISER of Highland Park, IL; JACKSON SHALTIEL of Mundelein, IL; MATTHEW KALLMEYER and ZAVION STEELE of Cleveland, OH; CAM & GAVIN GORDON, MICHAEL GORDON, CONNOR O’NEIL, and JACOB VINER of Nashville, TN; MASSIMO D’AGARO of Northbrook, IL; DOX & LEVI RASKIN of Oak Park, IL; HENRY ANDERSON of Alexandria, VA; ELI WACKSMAN of Seattle, WA; and GABE SCHULTZ of Franklin, WI. Yowza! Think we’re in for a pretty great summer? You know it!!Say hello to the following first-year campers who are joining us: BLAKE ABLIN of Chicago, IL; JOEY HANDELSMAN of San Diego, CA; ALEX KIPNIS of Glencoe, IL; JONAH ZIVIN of Wilmette, IL; and TYLER MANN of Mundelein, IL. We’re glad to have you all with us!!! |
Speaking of reunions, check out the calendar so far:
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As full as that calendar looks, a few more cities will be added in the coming weeks and months. We’ll always keep you posted when there is a reunion coming your way. In fact, we sent out emails to many of you recently so you can save the date for a reunion in your area. We know how busy everyone is in the “off-season,” but let us just ask you this one favor. PLEASE set aside these 90 minutes on the day we come to visit with you. Soccer is important, lacrosse is important, theater is important….we truly get it. Camp is also important (some might even say…importanter?), and we travel a 
long, long way every winter to spend time with our camp friends. So we hope you will set aside this 90 minutes or so on the day we’re in your area so we can visit, reminisce about the past summer, and relive some of that camp spirit together. Thanks very much.
YO PARENTS: And now a message from our Planning Way Ahead Department: We suggest you make your son’s spring doctor appointment very soon. Remember all campers will need a Medical Recommendation form completed and signed by the doc, and many doctors won’t sign the form without first seeing their patient’s smiling face. You know how hard it can be to get an appointment, so we suggest you get it on the doctor’s calendar soon. And you can download the Medical Recommendation form anytime right from your Keylog Page.
YO EVERONE! Not long ago we sent an email inviting you to participate in a program through the American Camp Association called “Camp Moves Me.” This is a fund-raising effort for the month of October that ACA supports to send kids to camp. And if you need more good news, this fund-raising effort will also benefit Camp for All Kids!. It is a chance to get out, get some exercise, and raise money to send kids to camp. We hope you’ll join our Camp Moves Me team and get out there! If you have any questions, please call or email us. Thanks!
  We were in the Chicago area for a quick visit last month, and met some of our staff out for a bite to eat at a Buffalo Wild Wings. We’re having a nice time, when it walk EVAN BLOOM, MAX BORON, and DUSTY KARMIN! That made our nice time even better! Let’s face it….camp folks love wings! Also in Chicago, GABE FELDMAN, SETH FISH, EVAN WALDMAN, and BEN GOSS had a mini-camp reunion last month. Bar Mitzvah congrats to EMERSON CORONEL in Los Angeles as he celebrates this month. In St. Louis, BEN & SAM SIWAK got to show off their waterski skills for some friends last month. Gotta get it in while you can! Down in Mississippi, SETH BERK had traveled with friends from home (New Orleans), and he also got to show off his waterski skills. Makes us very proud, boys! |
  SAM “PICKLES” KAHN lives in Chicago, but he loves the Green Bay Packers. And while enjoying a fun game at Lambeau last month, he happened to bump into a couple of other Chicago area guys also up for the game. Who knew that JONAS & OWEN MONIESON were such devout Packer fans? That made the game even more enjoyable for Sam, the Moniesons, and the Packers. JONATHAN VERA is back home in Cancun, Mexico, and he plans to get out and ride his bike and raise money through Camp Moves Me. Thanks, Jonathan! Who else is on board?! While on a brief visit from Denver to San Francisco last month, BRIAN STRAIN caught up with “old-timer” MAX WEINTRAUB who now lives and works in the Bay Area. Brian enjoyed touring around and seeing the sights. DUSTIN COHEN is back in Tucson doing some work projects here and there and waiting to start his job at Keystone Resort where he will be a childrens’ ski instructor this winter. And, adding to the fun, tripper JARED BURGDORF will also be a ski instructor and they’re gonna be roommates. They’ll be living close to JOVAN MCGEE, who has returned to Summit County to be a lead driver with Vail Resorts Shuttle service. |
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(...like around the watercooler! Get it?!) I now get a chance every month, despite class and snow and a noticeable lack of hot wings, to take us on a journey back to the glorious North Woods and celebrate the special summer we all shared together. I have a pretty sweet job, huh?? September means getting back into the swing of things at school, campers and counselors alike. I know it can be rough. 1st period Algebra and 4th period World History don’t sound quite as enticing as 1st period Athletics and 4th period Advanced Canoeing (sincerest apologies to Jake Whitstone, future inspirational World History teacher). Reading “The Great Gatsby” in English class certainly doesn’t compare to skiing behind a Jordan Taylor-captained boat by the same name (¡Hola desde el otro lado del mundo Jordan!). And even a cool class like Environmental Science just lacks the authenticity of actually setting up a tent and sleeping under the stars with Brian Barlow and Ari Asarch. Lunch always hit me the hardest. School cafeterias are THE WORST! Why do I get funny looks when I bang on the table? Who is going to stand up and scream nonsense words and give me cake on birthdays?? Why isn’t Matthew Paley leading me in a dance to “Treasure” by Bruno Mars?!? These are the questions keeping me up at night. I do genuinely hope everyone is enjoying their “offseason” away from camp, with families and friends and pets and sports and...yeah, I guess there’s a lot to love. Hopefully you’ve also remembered to bring the best parts of camp home with you. Whether it’s a goofy story you want to share or the way you want to treat people, the things we love most about our cabins don’t have to go away just because we aren’t living in them at the moment. Until next month! I want to stay in touch with all of you, so please send us pictures of your Halloween costumes to: scottlorenwolf@gmail.com. Shout-outs in the next issue for the funniest and most creative! I take this very seriously (remember The Realm?), and I have high expectations... Benches up, Scott |
BRAVO TO OUR OCTOBER BIRTHDAY BOYS: Matthew Kallmeyer - 10/1/2003, Ilan Reiss - 10/2/2003, Miles Stein - 10/2/2002, Jonah Hoffman - 10/6/1998, Jonah Hoffman - 10/6/1998, Emerson Coronel - 10/8/2003, Andrew Kerpel - 10/8/2002, Jared Saef - 10/8/2000, Jonny Stein - 10/9/2002, Gabe Feldman - 10/10/2005, Ryan Teitelbaum - 10/10/2003, Ari Lackner - 10/11/1996, Josh Ettinger - 10/13/2000, William Coovert - 10/15/2002, Caleb Parchman - 10/15/1991, Jason Rabinowitz - 10/15/2003, Jeremy Grover - 10/16/2005, Spencer Farber - 10/18/2003, Zach Newmark - 10/18/2004, Ethan Schwartz - 10/18/2001, Jack de Riesthal - 10/19/2004, Dox Raskin - 10/19/2003, Gil Ron - 10/19/2004, Jonah Samson - 10/19/2004, Justin Leider - 10/21/1991, Andrew Mukavitz - 10/21/2005, Ethan Teich - 10/21/1999, Eli Tenenbaum - 10/21/2004, Peter Fink - 10/25/2004, Jack Kahn - 10/25/2001, Chase Wolinetz - 10/25/2006, Ross Krulisky - 10/28/1995, Alec Schlossberg - 10/28/2004, Ryan Zlotnik - 10/29/2007.
Happy Halloween, y’all! Have a fun and safe one. We’ll write you again next month.
Benches up,
