Something About Something
Saturday, July 5th, 2025
PUPPET GROVE circa 10:30pm—No crickets or frogs can be heard tonight, just the hum of refrigerators and murmurs of counselors. Rope lights illuminate the nearby Chess Grove. The smell of campfire has settled deep into my sweater.
Tonight we enjoyed the second installment of our Fire Circle talent show where campers and counselors shared songs, stories and poems. This was also the second installment of tipi groups visiting the Labyrinth. Camp founders Wavy Gravy and Jahanara Romney led the Labyrinth ceremony, explaining to the campers the Labyrinth’s spiritual significance and pointing out certain decorative elements that have been added over the years.
Weekends at Camp Winnarainbow are a break from the normal, hum-drum circus activities we typically offer, and a chance to do something different. That something different came this morning in the form of Camp being invaded by fantastical creatures. Today I spoke with some witnesses of these improbable events.
“Milla came out as a ringleader; they were very outgoing,” said Zoe, 14, Rainbow Tipi. “They introduced the gnomes, robots and dinosaurs, and each category of being had different activities to do. I made flower crowns and received my new gnome name, ‘Willow Sunshower’. We put some new rocks in the Labyrinth to reform the path. After that I got my face painted at the Costume Barn. I got a vine with pink and blue flowers from my forehead to my cheek. At the end Milla sent all the beings back to space through a portal.”
“I think the moral of the day was acceptance for all types of people no matter how they look or act,” continued Zoe. “I think all different types of people bring quality into your life. Overall it was nice to have a break from the normal routine.”
“I hugged trees,” said Chaise, 10, Green Tipi. “It was calming. I did it with my bestie. I could feel the energy in the trees, like they were alive. People should try hugging trees; it’s like you’re making a new friend with nature.”
“I lost my voice from having too much fun,” said Raven, 12, Red Tipi. “We were screaming Taylor Swift songs, so it was worth it. I was into the gnomes, personally. Gnomes are happy-go-lucky, they’re demure, they have no sass. The philosophy of being a gnome is to be respectful, kind and peaceful, and to not get caught. The number-one rule for gnomes is don’t touch dandelions; you could get blown away.”
“As you can see, I did face paint,” said Naomi, 8¾, Yellow Tipi. “I made a box with tin foil on the outside for mechanical robot parts. Bucky ate some of the robot parts out of the box for breakfast. My favorite creatures were probably the gnomes or dinosaurs because they’re natural. If I had to pick though, I’d go with gnomes.”
“This random person came who looked like a magician,” said Lilah, 11, Maroon Tipi. “There were three groups: gnomes—I’m a gnome! I’m a gnome! Tee-hee!—dinosaurs, and robots. I helped write a verse of the gnome song, warning gnomes about dandelions. The dinosaurs were being very dinosaur-y, believe it or not. At the end each group performed songs and dances.”
“The moral was, I don’t know, something about something,” continued Lilah. “Everybody is fascinating the way they are, whether you’re small like a gnome, big like a dinosaur, or programmed to do stuff like a robot. Everybody is amazing in their own way.”
Stay hydrated,
—J. Payseno, Editor
