New Owners of Montclair's Surf and Turf Summer Camp Offer Fresh Programs for Tweens and Teens

New Owners of Montclair’s Surf and Turf Summer Camp Offer Fresh Programs for Tweens and Teens

Renaissance Middle School teachers John Garzon and Tim Anagnostis are the new owners of the Surf and Turf Camp, a popular program of day trips and overnight adventures for pre-teens and teens. The duo’s 2016 offerings will include a new slate of themed vacation camp experiences that aim to excite, entertain, and educate their campers.

“Since 2005, Surf and Turf has offered action-packed excursions to fantastic destinations up and down the East Coast,” says Garzon, who has been a language arts and after school drama teacher at Renaissance for the past 14 years, and is a recipient of both the Governor's Teacher of the Year and Weston Award. “As the Camp’s new owners, Tim and I will continue these journeys and also offer additional innovative options that will deliver fun, a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere, and amazing memories for our campers.”

Surf and Turf’s past excursions have included outings to major cities (Manhattan, Philadelphia, Baltimore), quirky destinations (haunted houses, strange rock formations, and odd grave sites recommended by the magazine “Weird NJ”; the world’s largest light bulb and odd art forms recommended by the book “Roadside America” ), tourist favorites (an Amish farm, Niagara Falls, Old Rag Mountain), foodie spots (a dim sum restaurant in Flushing, NY; a kielbasa maker in Pine Island, NY; German and Polish delis in Brighton Beach; artisan bread making companies; winners of "Best Pizza" by Time Out magazine; pretzel makers in Pennsylvania), beaches (Woods Hole, MA; Martha’s Vineyard; Fire Island, Rehoboth, DE), and regional swim holes and waterfalls (supervised by the camp’s own lifeguards).

“John and I have added new themed selections that we believe will be really popular with our 10 to 16 year old campers,” says Anagnostis, who has taught Spanish and drama at Renaissance Middle School since 1999. “We’re totally client-focused in our approach, so everything that’s planned is based on great ideas that we’ve heard about from our students throughout the school year.”

Surf and Turf’s new camps include:

• A Spring Break Camp (April) with day trips to New York state (including hikes in Rhinebeck and Hudson Valley), Manhattan (including shuffleboard at Chelsea Piers), Minnewaska State Park, the Bronx (including Little Italy and the Graffiti Art Wall of Fame) and Philadelphia (including Franklin Institute, Geno’s Steakhouse, and the Mummers Museum)
• A Murder Mystery Bus Tour (July), featuring a trip to Catas, a top rated Spanish restaurant in the Ironbound section of Newark. Campers will work together to figure out the details of a murder, which will take place during a dinner party with DJ entertainment.
• A week of Gourmet Cooking Classes (August) that will demonstrate how to prepare fast, healthy, and delicious meals using ingredients from the Montclair Farmer’s Market.

“Our goal with Surf and Turf has always been to test the boundaries of traditional teen camps, and we’re really going to make that happen in 2016,” says Garzon. “Our trips will not only show how life can be more fun beyond the four walls of our campers’ bedrooms and classrooms, they’ll also give our campers a chance to make new friends who share their passion for adventure.”