Wandawega Blog Archive

Welcome to the Wandawega Dept. Of Objects.AKA: our new camp prop library!.>>> Volume up >>>Created to assist photographers, producers, brands, photo stylists, content creators and creatives of all Ilk who have a deep-seated desire to recreate the glamorous midwestern lifestyle from the 1920s to the 70s, This prop house is an exercise in curating the random & special. Need a rotary phone to sit onto of your 1940s ice-fishing tackle box? Of course, you do. Because nothing screams authenticity like a maniacally color-coded hoard of outdoorsman Americana.. Buckle up for a journey through time, where we take your shoot from meh to where on earth did they find this thing and what is it? Youre welcome. deptofobjects.com..Thanks to our tiny mighty team for helping wrangle this one Joe Riley Ellie Joanna – & @nathanbobey for the film. Photo. Logo & so much more .

January 29, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

.Snow season.Stick season. Mosquito season. Whether our little lake is covered in ice or Lilly pads, a few things have held true for the past 98 years here :Strangers are just friends we havent met yet, connecting across a campfire is the great human equalizer, and there are few things better than cracking open a beer after a long day outside in Wisconsin..

January 24, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

The podcast youll love if youre into the Chicago food & hospitality scene. The most recent episode of @joinerspod by @stockmfgco talking to @ninebarchicago about so many things- including the last Campfire Jamboree.WHAT THEYRE TALKING ABOUT:Summer 2023 brought with it the 3rd Annual Stock Campfire Jamboree at Camp Wandawega. Same as 2019 and 2022, we had John Manion of El Che Steakhouse at the helm of the all-star culinary lineup and the event was sponsored by Mot Hennessy, specifically Terrazas de los Andes.The open-flame chef lineup was one for the ages, featuring:-Tim Flores and Genie Kwon of Kasama-Zach Engel of Galit -Oliver Poilevey of Le Bouchon, Obelix, and Taqueria Chingon-Mindy Segal of Mindys Bakery-Michael Ciapciak of Bang Bang Pie and Pretty Cool Ice Cream@juanmanjuan of @elchechicago knows how to bring the on @webergrills the lineup: @kasamachicago @galit_restaurant @timothyryanchi @geniekwon @chef_oliverpoilevey @zjengel @mindysegal @mindysbakery @bangbangpieWith @ninebarchicago.Performances: @deertickmusic @vanessacarltonactual @local_h .shots:@not.junk.foodSponsors@webergrills @terrazas_andes@metriccoffee

January 23, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

Taking stock.When were in our slow season, we take stock. An annual inventory of whats broken, whats missing. What we chose to replace/ repaired / retire.The things left over from the prior seasons guests- from a name carved into bunkbed in cabin No.3, to somebodys earring left In the treehouse library. . From transient staffers passing through for a season en route to seeking new adventure in the next town to a tractor that cant pull its weight & gets retired to the field- we take it all as a blessing for the opportunity to upgrade. We invest in those things worth keeping and have found that when we lose one thing we gain another better.We lost many, many trees this past week in the blizzard. Enough that our groundskeeper says he cant even count them all (and I cant bring myself to walk the woods to take stock of the loss just yet.)But the beauty of winter storm tree loss is that the ones that fall make room for others to grow. It opens up the canopy for the sunshine to reach other things on the forest floor.As each season passes- we commit further into growth here – in all forms : forest, people and place. Weve been here before- 20 Wisconsin winters and a century-old property tends to thicken the skin and prepares you for the first walk when the snow thaws- (thats what you know what youre in for)We used to meet loss with dread, We swapped that thinking opportunity. For now, we take stock. Were excited to for new opportunities and to reveal this spring the fruits of our labors of this years stock seasonPics 1,3,4 5,6,8,9 by our talented friend @meganyanz (keep an eye out for more on her and her work, coming soon as part of our photographer showcase series)

January 22, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

Is it just us, or does anybody else see everyday things a little differently when it snows? When its all sleeping under a blanket like this – camp is a little quieter. Cleaner. The grace of being able to (just for a season) hide whats waiting for us in the spring thaw.Hundred year old buildings to paint. Splitting shingles to replace. Rust to sand. Broken docks to mend. Burst pipes to repair. The melt always uncovers more than we anticipate, and we find ourselves holding our breaths every spring to see what will be revealed this time.The thing that nobody warns you about when you try to save a historic compound of ramshackle cabins is that its like painting the Golden Gate Bridge once you get the the end you have to start all over again. And it never ends.But for now she sleeps.And we are grateful to get a nap in with her. I wish we had snow colored glasses everyday of the year. They are that gift of the in between – when it looks clean and neat, concealing whats coming alongside the daffodils.But for now, were thankful for the fresh perspective….*first pic from seasons past- our little boat shed has lent her waterskis to her Doppelganger across the pond at the @accidentallywesanderson exhibit in London. She has the hardest job now- packed to the gills with canoeing and fishing gear to protect it from another harsh Midwestern winter. We dont know how many more years shell be standing – but were bent on trying to keep her vertical as long as we are.

January 19, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

As we are currently buried in a snowdrift- were already Nostalgic for warmer days. @studiokcreative company retreat this past season was a highlight – led by their fearless leader @karenherold – with three days of a packed creative immersive itinerary guided by our friend Neil Stevenson. We are looking forward to having this crew back this summer. One of many creative company retreats were hosting this coming year- its gonna be a busy one! Favorite detail: they took a camp oar back to the office for the whole team to sign and hang – to celebrate the announcement of their next retreat this summer -More deets about this magical retreat from our first post:I TOOK A WALK IN THE WOODS AND CAME OUT TALLER THAN THE TREES.Fav Thoreau quote & also the single best piece of advice you can give a creative whos looking to get inspired. .Our friends at @studiokcreative took over last week for their team creative retreat. (If you dont know them yet- and love interior design- stop reading this now and go fall down the rabbit hole of inspiration that is their website).Powerhouse & pal @karenherold decided to take her whole staff out to the woods to grow something bigger than her design firm. For 3 days and 2 starry nights, her swat team of designers and thinkers where guided through an obstacle course of brain building creative activities. Led by our friend Neil Stevenson (who creates and leads off-sites like this for brands & companies across the country) The team building activities ran the gamut of craft challenges to canoe races. Cook offs to scavenger hunts. Nature hikes to talent showsand every possible adventure in between. All crafted to prompt creatives to think differently while finding inspiration in nature and each other.The most powerful CEOs weve hosted here have one thing in common – they understand that team building is about getting to know each other as people first. And it doesnt happen on a zoom or around a conference table.We are excited to start introducing more of this type of offering to groups soon. Stay tuned.

January 18, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

MICRO-MENTORSHIPS from Camp(To support WandawegaHistory.org )Well, this has been fun.I was nominated to be an expert on the @useintro platform.Others on it are folks we love from Rachael Zoe and Nate Berkus to founders of Drybar & Everlane to current & Ex CEOs from Who Wear What, Anthropologie & Facebook. It was an easy yes, because we love their mission: To give everyone access to anyone, empowering each other to build a better world. and just received my 5th star & earned verified experts ranking.In 20 years running camp,Ive never charged for the mentorship calls / emails / coffees / zooms with people wanting to know how to open their own boutique hotel, work with press, get their book published, get licensing deals, partnerships, start their own business, etc.Its legit soul food helping other folks chase their dreams. (We grow in ways that matter most when we help other people grow). So alongside the handful of clients that I still consult for, I decided to transition from informal, free counseling sessions to micro-mentorships through this booking system.Joining this expert group gives me a way to commit more of my time, for more people, in a way that pays it forward:100% of the proceeds are going to support the mission of our not-for-profit, The Wandawega Historical Society WandawegaHistory.OrgAll proceeds help fund projects close to our hearts:- The build-out of our free artist-in-residence workshop space.- Repair/replace church pews (continuing a 60-plus year tradition of donating our chapel to the community for outdoor Sunday mass).- The Tiny Museum of Wandawegas Latvian heritage- The never-ending stream of National Register of Historic Places preservation projects. But mentorships only work if theyre accessible. And we know not everybody can invest 300 bucks for a session ( typical for this platform ). So were keeping it at a fraction of that, making it more attainable for more folks.HOW IT WORKS: – Go to the link in bio- Select the windows youre free (they will do the work of finding us a matching slot)- follow along here for NFP project updatesThanks @blg of @thememorycircle for the intro!

January 17, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram