Out-of-This-World Fun at Smirkus Camp!
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Camp Photographer & Communications Assistant Elly Craig
We are fully in the middle of the action now! Let’s take a moment to recap the past few weeks.
We kicked off with All Levels 1, welcoming a mix of returning campers and newcomers, some campers who had never been to an overnight camp, and boundless amounts of nerves and excitement. The week was full of firsts—for many, it was their first time walking on a tight wire! Jade Kindar-Martin, world-renowned tightwire walker and all-around circus legend, joined us to teach special wire workshops. His visit was an incredible gift, giving everyone the chance to step onto the wire and learn from the best of the best.
Another exciting debut was a new Smirkus-original camp game called “Galactic Gold Gathering”. This outer-space-themed adventure had groups campers exploring the grounds, hunting for “Galactic Gold” while avoiding being tricked by undercover staff aliens. There were clever negotiations, surprise encounters, huge team building, and some truly out-of-this-world costumes!
A camp highlight that’s uniquely circus is PIE DAY! Campers learn the very serious art of proper pie-ing, then get the chance to consensually pie their coaches and fellow campers. There’s endless laughter, white fluffy faces, and a trusty water spout for de-pie-ifying afterward.
Now we’re in the heart of All Levels 2, with even more returning campers and plenty of excitement about reuniting with old friends, brushing up on circus skills, and building anticipation for the show at the end of the week. Despite a heatwave at the start of the session, the campers have remained determined, kind, and full of enthusiasm.
A thrill this week was the arrival of a new tent—Lottie, the official juggling tent! It’s a dedicated space for jugglers to spread out, focus, and really hone their craft.
In other fun news, the incredible Counselors-in-Training launched a top-secret project: a camper newspaper! They brainstormed ideas, wrote stories, and tied each paper into a little scroll. On Sunday, they went door to door delivering the papers, much to the delight of all of the campers.
To top it off, the whole camp was invited to the Highland Center for the Arts to see POCKET MOXIE: A Happenstance Vaudeville!. It was a remarkable show that left everyone inspired. Campers returned full of fresh ideas for their clowning and physical theater classes. We feel so lucky to connect with other arts organizations and strengthen the creative community that surrounds us.