Guest Speakers
“When one door closes another one opens” is an adage I have heard bandied around for much of my life. The adage is usually spoken when something goes wrong. I understand the sentiment behind it – we should look for the opportunities that open up around us. With Smirkus Camp in a quarantine “bubble” this summer, the actual door to camp was closed once we had all our campers in residence at camp. The closed door meant no guests, no visitors. It also meant the guests that I had on tap to speak to campers this summer could not physically get…
Building a Circus Village
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Head Coach Doug Stewart Greetings from Smirkus Camp! We’re already into the third week of camp and the days are starting to blend together. In our bubble up in Northern Vermont, we’re running on circus time. The days are long but the weeks are short and there is magic to be found in every moment. Following the announcement that Smirkus Camp is COVID-19 free – which will forever be one of my most cherished Circus Smirkus moments – we’ve shifted gears and have implemented a new training schedule. During the first two weeks of camp, everyone was…
Smirkus Camp Celebration
Enjoy these videos capturing the moments where the campers and staff were told that everyone has tested negatives for COVID-19 and that the pods could be disbanded. The joy is palpable!
A Summer of Unexpected Wonderful
For a good portion of the year the Old Lonegren Farm that houses our camp sits in anticipation among its fields that are only active with the weather. The fields of hay bow in the wind and lie down in the snow awaiting the summer. The summer months do not disappoint, they are filled with surprises. On July 12, after much planning and re-planning, and campers and staff completed their quarantines, the summer at Smirkus Camp finally began. The plan of a physically distanced registration process came off without a hitch. With each arriving camper came another piece of the…
VIDEO: We can’t wait to see you at Smirkus Camp!
Head Coach Doug Stewart and Assistant Camp Director Amira Silverman had Smirkus reunion in Valencia, Spain last week and they had this message for you!
5 Lessons I Learned at Smirkus Camp
Editor’s note: This story first appeared in Circus Talk online on January 6, 2020 and was written by Ivy Blake 5 Lessons I Learned Growing Up – and Then Working at– A Circus Camp It’s rare that we get the chance to interact with the same institution from many positions. Circus Smirkus camp, the sleep-away summer camp run by the youth circus of Vermont Circus Smirkus, is one of those rare establishments that actively hires former campers to be on staff as coaches and counselors. I have now had the privilege of inhabiting all three of these roles: a camper from 2006-2012, a counselor in 2014…
Head Coach Josh Shack Explains It All For You
Director of Programming Josh Shack has held many positions at Circus Smirkus. He was a camper, and then performed in the Big Top Tour, he’s been the tour production manager, as well as a residency artist. Last summer he added a new title to the mix: Advanced Camp Head Coach at Circus Smirkus Camp. This year, he’s working on developing new curriculum for the Advanced Performance Camp Programs for campers who are training at the highest level. “Smirkus is known for its performance,” Josh says, “and so I want to make sure our campers are getting the chance to really…
Green Mountain Knitting Guild Retreat
Smirkus Camp can be the perfect place for your retreat! Just ask the Green Mountain Knitting Guild! This group rented the Smirkus Camp facilities to run their weekend workshop; the common area was set up for their knitting circle, the dining hall and kitchen perfect for crafting their custom dyes (and the all important meal times!) and everyone had cost-friendly sleeping quarters. All set as the fall foliage was beginning to turn into a vibrant riot of color.
Star Drops in the Tents
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Camp Communications Intern Magdalene McCaffrey Under the blue and white stripes of Mamma Mia’s copula, the red, green, and pink silks are attached to the rigging hooks. In billowing lines, they’re pulled and secured as campers file into the tent. The campers take off their shoes and step onto the trocellen mat to sit on the ring curb. Coaches lead the kids in stretches as the rigging is finished, then they step into the center of the ring and pull themselves onto the silk. “We’ll be working on our star drops today! So let’s go over how to set…
Having a Ball at Camp
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Camp Communications Intern Magdalene McCaffrey “All right! Everybody grab a second ball and we can work on the next combination,” the class rushes to the front of the tent to the waiting carton of various juggling balls. A warm wind blows under the lifted walls of Lottie as the campers reassemble on the mats in varied lines. Grinning some begin to toss their balls, feeling the weight before coach Book Kennison has a chance to example the new combination. Some fall to the mat with light slaps and giggles fill the tent. “Okay,…