The summer of 2010 has officially begun. Sixty-seven Tamarack Farm campers arrived on Wednesday afternoon with their trunks, boots, and gloves, ready to get busy.
In the three days following their arrival, the garden has experienced the joy of an all-hands-on-deck weeding part. As a result, the ground between the Dance Barn and the Rec Barn has been cleared for our new basketball court, and the dining hall has been decorated with flags and a Facebook-type wall. These farmers are not kidding around.
Campers have swiftly settled into the busy Tamarack Farm routine. The first town criers of the year, Molly and Hannah, did a fantastic job of leading us through our pre-meal circles and post-meal singing. Returning campers have stepped up every day since to do the same, and the tiger box is overflowing with end-of-day affirmations. Everyone is well into their first rotation of camp chores, including the Ye Olde Inn and Split Level campers, who are managing the summer’s first barn chores.
Sapphire and Halifax, respectively last year’s calf and piglet, have grown up (with Halifax weighing more than 600 pounds), and we are milking Rachel twice a day. The kitchen is well stocked with the farm’s fresh eggs and milk. Our garden’s strawberries were recently spotted at breakfast.
This week, we hosted the first TF farmer’s market over at the Barn Day Camp. We are getting ready to make our garden love visible with a week of work projects that includes a harvest crew, a landscape team, and a construction squad for making a greenhouse planter. We also experienced a few spots of rain, but the weather has taken a turn for the better, and this afternoon saw a second bout of haying. More than 15 campers volunteered to suit up and load 175 hay bales on Friday afternoon; the goal for the summer is 1,600. With another week of hot, dry, sunshine called for, we’re hoping to get a little closer to filling the hayloft in our new livestock barn.
After a long morning of work projects, you would expect the energy level to wane, but the farmers have shown excitement about all-camp afternoon and evening activities. In three afternoons we’vebeen able to create silkscreens, personal ceramic mugs, built a photo booth and a chipmunk palace and have written poetry. We’ve also taken plant identification walks, attempted to walk on the slack line, mastered the low-ropes course, strummed guitar, played soccer and invented a few water sports in the lake. Last night we threw a raucous scavenger hunt; campers built human pyramids, dressed their teams up as a rainbow, and came up with a song to sing to our wonderful cooks.
Friday evening’s cabin night was declared a grand success—in their cabins, groups played games, lit campfires, cooked delicious treats, and got to know who they’re building a community with this summer.
The swim tests have been swum, the 4:30 long runs have begun, the song cards have been dusted off. The kybos have been sawdusted, the dish routine has been established, and we are happy to report that the costumes in Fred the Loft are being utilized to their fullest potential. The first installment of Postum House, TF’s open mic night, begins this evening. The bar has been set, the first note has been sung, and wow, they are high. Camp has begun. Stay tuned for more.
Pretzel,
Marne Litfin