Year Of Tens
The clown walked into my living room and all the two-year-olds started to cry. It was the classic new-parent mistake--cash in a coupon for a free birthday with a clown to make your oldest child’s birthday something he would never forget.
Mission accomplished.
He’s still dislikes clowns (he’s 13)--and, to be honest, I don’t like them much either.
Fast forward to his eighth birthday. Instead of a clown, I filled up a tub of water balloons--after all it’s August, it’s hot and it seems like a good idea.
Uh, no.
Unable to contain my enthusiasm, like usual, I jump into the water balloon fight and start winging balloons with the best of them. Unfortunately, my joy-addled brain forgets these kids are, well kids. They’re eight. In a fit of retribution for just getting soaked, I turn and fire--hitting a young man in the groin from short range. Of course, his mom was there to witness the entire event. She still reminds me of it on occasion.
During my sister’s seventh birthday party, I decided to hold a spur-of-the-moment hide-and-seek contest in our backyard. One hour later, I was still frantically looking for a little girl who was holed up in my garage, behind the mower, quiet as a mouse. My wife reminds me of that one every now and then.
So, when we sat down to talk about how to celebrate Camp Business magazine’s 10th birthday, I was a bit, shall we say, reticent. I’m just not good at birthdays--especially when where we’re moving into the awkward tween years.
Ideas were bantered about (most not fit for publishing) and then we settled on it.
The Year of Tens--a yearlong celebration where we would publish a series of Top 10 lists created entirely from your submissions.
I know what you’re thinking--I was scared to do the work myself and instead am passing the buck along to you. Well, you’re right. As I said, I’m not good at birthdays--I’m hoping you’re better.
This month, we publish our first list--the Top 10 Rainy-Day Activities (I wanted the Top 10 things you would say to a troublesome parents if you knew you couldn’t get fired, but that was shot down).
The other Top 10’s are:
· Camp Songs
· Recipes
· Facilities
· "Green” Ideas
Feel free to shoot us a quick e-mail (editor@northstarpubs.com) with your suggestion. If we publish it, you win one of our coveted S“green”printed T-shirts featured five hidden messages.
Thanks for the last 10 years. I’m looking for to the next 100!
Till next month…
Rodney J. Auth
Publisher