The Summer of 2008 is Underway

Hello Slipper Family!

It's only June 22, but the summer of 2008 is well underway. Currently, all 120+ members of our staff are here and making sure that GSC is ready for the arrival of campers on Tuesday afternoon! We have staff from many states across America -- Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Colorado, Virginia, California, Texas, Florida, and Washington, D.C., to name a few. We also have staff from several different countries, including Israel, Germany, Czech Republic, Australia, Great Britain, and Sweden.

Friday night we played a Staff Trivia Game, and last night we had a Staff Campfire complete with stories, games, skits, and sung songs featuring Uncle Adam E. on guitar and Uncle Jarad singing. Myself and the rest of the staff have been having a great time here in Bartonsville, but we can't wait for Tuesday when the rest of you arrived.

Check this blog regularly for more updates on the world of Golden Slipper Camp, which will include news, questions, and other items created by our campers and staff, as well as podcasts featuring campers, staff, and evening activities. Also, be sure to check out Golden Slipper Camp's pictures, which will be taken by Aunt Katie from Australia this summer! Also, be sure to join our Camper & Family Social Network or Staff/Alumni Social Network (18 years or older, please) so you can follow our video updates.

In the meantime, feel free to leave a comment if you have any ideas or news you'd like to share with the Golden Slipper community!

Sincerely,
Uncle Brando

Congrats to New Mom, Vicky (Elman) Silow

Vicky (Elman) Silow and her husband, Alex, recently welcomed their son, Abraham (Bram) David Silow, into the world. Bram was born prematurely on Sunday, June 8th, at 11:15pm. He is 4lbs and 16.5in. Both mom and Bram are doing very well, but since he's so early he'll be living at the hospital for the next three weeks.

Interestingly, Vicky went into labor while she and Alex were participating in a childbirth and delivery class. Twenty five pregnant couples received a true-to-life demonstration (no additional charge, we are told!), as Vicky and Alex had to leave class to head to the hospital.

The 2008 Dinner Dance Contest - ENTER NOW!

Golden Slipper Camp prides itself on many fine evening activities, but I think we can all agree that the ultimate evening activity – the one that everyone is talking about and planning for as soon as they step onto Golden Slipper Camp – is the Dinner Dance. Whether discussing potential dates, potential outfits, or even the potential theme, barely a day passes without some mention of the Dinner Dance. And, for the second year in a row, we will be holding a contest to decide the themes of both 1st and 2nd Encampments’ Dinner Dances!

Last year’s contest was a huge success, with over 30 themes nominated and almost 80 members of the Slipper family, including campers, parents/guardians, staff, alumni, and club members participating by either nominating a theme or judging the nominees themselves, and the two winners were a camper and an alumni! The fun did not end there, as a committee of campers and staff members helped bring 2007’s winning themes, Into the Future (GSC in 2107) and Candyland, to life on the night of the dance itself (see pictures here and here.).

This year, we would like even more members of the GSC family to participate in the process. All campers, family, staff, alumni, and club members are eligible to nominate a theme. To enter, you simply need to submit a theme. Submit your ideas (please limit to 2 entries per person) by emailing them to Uncle Brando at goldenslippercamp@gmail.com or through US postal mail to the GSC offices in Bala Cynwyd (215 N Presidential Blvd, 1st Floor, Bala Cynwyd, 19004) with “Dinner Dance Theme” in the address or subject line. Be sure to include your full name and email address or phone number so we know whom to credit if your idea is selected. The contest deadline is May 15 so be sure to enter your idea for a theme on time!

Alumni Spotlight: Cheryl Pollack

GSC recently heard from Cheryl Pollack, a longtime GSC camper and counselor, who last spent a summer in Bartonsville in 2005. Cheryl graduated from Newman College over a year ago and has been heavily involved working in the arts in Center City, especially in non-profit arts organizations. She has been working as the assistant box office manager at the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia since September.

Cheryl recently accepted a summer internship at the Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota, Florida. She will work in their development department, learning all about the wonderful world of development and fundraising. Cheryl hopes this internship will provide an experience that will prepare her for full-time employment in this field, preferably doing development and fundraising with a non-profit arts organization.

Do you have news you'd like to share with the GSC community? Please contact the Golden Slipper Camp Blog to submit your information. It can be about an engagement, wedding, graduation, college acceptance, new job, award, or any other event that you'd like to share with us!

Lake Olympia in the Fall

Most of us only witness the beauty of Golden Slipper Camp during the summer months, but each season brings with it new treasures. Fortunately for us, we can now see some of those treasures thanks to Aunt Joanne! Aunt Joanne, who works hard at keeping GSC's landscape beautiful, was kind enough to send along the following pictures of Lake Olympia taken during the fall.

(Click any photo to enlarge it)

Is anyone else ready for the summer?!?

The First Ever GSC Podcast

We are very excited to present the first ever GSC Podcast! In this episode, Uncles Brando and Spoon explain what a podcast is and discuss the future plans for The GSC Podcast. It is 6 mins 30 secs long.

Until summer arrives, The GSC Podcast will be produced regularly and feature topics designed to keep you informed of off-season developments at Golden Slipper Camp, share memories and stories, and to introduce the world of GSC to new members of our family. This means we will be introducing staff, explaining activities and lingo, and offering other advice that we think will be helpful to the Slipper family. All podcasts will be available for free right here on the blog!

Once summer arrives, podcasts will help bring the Slipper magic to campers, families, alumni, and club members who cannot be in Bartonsville with us! This means you will be able to hear Lunchtime News of the Day, relive evening and daytime activities as shared by the campers and counselor who are experiencing them, and otherwise hear what we are doing at the most wonderful place on earth! Again, all podcasts will be available for free right here on the blog.

Uncles Brando and Spoon would love to include your ideas (or even your voice) in a future podcast, so feel free to leave a comment here or contact them through the Ning sites (campers/parents or alumni/staff) if you would like to be involved! For now, click below and enjoy The GSC Podcast - Podcasting!



Listen to The GSC Podcast
(click to play or right-click to save the file to your computer)

Alumni Birth, Future Legacy Camper! Congrats to Kaitlin Kulla

Kaitlin Clark, formerly Kaitlin Kulla, is proud to announce that she and husband Adam Clark are proud parents of a beautiful baby girl! Their daugher, Ilyssa Shae Clark, was born on December 10, 2007 at 10:07 AM with a weight of 7 lb 8 oz and length of 19 3/4 inches. Kaitlin reports that Ilyssa is rapidly approaching four months and rapidly growing, too!

Kaitlin was a camper from 1992-1995 and Strauss Counselor in 1997 and 2000. Since leaving GSC she has graduated from University of Florida and is now an attorney just outside of Orlando. Kaitlin is looking forward reconnecting with her Slipper family; you can contact her through the GSC Alumni Social Networking Site.

Congrats to Kaitlin and Adam! We'll save a spot for Ilyssa in Bunk A in 2015!