Having just celebrated International Camp T-shirt Day this past Tuesday, we march into the blustery second half of November dreaming of warm, daylight-soaked summer days. Memories of summer 2025 swirl around our heads like falling leaves as we patiently count down to the promise of what’s still to come in 2026.

Happy “225 days left ’til camp” to those who celebrate.

Although memories and warm thoughts serve us well in the darkest months of the year, we can’t forget about how camp continues to pervade our everyday lives even in the offseason. What may seem like a silly social media campaign to some is a collective call to the Owego Brotherhood, and a valuable way for us to connect with our “camp selves” no matter where we are geographically located. Camp T-shirt Day reminds us that we don’t have to look very far to be reminded of the magic of camp.

Attending college in Wisconsin? You can wear your camp shirt!

Going to grade school in New Jersey? You can wear your camp shirt!

Teaching in Missouri? You can wear your camp shirt!

Camp isn’t confined to the acreage behind the Owego gates on Route 6. It creeps out and follows us all over the world as we go about our daily lives. Camp in the wild is WILD! Have you ever bumped into your Frontier Week Chief at a bunkmate’s Bar Mitzvah? Hung out with a Unit Leader at a New Camper Event? Crossed paths with a counselor outside of camp and thought, “Wow, he’s just like me!” Believe it or not, it happens!

Walking through a parking lot, you might see an Owego magnet on the back of a car. Listening to Sirius XM on the way to school, you might hear “Cigarette Daydreams” or “The Roads.” Wearing your camp gear out in public, someone might stop you to say his cousin’s ex-girlfriend’s brother’s former roommate attended Owego in the 90’s. Believe it or not, it happens!

You are a part of an exclusive club, where members have the privilege of not just living “10 for 2,” but proudly displaying their profound connection to this special place 365 days of the year. We all exist outside the physical confines of 1687 Route 6. Although we return to camp each June and typically fall back into the familiar rhythms of summers past, we continue to carry the Owego torch throughout the school year.

Even on the darkest days when winter’s icy grip has us hunkering down and longing for a hot, sunny afternoon at the lake, we can open up Instagram and see the familiar faces in blue and white. We can schedule hang-outs with our bunkmates or arrange to ski Big Bear and swing by camp in the snow. You never know when you might have a serendipitous encounter with an Owegan in the wild.

In the meantime, wear your Owego shirts proudly and conjure up those camp vibes!