I Already Miss It
Saturday, July 11th, 2026
MERCH TABLE circa 4:36pm—The bay trees block about as much sunlight as a tennis racket here on this dusty little knoll at the foot of the bridge berm. Various visiting grown-ups stand in line, noticeably less dusty than the children and counselors they chat with. Counselors Karma and Adelina run the Camp merch store while several helpers dig through the back stock bins. I’m loitering here to gather a few reviews of today’s Big Show, still sweaty from the all-camp songs finale.
“The show was great, with three exclamation points!!!” exclaims Daniel from Columbus, Ohio. “The clowns are always the best. Red noses are good for the soul.”
“The show was awesome,” says Phil from Portland, Oregon. “I look forward to this show every year. The end with all the kids singing always gets me.”
“Whoever chose the songs really catered to the adults here in a beautiful way,” says Natasha from Rohnert Park. “It was an amazing show. Seeing my daughter at the top of the Rainbow was incredible.”
The Big Show finale songs this session were taught by three different members of Camp’s band, The Stragglers. Clowning Instructor, lead melodica player and longtime DEVO fan Riley Soloner taught “Gates of Steel”, Aerials Instructor Shakon taught a Camp-parodized version of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” and Tech Lead Momo Calfe-Smith taught Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten”.
“The finale really gets you,” says Holly from Oakland. “I enjoyed the unusual elements, like the Westminster Dog Show and the inclusion of longsword. And good choices on the music!”
“Phenomenal, beautiful,” says Jessie from Alameda. “I liked the Nirvana. When I was a kid I banged my head to that stuff.”
“The poetry was phenomenal,” says Logan from Willits, California. “I couldn’t tell if it was sunscreen in my eyes or actual tears. Extreme exuberance for the unicycle and tightrope performances.”
“The choreography for the dance was excellent,” says Paula, also from Willits, California.
“I’m always a huge fan of the stilts,” says Reid from Piedmont, California. “Very animated, cheeky and synchronized. You could see that they had that high level of communication and it really showed in their performance. I also gotta shout out my son Weston’s song in the songwriting act. I hope he’ll follow in my footsteps!”
“It was an absolutely amazing session of connecting with campers and teaching unicycling and stilts,” says Teen Staff Sivan. “I learned the importance of communication, getting what I need, and speaking up for myself. I already miss it and I’m ready for next year!”
That just about wraps it up for Session B, 2026. Thanks for reading along and, as always…
Stay hydrated,
—J. Payseno, Editor