Maintaining Whitefish -- Don't Let Invasive Species In!

Let's get deep for a second. Let's talk about one of the most incredible aspects of Camp Foley. Let's put aside the friendships and the skills learned over a summer for just a minute. We're going to discuss how fortunate we are to be located on such an amazing body of water. Lower Whitefish Lake is an ideal setting for so many people to learn how to ski, sail, swim, fish - you name it. Whitefish makes it happen.

Campers Snorkeling in Whitefish Lake

The topic that is heavy on our minds is AIS, or aquatic invasive species. Keeping our lakes clean is such a priority to us at Foley, as it is a big part of who we are. We have worked closely with our local lake association (WAPOA) and a few members of the Foley team were trained as DNR volunteers to check boats going into and coming out of the Whitefish Chain for these aquatic invasive species. We feel fortunate that we were able to be trained in this and feel proud that we are protecting our lakes. Campers also had the opportunity to sign up to come shadow us as we checked boats so they felt they contributed to the greater good of our chain as well.

Here's where things get tricky.
Even with our stepped up efforts, over the past few years we have seen a few changes occurring in our treasured lake. Changes due to zebra mussels making their way into Whitefish. With no direct way to get rid of the zebra mussels, we now need to do a better job at ensuring more invasive species don't get in and do what we can to manage the AIS we do have.

Now down to some facts and where you all can help stop the spread of AIS.
Up until 2018 the DNR offered grants to lake associations to go directly toward managing aquatic invasive species. A good portion of these funds went directly to staffing the landings with boat inspectors. In 2018 no grants were available and that is the same for 2019. This means the DNR and volunteers spent 7,500 fewer hours at lake landings inspecting boats in 2018. Senators are currently working to pass a law that would allow for $1 million of General Fund money for matching grants to lake associations for controlling aquatic invasive species.  Lake associations do not have the means to fund their efforts alone, so this law would provide means for continued prevention of the spread of AIS and ultimately keep Whitefish as pristine as possible. We need to be part of this effort together.

As a population who utilizes one of Minnesota's gorgeous lakes, I encourage you all to click the "Take Action" button below to send an email to ask our senator to support this legislation. Let's work to keep the Whitefish water quality high for generations and generations to come. You can also donate directly to WAPOA is this is something that you directly would like to support!

"While AIS is a statewide problem, for too long the costs have been local. Lake Associations deserve support in the work they do to protect the public good of healthy lake ecosystems." - Jeff Forester, Executive Director at Minnesota Lakes and Rivers Advocates 

--> TAKE ACTION <--

Veronica Chooses Camp

In a little over three months I will arrive to my second home. I'll get to see the campers that I've known for eight years now, and meet new campers that will soon become my friends in the next amazing four weeks.

Cabin Hiawatha 2017

Every summer I leave my home in Florida (leaving the CRAZY 95 degree heat!!!!!) and head up to Pine River, Minnesota. I've been doing this every summer since I was born. I have never spent a summer in a place other than Whitefish, and I wouldn't ever want to change that. For as long as I can remember, Foley has been in my vocabulary. My mom was one of the first girls to ever attend and I have had countless cousins as campers and counselors. So going to Foley was always sort of like a family reunion, but not just family, it's also reuniting with the people I made amazing friendships with in the past eight years.

Veronica flying high over her paradise. 

Yes, eight years. I'm going into my junior year this fall so this means that 2018 will be my final year as a camper. This brings me nearly to tears looking back at all the amazing memories, friendships, meals, banquets, trips, and everything that makes camp, camp. Over the past eight years I have spent 30 weeks at camp. That’s a really long time, and many people ask why I would spend all that time at a summer camp when I could be spending time at the beach, traveling, or my favorite “how can you spend that much time without your phone?”

You see, these few weeks at Foley provide me with life skills and experiences you can't get anywhere else.

You have to learn how to live with 12 other girls, embrace your crazy side, and you get to be the absolute best version of yourself without judgement. I get to make friends with people that have had such a great impact on my life. I find myself at a loss for words when describing how amazing this place is. It is my home away from home, my happy place, and truly is a paradise. You get to forget about the worries of everyday life and just live. Being at camp is like living on cloud 9.

Foley offers so many opportunities for campers that we would never have the opportunity to do, both in regard to activities and friendships. The friendships I have made at Foley are cherished and reminisced upon year round. Every year is a new adventure, with new friends to be made, new banquet themes, staff, and you have become a year older.

So why do I love camp? That would take over a day to explain but I’ll shorten it up. It's all the LIT days, the cabin agreements, the Grand Dance Festivals, the trips to tree houses, CDOs, Friendship Campfires, tater tot hot dishes, canteens, canoe trips, lip syncs, evening programs, free swims, and the most amazing people you will meet.


Knowing that my time as a camper is coming to a close I realize how much camp helped me grow as a person, both inside and outside of camp. Camp Foley is not only a camp, but a home. So make it a great day or not… THE CHOICE IS YOURS!

-Veronica

Veronica will be spending her final summer in camp as a CIT (Counselor in Training), with her focus being on ensuring younger campers can build meaningful  connections just as she has over her eight years in camp. Her leadership can be seen in all aspects of camp life, from cabin living to her knowledge and skill on the rifle range. Come grow at camp this summer just as Veronica has.  REGISTER TODAY! 

Top 10

Since the launch of our Foley Fact Videos, overall excitement for summer has been on the rise. Along with the facts those videos highlight, I also would like to point out a very broad fact - our campers are talented and demonstrate their skills in countless ways each day. With 30+ activities to choose from, each camper is able to create their own adventure by signing up for activities in which they desire to grow in confidence and skill. Just to get our minds on the summer days ahead, let's check out our camper's Top 10 favorite activities..

10. Springboard Diving

9. Fencing

8. Crafts

7. Climbing

6. Paintball

5. Archery

4. Riflery

3. Wakeboarding

2. Sailing

1. Waterskiing

While we patiently await summer, check out the specifics on these activities and more!  

Smooth Sailing into Summer '17

The ice is out on Whitefish and we can't contain our excitement for the fast approaching summer months! As we have watched the ice retreat and leave behind more and more open water, one specific addition to the waterfront comes to mind, the Hartley 12s.

Picture this, you and three of your besties are nervously walking across Foley Green to join 3-4 sailing. I say nervously because this will be your first time sailing in a boat larger than a Bic. When you arrive, you are instructed on the necessary skills required to sail before you even head down to the boats (which helped one friend who has never sailed, but of course you already learned in Sailing Bics). After hearing all this, your confidence is building and you head down the Marina steps and finally get a good look at the new, blue Hartley 12 sailboats, and woah are they beautiful.





As you and your besties begin rigging your boat, you realize these boats are nowhere near as intimidating as you thought. With the ample crew space, deep cockpit, and a high boom, you start thinking you don't need to be a pro to enjoy sailing these boats. One of your friends, who is an experienced sailor, also looks excited as she explains how smoothly a Hartley 12 sails through big waves and she points out that it is a very stable boat so capsizing is unlikely. You and your friends set sail and enjoy the next hour out on Whitefish learning how to maneuver this Hartley 12. By the end of the summer you know you will be confident and ready to teach new friends the exciting art of sailing in the summers to come!

Hartley 12's are a phenomenal sailboat to develop and enhance your skills and we cannot wait to see campers out sailing on Whitefish this summer!

I is for Immersion

Camp has its own special culture; traditions and history help to create an atmosphere that draws families back year after year, and our campers love feeling like a part of the Foley family. In fact, when campers leave home and arrive at camp, they may find that they are immediately immersed in camp life and camp culture, surrounded by songs and games, and already in a completely new mindset.

We take this concept of immersion to an even higher level. Campers come from all over the world for the Camp Foley experience, and while their hometowns range from Buenos Aires to London to Tokyo, Foley becomes their new home. International kids beam with pride as they see their English improve, and American kids make friends from across the globe that they’ll remember forever. Through everything, we see unity in the spirit of camp. Our campers know that when they arrive, they will find a home where they are immersed in not only culture and language, but also true camaraderie.

H is for Happiness

What does happiness mean to you? Does it mean having a lot of money to spend on expensive things, or perhaps something deeper? At Foley, everyone’s definition of happiness is different, but we are all fueled by our drive to build character and have fun while we do it. For some of us, that means waking up with our friends at 6 a.m. to go waterskiing, and for others it means spending time getting to know the international campers in our cabin and picking up some words in a foreign language.

At camp, we know that everyone has their own “turbo button”, something that can instantly improve our mood and give us energy. We believe that we can all find what makes us happy here, and that we can all find a reason to call this paradise our home away from home. Even if we aren’t having the best day, taking a deep breath and remembering what makes a place like this so special often puts the pep right back in our step. When we see smiles all around, it becomes obvious that each person is finding their own little way of being happy, and in the end, that’s what camp is all about.

G is for Grit

Grit is a very special word here at Foley, and it carries a very special meaning as well. We see grit as the ultimate prize to be earned during a child’s time at camp; while ribbon awards are symbols of achievement in activities, grit is the trophy received when campers gain the confidence to get up when they fall, push back against their fears, and view failure as motivational.

When we say that campers grow at Foley, we mean it.  Camp is fun but not easy, and campers come to recognize that they have better experiences when they face the possibility of failure not with fear, but with the expectation that they will overcome it and grow from it. As a result, the kids know that the goal of camp is not to be the best at every activity, but rather to be better than they were before they arrived. Developing grit is both the cause and the outcome of that improvement.

When we see our campers and staff displaying grit at Foley, we feel that we have achieved one of our highest goals. Every child has the potential to grow grit, and they carry it with them when they leave to apply to any situation they may encounter.

Camper Creations: Aline

Aline

By: Crystal L.

Artwork by: Crystal L.

Two Years Ago - Prologue - Aline's Point of View

"I will defeat you!" I shouted through gritted teeth. 

My name is Aline. I am a bounty hunter who has to pay my parents' debts. If I successfully defeat Chargin, then that will be $10,000 more. However, that just proves how hard he is to beat.

"Oh?" He questioned mockingly. "You've got some guts to face the best villain in the world!"

Chargin then charges full speed at me while singing in his bad voice: "Oh ho ho - I am a Disney villain! Therefore, you cannot defeat me!"

He raised his battle axe as he dropped it down. I tried to block with my pistol...

...but no avail. 

He hit me and hard. I ended up hopelessly screaming in pain. Chargin seemed to be enjoying it. Considering was a jerk, idiot and sadist he is. I fainted due to blood loss. 

I barely heard Cgargin whisper, "I'll let you go this time, but don't expect me to let you go." 

With this he walked away. 

Present Day

I finally can get my revenge on Chargin, fo r I ran into him again. 

I shouted loud and clear, "I will defeat you this time!"

He replied haughtily, "Well, well, let's see if you honed your skills from the past two years." 

He brought out his battle ax. I didn't hesitate. I brought out my treasured pistol given to me and the holy ice bullet hit the tree directly behind him. Freezing part of the trunk. Before I knew it, he was in front of me.

He said seven words, "Have a great day in the water." 

After this, I was thrown in the river, and I lost consciousness. 

Denzin's Point of View

As I was hanging out in the water, I felt something hit my feet, and I yelped in surprise. I picked the thing up, Only to find a human. A soaking wet human. I put her on the ground and studied her. She had black hair, slicked from the water. A long jacket with pants and a belt. She had a pocket meant for placing guns in. I pressed on her stomach to get the water out. She opened her eye's slowly and she turned her head toward me. 

Her eyes then widened, and she sat up fast and brought out her pistol and inquired, "Who are you!?"

I was surprised by this. 

"Whoa, whoa, calm down will ya?" I asked. 

She slowly brought her pistol down to the point where she had it down by her waist. I noticed unlike most pistols, she had a blue and shiny looking thing.

"Wh-who are you?" She stammered, a rather frantic look on her face.

"Denzin," I replied firmly without hesitation and a smile rose on my face.

"Denzin..." she repeated curiously. 

"Yep. Denzin is my name," I said enthusiastically. 

Then a sudden idea popped into my head, "Do you know Poison Lotus?"

She tilted her head, "Poison Lotus?" she inquired. 

"She has a servant named Chargin."

She reacted a lot to the mention of Chargin. Then she slumped back down and said, "My name is Aline."

"Wanna come with me?"

She seemed puzzled, but to my joy she agreed. 

We both stood up at the same time and I decided to explain Poison Lotus to Aline. 

"Poison Lotus is a girl who used to be nice and caring. However, after wearing an amulet she got cursed and turned bad." I paused before continuing, "She killed my parents."

"Oh..." Aline said,

We continued walking until the sun set and I asked, "Wanna stay here for the night?"

She shrugged. I took that as a yes and went to grab sticks and bark for a fire. After I built the fire, 

Aline sat down and looked at it until she turned to me and asked, "Where is this Poison Lotus?"

"In a castle not far from here known as the Nightshade Palace."

"What do you mean by 'not far from here'?" she inquired. 

"Like, a mile or two. Look up," I added, 

And she did. She widened her eyes, "What is that?"

"Nightshade."

Morning - Aline's Point of View

I stretched my arms. I saw by the sun that it was late morning. Denzin was already awake. 

When he saw me, he said, "Do you want to head to the palace."

I nodded and grabbed my jacket and quickly put it on. We set off fifteen minutes later.

There were a bunch of thorns along the way that were sharp enough to draw blood at the slightest touch. After slight trudging, we made it to the front of Nightshade Palace. I realized I would have to face Chargin again. 

We went to the doors, and when we were close enough, the doors creaked open. The creaking sound sent uncomfortable shivers down my spine. We walked in cautiously. I have got to say, I never thought I'd live to see the day where Denzin would turn serious all of a sudden. But even so, Denzin would want revenge. 

We walked, our footsteps creaking in the dead and eerie silence. Suddenly, there was a pounding sound. I froze from fear and determination flowing inside my body. It was then I realized the pounding sound was an army of skeletons. 

I shot them off one by one, but before I knew it, an unlimited number of skeletons. After looking down on the ground in thought, an idea came into my head.

I whispered to Denzin, "Hold off the skeletons."

He simply nodded, and did hand-to-hand combat. I quickly loaded the bullet and since it took awhile for the bullet at full power, I can't really shoot. Just three more seconds should be enough.

BAM!

I shot at the ground and the whole ground froze in holy ice, causing the skeletons to fall to pieces. Denzin was panting slightly but quickly caught his breath.

I shouted, "Let's go, Denzin!"

"Okay," he replied.

This time, we ran.

We came to a set of doors containing spider webs at the corner, lots of grooves, skeleton heads acting as a torch attached to each side, and a black lotus carved into the center of the doors. We slowly opened it, flinching at the sound it made. 

As we were observing the dark, royal room, a feminine voice thundered, "What are you doing here?"

"Are you Poison Lotus?" I inquired. 

There were a couple moments of silence before the reply came, "Yes!"

The figure stood up and walked in an elegant way to us and studied us. We studied her back. She had deep purple eyes, and outfit a gypsy would wear, except the color was dark. She brought her dagger up without letting me finish and brought it down. Her hand movements we so fast that it went down my chest. I gagged, and it didn't feel good. Denzin tried to fight her hand-to-hand, but that didn't work either.

After I passed out, I felt my pistol fill me with power. At first it was just a little, and I craved for more. 

Its power overwhelmed me, but I stood up and said, "I'm not going to lose, especially not this time." 

I pointed my pistol with one hand, with my other hand gripping my chest. I shot at her chest, breaking the amulet. She screamed in agony before everything was yet. 

The boice was melodious too, "That you..." it said. 

Me and Dnein both smiled and said, "You're welcome."

Epilogue - Denzin's Point of View

I was reading at the library along with Aline in comfortable silence. After Aline opened the next book at her pile and scanned through the words. 

She whispered quickly, "Come here!"

I came over and saw a temple picture. I read the words: "This temple is located at the peak of the mountain. It is said a monk lives there who will answer any question and grant any wish."

We glanced at each other and smiled.

I said, "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go!" 

And with that, we set off on our next adventure. 

What Parent Should Know Before Summer Camp

It's that time of year again when parents begin the very important camp search. For families that haven't found their children's "summer home" this can be a very daunting task. While parents that know which camp their children will attend can breathe a sigh of relief (until of course it comes to picking a session and registering... eight months before summer even begins).

Luckily, there are a host of wonderful resources out there to help choose the perfect camp. The American Camp Association's search tool, Find a Camp, is a great source, as is, Lantern Camps if you're looking for accredited overnight camps.

Only once a parent has found the "perfect camp" does the worry set in. What on earth have I signed my child up to do? On the bright side, there are so many resources online that are designed to help parents feel more comfortable about sending their children away to camp.

Today contributor, Alesandra Dubin, wrote a handy article for Today Parents called, "7 things I wish I knew before sending my kids to sleepaway camp."

To be honest, we can't fully get behind tip number three (ziplock bags to the rescue) because we think it takes some of the independence and responsibility out of the camp experience, but the other six tips are truly great.

One of the best pieces of advice from Dubin: "Understand they [kids] need time to adjust. If your kid skips off happily into camp the very first minute - terrific. But don't count on it. Even a rocky start can lead to a beautiful experience."

Read the whole article here. 

Camper Creations: Drawings

Just for Fun Drawings!

By: Celina M.

Camper Creations: The Magical Cupcake

The Magical Cupcake

By: Tessa S.

Artwork by: Tessa Stephenson

Once there were three girls. Their names were Jennifer, Caroline and Lily. They worked at a cupcake store. One day they made a strawberry cupcake with sprinkles. And they accidentally added blue glitter glue. Lily ate the cupcake. And she disappeared. And then when Caroline ate it, she disappeared. Then Jennifer disappeared into camp.

And when they got there, one person said, "Welcome to Camp Foley."

Caroline said, "Camp what?"

"Camp Foley."

"Oh," said Caroline.

"Here, let me show you around," said the girl.

"Okay," said Lily.

"This is your cabin," said the girl.

"Does this cabin have a name?" said Lily.

"Yes, it does," said the girl, "The name of the cabin is Pocahontas. Wanna roast marshmallows?"

"No," they said, "Can you help us go home?"

"Yes," said the girl, "Let's build a time machine."

"Okay," said Caroline, Jennifer and Lily.

"How do we do that?" said Jennifer.

"First let's gather some sticks," said the girl.

"Let's look all around camp for thick sticks," said Lily.

"Is this enough," said Caroline.

"Yes," said the girl.

"Now we need to find fog, and try to put it through the hole," said the girl.

"Is that impossible?" said Jennifer.

"No," said the girl. "We need to shape it like a tunnel."

"Oh," said Caroline.

"Now let's test it out. Let's put a pencil in the time machine," said the girl.

"It worked," said Lily.

"Thank you for helping us get home," said the three girls, "Bye!"

One, two, three jump.

"Hey it worked. That was awesome," said the Jennifer, "Well let's get back to making cupcakes. Remember, don't use the blue glitter glue again."

Everyone laughed. And they never added glitter glue again. And that's the end of the Magical Cupcake.

"Wait," said Caroline, "Is the story over?"

"Yes," said Lily.

"To be continued," said Caroline.

Camper Creations: Spy Camp & Stories

Spy Camp

By: Genevieve S.

Imagine if Camp Foley was a spy camp. Imagine the costumes and disguises. Instead of Crafts you had "Creative Escapes." Imagine that every time you get hit by paint in Paintball you lower your score, What if when shooting at Riflery hand guns were used. Imagine that you cooked your own meals with things from nature. Imagine that trips were survival lessons and you got dumped in the middle of nowhere and had to survive one, two or three days. Imagine Fencing had real swords. What if Archery was knife throwing and Journalism was writing reports and solving crimes. 

What if water sports were silent swimming and sneaking up on people. Imagine boating was water escape and Skiing was a backup plan. What if while skiing you had to lasso people dummies and wore a disguise. What if Diving was parachuting class. What if Shop was to make weapons and Tennis was deflecting class. If Snorkeling was scuba and sports were to make you a fighter. What if going home was a code name for who knows what?

Spy Camp Short Story

Someone hands me a schedule. Uh-oh. Paintball.

"So, what's your first activity?" Jeremy asks.

"Paintball!!" I say.

Woosh, a paiintball flies by my head. I want to scream but that would be dangerous. Too dangerous. 

"Hey, I found him!" 

I turn around quickly. Right in time to get hit in the face with a pink paintball. SPLAT!

... 

I wake up later in the infirmary. The pas flew back at me. I see a splot of pink and then black dots popping in. And now I'm waking up in the hospital. 

As I walk outside I hear, "Little, pinky piggy coming into the fire. A cute pinky piggy."

I turned pink, well more so then I was already.

Resilience, Grit and DURABILITY.

Something recently caught our attention on the Children & Nature Network website. The title of the post, "The Importance of Being Durable: Building Natural Strength in Our Kids" immediatel
y made us think of "grit," an important part of Foley's ideology.

In this article, Jennifer Joy Madden explains how "grit" and "resilience" fall under the even broader term: durable. As she says, "Durable means to be the best human being you can be, capitalizing on your own unique powers and drawing strength from the natural world around you."

Humans are all too ready to turn to a screen for stimulation than turn to our natural world to explore and investigate.  The Chinese are actually studying a condition they call, "Internet Addiction Disorder." It has been noticed that students that spend exorbitant amounts of time online per day actually have less gray matter (as Madden puts it, "the thinking stuff), than students that spend fewer than two hours online per day.

Madden, author of The Durable Human Manifesto, says, "Early childhood is the only time in life when a person is completely free to discover his or her native 'gifts.' I'm not saying that gifts of tablets and apps are not amazing, but their time will come. In the meantime, when toddlers range around, freely using all of their senses to examine, taste and play with whatever they choose, they are making rich and lifelong neural connections."

We're clearly not a summer camp for toddlers, but in the post Madden explains how older kids also need this down time. Summer camp allows much needed time for youth to recharge and have the opportunity to use all of their senses in nature each day.

Read the post: http://blog.childrenandnature.org/2014/03/27/the-importance-of-being-durable/
The Durable Human Manifesto: http://durablehuman.com/productions/this-is-the-durable-human-manifesto/

No Electronics Means New Skills

Campers work together and work on skills they don't even
know they are gaining!

One of our campers said that she was really proud of herself for “learning how to survive the nature with no electronics.” We thought this was just awesome! So many young people are so dependent on cellphones, computers and video games. Camp provides a place for them to develop and improve skills that don’t rely on electronics.

The other day we retweeted something from @NatureRocks that said: "A new study shows that kids who ditch smartphones for outdoor fun are 'substantially' better at reading emotions," and linked to an article giving some background on the study.

As a camp that has had a pretty strict no electronics policy for some time we are so grateful that there is scientific backup to support our policy. Most campers and parents are appreciative for the break in technology, but every year there is a little more dissent. We know that being able to better read social cues isn't the only benefit of ditching electronics while at camp; however, it is a skill that kids will get less and less practice with as electronics continue to play an ever important part of their lives.

Check out more information on the study in an article on ScienceDaily.com

What an AMAZING summer!

It's hard to believe that our summer officially ended on Saturday. We said goodbye to our remaining counselors on Friday and our summer ADs headed out Saturday morning (after one last wakesurfing session). After 10 weeks of non-stop Camp Foley fun, everything is pretty much packed away until 2015. We're looking forward to one last week of Foley in September for Environmental Education.

What a great summer it was! We handed out eight Anchor Awards (Lachlan Ewald, Sophie Johnson, Danny Holmes, Frances Schroeder, Josh Levinson, Claudia Leon de la Vega, Franci Volpi and Maggie Hinken). We inducted eight people into the Hall of Fame (Matt Carney, Steven Davis, Emily Newman, Kevin Beltz, Sara Turke, John Daily, Tory Kronschnabel and Evan Oncay). We had a slew of new campers join us for the first time and many more return for another summer. There were a handful of campers that joined us for their last summer, and we're so sad to see them go. Our CITs nad LITs were outstanding. Our Octos put in lots of hard work in the cabins and kitchen. Our counselors put in time and energy to make this summer unforgettable.

Thanks to everyone who joined us for our 90th summer in any capacity (camper, counselor, AD, alumni visitor or a new family that came for a tour). Great summers like this one get us even more excited to get the ball rolling as we spend the next ten months planning for our 91st summer. See you in 2015!

And as always: Make it a great day or not... the choice is yours!

Camper Creations

We love when our campers submit things for us to post on the blog. During a Journalism class First Session, one of our campers, Thomas R., created a sweet comic about the Dark Squad. Enjoy...

Music Monday! Button Factory

How fitting, 2013 counselor Joe sings Button Factory at Closing Campfire! Because... "Hi, his name is Joe, and he works in a button factory."

First Session - Button Factory

Music Monday! Singing in the Rain

We had a very rainy start to the month of May, so hopefully listening to Fourth Session sing "Singing in the Rain" at Closing Campfire will chase the rain away.

4th Session - Singing in the Rain

Camp Pancakes

NOT Camp Pancakes (but probably also delicious)

Have you ever woken up and thought to yourself... "If only I could have Camp Pancakes for breakfast. Because if I could, I would undoubtedly ace that test, dominate that speech in English and get all of my homework done before Survivor!"?

Because that happens to me all the time.

How does one describe Camp Pancakes? They are sweet circles of deliciousness that happen to be the correct balance of doughy and fluffy at the same time. They are happiness on a plate. Camp Pancakes could turn Alexander's terrible, no good, very bad day into a wonderful, all good, only great day in the blink of an eye. And now you can make these pancakes at home because we're about to provide you with the top secret recipe.

It's said that Father Foley himself developed this recipe over a campfire many years ago*. Camp Pancakes have been a part of camp dining for many years, so give the recipe a try at home and let us know how they turn out! 

*That has most definitely never been said

Camp Foley's Buttermilk Pancakes 

2 Cups of Floor

2 Eggs

1/3 cup of canola oil

2 cups of Buttermilk (can use sour milk, milk or any combination)

2 cups of flour

¼ cup of sugar

8 tsp. of baking soda

To make them taste the closest to camp’s, mix up the day before and refrigerate overnight.\

Stay Hungry, Camp Foley!

Music Monday! Wisconsin Milk

Well if this isn't one of the catchiest songs of all time... Claire leads First Session in Wisconsin Milk at Opening Campfire!

Wisconsin Milk - 1st Session