Camp winnarainbow

Every summer, about 400 kids get their parents’ permission to run away from home and join a circus of sorts. Camp Winnarainbow is located on a northern California ranch owned by members of the Hog Farm collective. One of those people was Hugh Romney, who back then assumed the moniker of Wavy Gravy. Today, Wavy Gravy and his wife, Jahanara Romney, direct Camp Winnarainbow, a circus arts camp for children seven to fourteen years old.

Campers sleep in tipis, awakening to the sound of a conch-shell horn signaling the beginning of camp activities. After breakfast they gather for Wavy's morning reading, which might include a passage from Walt Whitman, the Tao Te Ching, Robert Fulghum, or something Wavy has authored himself. Singing and exercise follow, then it's off to classes in juggling, mime, trapeze work, magic, African Dance, mask making, acting, Native American studies, or martial arts. Free time may be spent swimming in a lake or careening down its waterslide, playing volleyball or exploring the woods.

Camp Winnarainbow is aggressive in its commitment to racial, cultural, and economic diversity. Winnarainbow provides scholarship money to up to one third of its campers, some of whom are homeless.

Camp literature stresses health and safety, indicating that classes in circus skills are taught by experienced instructors and that a registered nurse is on duty at all times. Despite its connections to the psychedelic era, Camp Winnarainbow has strict policies against the use of alcohol and drugs. Camp Winnarainbow, 1301 Henry St., Berkeley, CA 94709; (510) 525-4304. Season: June 26-August 22.