Counselors’ Day Off Includes First Time Ever at Walmart, Papa John’s, Applebee’s

Scranton, PA (July 12, 2024) – Camp Huron Lake counselors Jacob Aaronson and Aaron Jacobson were finally able to enjoy a much needed day off from the daily grind of living, eating, and just existing with a rowdy group of twelve year-old disgustingly dirty hell raisers.  Unfortunately for the two young men, the camp’s remote geographical location means the closest sign of civilization outside a few gas stations and roadside greasy spoons is a Walmart and Applebee’s an hour and fifteen minutes away in Scranton.

Despite being off for the day, Aaronson and Jacobson were woken up at their usual time thanks to a combination of a 90 decibel bugle played over the camp’s PA system, the flushing of toilets for five straight minutes, and a series of differently worded camper inquiries asking if today was really their day off. After ignoring the boys from that time until second period, the counselors were ready to join the outside world but not before being peppered with requests from their campers to bring them back something. 

By the time the boys fought summer road construction on Route I-81 in route to the Scranton-Wilkes Barre area it was almost time for lunch so the two New Jersey natives couldn’t wait to grab a few slices of pizza but had to settle for Papa John’s over patronizing a Pizza Hut/KFC combination restaurant to fill their yearning of a taste back home. After a truly non-satisfying over-priced lunch the boys took a quick ride to Walmart to finally see what all the hype is about since neither have ever stepped foot in one.

“My dad owns a decent amount of stock in Walmart but my parents won’t let me go to there at home because they say it’s too dangerous,” noted Aaronson, a 2022 Marlboro High School grad and current AEPi social chairman at Syracuse University, “This store has everything and certainly big enough to kill at least two or three hours just people watching from the in-store Subway restaurant.”

The boys spent the better part of the afternoon perusing the seemingly hundreds of aisles of the mega-store but only purchased some essential toiletries and a few bags of Walmart’s generic Great Value chocolate sandwich cookies to share with their campers. Again, for dinner their food options were scarce and they decided to hit up an Applebee’s a few miles south of Walmart. 

Jacobson, a 2023 Livingston High School grad and AEPi social chairman for the 2024-2025 school year at the University of Wisconsin, was pleasantly surprised by their dinner at Applebee’s.  “There’s an Applebee’s on Route 10 but I’ve never gone in nor have I ever seen anyone go in.  Yes, I used the word ‘nor’.  But I have to say, it was some deal for twelve bucks I got a boneless chicken wing appetizer, a house salad, a 16 ounce New York strip steak with broccoli and fries, a bottomless soda, and a brownie with ice cream for dessert. And after two weeks of camp food this meal was a ten! Just gotta stop by Walmart to grab some Equate Stomach Relief pills.”

Jacobson and Aaronson are looking forward to their day of next week when they’re hoping to take their camp girlfriends on a romantic all-day date to try out the Subway in Walmart and possibly try the last standing Ruby Tuesday’s in the country located just a few miles further east.