This week we’re chatting with Andy Camp! If you’ve been to an Adirondack Thunder game, you’ve likely seen him - camera in hand! Read on to find out where he got his start as a designer (at a store we all knew and loved!), hear a few of his favorite fall activities, and find out the sweet lunch tradition he carries on with his son.
Tell us about yourself!
I’m Andy Camp, and I have lived and worked in and around Glens Falls my whole life. I met my wife Lisa in high school and we’ve been married for over 26 years. We have two children, Garrett and Delaney and a year-old black lab named Jett. I am the team photographer for the Adirondack Thunder, and work with a number of local businesses as a freelance designer for web and print.
I began my career designing weekly flyers for the Joy Store and then moved on to the design team at Kamyr in 1992. In 1998 I built West Mountain’s first website, completed an update of the City of Glens Falls’ website with Jim Clark and Mayor Bob Regan, and then developed a site for the new hockey team. The web was an exciting new place to work and I grabbed every opportunity I could!
I enjoyed working with the hockey team so much that I’ve been involved with each hockey team to play in Glens Falls since 1999. I even spent a few seasons working with the River Rats in Albany while we waited for a new tenant at the Glens Falls Civic Center. These days you can find me taking pictures at each Thunder game. If you’re at a game – and you really should go if you’ve never been to one - stop and say hello and I’ll take your picture!
On Life in Glens Falls
I’ve been offered chances to move away from the Glens Falls, but something about this area keeps me and my family here. There is a comfort about the people and the places and just a feeling that being here is “just right.” It’s a hard feeling to explain if you haven’t lived here, but you know what I mean if you have.
Some Glens Falls Favorites
While all four seasons bring something special to look forward to, Fall brings our favorites. Hockey season and the Adirondack Balloon Festival are the events that we look forward to the most! We also love to walk around downtown Glens Falls and go the Bullpen, hit the Food Truck Corral at The Shirt Factory, stop at Rob and Deb’s or Martha’s Ice Cream (depending on who gets to pick), pick apples at Hicks Orchard and stock up on the best cider donuts in the area – but our favorite place to go is the Harvest for pizza and French fries!
I’ve seen an amazing transformation of Glens Falls over the years and I am very excited to see it continue. There are more places for families to go, and creative events are bringing more people into the City than ever before. This year we went to events like Take-a-Bite, performances at the Wood Theater (especially Dancing with the Adirondack Stars show that my wife Lisa was in!), Glens Falls Dragons baseball and Thunder Hockey games. We saw so many people enjoying them with us, it was awesome! Glens Falls used to be called “The City on the Rise” and I strongly believe that this is true once again.
A Perfect Glens Falls Day
The perfect day would start with a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on a blueberry bagel at Lox of Bagels and Moor in Queensbury. They make your order right in front of you, so you know it’s fresh! A round of golf would be next, followed by a visit to New Way Lunch and then off to work at a Hockey Game. I am excited to go to each game as Thunder fans are second to none! Make no mistake that while they are the most avid fans in the league, they are the friendliest and create a family atmosphere that you won’t find at any other arena. After the game, we like to celebrate a win at the Bullpen where we are likely to see players or fans there to wrap-up a great night!
On the Past
Growing up, my grandfather would take me golfing whenever he could. No matter where we played, we always finished up having lunch at “Dirty John’s” (a.k.a. New Way Lunch). I loved going there with him and looked forward to the loaded hot dogs and a 10 ounce Pepsi. I miss my grandfather and our golf and lunch outings and this is a memory of him and Glens Falls that I cherish. My son and I go as often as we can and we continue the tradition of lunch after golf in his memory.
On the Future
I wish I could make the city bigger, with more of the same qualities of the people and places that we already have. I love it here, and it’s not only because of our location, but more importantly because of the people. The people of Glens Falls and the surrounding area are the reason that we have all of the great places and events that we enjoy. We are a generous and very creative community that support each other in so many ways. What could be better than more Glens Falls?
Thanks Andy! We’ll see you at a hockey game soon!
P.S. Check out more of our My Glens Falls series here.