Camp Tomato

You’re blindfolded. You’re holding a carrot against your head as if it were a rhinoceros horn. You’re charging as fast as you can at a tomato painted on a piece of cardboard. Where are you you?

Camp Tomato!

Camp Tomato 2010, held Meridian Park today, marked the fifth running of the rhinoceroses, as organized by Seattle musician Jason Webley and coterie. It started back in 2005 as, according to the definite source of all knowledge, Wikipedia, “a light-hearted reply to claims that he is a dangerous cult leader.” (We remain suspicious).

After loading up on a potluck lunch, the “Tomato Scouts” break into teams (Feather, Tomato, Balloon and the notorious Boat), utter the Tomato Pledge and then carouse through a series of ludicrous sports, including Pin the Bacon the Donkey, the aforementioned Rhinoceros Charge, the following bit of mayhem known simply as “Rhinoceros”:

and finally, the pinnacle of the day, a 30 minute game of Tomato Raid (a sort of cross between Capture the Flag and gazpacho).

Out of deep respect for Jason and the Scouts, we have refrained from the use of the 24th letter of the alphabet in this article.