Bananas, Rainbows, and Flash Mobs: A Smirkus Summer Recap
Editor’s Note: This post was written by acting Activities Director & Counselor Kathryn Fischmann
As I sat in the staff lounge, reflecting on the past two weeks of camp, thinking of how I wanted to start this blog post, I looked over at our Head Counselor, Alevia, and the bottle of Maple Syrup sitting next to her computer. It was in that moment, I was struck with a beautiful analogy: I like to think of the end of a camp session like boiling sugar water; When all the water has simmered away and evaporated, what’s left is a sticky, sweet syrup that just can’t seem to go away. When all of the campers, whose faces we’ve gotten used to seeing every day, are gone, us staff are left with the fond memories that campers gifted us from the past few weeks, the ones that stick around like syrup!
Reflecting on the past 2 weeks of Intermediate Camp, it’s safe to say there was no shortage of these moments, but some of the absolute standouts are the goofs and gags that become recurring bits. One that comes to mind from this past session would be a particular camper, and their appreciation for bananas; grabbing a banana for the road whenever leaving the dining hall, figuring out how to implement bananas into the juggling tent, even roasting a banana inlaid with chocolate and marshmallows at the Saturday night campfire, which looked almost too good to eat. By the end of camp, bananas had become a beloved motif of the later half of the session!
But as silly as these bits can get, sometimes there’s nothing more beautiful than the impromptu moments of camp. We had our absolute fill of rainy days this session, including an unfortunate bout of bad weather thwarting our end-of-camp dance. But the weather couldn’t stop the campers’ joy, as just before bedtime on the last night of camp, there was a spontaneous rain dance party taking place! Campers dancing in the mud, embracing their friends, and feeling the rain on their skin as they belted the lyrics to Natasha Benningfield’s “Unwritten”.
Another beautiful rain-moment this session, that none of us here at camp could have planned, was on an earlier, particularly rainy day that led to canceled activities. After hours of gray storms, the skies over Greensboro were suddenly graced with not one, but TWO rainbows, soaring over our beautiful tents and dorms. As staffy people and campers ran to their porches and windows to see the colorful sky, and to their rooms to get cameras to capture the moment, I witnessed nearly all of the camp gathered in one place, to appreciate something inherently beautiful, which in-it-of itself, was also inherently beautiful.
A moment that WAS planned however, was our High School Musical flash mob, a prank for one of our coaches, Sophie. Organized in high secrecy on the coaches day off, all of our campers were rounded up and gathered to learn the iconic choreography to “Were All In This Together”, from the first movie in the franchise. Instantly recognisable, this dance was sure to put a smile on Sophie’s face. Two days later, the flash mob was pulled off without a hitch! The combined excitement of the campers, as well as their commitment to the bit, made for the PERFECT prank, though coach Sophie’s reaction was definitely the cherry on top!
This is my 11th summer here at Smirkus Camp, and suffice to say I’ve had my fair share of magical moments and memories. The endless creativity, and boundless joy and motivation from from the campers of our Intermediate Session was evident, and wow-ed me to no end, leaving me with plenty of “syrup” moments, the kind that will stick with me forever.