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This week, Yappy reviews 8 different Summer Treats in 1 minute, 52 seconds! Yappy melted these on the hood of his car and downed them one after the other so you don't have to! See what happens when he chugs a whole Bubble Gum Blast, and we'll see you September 16th!
The only thing better than seeing is sharing. That's why Summer X Camp is geared towards group effort, fun social time, and community. Once you become a Summer Xer, you can't turn back. You're a part of a growing and thriving community of people who seek to challenge themselves and find new horizons. It is the gathering of people who want more and know it is out there if we could only look.
A wise person close to one of our Leadership Team once said, "There are people you haven't met yet who are going to change the course of your life." We believe that Summer X is a gathering of those passionate people who all have the power to bring new opportunities, new understandings, and new friendships.
You hear this quote everywhere, but we maybe that's because we just don't get it yet. We're hoping Summer X Camp can help with that. Camp is about the wild fun times (there will be plenty), and it is also about quiet rejuvenation. Both are necessary to move forward and accomplish what we want in our lives. Both serve the same end: reconnecting to the steady and abundant growth of nature. Everything at Summer X Camp is about building and growth. Building new friendships, growing old ones. Building the capacity for laughter, growing the size of your smile. Building your body, growing your mind. We accomplish all of this through outlandish fun. We seek Joy in all things because for us Joy is that extra element that makes us grow. Come find some of yours.
Water changes everything. There's something about water that is unmistakably wonderful but hard to define. We think it's the life in it, the instant recharge it seems to offer. Lakes, oceans, waterfalls, creeks...even a trickle of it instantly changes how you feel. That's why we've got all kinds of water activities planned for this September. Water games, paddling out on the lake, creekside sits, campsites along the creek, and a waterfall right out the back of the dining hall. Time to recharge.
Gather with friends by the water and refresh your friendship! Creekside, lakeside, waterslide, whatever you need we've got it!
It is where one thing meets another that we finally see the attributes of the two clearer. We define ourselves through community. When we come together, we have a chance at seeing how similar and different we really are. Different ain't a bad thing, in fact, we believe difference is complimentary. We say let your freak flag fly. Bring us your weird at camp, and we'll run with it. It may come in handy in one of the unique challenges, meeting new Xers, and our UnTalented show will definitely need to use some weird.
Let's do it!
We think so. We like to think of fun as a radical act. Fun awakens the senses, and it changes your point of view. We at Summer X Camp are not paleo-fitness super gurus, but we have a deep respect for the primal notion of play and what play does for body well-being.
If you're confused about this idea, try playing tag with a group of 5th graders. Suddenly, you move in ways you'd never even think of moving in a gym or on a run. Quick dodges followed by short sprints, long out-of-breath walks, and somehow a crooked smile crosses your face. Play encourages us to break our patterns and try new things. Play is for everyone--young and old, tired and energetic, sad and happy. Play, in humans and in many other social animals, fosters bonding, practices skills, and teaches us about ourselves and the way we interact with the world. Through play, we get to sample emotions, movements, and situations less acceptable in normal society. When was the last time you got to say "You're going down!" in an office meeting? Hopefully never. But in play, we get to be bigger than ourselves and use our body in ways necessary to our longevity.
We're not trying to get everyone to run barefoot through the mountains, we just want to let the grass tickle our toes. We're not trying to haul 75 pounds through a swamp, we just want to keep moving until we're over 75.
Sometimes, in this state, it feels like you're walking in front of a painting. Sometimes, you are! These mountains have inspired countless people to paint, sculpt, photograph, dance--anything to try and capture the wild spirit of these ancient, rugged hills. Now it's your turn.
At Summer X Camp, we catch the wild spirit by reintroducing vigorous fun. The kind of fun where you may be out of breath, or laughing so hard you can't see through the tears. The kind of fun where you have no idea what to expect, but you jump in anyway. And through that fun, we find all kinds of things about our wild selves we never knew we had: courage, creativity, and calm. The only way to find that fun is to take a risk and lean into the wilderness around us and within ourselves.
It's time to capture your wild spirit.
Sharing a view or a victory, a mistake or failure, only makes it more meaningful. That's why Summer X Camp is a both a team event and filled with social time outside of team competition. Daytime camaraderie gives way to social mixers and live entertainment all steps away from your cabin in the woods. Daily free time also allows every camper to share their experience with others. The weekend's team events provide yet another space for sharing.
Every team member is necessary to complete the games and challenges in order to accumulate points towards victory. Some team members will need to be fast, some will need to be puzzlers, riddlers, strategists, or thinkers. Some will need to be creative, and some will need to be quiet doers. Every skill set helps move the team forward. This is no powerlifting obstacle course, nor it is it a math test. This is fantastically fun whole body and mind rewiring. Expect the unexpected. Above all, expect to experience fun!
Bonfire amphitheater and a generous portion of mountain water
One of the best features of this year's campsite is all the different gathering places: the dining hall, the pub, the gym, lakeside, camper cabins, and , and the amphitheater . Opening and closing ceremonies held beside a waterfall plus a few nightly bonfires thrown in between. It is here in the amphitheater that Summer Xers encounter each other for the first time. The opening ceremony introduces important safety rules, gets all the teams ready for the weekend challenges, and initiates the ongoing games that will be played throughout the weekend before sending everyone off to the nightly entertainment and festivities. Campers return to the amphitheater on Sunday morning where the Champions of Summer are crowned.
Remember when you ran through the woods from imaginary monsters? Remember when you found that secret spot no one else knew about? Remember the last time you stayed out late just to look at the stars? Remember when you took the long way home?
Let's do that. Let's do that as much as we can. Find your secret hideaway. Run for no reason. Smell like campfire. Play ferociously. Excite your inner child. But remember, Summer X Camp isn't about nostalgia, it's about right now. It's about putting play back into your life. We believe that play is the key to unlocking happiness. Play is the key to destroying burnout, fatigue, and disconnection. Play instantly energizes, brings purpose to action, and makes action sustainable. Is there any way you can start playing right now? Do you have a routine where you can find a little more joy (or any amount at all?). We believe the answer is always yes, and we believe this September you'll get to find out we're right, and that there's way more play in YOU.
It starts with a weekend, and it lasts a lifetime.
What's on your summer bucket list? First step: more of this, then on to adventuring.
Let's make this one a knock-down, drag-out fun fest. We'll have the last hurrah this September in our comedy pub on Friday night (and Saturday night, too!) serving up the finest WNC has to offer. Summer X Camp is a celebration of all things summer: lakeside chilling, late night hanging, sunshine soaking and don't forget microbrew sipping! North Carolina has some incredible breweries filling every nook and cranny of this state, and we're just grateful to sip their heavenly nectar from time to time. The proliferation of breweries here in the Asheville area has led to some amazing innovations as Asheville quickly becomes a major east coast hub of all things craft.
Interested in sponsorships? We still have a few sponsor slots open for local businesses. Drop us a line at summerxcamp@gmail.com! In the meantime, it's time for some of that nectar...
Adventure is everywhere, sometimes where you least expect it. Under a bridge, in your backyard, even in an old forgotten office closet. All it takes is a second glance at what you thought you knew. The world is not always as it seems, sometimes you just have to look another way. Just like summer camp when you were a kid, Summer X Camp gives you the opportunity to step back and take new chances, embrace new challenges, and have a blast along the way! We're just trying to bring back fun.
More like a Lakie
We hear a lot of people talk down about the selfie, and how bad the self-centered technology culture gets. We think the term has been misconstrued. Sure, a selfie is usually just you and maybe someone else posing for a picture. It's mainly for you. We get that. And maybe that selfie is a good thing, maybe it ain't. Maybe the age of the Selfie means something a little more than that.
What if we all took a REAL selfie? A genuine and unfiltered look at ourselves. What would you see? After you get the past the first moment or fear and judgement, what do you find? You find a whole person. A one hundred percent human being who, like a diamond, has many facets, many angles, many directions, and, yes, scratches, dents, bruises. There's a mystery there still with pages left to turn. At Summer X Camp, we're looking for the mystery, and we think the best way to find it is through outlandish fun. What reveals more about someone than by what they laugh at, or--better yet--when they choose to laugh? We want every camper to take a real Selfie and find fun inside and out.
Selfies aren't going away any sooner than smartphones, toll booths, or to-do lists, but we have the power to use the Selfie for good and ask ourselves: What do we want?
At Summer X Camp, we want to bring back fun.
A trailside stop along an unnamed stream off the Mountain to Sea Trail near the Blue Ridge Parkway.
What about you is unnamed, unknown?
Your passion for cooking? Your love of fart jokes? What's the most childishly fun thing about you? We hear a lot about protecting the wilderness, but what about the wilderness in ourselves? Wild laughter, spontaneous play. It's time to find that. It's time to rejuvenate that spirit. Summer X Camp has opportunities for you to escape into quiet moments or lean in to laugh-out-loud fun. Why not both?
Kiddie Pool Kickball will be one of many outlandish games featured at Summer X Camp
ASHEVILLE, NC. July 20, 2016.
Summer X Camp, an all-new summer camp for adults featuring outlandish physical team challenges, nightly entertainment, and North Carolina brews, announces today open registration for their weekend of high-octane hilarity and adventure. Crafted and executed by the same minds behind Asheville’s Amazing Pubcycle and The Conundrum Escape Games, the goal of Summer X Camp is to bring back fun for grown-ups who want to challenge themselves, meet new friends, and enjoy a rejuvenating weekend filled with folly.
“We took a look at all the activities geared towards adults: obstacle course races, weekend retreats, summer camps, all of that, and we wanted something with more wow factor,” says Shawn Verbrugghe, Owner. “The weekend revolves around a friendly competition that ends in one team getting crowned ‘champions of summer’, but these challenges are far from normal. We work to defy the ordinary and aim to astonish people with engaging and goofy experiences. Once all the games are over for the day, we keep the fun rolling with local entertainment. We have a great lineup. It’s going to be the weekend of a lifetime.”
Combining a summer camp and sporty, festival-style atmosphere, Summer X Camp hosts oddball activities and games during the day alongside nightly shows featuring music and comedy with local beer, wine, and non-alcoholic drink tickets included in a weekend pass for ages 21 and up. Much like traditional sleep away camp, guests stay in cabins, tent sites are also available, and meals and snacks are included. Participants may purchase individual passes or book a whole cabin to form a team for the competition. Unlike a typical camp experience, campers are instructed to expect the unexpected with fun and games lasting all weekend long.
“The fun never stops,” explains Chase McNeill, Creative Director. “We’re giving campers the best in activities and premium entertainment. Our first night, we have a comedy show and a live band after the opening bonfire.” The I’m Proud of You variety show will perform their hilarious, offbeat comedy at the camp’s rec hall transformed into a weekend pub, and local favorites Jim Arrandell and the Cheap Suits will perform their unique hybrid of Motown, funk, and soul. “Saturday night we are doing a zany camper-run talent show and dance party, and that’s just the nighttime shows. Every day will be filled with unexpected interruptions that are all worth points to help each team. This is like a school field day and a live comedy show in a blender. We’re pulling out all the stops.”
Verbrugghe’s other creative companies, the Amazing Pubcycle and Conundrum Escape Games, strive to create affordable fun for all ages, but Summer X Camp takes one more step. “This is the greatest culmination of everything we have ever done,” says Verbrugghe. “We know how to entertain, we know puzzles and games, and we know how to break people out of their shells to have a great time…we just want to make it as big and wacky as possible.”
About Summer X Camp:
Summer X Camp is a weekend sleep away camp for adults running this September 16th-18th in Hendersonville, NC. Teams of four to eight compete during the daytime in fun, outlandish challenges to be crowned the champions of summer. Nightly social activities include live music, comedy, bonfires, and a camper run talent show. Food and local beer and wine are provided. Tickets are available at summerxcamp.com
Nightly entertainment from some of the most hilarious, outlandish comics under the sun! The I'm Proud of You Variety Show was named top 5 comedy shows of 2015 in the Mountain Xpress, and they will be performing at Summer X Camp on Friday night. This acclaimed show will be held right after opening ceremony so every camper gets a pretty clear idea of the kind of weekend ahead. Known for both off-kilter and high-octane upbeat humor, I'm Proud of You Variety Show is part stand-up, part sketch, part musical, and all hilarity! New and exclusive material performed just for Summer Xers, plus some of their best-of favorites kick off the weekend in style. From the Mountain Xpress:
"Top moments included a surprise appearance from Bjork and a uni-browed, leotard-clad dance troupe performing the Flashdance theme song."
You don't want to miss the fun! Come and laugh til you cry with offbeat characters, ridiculous sketches, and all new jokes! And remember, that's just the first night!
Getting excited for some lake time! We spent the morning running over all the different activity station locations as well as solidifying details for camper pick up, drop off, and, most importantly, setup for the comedy pub.
Everything is moving right along!
