The Sari Diaries- Monday 7/4/22

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

Today was hard. I know it was hard for so many of you and it was hard on our camp community. There’s no way to sugar-coat the events of today, so I’m not going to try to do that. I am going to tell you though that you have amazing daughters who are incredibly strong, curious, supportive, loving, resilient and positive. I am in awe of them and I am in awe of our staff. Because despite today being hard, and despite the trauma and tragedy, 4th of July at Chippewa was still 4th of July at Chippewa in so many of the traditional ways. And while my heart is hurting in ways I honestly wasn’t sure possible, I am incredibly happy to be sharing with all of you, who I know need some light, all of the good things that happened at #TheRanch2022…on a day when there was so much pain in our world.

The day began as it always does on the 4th- Lakeview campers banged pots and pans to wake campers up in celebration of the holiday. As I have mentioned in previous posts, the campers in Lakeview have been working hard as a team to plan the very best 4th of July for the campers and staff at CRC. Once everybody was awake and decked in their red, white & blue gear, we all headed to the front lawn to watch the Lakeview Chippy Bats put on a ski show. Ivy F wake boarded, and Eden G & Annie M did a slalom weave. They were outstanding out there on the lake as the entire camp chanted their names to cheer them on. Then it was breakfast time, and time for campers to enter the lodge for the big reveal of the 4th theme! Campers entered the lodge by age, with the youngest campers entering first. Their faces were priceless as the glanced around the room at the awesome and impressive murals that Lakeview painted and hung all throughout the lodge. The theme was “Chippies Travel Back and FOURTH Through Time!” It was creative, thoughtful and honestly beautiful…the lodge looked perfect! We then enjoyed a delicious breakfast, which included pancakes, waffles, avocado toast, bacon, sausage, red, white & blue whipped cream, chocolate croissants and more. Needless to say, everyone was elated with the breakfast options!

The morning then continued with the traditional 4th of July Circle Game! A Lakeview member stood in the center of a huge circle (half the camp in the South Field & half in the North Field) while another member of Lakeview called out a question. Anybody who knew the answer to the question raced to the center to try to hit the Lakeview camper’s hand first. It was fun and funny, and anybody who knows 4th of July at Chippewa knows that this is a very important component of the day :). After circle game, we had a delicious lunch filled with all of the favorites. Lakeview created the menu today, so there was no question that there would be something yummy for every single camper at camp!

And then we had our 4th of July Carnival! It started off a little bit slow as campers had just learned of the tragedy in Highland Park. But after having a little bit of time to talk it through, ask questions and begin to process, the carnival seemed to be a great distraction for the Chippewa world. There was a paint/water fight, slip-n-slide, dunk tank, amazing music, sno-cones, cotton candy, oreo balls and kiddie cocktails. By the end of the afternoon, miraculously, things in the South Field felt fairly normal for a Chippy 4th of July Carnival. The older campers along with our staff led the way, and by example let the campers know that it was okay to feel sad and/or scared, but to still have fun at camp knowing that they were safe and their families were okay.

To top off the best day of meals of the summer, we had BBQ for dinner! We all ate quickly because we had to get ready for the Three Lakes Fire Works show! Everyone was excited as we haven’t been since the summer of 2019, and the show is typically mesmerizing. So we boarded the buses, and despite a light rain, everyone was eager to get to the show…partially because of the fireworks, and partially because of the concessions…yes it’s true, there was even more food to be had! As a camp, we enjoyed the fire works, and also got to see our brothers, cousins and friends from Camp Horseshoe…they were also at the show, which was nice!

Now everybody is back in their cabins getting ready for bed. It was a long and fun day but it was also a very emotionally draining day. We know that getting campers back into the routine of daily activities tomorrow will be important for everybody. To feel the safe and comfortable structure of camp will help our campers continue to navigate the confusion they are feeling. But please know that we have them, we are loving them and we are providing a support system to ensure they are safe physically and emotionally. We know it is hard to be a parent right now, and we feel for all of you who can’t hug your kid tight tonight because she is at camp. We are hugging them tight though, and we promise that despite the all-encompassing event that took place yesterday, here at camp, campers feel removed in a good way…in a way that is allowing them to still be kids, and to still do camp.

There’s so much more but that’s all for now. Please take care of yourselves and your loved ones at home, and know that each of you are a part of a strong, unified and supportive family- the Chippewa family.

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari