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Way to win tickets
Nominated: Justin Shopinski
“This was my first Summer Camp. I saw a lot of my friends, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of one. We were never close but less than a month later we got together. He changed the way I saw people the moment I saw him Friday afternoon. I would love nothing more than to spend another Summer Camp with him in VIP.”
Nominated: Evan
“My MVP goes to boy Evan who brought down his girl and two friends for their first year at the fest. Long story short Evan had to leave after Friday (which was raging until 5am SAT) to go home and be with his family. Boy is a class act, and family always should come first.”
Nominated: Neil Lynch
“I would have to say my summer camp MVP would be Neil Lynch ( BUB ) . He is the one that bought my ticket and even upgraded it to VIP. He is my best friend and is always looking out for me. He made me realize how big the world is. If it was not for him, I would have never had the chance to enjoy such great music and people. I had no clue what to expect and he had me well prepared for the weekend. Got to meet new people and enjoy great music, and coming home with such wonderful memories is all a big thanks to him. Going out his way and upgrading my ticket to VIP just because his girlfriend and him also had VIP and just wanted me to be a part of all the fun.
The time and thought he put in to make sure we all enjoyed our self is mind blowing. I came home with a SCAMP FAMILY all thanks to this guy! I would love to be able to come back next year and rage again with one of my best buds in the world. This kid would take the shirt off his back if you didn’t have one. It’s not about not being able to afford the tickets it was about him showing me how much our friendship means to him to make part of something that has changed the rest of my life. I came home a SCAMPER FOR LIFE!!”
Nominated: Kyle “Mama Bear” Troutman
“Mama Bear is the life of the party! The reason that he got the name Mama Bear was because his first Summer Camp he over packed to the point that we were all making fun of him. We stopped making fun of him the first morning when he had an entire kitchen set up and he was brewing coffee and making us omlettes! We started calling him Mama Bear because he took care of his “cubs” the people that he is close to. He has continued this tradition of taking care of us every year at Summer Camp. I’ve included a picture of him cooking for our huge group from this past Summer Camp. He is always ready to have a good time, is one of those people that you will find dancing barefoot down the road or stopping to help any random person who needs it! I think that if anyone deserves this it is him!!”
Nominated: Louie
“This is one of my (now) best friends Louie, he’s the person who single handedly made my summer camp 2012! Entering the festival we barely knew eachother and only really connected because we were both volunteers, since I was a volunteer the past few years I offered to help show him the ropes. Having lost my place to stay while at summer camp literally the day of, no campsite, or tent, Louie offered to let me stay with him. Introduced me to his closest friends, one of whom turned out to be the man I would fall in love with over the course of the summer. Louie brought me into a group of friends so welcoming, they changed my life. Throughout the festival, Louie looked out for me everywhere we went and as it turned out he’s also the life of the party, always up to go see the next show and never stopping. His phishmen top hat jumping around as he danced his heart out. What was even better, he was just as big an Umphrey’s fan as me! We never missed a show and rocked out the whole time. Without Louie I would have had no place to stay, wouldn’t have made such amazing new friends and I would never have gotten to know my love. So thank you Louie for helping out someone you barely knew and being such a great friend!”
Nominated: Nathaniel Goodin
“This years MVP is most definitely Nathaniel Goodin. No matter who you are, where you came from, if you are with this kid he will show you the time of your life and make you rage hard as hell. He is a kind and generous person who will always make you smile. He will walk up to a random group of people and become best friends with all of them. He brings people together and always has a good time. Even when you are down in the dumps, lost everything you had, he will make you feel like a millions bucks. He is definitely fit for the position as MVP.”
Nominated: “Mama Bear”
“My SCamp 2012 MVP is my boyfriend Mama Bear. It was my first concert experience and he showed me what it was all about, from the very first performance on Thursday to the way of the wookies on Sunday. I learned how important it was to bring duct tape for those broken tent poles from the wind, and how amazing a SCamp family (and glow sticks) could be. He brought his own mini kitchen right down to the collapsible counter and cooked amazing brunches in-between shows and always made sure everyone was safe and having a great time. I didn’t know what to expect and he helped me jump feet first into a face melting ride.”
Nominated: Christian Hannon
“After I graduated high school and left my hometown, I wouldn’t have imagined keeping in touch with Christian Hannon for years to come. We were teenagers set on different paths and fair-weather friends. We would see each other via mutual friends on weekends, occasionally exchanging conversations about electronic and improvisational music. I expected him to vanish from my life after I left home for college.
Four years later, I was a college graduate and Christian and I had maintained constant contact, despite going to schools a thousand miles apart. We had attended at least one music festival together every summer following my leave from home for school. The people we surrounded ourselves with for each trip varied, but Christian and I remained constant friends and travel partners. We decided to make the dreaded 18-hour drive from Charleston, SC to the Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, IL for the second time, since we attended SCamp in 2011 and had so much fun. The results of that decision were the best road trip and music festival of our lives.
We left Charleston at 6pm on Wednesday with three friends in a completely packed Suburban SUV. Christian and I each drove six hours while the others, who excused themselves saying they couldn’t drive the extra-large vehicle, slept and read. The sun set as I drove northbound through South Carolina. As I drove, Christian sat in the passenger seat keeping me awake and entertained with conversation, and I did the same for him. We sang along to Michael Jackson and grooved to Break Science and Pretty Lights until the sun came up over the vast Indiana cornfields. We arrived at the festival at noon the next day, completely exhausted from having driven all night, sleeping only 3 hours in the morning.
6 hours and many heavily burdened car trips later, we sat down in a campsite that was better than any of us had hoped for. We managed to find a spot in the woods, making cooling off especially easy under the natural canopy of branches and vines. I was so excited to be at our destination, I took off and bought the group a set of tiny hats from a vendor. Nobody had moved when I returned, let alone Christian.
We listened and watched in complete awe as Umphrey’s McGee, Primus, and Lotus made Friday night the best night of live music I’ve ever seen. We never separated from each other, although when one of us wandered too far in the crowd, it was easy for Christian to spot my 6’6” red-haired, tiny-hat wearing head. When we returned to the campsite, Christian had been robbed of $300. He was completely broke for the rest of the weekend. Knowing that he would find a way of making the money back, I lent him $500 in good faith. The next day, Christian came up to me and handed all of the money I had lent to him back. He had met a couple fellow artists and sold their pins and t-shirts for 4 hours before doubling the money I had given him. We made our way over to see our favorite band, Umphrey’s McGee. As we walked up to the stage, Christian bought me a delicious beer and gave me a giant hug. I wish I could relive those five minutes. We laughed at our great luck all night and enjoyed a night of music just as good as Friday, which I had never experienced at any music festival before.
Christian and I live on opposite ends of the east coast now, and we don’t get to see each other often. When we do see each other, the experience we had for the past two years in Chillicothe, IL is always brought up at some point. My Christmas gift to him this year will be an early bird ticket to Summer Camp, because last year turned out to be the trip of my life. I think about how much fun another Summer Camp with Christian will be all the time.”
Nominated: Chris Koller
“My MVP would be Chris Koller!! There were a few shows I wouldn’t have made it to if it weren’t for him! Pretty lights and Zeds Dead I would have totally regretted not seeing!!! Thankfully, he said we are going! He is one of my best friends and is willing to do anything to help you out. After partying through Pretty lights, Zeds Dead, Team Bayside High and many other awesome shows, my weekend was complete..but extremely sad to see it end! Chris has turned me onto a few of my favorite artists. I feel he is a MVP because even if I was having a down moment he always knew just how to turn it around! He made each day a blast and never complained. Everyday was a new beginning and a fun new experience and tons of memories were definitely made! I couldn’t ask for a better person to hang out with and party with, we always have a great time together! He keeps me up to date with up coming shows so I don’t miss a beat! Music is a great release and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend going to a show then with my best friend!”
Nominated: Jodi Reis
“ My SummerCamp 2012 MVP was my cousin Jodi Reis. My cousin and I have been best friends our whole lives. It was my greatest pleasure to take her to her very first 3 day camping music festival, and to SCamp of all festivals. She had no idea what she was in for. She is not an uppity girl by any means but I wasn’t sure she had truly experienced the good grime SummerCamp has to offer. I met her at the gate early Friday morning with my dirt and sweat stained clothes from the previous pre-party day. She looked me up and down, with tent and luggage in hand, and said “looks like you had a fun night”. I laughed and said,” you have no idea!”.