2013 Preview: The Jetsons Banquet

Meet George Jetson... his son Elroy... daughter Judy... Jane his wife!

Second and Fourth Session will take a trip to the future with the Jetsons! The Foley staff is prepared to make the Jetsons Banquet very exciting and fun for everyone. Before you come to camp, we wanted to make sure that all of the Second and Fourth Sessioners are ready for the future!

We want to familiarize you with the The Jetsons TV show. The original series aired on Sunday September 23, 1962 and lasted for 24 episodes. Fun fact: The Jetsons was the first show ABC-TV ever aired in color! (The Flintstones was produced in color but was broadcast in black-and-white for the first two seasons.) A second season aired between 1985 and 1987. A feature-length movie, Jetsons: The Movie, was released in 1990. The show centered around George Jetson and his family living in Orbit City in 2062. George Jetson worked for Cosmo Spacely, who was always scheming against his competitor, H.G. Cogswell. In many episodes viewers would hear Cosmo Spacely say, "Jetsooon! You're fired!" (Of course, George never really lost his job!) While Judy and Elroy Jetson weren't at school, they were under the watchful eye of Rosie, the Jetsons' robot housekeeper. Elroy and the family dog, Astro, were often getting into a jam, only to be assisted by Orbity, the Jetsons pet the debuted in the 1980s version. Jane Jetson loved to shop, but hated doing housework. Since the show took place in the future, life was much more leisurely as technology made things simpler. George worked only a few hour a few days a week. Jane could clean the house with the push of a button. And Rosie "cooked" dinner by pushing a button and getting a capsule. Elroy and Judy could get from room to room in the Sky Pad Apartments by traveling on "Slidewalks" - moving walkways.

Characters for the Jetsons are a bit harder to find, but if you read through some of the episode summaries you may happen upon a few more obscure characters! Of course there is Jet Screamer, a pop idol that Judy wins a date with in one episode. Withers, a lawyer, tries to take Astro and return him to millionaire J.P. Gottrockets. Why not dress up as Elroy's TV superhero, Nimbus the Great! There is always Gigi Galaxy, from the episode "Las Venus." She appear around 14 minutes in. Or Judy's cousin, Melissa, who you can find around the 4:55 mark of "Judy Takes Off." A lot of the episodes can be found on YouTube, so getting creative shouldn't be too hard!

2013 Preview: Flintstones Banquet

Flintstones! Meet the Flintstones! They're the modern Stone Age family!

If you are going to be at camp during First or Third Session, then you're going to be here for the Flintstones Banquet! We're preparing to make the day full of fun and excitement, but we want to make sure they you're ready for the action. It's time to familiarize yourself with everything Flintstones! 

First.. let's get a little bit of Flintstones history out of the way.The Flintstones first aired on September 30, 1960! The Flintstones aired on Friday nights on ABC at 7:30 for six seasons. Since their TV debut, the Flintstones and Rubbles have been featured in three films: The Man Called Flintstone (1966), The Flintstones (1994) and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000). The show centered around Fred Flintstone, his family and the family of his best friend, Barney Rubble. Week after week, Fred would find himself in some outrageous scheme with Barney at his side. The wives, Wilma Flintstone and Betty Rubble, were the two true voices of authority. Part of the show's charm was how it turned modern conveniences into Stone Age necessities. The ram's horn telephone, an animal skin-topped convertible with stone wheels and a paperboy who delivered a stone newspaper daily. 

Now... make sure you check out the opening credits. It will hopefully get you into the Stone Age state of mind while you consider what to bring for your costume!

Now, when considering how to dress for the Flintstones banquet, we don't want you to limit yourself to the main characters. We found a website the compiled a list of 119 characters! Some a bit lesser known than others. There is Sassie, the TV dinosaur Dino falls in love with. Or Bony Hurdle, Wilma's old sweetheart who happens to be a rodeo rider. How about the Gruesomes, the Flintstones next door neighbors? Grab three friends and come as the Way Outs. There are just so many possibilities! 

Hopefully this little lessons on The Flintstones will help you prepare for First and Third Session banquets. If you're a Second or Fourth Session camper, fear not, the next 2013 Preview is going to be all about the Jetsons Banquet! 

2013 Preview: Available at Special Canteen

Norm and Nike modeling the new
Foley leash - available in blue.

We're bringing some pretty rad, never before seen (that we're aware of) items to Special Canteen this summer. We've also heard your comments/concerns and have addressed some very serious issues. First, we understand that people felt the variety/amount of friendship bracelet string offered in the kits was not enough. To remedy the situation, we're adding EVEN MORE STRING. We hope you have enough friends to use all of this string on. If all else fails, we, in the office, are always accepting bracelets. Secondly, we know how much you LOVED the snapbacks that were available last year, but you wanted an option that wasn't mesh. This year, we're offering a new snapback in a variety of colors with not one but two different logo options. We don't think that deciding which hat to get is going to be the toughest decision of your summer, but we can't make any promises.

Fanny pack available in green
and purple.

Okay, okay. We get it. You want the inside scoop on the new items. Well, your wait is over. This summer we have some super cool things. First, dog leashes! Yep, your dog (cat, ferret, snow leopard, etc.) can be decked out in Foley gear too. You can hit the town as a well-styled Foley duo. Nike, Norm and all of the other Foley Office pets have commented on the beautiful blue color that matches every fur-tone under the sun. Second, clipboards! Every professional friendship-bracelet-maker's or Rest-Period-letter-writer's best friend. These blue clipboards will definitely be a hot item, get yours while supplies last! Lastly, we'd like you to get appropriately jazzed about Camp Foley fanny packs. You heard that right. This retro, throwback item is the perfect camp accessory. Need a place to store your suntan lotion? Check, fanny pack. Need a place to safely keep your activity schedule. Boom, fanny pack. Need a place for your chapstick to live? You got it, fanny pack. Foley fanny packs are available in lime green and purple. Let me tell you. They. Are. Stylish. Alli was spotted wearing one recently, and we all know she sets the trend for summer style.

Get your own Foley clipboard!

Special Canteen will also have the standard sweatshirts, sweatpants, tshirts and other necessities you've come to know and love. We aren't going to preview those for the sake of surprise. Hopefully this little peak into 2013 will help you plan what you want to get. So when that counselor looks out at you from the Canteen window, you'll know exactly what to say. What are you excited to buy? Do you have any suggestions for things we never offered before? Let us know!

2013 Preview: What You'll Learn at Camp

Lessons nine and ten
are my life. 

As I was perusing the camp-blog world, I stumbled across a blog post that was written with inspiration from a poem by Robert Fulghum, "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindegarten." America's Finest Summer Camps is a blog for four camps on the east coast (apparently they've never heard of Foley, which actually happens to be America's finest camp...). I like their list just fine, but I thought it would be great to create a list specific to what a camper can learn at Foley. So here it is...

-All I Really Need to Know I Learned at Camp Foley!-

1. There is only one way to clear a table. The Tablewaiter way. By following directions, I may be helping to make another person's job easier. 

2. The only way to be on time to Skiing/Wakeboarding is by being early. My actions can directly affect other people's experiences in a positive or negative way. 



Lesson three - I used to be very scared of Paintball, hence
the lifejacket I am wearing under two sweatshirts.

3. A lifejacket isn't necessary at Paintball. It's important to overcome my fears because the risk is definitely worth the reward!  

4. When someone says, "This is a repeat after me song!" there is only one correct way to respond. Enthusiasm and positivity are contagious. It's always important for me to have a good attitude.  

5. Just because I don't know what something means, doesn't mean I can't sing about it. Waddlee-acha? Oh nico nemo, oh golly golly gumbo? The Ricabamboo? Ichdan schpeelan - dukecan schpeelan? And don't even GET me started on Flea Fly's, "Eennie, meenie, decimeenie, oo wall a wall a meenie! Ex a meenie, zoll a meenie, oo wall a wall! A beep billy oh bo, bo bop a deep da, bo bop a deep da shh!" WHAT IS THAT! There is no reason for me to fear the unknown. Familiarizing myself with the unknown is the perfect opportunity to learn something new.

Sand in the bed, frog in the bed.
What's the difference?

6. No matter how hard I try to keep it out... there will always be sand in my bed. Just because I don't see the desired results, doesn't mean I should quit trying! 

7. I have to eat the green beans. There will be times I have to do something I don't want to do simply because it's good for me.

8. Sometimes I'll have to do outside sweep when it's not my day. Things come up and I may have to do things I didn't plan on doing. I gotta roll with the punches.

9. The more ridiculous I look, sing or dance is directly correlated to the amount of fun I'm having. I can be comfortable in my own ridiculous, awesome, one-of-a-kind skin! I don't have to worry about what others think of me. 

10. Make it a great day or not, the choice is mine. I can choose to make the best or worst of any situation. No one can make the decision for me.

This is, in no way, the end-all-be-all list of things you can learn at Foley. These are just ten of the major lessons I got from my experience as a camper and staff member. I definitely think other campers/staff can learn these things at camp, plus so much more! What are would you add to the list? Let us know! 

-Krista Strobel

2013 Preview: Foley Records

How far can you spit a raisin?  If you're a Fox/Coyote girl and can spit one further than 20 ft, you're the new record holder! How long can you stand on/roll the log without falling? If you're a Wolf boy and can stay up there longer than 2:51, consider the record yours! Do you and a friend have mad frisbee throwing skills? If you're both Wolf girls and can throw one back and forth more than 96 times, you're going down in the Foley record books! Are you a Fox/Coyote boy? Is your friend a Fox/Coyote boy? If you answered YES to that and can run a three-legged race faster than 13.63 seconds, you'll be a Foley record holder!

Obviously, these aren't the ONLY records campers will be trying to break in 2013, but you'll just have to wait until camp to hear about the others. Some of the records haven't been beaten since the early 90s! A couple of the records campers will try to break this summer are currently being held by two returning staff members, Kylie Beltz and Mary Claire Costello. Maybe they can give you some tips on how to break the records! 

Here is the exciting news: This summer, we're adding some brand new, never been beaten before records. Will you be the first person to break one of these records? If you're up to the challenge of rolling an orange across the Soccer Field with your nose you just might be! But wait! There's even more exciting news: 2013 will be the first year we're attempting large group records. There is even a rumor going around that we may attempt to break an actual Guinness World Record. I'm currently trying to find out if there's any truth behind this rumor. Stay tuned for my findings.

Alas, if you had your heart set on beating the record for Lowest Limbo or Tennis "Ups," it's just not going to happen. This year Foley is retiring five records that are considered to be unbeatable. Congratulations the following people who will forever hold the Foley record:

LONGEST TIME CONTINUOUSLY TREADING WATER

Junior Girls: Kerry Hennessey - 2 hours 27 minutes (2000)

Senior Girls: Lark Nierenberg & Krista Strobel - 2 hours 50 minutes (2002)

Junior Boys: Charlie Bussmann - 2 hours 14 minutes (1999)

Senior Boys: Tom Epstein - 2 hours 2 minutes (1999)

LOWEST LIMBO

Junior Girls: Hayley Babcock - 12 inches (2001)

Senior Girls: Bridget Haymaker - 13.5 inches (2000)

Junior Boys: Adam Puldy - 11.5 inches (2002)

Senior Boys: Joey Freund - 16 inches (2001)

NUMBER OF TENNIS “UPS”

Junior Girls: Alissa Ryan – 5,288 (2001)

Senior Girls: Breen Hagerman – 10,010 (2002)

Junior Boys: James Shandorf – 10,379 (2000)

Senior Boys: Zander Coomes – 12, 850 (2000)

NUMBER OF HOPS ON ONE FOOT

Junior Girls: Mary Claire Costello – 15,326 (2001)

Senior Girls: Marinana Vera – 15,100 (1995)

Junior Boys: Jack Pigozzi – 21,233 (2000)

Senior Boys: Cody Kehl – 7,343 (2002)

LONGEST DISTANCE WALKED BALANCING A BOOK ON YOUR HEAD

Junior Girls: Maria Galland – 2 miles (2007)

Senior Girls: Mary Cushman – 2.98 miles (2005)

Junior Boys: Connor Failor – 4825 ft (2007)

Senior Boys: Will Lorentzen – 2.42 miles (2007) 

What records will you attempt to break this summer? Do you have any suggestions for a World Record for Camp Foley to break? We're all ears. If you'd like to know more about something that's happening in 2013, give us a holler and it can be our next 2013 preview article! Get excited everyone 107 days until First Session, 121 days until Second Session, 136 days until Third Session and 150 days until Fourth Session!