Throwback Thursday: Top 12 in '12

As 2012 comes to a close, Camp Foley is counting down the Top 12 in 2012!

12. Norm came to Camp Foley!

11. The LIT morning and evening programs of relays, races and large-field games were fun for all! The LIT 2 campers from First and Second Session even prepared the evening activity for the 4th of July!

10. CIT Opening Campfires were creative and entertaining! Themes were Despicable Me: Camp Foley and The Bachelor: Lower Mosquit/Disney Princesses.

 9. Dr. Seuss and Roald Dahl Final Banquets were a success! The Dr. Seuss banquet featured a rousing game of Sneetchball and a visit from The Grinch and Cindy Lou Who while Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory was set up in the Wabi for the Roald Dahl Banquet.

8. Flick n’ Float made its return to Foley! Campers enjoyed watching "The Little Giants" or "The Sandlot" down at the Marina, under the stars!

 7. According to campers, Waterskiing is Camp Foley’s favorite activity! Sailing and Riflery came in second and third, respectively.

6. Camp got a new wakeboard boat, which made it easier for 27 campers to earn their Closet Junkie Award!

5. 96.5% of campers achieved a Foley First in 2012! Our goal for 2013: Have 100% of campers say they achieved a Foley First!

4. In its first year, Club Paradise brought 68 new families and 101 new campers to Foley! A special shout out do Second Session's Martin Dieck who had so many referrals sign up for camp that he already has all four of his official Camp Foley Root Beer Mugs and set of spoons!

Claire receiving her Silver Paddle.

3. Nine very deserving Anchor Awards were handed out to Jack Cunningham, Erin Foley, Nick Goldman, Paige Harrington, Ari Hechter, Maddie Lorentzen, Thomas Schroeder, Mary Grace Schuler and Parker Stevens. 

2. Claire Hickey earned her Silver Paddle! She is the 44th overall camper and 13th female to receive this award. Way to go, Clarie! 

From left: Thomas, Toby, Jack, Regina, Loic, Nick and Sarah.

1. Campers earned some of camp’s hardest activity awards: American Archer in Archery (Toby Glover), Force Four in Windsurfing (Loic DeRichecour), Expert in Riflery (Nick Goldman, Thomas Schroeder), Skipper in Sailing (Jack Cunningham, Regina Flores, Sarah Kruemplestaedter)!

If you think we left something off of our "Top 12" be sure to let us know! It's pretty clear that 2012 was an AMAZING summer at Camp Foley. We can only hope that 2013 will be just as fun, just as exciting, and just as memorable! If you haven't registered for summer 2013 yet, you better get on it. If you're already registered, what are you looking forward to next summer?

Local Minnesota Teen Does Good!

Waterskiing at Foley
Summer 2012

Did you know that the most popular water sport at Camp Foley was invented by two teenagers from Minnesota?  That’s right!  In 1922, 18-year old Ralph Samuelson theorized that if it was possible to ski on snow, it should be possible to ski on water too.

Minnesota Water Ski Inventor Ralph Samuelson

Ralph convinced his brother Ben to pull him across Lake Pepin, Minnesota in a power boat with a clothes line.  Ralph started out by trying downhill snow skis, cross-country snow skis, and even wooden planks which he strapped to his ankles with a window sash.  Eventually Ralph learned that by leaning backwards to keep the front tips of the skis above the water, and by making sure Ben kept the boat running fast enough, he could ski across the lake.

Ralph with the seaplane
that pulled him at 80 mph!

Ralph and Ben began custom building skis specifically for the water from wood planks.  They learned that wider skis worked best, and before long they were holding public exhibitions in the summer on Lake Pepin to show off their new skills.  People began coming from to the lake from nearby communities to watch Ralph, who soon learned he could slalom around buoys on water skis too.  By the time Ralph added the first ski jump over a floating ramp to his exhibition, people were traveling to Lake Pepin each summer from miles around to see this fascinating new sport.

By 1937, Ralph was performing water ski exhibitions in Minnesota, Michigan, and Florida.  One of his most famous variations was to have himself pulled with a long rope by an airborne WW1 seaplane at 80mph.  Audiences loved it.  And by doing so Ralph became the world’s first speed skier.

This wild, new Minnesota activity caught on with vacation resorts across the country in the 1950’s, and soon Hollywood was including elaborate water ski “stunts” into their big budget, widescreen, color musicals into their teen beach/surf romantic comedies.

Elvis Presley water skiing in 1955

A water ski exhibition
for a resort in the 50's

Hollywood water ski
movie poster

Camp Foley began teaching water skiing in 1956 and joined the National Waterski Association in 1958.  The activity quickly became a camper-favorite, and we continue to expand and improve our classes, programs, and equipment – adding knee-boarding, barefoot skiing, and in 2004 wakeboarding too.  This year we made another impressive addition to the program with the purchase of a powerful 343-horse power Centurion ski boat.

Camp Foley's powerful new Ski Boat makes learning to ski even easier!

Foley Camper Wakesurfing like a pro!

Here at Foley, waterskiing instruction is open to boys and girls of all ages that have passed their swim test.  Our certified lifeguard waterskiing instructors teach campers all they need to know to learn the basic and expert tips to improve their skills. Campers can earn their Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced and Expert Camp Foley Ski Awards.

If you haven’t tried waterskiing at Foley yet, you should!  With a little help, you could be out there speeding across Whitefish Lake having fun in the sun.

For more info about waterskiing, check out the USA Water Ski Association, this cool History of Water Skiing link, or our Water Skiing at Camp Foley video.

Throwback Thursday: 2004

Did you know that Camp Foley tuns 90 in 2014? We're already starting to plan Foley's 90th birthday so it can be as big a success as its 80th birthday back in 2004. For this edition of Throwback Thursday, we are revisiting the summer of 2004.

80th Anniversary Special Events

The Great Umgawa Festival: This festival was a popular tradition in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Campers would compete in swimming, sailing and canoeing competitions. The 2004 version of the Great Umgawa Festival included greased watermelon games, tug-of-war, canoe fills, a one-mile swim across the lake and a ski show. 

Taylor Hines playing guitar
at Foley Follies.

Foley Follies: In 1967, it was written about Foley Follies that, "The acts, always varied and refreshing, included skits, singing and even poetry readings." In 2004, the Foley community gathered to be entertained by the talents of our camp at Foley Follies.
Outdoor Movie: Movie night was a long standing tradition at Foley. Starting in the 50s, a 16mm projector was set up on Saturdays in Foley Hall for campers to watch movies. In the 80s and 90s Coyote campers would gather around a TV/VCR on the cement floor of the Wabi as Wolf campers gathered in Foley Hall. The Wolves movie night was a double feature with an intermission of pizza! After the construction of the new Dining Hall, movie night turned into cabin sleepovers in the loft. For the 80th anniversary, a new twist to movie night emerged. Campers and counselors found themselves bringing sleeping bags and pillows out to Foley Green for an outdoor theater under the stars, complete with popcorn!
Boxing: Believe it or not, 2004 also saw the return of the popular 50s and 60s activity, Boxing... with a twist! A ring was set up on Foley Green, and the new Foley Fun Center, and campers wore oversized gloves to duke it out. It was quite the memorable experience. Campers also enjoyed cotton candy and played "Pillow Knockoff." 

80th Anniversary Boxing Night (left to right): Pillow Knockoff,
Oversize Boxing, cotton candy.

 

    New Additions in 2004

Foley Fun Center: The Foley Fun Center was built for summer 2004. It included the Human Foosball court, badminton courts and giant tetherball. It was also in 2004 that the large 40x80-foot athletic court, complete with roof, was built. 

Foley Fun Center during its first summer:
Human Foosball (left) and Giant Tetherball (right).

 

2004 By the Numbers

• 82 watermelons consumed (or used for greased watermelon games)
• 98 total watercrafts at camp (22 canoes, 20 playaks, 18 paddleboards, 16 sailboats, 12 windsurfing rigs, 4 rescue boats, 2 paddleboats, 2 ski boats, 1 pontoon and 1 Spectrum fishing boat)
• 160 16x24-inch pans of Soda Bread eaten
• 171 gallons of ice cream enjoyed f
• 377 sweatshirts sold at Canteen 
• 390 Camp Foley Nalgene water bottles sold at Canteen
• 810 pounds of peanut butter consumed 
• 1,032 large family-size bags of potato chips eaten
• 1,639 gallons of gas used at the Marina to fuel boats
• 2,556 gallons of milk drunk
• 40,000 rounds of .22 caliber ammo shot at the Rifle Range
• 312,000 feet of toilet paper used     

Were you here in 2004 to partake in the 80th anniversary fun? Do you want any of these events to take place during the 90th anniversary summer? Let us know!
  

Camp Creature - The Minnesota Black Bear

A juvenile Minnesota Black Bear

Are there bears at Camp Foley?  Possibly...  While we certainly don’t see them wandering through camp every day, one species of North American bear is indigenous to the North woods.  It’s the Minnesota Black Bear, otherwise known as the North American Black Bear.

Black Bears are closely related to Brown and Polar Bears.  They can grow to weigh 150-600 lbs., and stand 5-7 ft. tall when up on their hind legs.  While most Black Bears have a rich, black coat; about 6% actually have brown coats.

Black Bear and cub

Unlike Grizzly Bears, Black Bears are rarely aggressive towards humans.  In most cases, Black Bears will run or retreat from humans unless they feel they are being threatened, a human is trying to harm their cubs, or their escape path has been cut off.  The most common reason humans are attacked by Black Bears is because they make the mistake of trying to feed them.

In spite of the fact that Black Bears have been over-hunted in previous decades, the Minnesota DNR estimates that there are now about 27,000 in Minnesota, and they have been removed from the endangered species list.  Hunters still need a special permit to hunt them, but a small number are taken each year with bows and arrows, muzzleloaders, and modern rifles.

Black Bears are an arboreal (tree-climbing) species

One of the reasons Black Bears were able to repopulate so quickly is because they are versatile omnivores.  Black Bears eat plants, insects, and animals they find on land, in the water, and in the trees.  As an arboreal bear, they continue to have the ability to climb trees even as adults.  Up to 85% of the Black Bears’ diet is plant life.  Especially in early spring when they are thin and weak from long periods of inactivity, Black Bears will often feed on roots, plants, and young shoots from emerging trees.  While they don't technically "hibernate," they do enter into a similar long-term sedative state during winter months where they can lose up to 40% of their body weight.

Black Bear cub

As Black Bears regain their strength and muscle, they’ll begin adding fish from local lakes and streams; and other forms of meat to their diet.  Although Black Bears can run up to 35 mph for short distances, they can’t keep up that pace long enough to be effective predators of small game.  Occasionally they will catch and eat moose, beaver, and other animals, but they are much more likely to feed on carrion they locate with their powerful sense of smell, or scare away smaller predators that have recently made a kill, and steal their prey.

1914 photo of the Black Bear
who was the inspiration for
"Winnie The Pooh"

Black Bears love honey and have been known to tear deep into trees to get to nests of bees.  They will often eat the entire hive’s supply of honey even while being repeatedly stung, and in fact often eat honeybees and other hives of insects.  Perhaps this trait is what inspired novelist A.A. Milne to name his character Winnie the Pooh after a famous Black Bear named Winnipeg, who lived at the London Zoo.

This Famous Political Cartoon of Theodore Roosevelt
that appeared in the Washington Post newspaper
inspired the creation of the 1st "Teddy" Bear.

Black Bears have had quite an impact on American history:  Morris Michtom, the creator of the teddy bear, got the idea to create this children’s stuffed animal when he saw a political cartoon (based on a true event) of President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt refusing to shoot a black bear that his hunting guide had tied to a tree.  And in 1950, a Black Bear cub that was rescued from the Capitan Gap fire in a National Forest became the first mascot of the United States Forest Service. They named him "Smokey the Bear."

Have you ever seen a bear while out hiking or camping?  If so, how did you react?

You can learn more about the Black Bear from the Minnesota DNR's website, or The American Bear Association, which is also located in Minnesota.

Throwback Thursday – 1997-2002 with Melanie

Melanie, 1997

Melanie Pflug Anderson first came to Camp Foley at age 19 in 1997. She spent six summers at Foley in the late 1990s and early 2000s – three summers with the Ish-Yak girls and three summers as an Assistant Director. Most of her time was spent down at the Swimdock teaching Swimming, but she could also be found at Soccer and Tennis.

We reached out to Melanie to find out what was happening at Camp while she was here and what Camp Foley meant, and continues to mean, to her. 

What were your first few days or weeks like at Camp Foley?

I met two people that I still consider two of my dearest friends, even though we don’t see each other much – Emily Hofstede and KC Williams*. I fell in love with camp almost instantly. There was a lot of hard work, excitement and anticipation about campers coming.
*You may recognize KC Williams West, who now helps out in the summer and her son, Shef, now attends camp!

In the years you worked at Foley, what were the new additions?

The climbing wall went up during my time at camp and the walls in the tennis courts were painted. However, of the things that I can remember, the most significant is the Dining Hall. The [old] Dining Hall was so small and dark and crowded. The re-building of that changed the camp grounds in an incredibly wonderful way!

The old Dining Hall (left) was much smaller than the new Dining Hall (right)

Foley counselors at the first Harry Potter Banquet, 2001

What were some of the Banquet themes you remember?

Mardi Gras, one where they smoked a pig in the middle of camp and Harry Potter. Harry Potter was the best during the time I was there. Alli created the game “Quidditch,” which the campers LOVED. There was root beer for dinner and [Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans]. The teams were really into the whole day and the songs that were created to represent each team were so thought out and GREAT! I mean, it was so exciting and everyone was so into it. That was one of the most fun days that I ever remember at camp.

How did Camp Foley change you as a person?

Camp made me who I am. It gave me leadership skills, confidence in myself and so many skills in working with people. I didn’t experience camp when I was a kid and after my time at camp, I will do whatever it takes to give my kids that experience. It changed me in the best ways imaginable.

If you could give one piece of advice to current Camp Foley campers, what would it be?

Experience as many activities as you can fit into your time [at Camp], even if you aren’t sure that you will like it. Be open to making friends with people that you may not have considered being friends with at school, you will be amazed how much better you life is because of this. Be open-minded and HAVE FUN!

Also: A big Camp Foley Happy Birthday to Melanie whose birthday was on Monday!Everybody... sing it with us!!
Happy Happy Birthday, to every girl and boy...