What Camp Foley Means to Mae

This Thanksgiving, as with every Thanksgiving dating back to 1924, we are thankful for our campers. This year we will put the spotlight on one of our Hall of Fame inductees, as we are incredibly blessed to have alumni just like Mae in our Foley Family. Mae wrote her Bridge Crossing essay during her 5th summer as a camper (2012) and had the opportunity to read it aloud to all of camp while she entered the Hall of Fame in 2017. As a 16 year old,  Mae found her 11 year old writing to be quite comical as she took frequent laugh breaks while sharing what camp means to her with her camp peers.   

What Camp Foley Means To Me

Mae M. 

2012

I love Camp Foley so much! It is awesome and it is the main thing I look forward to doing the summer. It is like fourteen days in paradise.

Camp Foley means friends! Everyone always has so many friends at Camp Foley. I love going back to camp to see so many of my friends that I have not seen in a year. It makes me so excited to go  back to Camp Foley! Also, all of the people and counselors are very, very nice and awesome. They are always smiling and giving great advice to everyone.

Camp Foley means super fun activities! All the activities are so awesome. But my very favorite two of all the many activities are windsurfing and soccer. I was so excited when they added soccer. I like playing with a TON of people. I also love facing my brother and sister in soccer. Windsurfing is also super cool. I get so excited while I am windsurfing.

Camp Foley means overnights! Every year I have slept in the tree houses. It is awesome because we have hot dogs and a treat. We also play a fun game called Mafia and a whole bunch of other games. Along with the tree houses I am also excited about my first year being able to go on a canoe trip. It reminds me of going to the Boundary Waters with my family, except at Camp I will be going with all my friends instead. I think it will be even more fun going with my friends. I am excited to be able to cook our own food and sleep in a tent.

2017

Camp Foley means amazing food! Camp's food is so yummy! Sometimes we even get special treats like ice cream and soda bread. I think canteen was one of the greatest inventions ever. You can eat ice cream, candy, and pop. So Good! It makes my tummy rumble just thinking about it. I love Baker's Square Night. It is pie night. All of the older girls dress up. I love camps pie.

Camp Foley means history. All of the cabins are names after American Indian people or tribes. It is so exciting to figure out which cabin I will be in every year. Camp Foley has been around since 1924. Both my parents were counselors at Camp Foley and my mom started there when she was eight years old. So if it weren't for Camp Foley I would not be here.

Camp Foley means super fun extra crazy things. I love how camp always does funny skits and lip syncs. The opening campfire is always my favorite of all three campfires. The staff is so funny! I also love the banquets. The food is so yummy and it is so fun to dress up in crazy costumes.

Camp Foley means activities, food, overnights, dances, lip syncs, and campfires. But it mostly means friends, and having a very fun time at Camp Foley.

Thank you for letting us share your essay, Mae! If you would like to be featured on the Rattlin' Blog please shoot an email to Jordan. Or if you know someone who would love all of the yummy food just as much as Mae does, Register Today! 

TBT: Camp Cousins - Courtney & Emilia

A Family Tradition

Kronschnabel camp clan in 2008!
Clockwise from left: Courtney, Emilia, Matt, Nick and Tory.

The whole reason I got involved with Camp Foley was because of my dad, Peter Kronschnabel. In 1967, at the age of seven, he went to camp for his very first summer. He probably didn't realize the tradition he was starting with our family when he walked into Mic Mac on arrival day. Since he was a camper, there have been 18 family members that have either been a camper, counselor or nurse at Camp Foley. I have had the pleasure of going to camp with my brothers, Matt and Nick, as well as my cousins, Sara, Emilia and Tory.  

While going to camp with my brothers was always a treat, being at camp with Emilia has been an experience I’ll never forget. Ever since our first year together in 1999 we have shared more than just a last name. During our 10 years as campers we shared three cabins, one bunk and countless memories together.

Emilia and Courtney getting on the camp bus in 1999!

One of my favorite camper memories with Emilia has to be when she helped me write my Bridge Crossing Essay. She had written hers a year earlier than me, and I thought hers was the greatest, so I just HAD to get her advice on what to write about. She sat with me for a whole rest period and helped me write what seemed like the longest, most important essay I would ever write. At the age of 11, Emilia helped me realize camp is about more than just learning how to sail or knit a scarf. It’s learning about myself and what kind of qualities I want to carry with me. While this essay definitely wasn't the longest I've written...it still may be the most important.

Our shenanigans didn't stop when our camper days were over. Last summer we spent our first summer as counselors together. It was the first year in our Camp Foley history that we weren't in the same age group doing the same activities. She being a Fox counselor and myself a Wolf counselor, we had different schedules and events to plan/go to. We learned to cherish our time together at the Marina. 

Emilia and Courtney, part of the 2012 Marina staff.

Ever since we were little, our favorite activities took place at the waterfront. I loved sailing and she (for reasons that are still a mystery to me...) loved windsurfing. Our love for the marina did not come out of nowhere. The rich tradition that my dad and uncles laid down started way before Emilia and my camper days had even begun. Hearing their stories about the good ‘ol days at the Marina is what really sparked our interest and kept us wanting more. While their stories are pretty top notch, I’d say Emilia and I have created some quality ones of our own in 2012. The site of Emilia hundreds of feet from shore stranded in a safety boat that she was unable to start will always make me chuckle.

I can honestly say that with out my cousin Emilia, camp for me would not be the same. We share so many wonderful memories at the one place we can both call home. I am truly looking forward to spending another glorious summer with her at Camp Foley. 

Written by Courtney Kronschnabel.