Tamarack Farm News Updates

 

Hello TF Families!

 

Can you believe that Session 1 is almost over? Time always moves so strangely at camp; it somehow feels like we got here yesterday and have been here forever.

We are in the midst of our big programming push that comes at the end of each session. Two nights ago, we enjoyed the Museum of Farm Art, or MoFA, and last night was banquet.

 

Some highlights from MoFA included a beautiful mural from the Art Immersion, various other paintings, felting, and root-based art, as well as some performances later in the evening including great work from our house jazz band and some lovely poetry readings. Perhaps most noteworthy was how incredibly supportive the campers were of all of their peers who performed.

Banquet featured some excellent food, including potatoes, green beans, and carrots, as well as beets. There was also pork and chicken from our farm (the chickens having been harvested by the campers a few days ago). Dessert was delicious apple cake with maple butter. Many flowers to Dria, our head cook, and her crew in the kitchen for making it all happen.

 

Beyond the food, we had a wonderful program to go with it. Sean, our program director, had a vision and executed it beautifully. As always, writing out a summary of zany camp magic will come up short, but here goes…

 

We have been cultivating rumors all summer of a secret toaster somewhere at TF that staff use to, well, toast things. Last night, Sean played the part of the Toaster, who wanted desperately to break out of the machine world and live amongst the forest creatures. With the help of the Star Child, he was granted his wish, became a raven, and made friends with his newfound woodland brethren.

 

He was followed, however, by the nefarious robot wizard Bombadil, who sought to drag him back to the world of the machines. Bombadil was able to corrupt the power of the Star Child and gain control over the woodland creatures, taking them hostage and seeking to compel Toaster Raven to return to the world of metal and circuits.

Toaster Raven, in one last desperate push, enlisted the help of the campers to gather pieces of a fallen star to once again leverage the magic of the Star Child. Once all 13 pieces had been assembled, he was able to confront Bombadil and vanquish him in most Quakerly fashion. He then sought forgiveness from his forest friends for their being caught up in the machinations of his world, which was readily granted with everyone enjoying the feast afterwards. All the campers were super appreciative of all the work that staff put into the event.

 

If you are coming to pick someone up on Thursday, we look forward to seeing you soon. For any full session parents, we have this survey to assist in our changeover planning. Thanks to those of you who have filled it our already.

 

As always, feel free to reach out with any questions or feedback!

 

We’re back from Merck!

In my pre-camp blog post, I explained a bit about our partnership with Merck Forest and Farmland Center and how we’ve been refining it over the past two years.

The trip went great! After we arrived and ate lunch, the campers had a programmatic block during which they learned some things and did a lot of helpful work (see fence building, weeding, and lumber-moving crews in attached photos).

Then, we broke into our overnight groups and departed on short hikes to go to our shelters where we cooked, made fires, enjoyed s’mores, and had reflective time. One of our groups sang songs as they watched the sunset. My group had a lot of nice things to say about Tamarack Farm and the sense of community here.

In the morning we all regrouped and enjoyed some oatmeal with maple syrup that was boiled just feet from where we were eating. After we got back to camp, everyone enjoyed an extended Rest Hour and Daily Dip, followed by their choice of evening activities that were chill and restorative.

We are also enjoying a Chill Day today, although about half the campers opted to participate in Chicken Harvest this morning. Chicken Harvest is always intense and educational; it is a powerful example of our commitment to educating the community about food justice and systems. I look forward to connecting with them at lunch and hearing about their experience.

As you can see, we have a lot going on and things are only ramping up, with our big, end-of- session programming on horizon. More on that later!

In the meantime, please feel free to reach out for any reason.