Wandawega Blog Archive

This message was created for the creative community by our friends (and fellow small business owners) @1924us – we think its a good to pay forward for the season & supporting other mom & pops. (Tagging in here a handful of small businesses, artist & photographers to check out & support)We also tapped @1924us to help us create our own holiday candle (that we just restocked)A prayer candle in honor of Camps patron saint:THE MADAME ANNA PECK1880s, Sweden- young Anna is orphaned.1905 as a teen, she emigrates to America and is adopted by a Chicago architect.She takes work as a maid in a well-to-do home and marries the chauffeur.Shes widowed at 32 when he dies in WWI.At 39, her father builds Wandawega Hotel.Anna runs gin & a brothel here.She marries a local, the neer do well son of a prominent family.Gordon Peck was a vet, a drunkard & 13 years her junior who’s mother filed for an annulment, claiming he was too taken with consumption to know what he was doing.Anna & Gordon continued to operate Wandawegas brothel & speakeasy Orphan Annies.At 56, Anna is convicted for running a ‘bawdy house of ill fame’ & goes to prison for 7 years.Upon release, she moves right into town off the square, taking up residence where everyone knew her business & she knew more about everyone elses.At 80, Anna becomes a widow for the 2nd time.At 94, she dies alone, taking the town’s secrets to her grave.When her house was in demo, her things & life story were thrown into a dumpster.A local man happened by & salvaged portraits of the orphan immigrant & her 2nd wedding.25yrs later he saw our post asking for leads & remembered he still had them in storage.Anna was abandoned from the beginning.Ostracized by a community.Rejected by the family she married into.Anybody who can live through that & still have the audacity to plant herself in the middle of town has no shortage of chutzpah.Which is why she is Camp’s namesake & her rathskellar bar is ORPHAN ANNIES. Handmade in Texas, USA Saint candle is made with unscented clean burning paraffin wax & measures 8.5″ x 2″ packaged in a linen bag with 2 saint stickers & Anna’s prayer card

November 29, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

The view from up here – snow is starting to fall fast now (We just got hit with our 2nd big snow of the season)Just in time for our second run of pre ordered @pendletonwm custom Camp blankets are almost sold out. Handful left, but we have an early order cut off time for these since theyre a limited edition. ….Photos by friends:@bennett_young @prezpipe @nathanbobey @erikengstromphoto

November 27, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

Welcome to the Girl Scout Cabins – the last two buildings we added the end of this past season. ..Weve started digging into a new amenity for campers to Introduce for 2024. Despite having been bed ridden with pneumonia for the past 10 days – finally on the mend and feeling grateful for this place, space and the time to bring new things to life to share with yall! Gratitude in abundance to all-Wishing you health & happiness from our camp to yours…Photos by @bobcoscarelli

November 25, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

Our Artist cabin has been busy this fall season with visiting photographers, makers and artists. Meet our most recent Artist-in-residence: Emma Mckee. @thestitchgawd Emma is the next in a series who have stayed with us and created a piece while here, now showcased in the house.She created her work by making multiple trips to the local Elkhorn flea market – sourcing period specific fabrics to make a layered portrait of camp. One that embraces nature, history, textiles – all stitched together in endless layers to tell a new story.We also supplied her with an assortment of antique fabrics that came from our original dininghall chair slip covers. (Last two pics). embroidered with our name in gold, finished with her signature golden diamond stamp. We love it and proudly hang it alongside other friends works in here that woven together- create the fabric of our creative community.ABOUT:Emma isnt your average cross stitcher. Born in Kansas City, she was first introduced to the medium through her mother, a British opera singer who frequently attempted to teach Emma how to stitch during her childhood. Yet she always refused to learn, finding the British craft too antiquated that is, until she found a way to make cross stitching work for her. In 2014, Emma stitched her first piece: An adaptation of Will Princes artwork for Chance the Rappers song Hey Ma. She followed that with a piece for street artist JC Rivera, Chicagos Bear Champ. Her portfolio expanded from there, as she firmly planted herself within Chicagos rap community, as the scenes preeminent and only hip-hop cross stitcher, earning the name Stitch Gawd.Since 2014, shes created countless pieces for musicians and artists both in and outside Chicago

November 24, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

Happy Thanksgiving! Counting blessings and wishing an abundance of all things from our camp to yours. ..were grateful to now have time, help to bring sole new gear to our campers through our little brick & mortar campstore. From Tees & sweatshirts, @pendletonwm blankets, tiny @duluthpack packs, the @hammsthebeer line, our own line of hats stitched by @vichcraft, the Camp Co. Seed kits – we love obsessing over the details – even if its a just the hanger that gets you back into your carHopefully you wont need that today…

November 23, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

Welcome to the camp sauna.This is what we did yesterday with charliegirl (1st & last pic)(Finally found something that a 13 year old wants to do with mom)Thinking about what we can add to the Camp sauna next. Custom camper sauna hats? Essential oils? Those shorty sauna towels?

November 20, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

The end of autumn. Brought to you by our last campers of the fall season @ryaninthecity & friends: @derrickmathy @sam.cushing @Solideabonina@_chad.martin@erinvhaines@ohheyjoshay@petandrade@allicehall@amandawiggins@alliemathy (pics here)

November 19, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

YOU VOTED.Here they are.The lake that no one has heard of..It took us a while to get em in, but we havent been in a hurry. Not new. Not Improved. Since 1925..* just added to our tiny brick & mortar and site Thx, @nathanbobey

November 18, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram