Over the weekend, LL Bean paid a visit to Canalside, much to the surprise and joy of campers far and wide. The visit was stamped with the signature arrival of the duck bootmobile, which was parked alongside a pretty cool camping exhibit. The interactive exhibit featured some of Bean’s newest camping releases, including tents, sleeping bags, furniture, and hammocks. It’s too bad that this ephemeral feature was not more permanent, because people were eating it up.
The best part of the outdoor scene was the s’mores station, where guests could grab a marshmallow on a long stick, some graham crackers and chocolate, and roast up their own s’mores at the edge of a round fire pit. Everyone was loving this feature, young and old. There were also some giant marshmallows on oversized sticks that made for great photo ops.
My takeaway from the S’more Out of Summer display, which has now been packed up and is heading for another city, is the simpleness of the entire production. There was nothing Disney-esque about it, and people were having so much fun. Often times, we tend to overthink what makes a successful attraction. If this was somehow permanent at Canalside, it would never get old. Camping is an American past time that is timeless and ageless. For a hot minute, everyone was transported into the wilderness, forgetting their cell phones and computers, while focusing their attention on the great outdoors… right in downtown Buffalo.
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