Cocoa-Palooza
Tuesday, July 30th, 2024
KITCHEN circa 7:30am—Head Chef Mary Jane Stamper’s New Orleans Dixieland playlist bombards the cool morning air, imbuing the bustling cocoa scene with a Mardi Gras fervor. Campers by the dozen anxiously wait in the line for cocoa, animatedly chatting in small groups, while others examine chess puzzles, play cards, or aimlessly roam the kitchen in search of mischief. The crew of early riser adult staff peer grimly through coffee mug steam at the unfolding sugar-fueled frenzy.
“If you’re happy and you know it, hit the gritty!” sings Ty, 12, of the Scarlet Tipi to some newfound friends in the cocoa line. I inquire him for his first impressions. “Tipi skits were pretty cool. I fell on the stage for a laugh. I didn’t injure myself, but it didn’t feel good! On the orientation tour I was impressed by the Costume Barn. I definitely want to check out that and clowning.”
“Spare change! Spare change!” drone the group of boys, waving their empty mugs at Ty, prying his attention. He joins them and they all turn to the next person joining the line. “Spare change! Spare change!”
“Are you guys pretending to be Grateful Dead fans?” asks Waterfront Director Kitty Green of the sarcastic panhandlers. “What you’re supposed to say is ‘I need a miracle’.” I ask her how the morning is going. “Pretty smooth,” she says. “There were 78 kids in the cocoa line at 6:58am—more than half of Camp!”
“Camp is the best,” says Lucas, 12, also from Scarlet. “I was here last session and stayed over the session break. We watched a bunch of shows and got to eat buffet style. There’s a bunch of new people here now, so I get to show them the ropes. Some kids that are brand new, they don’t want to be here, but once classes start today, that’ll change.”
“The Blue Tipi skit was funny,” says Mandela, 11, of the Ultraviolet Tipi. “They were in a graveyard scaring each other and then at the end they said, ‘We’re the Boo Tipi’.”
I move up the line to a different crew of squirrelly children.
“Camp is very fun,” reports Khloe, 11, of the Orange Tipi. “Dinner was spectacular; there’s no way it could have been any better. It was better than Round Table! I love being with all my friends. Every time I see them they dap me up. By the way, it’s my sister’s birthday!”
People with birthdays at Camp are traditionally pied in the face with a plate of whipped cream. I ask Khloe’s sister if she is prepared for this.
“I don’t know, it’s my first time,” says Ana, 13, of the Flame Tipi. “If I do get pied, I hope it just goes on my nose because you can’t really break out there. I’m excited to try aerials, especially silks. I think the tricks you can do on them are really cool.”
I continue into the eating area where several chess puzzles are arranged on the long buffet table.
“You have to make it so that none of the eight queens are attacking each other,” says Umbe, 10, of the Ultraviolet Tipi. “Tipi Skit Night was fun but long. My favorite was the one where they pushed each other over and fell on the stage.”
“Camp is good,” says Joffré, 10, also from Ultraviolet. “I like the creativity they put in it and I like how they let you walk around and pick what you want to do. There was a lot of stuff that looked fun to do, and all the counselors were very encouraging.”
“I like the skit night,” says Ava, 7, of the Lime Tipi. “The Blue one was the best; I like to scare people and they were scaring their counselors. The cocoa is really good. I like it with marshmallows. I was looking forward to doing silks because I went to a day camp at the Circus Center in San Francisco and I did silks there.”
Now 8:30am, I stash my notes and head off to prepare for our pre-breakfast song circle. Today we will be singing “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers, and a version of “Baby I Need Your Lovin'” by the Four Tops where the verses are replaced by improvised motivational speeches.
Stay hydrated,
—J. Payseno, Editor
