Wandawega Blog Archive

( fangirl alert )Getting to meet @lonefoxhome last week -Drew is – So fun. Cool. Sweet. Inspiring. He just shared some of his fav spots at here. ..(we got to meet as part of the @mrsmeyerscleanday #campmrsmeyers event)

May 24, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

We made some new postcards.POST ALL BILLSWe will never ever get tire of old school merch.And we are obsessed with illustration & printing techniques of days past.Its why weve been looking forever for an artist who could create art for us that pays homage to camps heyday 1940s- and the look of the old school tourist hotel collateral that was the norm back then. Here is our latest postcard design we created with his art – it features camp in the 1940s.

May 24, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

Finally made business cards.Because – we really needed another reason to talk about our mascot, George: Recently an elderly couple paid us a surprised visit. He said that he had vacationed at Wandawega Lake Resort with his family back in the 40s, or was it the 50s? He had stories of dinner at the gourmet Polish restaurant (now the main lodge) and how it was converted to a activity lodge following dinner. He told us stories of how the owner would open the window in the restaurant after dinner and let in the friendly raccoon, who would travel from table to table begging for table scraps from the customers, and for dessert would sit on the bar to receive his nightly Hersheys bar (which they called a nickel bar at the time.)

May 20, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

This has been a hard one to swallow. We were really excited to do thisFrom day 1 – like so many others -we fell in love with foxtrot.We were set to launch one of the biggest product lines weve ever made shortly after they dropped the bomb.So what do you do when a years worth of collaboration & work gets cancelled at 2pm on a Tuesday (days before thousands of products hit shelves across the country)?You take stock of your gratitude & gains in perspective. (We lost a helluva lot less than many of the mom & pop vendors & those who lost their jobs).And we gained quite a few friends. The fruits of their labor still deserve to be seen. So we wanted to share their latest (& one of their last) creative projects.So – what do you do? You keep the dates for the launch event you had planned. And open the gates to the crew – to pour one out with those who poured their hearts into building a company that got pulled out from under them.They showed up with home made snacks & war stories of last day scrambles. (& 3 stolen samples of Wandawega bourbon pints).We dont know where all the products are gonna end up (heard theyre locked up in warehouses, on trucks bound to nowhere and a shuttered office) somewhere soon 4000 bags of BBQ chips may show up & a ton of other things – heard theres an auction today – hoping the liquidation firm does the right thing & donates vs dollar stores.If this experience has taught us anything, its to not let the good things go to waste.We think a brand as special as Foxtrot (powered by the people who created it) deserve to be a phoenix. I may be polyanic, but if ever there was a story ripe for a comeback, they have my vote.Feeling the full range of feels right now – but mostly gratitude for the crew who joined us to pour one out for what couldve been. What we lost in this opportunity we made up for in friends gained – and for that were grateful.Toasting the employees of Foxtrot, it was a helluva run. See you around the campfire.There are alot of talented folks who suddenly found themselves back on the job market. Theyre too good to be available for long. Support them any way you can.

May 10, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

Somebody just sent us a little surprise this morning – just popped up in the new issue of @dwellmagazine Our enamelware line with @crowcanyonhome I love that they did this round up of summer camp gear for home based on the theme of WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER.I thinks its gonna be a good one .. @nathanbobey 1,5@nathanbobey 8,9@dwell 2,3@. 4,6,10

May 9, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

The Wandawega Farm stand. CART built by my brother in law Jeff Warden – (starting with a scrap of an antique tractor trailer) Jeff is a fourth generation farmer ( and carpenter) in my hometown of Beardstown, Illinois CONTENTS made by the Weinkes family market-That started as a roadside farm stand in 1970.Like everything here, all born & raised on the honor system. (and how this little stand operates)..Pics by @bobcoscarelli and @nathanbobey

May 4, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

We were white-knuckling while hauling this. (the leaf springs of our old snowmobile trailer moaning from bottoming out). We found this one near Eagle Wisconsin, on a farm in the middle of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. In the early 1900s, there were many versions of similar gothic arch style barn outbuilding kits, some offered in the Sears Catalog. For over 100 years, theyve been used as milking sheds, farm equipment storage, small animal barns, coops and god knows what else. We gave ours a new life as a communal nature-watching stand in the back woods, overlooking a glacial kettle. Replaced the asphalt shingles with cedar shakes instead. Replaced the floor. Removed the kettle-facing wall, and made it open to the view. Added a vintage beer garden table & benches. Restored the rafters & interior exposed planks. We parked it on the edge of the kettle with the entrance facing the lake.The folks staying up at the Rustic Camping Cluster use it as communal place to hanging with the wildlife.Shown here: Hauling it to camp And the antique book you need if you also geek out on classic American Ag Architecture. ..Review for Sears Book of Barns 1919: Anyone who loves barns, farms, architecture, early 20th Century American history or is just plain nostalgic will find this book to be a treasure. Its also a fascinating stroll down memory lane, to a time when more than 50% of all Americans lived in an agricultural setting. ..First pic : @bobcoscarelli

May 3, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

This little corner of our campgrounds just got a little brighter – thanks to .Scenic mural backdrop @marinaross_studio Portraits @bobcoscarelli Camper models @laurenjamron @slightlykp @robertoleon@kels.ww@Amanda.right.now @ziemmo

May 2, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram