The Sari Diaries- Monday 8/8/22

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

Today is Monday. Monday Staff Show, is everybody happy? Well I should say…

These are lyrics of a song that is a longstanding tradition at CRC. It is a song that is sung at the Final Staff Show each summer, and it is a song that brings the mood from loud, silly and crazy to heart wrenching and somber. But it is true, today is Monday, and so we must face the harsh reality that the day after the day after tomorrow, we say “Bye Bye, Chippies.”

Fear not though TSD readers because we have definitely made the very most of this final Monday at #TheRanch2022. This morning, despite the chilly weather, we had regular B-Day activities. Campers were zooming down the zipline at climbing; shout-out to Scarlett C who fearlessly flew across the South Field as I was walking by. And at the high ropes course, Molly L bravely went down the TruBlue as her friends were cheering her on. Down at waterskiing, Lilah L and Haddie I got up and around the lake on two skis. Even at swimming, campers were excited to jump in for what may have been their final dip in Dam Lake.

This afternoon, we had a very special event- Miss Rodeo. Miss Rodeo is the annual riding show in which our most advanced riders show off their skills. Jacklin R, Makenzie M, Sophia G and Hazel J impressed us all with their insane talent on horseback. I was truly amazed at their courage to ride while 300-plus Chippies watched in admiration. Horseback riding has been around at Chippewa since 1946, and although not every camper rides horses, it is such a cool part of our overall camp program. I love that once a summer, we all trek out to the stables to honor those who have dedicated so much time and effort to horseback riding. The entire show was incredible and the four campers who participated should be very proud of her work and performance!

Following Miss Rodeo, in addition to one more activity period, Tans and Whites met to solidify their plans for Pony Express…the final Tan & White game (which will be tomorrow). Lasagna dinner and canteen created a great deal of excitement prior to everybody getting ready for this evening’s Staff Show. There were lots and lots of highlights from tonight and I am going to try a new format to share those with you…a list…I know, very creative :).

Staff Show Highlights:

1. The staff show opened with “Hey Soul Sister,” a Chippy version, which every time it is sung on Sophie’s Center Stage warms my heart. This song originated as a Visiting Weekend Dance Show opening song, and may have been the very best (or at least most catchy) in the history of CRC. It has since been modified to open the Final Staff Show, and is updated each year to include memories from the summer. As the entire staff was on stage, the energy was high and campers excitedly cheered for their counselors!
2. Cliff sang “Right Field,” which has become a camp favorite, and a very sweet Staff Show tradition. As Cliff said before the song began, once you experience “Right Field” at CRC, you are no longer a new camper…and it is so true! New campers, returning campers and staff members sang along arm in arm as Cliff played the guitar…it was lovely!
3. “She’s In Love With A Boy,” “Your Man,” and “Move This” were performed by the Senior Counselors plus Admin Staff. These three dances have been around for ages- “She’s In Love With A Boy” being the longest standing of the three. It brings me back to my early years on staff and I truly love that all these years later, these dances are still bringing joy to both those on stage and the entire audience. As we were up there, I watched campers singing along and even doing the dance moves from their seats.

4. The 2021 Tri Cabin counselors did a repeat of their pre-camp lip sync from last summer. While the whole thing was awesome, the best part was when Leah Berns brought Maddie J on stage for some impromptu dancing…it was hysterical and Maddie looked both confused and delighted!
5. Before “Today Is,” we ended the Staff Show with the Mister Rogers skit, which is a chance for counselors to poke fun at their campers. The counselors had short skits that had campers belly laughing in the audience. This is a skit that campers look forward to, and I am confident that this rendition of Mister Rogers did not disappoint!

The program concluded with the entire camp singing five sad but appropriate songs, and naturally plenty of tears. Overall it was an outstanding day and night. It was filled with plenty of laughs and happiness but there was also a healthy dose of tugging at the heart-strings.

So yeah, that was our day. It was happy and it was sad but it was certainly marvelous. Just another amazing day on Dam Lake. And don’t worry, there is still plenty of camping left! Thanks for reading- have a great night!

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari