The Sari Diaries- Saturday 8/8/15

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

Today was Kahuna Day and in typical Kahuna Day fashion, this camp was full of competitive yet goofy spirit. The theme this year was Rocking Out on Kahuna Day and the teams were the Beatles, the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones. Hannah Simon (birthday girl) and Alyssa Rosenbaum planned the day and it went off without a hitch. Here are some of the highlights from this amazing day at CRC…

1. We began the morning with musical chairs. In each field music from the four bands was playing as campers and staff strategically walked/ran from chair to chair hoping they would have a seat when the music stopped. There was dancing, singing and a ton of cheering. It was an excellent way to start off this day of fun!

2. At lunch, we all sat with our teams instead of our cabins. There are only a few times we do this each summer but it is incredibly cute. We had staff sitting with campers who were not their own and younger and older campers enjoying a meal together. Tables sang cabin songs and there were lots of cheers from team to team. It was definitely good team and camp bonding which is always nice to see and be a part of.

3. While we had all of the traditional Kahuna Day activities such as banner making, tennis, basketball, football, kickball, soccer, bucket brigade and many others, we added a new activity as well. In the CRC Cooking Academy there was a bakeoff. Groups of two had to make macaroons and there was a panel of judges that scored the macaroons based on various criteria. The girls loved it and the judges were very impressed with the final products!

4. Instead of our typical Saturday night barbecue, we had a Kahuna Day Luau on the front lawn. There were decorations that combined the Hawaiian-ness that is traditional on Kahuna Day with the rock and roll theme and the food was quite festive. There were carved watermelons, a veggie loaf in the shape of a pig and chicken skewers. In the midst of the Luau, I saw three Colt Village campers on the sand building a sand castle. They were very into the construction and it was obvious that they were at such peace with life. I couldn’t help but watch as one Blackfoot and two Circle C campers unknowingly proved why some free play in the midst of a summer full of structure is so valuable. Whatever it was that they were discussing, there is not a doubt in my mind that a bond was forming. It wasn’t a planned activity that they were participating in and no adult suggested that they do this to create a friendship- it just happened naturally. Small moments like that are what make Chippewa such a special summer home to so many lucky kids, young adults and full on grown-ups.

5. At the end of the luau, the Hula Dancers (who had prepared a dance during the day) performed on the beach and then each team sang their song. Last but not least, Hannah and Alyssa announced the point totals and the winners of the day. Rolling Stones grabbed the first place spot and they were thrilled to end the day on a high note and head to Cathy’s as a team.

Overall, the day was fantastic. It was a lovely combination of chilled-out (because it is Kahuna Day after all) and all-camp intensity. It is hard describe exactly how this balance can be struck but around here, anything is possible :). I want to give a big shout-out to all of the captains and advisors for displaying wonderful leadership and sportsmanship throughout the day. Win or lose, they kept things positive for their teams and genuinely seemed to make the most of every second!

And there you have it ladies and gentlemen- another amazing day in the books for #TheRanch2015. The downside of today is that as each day passes, we are getting closer and closer to Friday the 14th, but aside from that, this day was pretty close to perfect! Thanks for reading…enjoy your evening!

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari