Bamboozle Day

 A new camp holiday held at some point on the 2nd week of camp. A cut of bamboo known as Macklewood Bistersnouch, the all-looking, all-thinking, all-guessing sage of sages and seer of seers and reader of readers will predict whether or not there will be 8 more weeks of summer. The bamboo is cut and then shaken about vigorously so that it is made confused and then tossed in the deep end of the pool. If the bamboo floats then there will be 8 more weeks of summer. If it sinks then it will immediately become Fall.

This is the invocation that is to be said before the ceremonial tossing:

On this day, the day of bamboozlement day aka Bamboo Day aka Bamboozle Day aka the Feast of Macklewood Bistersnouch, we will learn the fate that is to befall us. Macklewood Bistersnouch, the all-looking, all-thinking, all-guessing sage of sages and seer of seers and reader of readers, the incorruptible monocot, the prognosticator extraordinaire, the scion of summer, the harbinger of dog days will peer DEEPLY into the fog of the future and grace us with the knowledge of what is to come. For although the visions of tomorrow remain opaque to our untrained and puny eyes, for Macklewood Bistersnouch they are legible like the lines of text in a cool science book with a picture of, you know, like a rocket ship in space or a stylized cell, or perhaps a colorful lizard of sorts. 

We gather here as a community in appreciation of this powerful piece of bamboo. It was not so long ago that we lacked the foresight of Macklewood Bistersnouch and oftentimes the weather of summer was unpredictable. We can never forget the blizzard of 2018 when the relay race was called off due to the pool being frozen completely solid. We also gather together because it is well-known far and wide that Macklewood Bistersnouch, the all-looking, all-thinking, all-guessing sage of sages and seer of seers and reader of readers, the incorruptible monocot, the prognosticator extraordinaire, the scion of summer, the harbinger of dog days DOES NOT WORK FOR FREE. From each age group a sacrifice is required and they will be pushed into the pool and this will please our prophet. 

one by one a kid is pushed into the pool

Macklewood Bistersnouch if you accept this sacrifice will you please say nothing.

everyone waits in silence

Very well then, on with it!

the bamboo is thrown as high as possible and hopefully lands in the pool