The Sari Diaries- Sunday 7/13/25

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

Second session has officially begun and I believe we are on track to at least match all of the amazingness that first session brought. After a spectacular Visiting Weekend, I am feeling optimistic and excited for what’s ahead. This past weekend was the perfect mid-summer reminder that what we do here is important…and also that the people who call this place home for the summer are some of the most incredible on the planet. So as our first night of week four comes to an end, I am happy to report that we have a camp full of campers and staff who are excited for all that lies ahead- from Realm to camping trips to Songfest to climbing the wall and skiing around Dam Lake, we are ready to rock second session!

As for today, here’s what happened…

-The buses pulled in at about 2:31pm and “We Welcome You To Chippewa” was sung loud and proud. As new campers and returning campers flooded off the buses, hugs were exchanged and screaming was heard. Once we announced cabins at the Center Fire Circle, campers and their counselors enjoyed some time together getting to know each other, unpacking and touring camp before dinner.

-We also had a very special afternoon “Birthday Wake-Up” for Sloane B from Cactus who turned 12 yesterday! Campers sprinted to Tom’s Office to wish Sloane a happy birthday, and sing to her over the all-camp announcements.

-Per our first night of camp tradition, we enjoyed spaghetti and meatballs for dinner with delicious brownies for dessert…yum! Lakeview walked around the Adler Lodge helping cabins sing their cabin songs and we all sang “A Chippewa Girl” together. It was a spirited dinner for sure!

-After dinner, we had an awesome Friendship Fire where we did some camp favorites including a Talking Contest, which ended in a tie between Parker Z and Sadie G (huge shout-out to first time camper, Charity W, who also participated); Walking, which was led by the first year JCs; the Chippy Trivia Quiz Raffle, which was won by Lilah (Bob) K; and an amazing Keylog Ceremony in which campers and staff threw in keylogs to bond the cities they are from with Chippewa. The energy was high, and while I think everyone was ready for bed by the end, it was a wonderful way to kick-off the second session!

-Something crazy and exciting happened in between the Friendship Fire and bedtime. I was approached by JC, Emery Sonsino, who asked me to hold onto her phone for the rest of the summer…that’s right- she wants to go phone-free for the next four weeks. She is hoping to have the opportunity to take in the nature, her friends, her campers and the camp experience that much more by not evening thinking about accessing her phone at the end of the day…how cool is that?!

-It should also be noted that Stella R and Stella M both lost teeth today…Gladys is on the case!

And that’s the round-up of our day at CRC. As we go into the final four weeks at #TheRanch2025, I know that each day I will feel lucky to be a Chippy. I am eager to see and experience the impact that inevitably transpire. This is clearly a special group from Rafter all the way to Lakeview, and I am looking forward to finding out what’s in store for us this session. So for now that’s all but there will be many more details to come tomorrow. Thanks for reading- enjoy your night!

Happy Camping and Love,

Sari