The Sari Diaries- Wednesday 6/17/26

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family & Friends,

Well that was quite a day…and I mean that in the very best way possible. I am sitting down to write this post on a high from the vibes here at #TheRanch2026. Here are the details…

6/17/26 Chippy Birthdays!
-Noa C from A-Frame’s 12th Birthday
-Jayden E from Copper Stripes’s 11th Birthday
-Payton E from Copper Stripes’s 11th Birthday

Our Day at CRC
-Morning wake-up including both a birthday wake-up AND a Seven Wonders Quiz. Congrats to Parker Z (Circle C) for winning herself canteen during this morning’s quiz!
-Breakfast- Waffles, Scrambled Eggs, Turkey Bacon & Hashbrown Patties
-Rainy Day Program, “Rock Band”- Cabins created rock band performances that ranged from creating their own songs (shout-out to Lucky-X), used items from their cabins to create instruments (yes, Circle C) and played drums in their own unique way (go C-C). It was a great morning full of cabin bonding and theater entertainment. Lucky-X won the Rock Band competition, and as a reward, they get to choose a wake-up song to be played later this week…they are hyped!

-Lunch- BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches, Curly Fries & Cheddar Cauliflower Soup
-Cabin Activity, “Creating My Personal CRC 2026 Goals”- Cabins spent part of the afternoon talking about having intentional goals for the summer where Everything Matters. Counselors guided campers in an exercise where together they brainstormed three types of goals- achievement based goals, community based goals and CRC Compass value based goals. Each camper then had the opportunity to write down a personal goal for each category and they had individual time to discuss their goals with their counselors.
-Big & Little Sis Reveal- Colt Village campers officially now know who their big sisters are. Big sisters were waiting at their little sisters’ beds to reveal themselves, give them a sign and hang out before dinner. Colt Village campers were sprinting to their cabins to find out who their Chippy Big Sister is…it was sweet and so exciting!
-Dinner- BBQ & Ice Cream Sandwiches

-Opening Staff Show- The Chippy Staff team put on quite a performance tonight. Age groups pulled out their best dances from their camper days, Cliff played “Right Field” while the whole camp sang along, the Inats (and new staff) danced their hearts out with campers cheering loudly for their counselors, and the Senior Counselor/Ten Year Girl & Boy crew did the traditional “She’s in Love with the Boy,” “Move This,” “Your Man,” “Unwritten” line-up. The energy was incredible- both from those on stage and those in the audience. Two specific audience members who were so enthusiastic were Jordan S (Timber Walk) and Liv G (Rafter^X). The two of them were soooo into it- letting all of us on stage know that they were loving the show! I can tell you that being up on Sophie’s Center Stage in the Little Theater dancing my heart out never gets old…it brings back memories from the ‘90s and beyond at CRC and reminds me of so many past Chippies (many of whose daughters are current campers)…it’s a special thing!
-The very first Chippy Dance Party- Following the final number, the music began blasting and Chippies rose from their seats to dance, dance dance! Campers and counselors alike had massive smiles across their faces as they sang out the words to some of our favorite songs and moved like nobody was watching…the feeling of absolute uninhibited freedom to just be together and enjoy the moment. They chanted for one more song over and over again until it was officially time to head back to the cabins to shower, wind down and go to bed. That dance party was the absolute perfect ending to an amazing day at CRC!

Everything Matters Moments
-This afternoon as cabins were working together to create their personal goals, Soph-Aloaf and I did an afternoon snack delivery. When I walked into Horseshoe Range, Reece M was super-excited to show me her goals. I read through them, asked her some questions and was really impressed with how thoughtful she was in creating these. One of her community based goals was to help others at camp. When I dug a little deeper into what she meant, she let me know that she intends to look out for new campers who may need some guidance. She wants to be a camper who helps them feel settled and comfortable- to assist them in really getting to know and love camp. Pretty cool!
-It is true that there was a little bit of rain once again today (not to mention the slightly cold temps). That said, Jeneva E, Eva S and Maya S (Wagon Ridge) decided to jump in…quite literally…with their counselors Amari and Saffron. They were caught in action screeching joyfully near the playground as they jumped in puddles in an effort to create a huge splash. It was awesome!
-The BBQ tonight was a Big and Little Sister BBQ. Big and Little Sisters enjoyed hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken and all the good fix-ins…especially the pesto pasta salad- a CRC favorite! It was especially sweet to see the Lakeview campers with their Rafter^X little sisters. Stella G (Lakeview) was helping Emerson M (Rafter^X) get her food and they had a pretty funny banter going…seems like they have hit it off. Another special big and little sister connection was Sammy W (Lucky-X) and Kedzie Z (Trailriders). They were busy creating a back story for their costumes that they are wearing tomorrow night for Big and Little Sis Night…it is quite elaborate and very hilarious!

-Each night after evening program, there is a period called the “L30,” which stands for the Lucky 30. These are the 30 minutes campers and staff have to do what they need to do before reconvening in the cabin for their evening routines. Typically counselors take campers to get evening meds, they visit sibling’s cabins, some stop by the office, and most everybody fills up their water bottles. I stopped by the Ice Cube and ended up spending most of my L30 in there, and it was eye opening in the best way possible. I got to see close to 100 campers and counselors as they stopped by to fill up their water bottles, hang out for a few and head off. I got to sit with Liv M (Silverspurs), witness a dance performed by Chloe Z & Skylar G (C-C), give hugs goodnight many and observe an “In Between The Bricks Moment” that was unique for me. It was pretty cool to just be in the mix of a typical night for so many Chippies, but one that I didn’t know really existed in this way…this is such a nice time for campers to hang out for a few minutes in an unplanned way…with campers and staff of all ages…just another connection point that I believe actually matters.
-I got to Rafter^X just in time to witness them practice their cabin song one last time before bed…I think they’ve officially got it! I stayed to help them blow out the lights and it was absolutely adorable. They have four amazing counselors who are so into ensuring they have an incredible first summer at CRC…and this cabin of eight year-olds is rocking it…they have truly embraced being a Chippewa camper…they are locked in!

-To end the evening, Cliff, Lisa, Sophie and I went to Lakeview for our annual start of the summer meeting with the oldest campers. This group is definitely ready to lead our camp, be positive role models and bring the spirit that we are counting on. We left LV feeling very good about how this summer is shaping up and all that is to come as these girls who we have seen grow up at camp lean into their final summers as campers!

That’s all I’ve got for tonight…feeling very fortunate to be a part of this community…a place where I am constantly reminded of just how much people care for one another, and a place where campers are living their very best lives! Tomorrow night you will hear from Soph-Aloaf but I’ll be back on Friday :). Thanks for reading!

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari