Camp Woodland Blog

We love the Holiday season for all the reasons you might expect: spending time with friends and family, enjoying traditions new and old, the anticipation of the first snowfall of the year and all of the activities that come along with it.

Presents are always a big part of the festivities, and we care about them because to us, they are more than just “stuff.” When we gift generously and thoughtfully we demonstrate our love for other peoples’ joy.

In that spirit, we are sharing our gift guide for the Woodland Girl, where we’ve compiled our best ideas for meaningful presents to encourage growth and connection. Of course, experiencing camp is the best gift ever, but these are just a few extra ideas!

This blog is inspired by a North Carolina camp.

As the month of November comes to a close, we are reminded of Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving Special.  Charlie Brown ends up serving Thanksgiving dinner for his friends thanks to Peppermint Patti’s self-invitation when he is really supposed to go to his Grandmother’s for a traditional Thanksgiving meal.  Charlie Brown enlists the help of Snoopy to set up for the feast and, low and behold, a non-traditional fare ensues.

When Charlie Brown’s guests sit down to dinner on an assortment of lawn chairs placed around a ping-pong table, his friends are surprised to find popcorn, toast, jelly beans, pretzels, and ice cream sundaes on the menu.  After a much disgruntled Peppermint Patti voices her opinion about the food selections, Linus reminds the group about the true meaning of Thanksgiving and how important it is just to be together by retelling the story of Myles Standish and the Pilgrims on that very first Thanksgiving Day.

After having recently been to the Woodland Camp Reunion this past weekend, I am thankful for the opportunity to get together with camp friends at the start of the holiday season.  It was so fun to see campers, staff, and alumni gather 3 months after the close of the summer.  It was a special time for friends to reunite and catch up on the events of our days away from camp while knowing that summer ‘23 is now closer than it was in August!  We were even able to share a similar fare to Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving feast (popcorn, pretzels, cheese sticks, grapes, juice boxes, and other tasty treats!) while watching the highlights of the summer of 2022 and playing camp bingo to increase our chances at winning some amazing camp swag in the raffle.  Camp memories were relived and shared, stories retold, friendships rekindled, and plans for next summer were formed!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all campers, staff, alumni, and friends…we are grateful for your membership to the Woodland/Towering Pines Family!  Many blessings in the year to come!

And now, a special thank you to the girls of Hilltop for sharing some of their insights from summer 2022:

What is something new that you learned about yourself at camp in 2022?

“That when I put myself to do something and try really hard I can do great.” – Julia S.

“I learned that I can try new things!” – Clara S.

“I learned that you should never try to hide your feelings.” – Phoebe H.

“That I should focus on the good. Also that I have the power to make or break my summer (mindset!)” – Molly K. (Liv-In CIT)

In what ways did you GROW this summer?

“Passing levels in activities and by speaking up for myself when I need to.” – Norah G.

“I grew this summer by always trying new things and never saying never.” – Natalia G.

“I grew in riding because I went out of my comfort zone and tried trotting on my own again.” – Zoe C.

“I grew by being less scared about things.” – Karen R.

“I tried archery and I skied, which is scary for me sometimes.” – Julia S.

In what ways did you feel part of your cabin and the camp COMMUNITY?

“When we did our camper council!” – Alex M.

“I felt a part of camp when I got announced at assembly and I felt a part of my cabin when I helped someone and made the right choice.” – Sydney A.

“When I went to exchanges. I also felt so good about myself during Olympics because everyone was cheering me on.” – Norah G.

“Everyone was always nice and kind to everyone which I appreciated a lot.” – Natalia G.

“I felt a part of my cabin when we all worked together on things.” – Zoe C.

In what ways did you see RESPECT this summer?

“I saw it in people knowing and loving each other.” – Clara S.

“I saw respect so much throughout camp. No matter where you were, you saw kindness and excitement.” – Sydney A.

“I learned to respect people’s space. I also learned to be more patient with people’s differences.” – Phoebe H.

“Appreciation for each other and support for each other’s goals. Also being friends with all kinds of people from all kinds of places.” – Molly K. (Liv-In CIT)

***Inspired by Kim Aycock’s 2019 post.

October is one of the most popular months of the year. With the crisp autumn air, the beautiful shifting colors, and so many fun fall activities to do, what’s not to love about October? To cap it all off, there’s HALLOWEEN! It’s always such fun to think about how to celebrate and, of course, what costume to WEAR!

We all know that camp is one of the most magical places on Earth where you can truly be yourself, make amazing friends, and learn new skills. It is also a place where you can be goofy and celebrate in costume all summer long. We love coming up with different themes and dressing up for every occasion. It seems like every day is a holiday at Camp Woodland!

Thanks to our super CIT’s who work so hard to plan special events, we get to be transported to different worlds and play the role of so many different characters throughout the summer. They are most definitely the “costume queens” around camp, so we thought it would be fitting to highlight the 2022 achievements of Aquarius, home of the CITs, this month:

What is something new that you learned about yourself at camp in 2022?

“Something new I learned about myself was that I really enjoy teaching! Helping and instructing the younger girls is so much fun! I really enjoy seeing my feedback being taken, used, and becoming helpful.” – Brianna K.

“I learned more about how I am and what I want to be and how I want to live my life from now on.” – Isabella S.

“Reading is an activity that calms me and makes me happy. I need to make more time for it at home.” – Maya S.

In what ways did you GROW this summer?

“I went to ropes course even though I’m really afraid of heights. Even though I had a rough time with riflery, I put my attention towards helping the younger girls.” – Maya S.

“I tried new things that I was afraid of at first. I also made new friends even though I’m usually a shy person.” – Natalia G.

“I skied every day even when the water was cold and I didn’t feel like it until I got way better. I also learned how important mindset is when trying things like riding or getting my advanced in tennis.” – Tess W.

“I joined Sail Race and improved in tennis. I offered ideas whenever I felt I could. I got better at being able to let things go and working through negative emotions.” – Isabella S.

In what ways did you feel part of your cabin and the camp COMMUNITY?

“When I felt a sense of community was when we had shows and everyone was cheering for one another! There was so much love and support. There was also so much joy from the entertainment, it’s hard to contain our support for one another.” – Brianna K.

“Whenever we had an evening activity because I would have some people in my cabin, but also girls from other cabins. I was able to branch out and talk to them as well.” – Lindsey R.

“I felt included with all of the inside jokes and all of the deep conversations we have.” – Cuau D.

In what ways did you see RESPECT this summer?

“I think everyone in my cabin was very respectful of each other because we all have different interests and levels of skill in different areas, but we were always kind and willing to learn from each other.” – Tess W.

“During olympics, specifically when one team was not doing the best, the other team would cheer them on. We always cheer for each other’s teams, bringing each other up rather than tearing each other down.” – Lindsey R.

“When all of the girls helped each other in different ways and didn’t laugh if something bad happened.” – Cuau D.

In honor of National Croc Day (October 23rd) we would like to show some love for our favorite camp footwear. Who would have thought that colored plastic laced with holes would be part of the camp ‘uniform’ at Woodland?! By looking at the shoes left on every cabin porch and on feet of all sizes and shapes, it is obvious the Woodland campers love their Crocs! While Crocs are not officially on the packing list, it is definitely something we tell new campers about so they can be part of the Camp Croc Craze.

Crocs are comfy (check out the cushion), practical (they make great shower or lake shoes), stylish (sort of – they do come in a variety of fun colors even though they tend to exaggerate a person’s normal shoe size), warm (if you add socks), and are virtually indestructible (I have been wearing the same blue crocs since 8th grade, and I am happy to report that they have survived about 15 summers at camp!).

You may also notice in the above photo that Crocs can be personalized with fun Jibbitz shapes and characters that can be inserted into the holes. Maybe they are more waterproof this way for when we have a little Woodland Dew?!

The girls of Sunrise are strong supporters of the croc trend, so I thought it fitting to share a little more insight into their 2022 camp experience:

What is something new that you learned about yourself at camp in 2022?

“I learned to try new foods because I might end up liking it.” – Eleanor S.

“I learned how to do a belly flop!” – Maria A.

In what ways did you GROW this summer?

“I kept trying to pass my level in swim lessons.” – JoJo T.

“I tried again in olympics” – Alegra C.

“I ate the broccoli even when I didn’t want to.” – Olivia K.

In what ways did you feel part of your cabin and the camp COMMUNITY?

“I felt a part of my cabin because all of my cabinmates respect me and my background.” – JoJo T.

“I was included in games with my cabinmates” – Alegra C.

In what ways did you see RESPECT this summer?

“My cabinmates and I always apologize to each other and ehlp each other out.” – Olivia K.

“My cabinmates respected me by teaching me spanish because I don’t know it and wanted to learn and be included.” – Eleanor S.

If you have ever spent a summer at Woodland, you know that the food is beyond good, it is exceptional. First timers tell us that they had no idea how wonderful the meals would be. For a total of 22 years since 1990, the person we can attribute this amazing dining experience to is none other than our very own, Dan Montgomery. 

Dan was working for a sorority at the University of Illinois in Champagne, IL, when he responded to an ad placed in the school paper for a cook at a camp in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Both Anne and Jeff Jordan met Dan on campus for an interview as Jeff was a student there at the time. It didn’t take too much convincing that spending the summer in Wisconsin was a good idea. So, Dan along with his 3 kids, who were twelve and under, made their way north to what would be the first of many summers at Woodland and Towering Pines. 

Dan has worked in a variety of food service roles and started at a very young age. His parents ran a Burger Chef when he was growing up in Florida, and he could be found polishing the pipes under the sink, emptying trash, or doing a number of odd jobs when he was 7-8 yrs old. 

Dan studied culinary under a German chef at a hotel restaurant and banquet facility. When things slowed down and times were tough, Dan took over running the place because he had a knack for turning businesses around. He had a keen eye for seeing what could be better and simplifying processes. Dan was good at utilizing the strengths of people for the betterment of the team. It is not surprising that Dan’s next move was to run four major restaurants and a banquet hall with a seating capacity for up to 6000 people at a Holiday Inn Convention Center. 

It became evident that after working 20 hour days; however, Dan was ready for something with a more “reasonable” schedule. Thus, he came to manage the Hendrick House that had 400 rooms in its twin towers and 33 fraternity and sorority houses at the University of Illinois. He also mentored interns at Eastern Illinois University and taught them various recipes and techniques. Dan shared that the “key to being a good chef is knowing how to use seasonings. Bringing everything together is a feeling that you gain from observation and experience. Over time the ability to check for acidity or salt becomes natural.” I’m struggling to see how this new adventure was “more reasonable” as it appears to be way more hours than before!

Dan loved the challenge of coming up with new dishes under a budget. He has a “million” ways to prepare chicken and does this by changing up toppings and sauces. Another trick for this “kitchen magician” is that Dan can make a side out of just about anything. He is also known for his attention to detail and cleanliness and has been known to hide $100 bills under equipment to see if his workers were doing the same.

If it is possible to imagine, Dan shared with me that at some point in time he became “bored”. This is when he started to dabble in baking. Imagine the smell of artisan breads and fresh homemade cookies coming from the open oven door. We most definitely enjoy Dan’s homemade cookies throughout the summer. Dan also makes the annual birthday cake from scratch to celebrate another trip around the sun for Camp Woodland. I always look forward to the homemade frosting that is at least a mile high! 

At another time, Dan dove full force into the gingerbread house business. One of his most elaborate displays included 9 different houses to make up part of a town. He created a church with stained glass windows and a tower, then added a barbershop, bank, and post office to complete his make believe (and edible!) village. There was a river through town that glistened from blue corn syrup and included a covered bridge. Gumdrops could be found on chimneys with cotton candy smoke, roads made of licorice, and Andes mints used as shingles. This masterpiece was showcased on Thanksgiving morning and then was “opened” on Christmas morning to discover candy completely filling the inside much to the surprise of the recipients. 

Another adventure took Dan to manage a seafood restaurant/department within a grocery store (Schnuck’s) in St. Louis. While there, Dan showed customers how to make recipes with seafood. He was then recruited to Niemann Foods where he was the chef for the seafood department where he had a budget and equipment unlike he had ever seen before. With virtually no limits, Dan could really put his creativity to work to come up with some extraordinary dishes!

When I asked Dan what his favorite meal of all time is to cook, he responded with, “shrimp, sausage, and chicken gumbo.” Per Dan’s usual, the first time a new recipe is tried, he makes it as the recipe is intended. After that, any future iterations are nothing like the initial dish. Dan “makes it his own” with seasonings and other twists. Dan’s favorite camp meal to make is actually the favorite meal the campers and staff enjoy too. He loves putting together his infamous lasagne and knows the importance of getting it right each and every time! 

Another pearl of wisdom Dan shared is to “never push something out of the window that you wouldn’t serve to your grandmother.” I would have to agree with that statement 110%. While kids are not grandmothers, they can be pretty tough customers. When a 9 year old camper orders fettuccine alfredo at a restaurant following a summer at Woodland, you know the food has to pass the taste test (check!) AND be kid friendly enough to encourage exploration of “fancy” dishes (double check!). 

Thank you, Dan and team, for giving us another summer of fuel for busy camp days, sustenance to keep us healthy, and a dining experience that brings our community together for three meals a day throughout the entire camp season.

We look forward to year #23 in 2023!

p.s. If you need anyone to be a guinea pig the next time you are “bored,” you know where to find me.