Photo Courtesy Circus Smirkus A young Circus Smirkus camper, or "Smirkling" looks on as a fellow camper experiences one of the joys of Smirkus camp: a pie in the face Circus Smirkus Summer Camp - where children learn the fine art of such skills as juggling, unicycling, wire-walking, tumbling, trapeze and, of course, "pie-ing" each other - is filling fast, camp co-director Megan Rose stated last week, adding that spots remain only in four of the camp sessions.

Throughout its 19-year history, Circus Smirkus Summer Camp has been devoted to promoting traditional circus arts for youngsters ages 6 to 18. Starting with a 1-night, 2-day "Smirkling" session for 6 to 9- year-olds, the camp offers training at various skill levels, from Beginning through Intermediate and Advanced. Select "Advanced Campers" are chosen by audition for the summer camp's acclaimed "Road Show," which travels to children's centers, nursing homes, and public venues throughout northern Vermont. Over the years, many Smirkus Camp alumni have auditioned for, and been accepted to, the Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour, the award-winning youth circus that travels to more than a dozen towns in the Northeast each summer.

Circus Smirkus Summer Camp, held on the campus of Sterling College in Craftsbury Common, in the heart of Vermont's ruggedly beautiful Northeast Kingdom, is a traditional "sleep-away" camp with a fun-loving staff of counselors and coaches trained in the circus arts. The camp offers two European circus tents for an authentic circus experience, and equipment such as the tightwire, lyra, trapeze, fabric, rola bola, diabolo, devil sticks, juggling clubs, tumbling mats, rolling globes, unicycles, clown noses and more. There's plenty of time for non-circus fun as well, as campers engage daily in games such as capture the flag, scavenger hunts and nature walks, and enjoy nightly movies, skits, arts & crafts and other "traditional" camp activities. Each session includes "Pie Day" - where campers learn the time-honored skill of throwing and receiving a (shavingcream) pie in the face - and culminates in a show under the camp's Big Top for family and friends.

Smirkus camp was highlighted as "a model of high quality care for kids," in "How to Keep Your Children Safe: A Guide to Parents," by author and former camp parent, Yvonne M. Vissing. The camp, she wrote, "pays close attention to its programs, staff, diet, facilities, and management of day-to-day activities."

Open sessions run from July 21 through 27, July 28 through July 4, July 5 through 17, and July 19 through 31. To enroll, or be placed on the waiting list for a session that is already filled, call 802.533.7443 ext 23 or email: camp@smirkus.org. Additional information can be found on the Smirkus website, http://www.smirkus.org