Camp Changed My Life
Friday, July 10th, 2026
RAINBOW THEATER circa 7:33pm—A lovely evening coolness has breezed into campus as the sun sinks into the treeline. After dinner free-time has been super-charged by the consumption of vanilla ice cream dessert cups and Hershey’s chocolate sauce. Children and adults energetically lollygag in all directions, while a dozen Stilt Dance performers practicie for tonight’s opening act. Tonight I’ll be collecting the final reviews of Session B 2026, using a 5-star rating system. As usual, I won’t censor or cherry-pick the results.
“4/5—The only reason being that I was next to a camper who rolled in his sleep, and my Teen Staff snored a little,” says Haydn, 13. “Otherwise Camp was really good. Johnny and Vashaun were amazing songwriting teachers; they had good vibes and good skills. I really liked getting into a flow in their class.”
“5/5—I really love all the amazing people,” says Safia, 13. “I went up on stilts for the first time. It had this empowering feeling of towering over everyone. It was scary at first, but it was easy to get over. Everyone explains everything so well here, you can kinda just go with the flow.”
“5/5—There were a lot of perfect moments, like when we were all in a circle, painting our nails and drawing,” says Maddie, 13. “I learned how to make new friends better this session. You can always count on your tipi—your friends, your counselors, your teen staff—they’ve all got your back.”
“5/5—Everyone was super chill, nice, and awesome-sauce,” says Sasha C, 14. “The Living Room is where it’s at. There’s comfy furniture and when the kids argue over Magic the Gathering it’s very entertaining.”
A conch blows, signalling the beginning of the show. Within the span of a few minutes, the golden sunset has flickered away into periwinkle twilight. Music blares out of the PA as the stilters stride into formation.
Tonight’s evening program will feature Sour Widows, a visiting rock band fronted by two longtime Winnarainbites, Maia Sinaiko and Susanna Thomson. The members of the four-piece act adjust their respective gear on the Rainbow Stage as the show transpires at the Stilt Field.
“I learned that there’s a full band for song circle which is really cool,” says Susanna. “The energy was electric. It was the best rendition of ‘Unwritten’ I’ve ever heard. I hope we do everyone proud and inspire the next generation of rockers.”
“It’s like I never left; it’s like coming home,” says Maia. “There’s less grass on the Stilt Lawn than I remember, probably because of all the stilting! I wish I could be a kid here again more than anything in the world.”
RAINBOW THEATER circa 9:17pm—An energetic crowd of children, teens and adults stand in front of the stage, panting and sweaty from dancing, wreathed in kicked-up dust that sparkles purple in the stage lights. A solitary star can be seen through the canopy, set dead-center in the navy sky. On stage, the Sour Widows have paused briefly between songs to click a few guitar pedals.
“We’re gonna play one more song if that’s alright,” says Susanna. The crowd roars in approval.
“Even though it’s fun to crazy-dance, we’re part of a community,” cautions Maia to the front-most moshers. “So let’s make sure the people around us are okay. If you see someone having tough time, maybe check in with them.”
“Are you ready to rock?!” yells Sussana. “This is your last chance!”
The crowd cheers as the band plunges into their final song, filling the forest with their unique brand of bedroom indie rock. Their sound is characterized by precise yet smooth guitar riffs, bold dynamic shifts, and strategic applications of two-part vocal harmonies. The song begins with a triumphant, explosive energy which gradually transforms into a dreamy trance over the course of about 7 minutes. The crowd sways, transfixed by the ambient soundscape. Suddenly the band bursts with a flashy finish and the crowd cheers.
As the band meets and greets their newfound fans at sidestage, I head for the toothbrush zone for my final batch of camper reviews.
“10/5—The oldest year camper is always magical,” says Skye, 15. “I’m very excited for the oldest camper ceremony tonight. This session I learned how much younger campers look up to us older ones. There were two campers arguing about something the other day and I helped them talk it through. That’s something I’ve learned here over the years. There’s always a way to solve a problem, even if it’s really big.”
“5/5—The people are nice and ummm—that’s like three ‘M’s,” says Trevor, 12, making sure I recorded the length of his “ummm” correctly. “My advice is, ‘Keep your Magic cards safe, and your enemies safer.’ One last thing: SiX sEvEn.”
“5/5—New friends, old friends, everyone’s super chill and stuff,” says Frankie, 14.
“3.5/5—It was fun but I kinda got homesick,” admits Pola, 11. “I just had to say to myself, ‘I can do this. I will survive.’ Overall Camp is really cool, fun, and crazy weird.”
“4.5/5—It was all great, but I didn’t love the weekend,” says Avani, 13. “I learned how to unicycle well; now I can do figure eight, pin wheel, and partner ride. There’s not a lot of fibrous food, everything gets dusty and dirty, but all that said, I definitely recommend doing two weeks instead of one. And for Adventure Night, play your hardest, and cheat if you need to.”
“4/5—Adventure Night took it down a notch,” says Talys, 13. “Making a political statement at the expense of fun is not cool. The message was ‘capitalism is bad’ and ‘anything goes in the face of money.’ TQ and Blue Tipis had generational wealth because they brought Winnarainbucks from last year! I kept one as a souvenir, but I’m considering making some counterfeits to level the playingfield.”
“4.8/5—For me Camp is always five-out-of-five, but there were some stressful moments this session,” says Quill, 14. “Milla helped me today, just talking things through. They gave me honest advice that I think applies to a lot of situations. One thing I appreciated was all the media on the bulletin board, starting with the Meme Lord, the Laytonville Gazette, the ‘WANTED’ posters, and finally, Clown Dog News.”
“3.5/5—The staff could have been better,” says Sasha M, 14. “The kids could have been better; the food could have been better; the vibes could have been better. But all for all, it was a fun time.”
“4.99999/5—I think the time to get ready in the morning is too short,” says Frankie, 11. “The activities were amazing, lots of options. You could always find something you wanted to do. The rock show was really cool; I liked it.”
“6/5—Camp is perfect every time, but this time was extra perfect,” says Atreyu, 13. “I learned this session that it’s the thought that stops me. When I was first trying to step over the pillow of doom on stilts, I was holding the spotter’s hands and I couldn’t do it. It wasn’t until I really believed in myself and went with no hands that I was finally able to do it. Camp helps with confidence and social skills. I used to be shy, but after my first year of Camp, I became way more social. I made a lot of new friends at school, and at the same time I stopped getting bullied. Camp changed my life.”
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
Stay hydrated,
—J. Payseno, Editor
Check out Sour Widows’ music, shows, and merch at their official website.