Posted by: Birch Rock Camp

“It was a warm afternoon, sitting in my cabin with the fan on as I dozed off. I hadn’t seen a piece of evidence in a while. I was beginning to give up on my investigation. Then a note hit my lap; a cache of soda was just found and a major clue to crack this case wide open”

I wish there was a rooster to wake us up. Fortunately, there’s always a bell. Camp was buzzing with an energy in the morning that felt like caffeine from a Coca Cola. All that attended the flagpole was alive at the news of the return of our trips. The Wolves had been out in the woods for 3 days and we wanted them back. As the day off crew departed, we joined the lodge and began to eat, it was clear something was still awry.

The past few days an investigation was afoot. Lead by a trained specialist in detective work, news broke out about a soda smuggler. A contraband item at camp was being lent out, sold or traded by a mysterious person. Empty cans were found in the trash can of wash houses, the lodge and even a full can of Diet Coke was found in the upper compartment of the lower wash house toilet. Everyone was on the lookout and suspects were beginning to form.

After the meal camp got busy. The waterfront was bubbling with fun like the first sip of a sprite. George E. and Kieran S. earned two badges in two periods. As the sun shined down, multiple ducks and loons went out with campers swimming all the way to the end of the lake and back.

In the afternoon Tennis moved over to table tennis because the tennis court was being occupied. What was happening? There was lights strewn about on ropes, tennis balls hung up and a DJ booth? Unbeknownst to upper camp, Arcadia was coming for the reintroduction of the BRC Tennis Ball! Every year Camp Arcadia for Girls invites BRC to a “Garden Party” dance where the campers get to mix and mingle. We thought it wasn’t fair that they always hosted us so we decided to throw a huge party on the tennis court for Arcadia and BRC older campers.

As dinner went by and the upper campers got hyped up, the mystery still hung in the air. Who was the soda smuggler? All of lower camp was brought to flagpole as Jungle Jeff announced he had cracked the case… the soda thief was none other than the mystery inspector himself! The man in the green suit was smuggling soda the whole time. At that moment the inspector came swinging down the hill and stole an entire cache of soda!

The lower camp knew he needed to be caught… so as they chased him down to the waterfront and he hopped into a motorboat, all of the lower camp took EVERY SINGLE BOAT we had. Row boats, kayaks, canoes and even the Skiff joined into an armada to catch the mystery inspect. After putting on a huge chase they eventually caught up and apprehended the menace. Along with catching him they had found his entire stash of candy and soda.

So as lower camp sipped on the sweet bubbly of their adventure and the upper campers danced away, the mystery was finally solved and a good time was had by all.