School is out, and summer adventures are just beginning!

The weather is perfect… and who doesn’t want to go on nature walk anyway?

Nature Centers and Summer Camps are offering exciting family events and programs with fun natural learning for kids.

Find a local Nature Center or Wilderness Camp near you… or find inspiration for learning activities on your own. Look for fun learning activities like butterfly courses, dragonfly and insect discovery, bird banding, fossil digs, aquatic adventures, woodland explorations, energized boot-camps and survival camps where kids can learn cool primitive skills such as building forts, camp fire techniques, and foraging and hunting skills.

Whatever you find to do…get out there and have fun with your little learners this Summer!

Here are a few Local Nature Centers to Minneapolis/Saint Paul to start with…

• Springbrook Nature Center
• Wood Lake Nature Center
• Dodge Nature Center
• Roseville Nature Center

Get them while they’re HOT
for Father’s Day!

If Dad doesn’t have a  HoeJoe yet, now would be a great time to get him one, but if you’ve waited until the last minute…finding a local retailer that carries the HoeJoe and HoeJoe Jr. might be your best bet. Go to our Retailers Page for more information on our Retail Locations. Please call first, they may be flying out the door for must have gifts and Summer Bonfires.

It’s Summer! That means Outdoor Parties and Backyard Celebrations!

Graduation parties are happening now!

If you have to give or host a graduate party… but don’t know where to begin… We have some fun and unusual ideas to help get you started. With the help from QCTV, we’ve listed some very cool themes, decorations with personality and fun entertainment ideas for an unforgettable outdoor graduation party. 

1.  Oldy Tyme Fun:   

Use old newspaper print, black and white photos, recycled items to create a vintage shabby chic party look. An outdoor movie theater or a bonfire are other great options to keep things lively into the evening. For the tables use cool newspaper sheets as table runners, add fun facts about the graduate printed on them… add a pop of color using geraniums or other flowers in a bucket. Forget the old standard coolers… instead use an old washtub and a wheelbarrow to hold ice and beverages.   

2. Bon Voyage Party:   

For a child going off to college, add paraphanalia from the college they’ll be attending. Have a last dance… dance floor. Frame the dance floor using shepherd hooks and lights wrapped around the outer edges to define the area. 

3. Sundaes on Saturday:  

Tubs of ice cream and sauce are the only things on the menu! Set up tables with centerpieces to match the theme of your party. Ask your local florist about floral sundaes for centerpieces and decoration. Instead of posters of your graduate… cut out several 5″ x7″ pieces of colored paper and adhered 4 x6 photos on them… punch holes at the tops of them and string through some ribbon or string. Hang the photos in various places throughout your party area. Dance off those Sundae Calories by having a dance floor and music.

4. S’more Party:  

Have an evening bonfire with a S’more bar. Include decadent chocolates and gourmet marshmallows. Go to www.smoresbook.comto find S’more great ideas! Add friends with guitars, tell stories and sing around the campfire and reminisce about the High School Days. Remember to have your HoeJoe handy.

If you want to see these ideas and more ideas like these…

check out this video 
www.qctv.org/suburbanmix/full.php 
(Click on “watch full episode” to the left of the video screen for entire episode) 
Within it you’ll see Kelli Kaufer in the “You’re Invited Segment” showing Grad party ideas.

Want to plan a Memorial Day Weekend celebration with friends and family?
A Camp out really does sound like a great Idea. It’s an excellent way to get away from the norm…to spend quality time with each other, to remember what has been given to us, those who have passed, and to celebrate American life and tradition. We’ve collected some nice ideas for a camp out, in keeping with the Memorial Day Holiday.

• First, find the perfect camp out location, keeping family tradition in mind. (Family Cabin, Grandma’s Backyard, Family home town, Favorite lake, Park or Place that brings back memories)
• Be sure to check the weather (know what to pack, know what activities and possibilities to plan for)
• Make some new memories while remembering!
  Bring some traditional American spirit to the weekend with favorite past times and traditional indoor or outdoor games. Ask the older guests for their input.
• Gather and honor those who have contributed to this great free country of ours by dedicating time for remembering and sharing stories around a picnic, or bonfire. 
• Family and friends can each bring their own albums and photos of loved ones lost to share (especially of those who have served our country)
• Set up a special place to display photographs and memorabilia of these heroes.
• Share, swap or use old and traditional recipes at your memorial picnic or BBQ. You may have an old family recipe that deserves to be passed on. Maybe some one who passed had a favorite recipe?
• Have the musicians of the group to bring their guitars, or play some patriotic music to add to the reminiscing mood. 

Wow, and what a Fishing Opener it was! The weather was perfect, sunshine and warm waters. Night time bonfires with the buddies couldn’t get any better than that. It was good to be alive…to breathe that fresh air… to reunite with friends, the Minnesota water, and that old fish’n pole. If you didn’t get your boat out on the lake last weekend, I bet your kicking yourself right about now. It was gorgeous…but don’t hurt yourself. There will be many fishing weekends to come! We thought all you fishing junkies might appreciate this very informative website for future fishing trips and expeditions… 
www.exploreminnesota.com -Check out the latest fishing reports and great detailed information about Minnesota’s great lakes and their fish.

Downtown Minneapolis is a newly hip cool place for folks to wander the streets, enjoy the outdoor venues, travel on the light rail and feel like they are on vacation in their own backyard. 

The HoeJoe staff enjoyed the inaugural events at the 2010 Twin’s Opener. The fanfare was awesome… bringing back star players to raise flags, and celebrate outdoor baseball! If you’re heading to a game, you may want to know that parking can be tough downtown… especially during day games. Be sure to check the various public transportation schedules for buses,  North-Star Rail and the Light Rail to see if they run before and after game times… it could relieve some stress and help you avoid paying $20.00 or more for parking.
 
The HoeJoe folks hope you take a tip from this new outdoor baseball scene and get outside and enjoy the great Minnesota summers. If you’re a Twins fan but can’t get out to the new outdoor stadium… we can suggest that you create your own outdoor baseball party and invite the neighbors! We think this would be fun, here are some of our ideas…

• 1. Suggest everyone wear Twin’s gear and head on over to your backyard.
• 2. Set up your TV set outside on the patio and bring out the lawn chairs.
• 3. As the day turns into evening… start a bonfire to keep folks warm and create a cozy ambiance while you recap the game highlights.
• 4. Serve up hot dogs and beer… place the beer in buckets of ice…
  Hamm’s or Beer from local breweries are a great way to set the stage.
• 5. Instead of heating the dogs yourself… get roasting forks and allow folks to roast their own over the open bonfire or outdoor fireplace.
• 6. For dessert have a S’more bar… include marsh-mellows, graham crackers, slices of apples, peanut butter and chocolates… folks can create their own unique treat.
• 7. And of course… Don’t forget to have your American made HoeJoe handy so that the fire can be safely maintained throughout the festivities!

You could say, “It’s a love affair out there.”

Just weeks ago, there were no birds in sight. The grass was brown and matted, the trees bare and still. Now, the crisp spring air is cluttered with chirping. We gotta say, we’re loving this Spring fling; when buds burst, birds sing and sparks fly. Happiness has just exploded in the air. You just have to get outside. A comforting chill still blankets us in the evening…perfect for bonfires with friends and neighbors! Relish woodsy scents of the night’s crisp cool air…what’s left of our exhausting winter, we can surely bear! Time to celebrate, catch up and mingle again. How great this is, this spring fling, when sparks fly!

Having a springtime bonfire for a friend’s birthday? Need a gift that’s out of the ordinary? Check out our HoeJoe. Find your local retailer here, or order online. Please come see us again for more Bonfire techniques, chit chat, outdoor party ideas and star gazing information this Summer.

Tee-pee and Log Cabin Configurations

Teepee Structure (to the left)

The Boy Scout Troop #212 of Elk River show off their mad skills with the Teepee style bonfire. Great Job guys! 

Photo: Austin Klisch, Micheal Moen and Lucas Pederson at the 101 Market of Otsego, Minnesota

Log Cabin Structure
(to the right)

Local Boy scouts built this Log cabin style bonfire. The Log cabin structure is most practical if you get hungry in the wilderness! Learning the skills to build and maintain this type of campfire is quite important, especially if you like roughing it. There’s nothing like cooking on an open fire!

The HoeJoe is for the Man…
who likes to play with fire. 
For piling up logs…
higher and higher.
For keeping the fire…
under check.
For bonfire amusement,
oh, what the heck.
For the Man,
who likes to push logs around
with a stick.
For the great Outdoors-man,
or Cabin chick.
For safely maneuvering…
it does the trick.
Just HoeJoe-it.

The weather is awesome here in the Twin Cities!  We must have the luck of the Irish this St. Patrick’s Day! Show your Irish spirit, grab a few neighbors and friends for a toast and a dance by the light of the fire! 
Get Leprechaun Silly! 

Happy St. Patty’s Night from Bonfire Central!