Camp Tasty 2023 Cheat Sheet

Oct 6-9. Black Oak Ranch. Laytonville, CA

Schedule for the weekend (music, activities, and more)

Waiver, COVID protocols and fire safety

Directions, carpooling and parking

Venue info

What to expect on arrival

TL;DR version

You really should read this cheat sheet when you have a minute. But for quick reference, here are the essentials:

Sign the waiver of liability. You have to sign a waiver to participate. Contact Amit Verma if you didn’t receive an e-signature request. Include kids in your waiver. Note: this is a separate liability waiver for the bounce house. Parents, find Allegra before your kids get their bounce on.
Stay home if you’re not feeling well. We’re not requiring proof of a negative COVID test, but trust you to stay at home if you are not feeling well or have been exposed. COVID cases are currently rising – please take this seriously!
Fire risk is extremely high. No smoking except in the designated area at the firepit. No camp stoves except at the dining area.
We need your help to make Camp Tasty happen. Sign up to volunteer. Help with setup and strike. You can find strike tasks on index cards at the Welcome Table.
Arrive early / stay late to help if you can. We officially start Friday late afternoon, but you can arrive as early as Thursday night if you’re helping with setup. If you contribute through the end of strike on Monday, you’re welcome to stay until Tuesday morning. We always need more people for strike!
Getting here. Please read the more detailed directions in this document. There are two steps: 1) set your destination to Camp Winnarainbow on Google Maps (we can’t vouch for Apple Maps). This will get you to the parking area, NOT the campground. 2) Follow these turn by turn directions from the 101 to the unloading area in the campground.
You will not be camping next to your car. Park temporarily in the unloading area. Get checked-in, unload (we’ll have carts), then park in the designated area away from the main campground. We’ll direct you.
Put your name and where to find you in your dashboard. We’ll have paper and pen at the Welcome Table.
Camping options. The campground has a good amount of space and shade for tent camping. There is a dedicated quiet zone that families often prefer behind the Dining Commons. You can also request to stay in a teepee. We can only allow a small number of camper vans in the main camping area but you are welcome to park a camper van or RV in the main parking lot. If you haven’t already, email us now (tastytastysf@gmail.com) if you want to sleep in a teepee, or plan to bring a camper van or RV.
All meals are included (Friday dinner through Monday brunch). And late night snacks from the infamous Bamboo Lantern too. If you’re arriving before Friday dinner, bring whatever food you need.
BYOB – make one a strange one, and don’t forget to bring your own cup, mug and water bottle. Bring your drinks of choice and a strange brew to share Friday night! We will have a few basic mixers available, as well as ice and coolers (great for drinks to share). We’ll have some cocktails for you at brunch. Our goal is to not have to transport booze back so be ready to take stuff home.
Bring an ‘In Dreams’ theme costume for Saturday night. Saturday night kicks off with the teepee crawl. Our theme this year is ‘In Dreams’. And don’t forget to bring fun party outfits for the rest of the weekend too!
Bring a towel. There are showers available, but please conserve water. Parents, bring swimsuits for the kiddie pool.
Untalent Show / Open-Mic on Sunday afternoon. Come ready to rock the mic with a song with backup from our in-house musicians, showcase your (un)talents, tell a joke or three.
Camp Tasty is kid-friendly. We’ll have activities / crafts for the little ones. Parents – find Allegra to sign a separate waiver before your kids enjoy the bounce house.

When

Camp Tasty officially begins on Friday, Oct 6th. But if you’re able to help setup Friday morning, you can arrive Thursday night. The main party wraps up on Monday, Oct 9th with the official strike starting after brunch. We encourage folks to stay as long as possible on Monday to help with strike.

If you need to leave sooner, we will have strike tasks for you Monday morning. You can find strike tasks on index cards on the whiteboard at the Welcome Table or Rainbow Stage.

If you stay for all of strike, you get a gold star, and are invited to stay overnight with a small, intimate crew for a final chill night before leaving Tuesday by 11 am.

Schedule for the weekend (music, activities, and more)

See the full weekend schedule here! Things will inevitably shift a bit so check the whiteboard at the Welcome Table for the latest. Here are some key things to know and prepare for.

Friday:

Setup: We start in the morning and go until it’s done! Come help out! You can arrive Thursday evening or Friday anytime if you’re helping with setup in the morning
Dinner: 6:30 ~ 8:30 pm (exact time TBC). This is the first meal included in your ticket
Strange Brews: ~ 9:00 pm. Bring a unique concoction to share with your fellow campers! Place it on the Strange Brews table in the Big Top
Dance party: ~ 9:00 pm until late

Saturday:

Morning yoga with Kaiti: 10:30 – 11:30. Bring your own mat!
Arts and crafts: Get crafty at the Art Shack! Various activities from around 10:00 am until late afternoon
Brunch: 11:30 am ~ 1:30 pm (exact time TBC). DIY breakfast will be available if you’re peckish earlier
Pub trivia! Bubble Olympics! Daytime DJs!: Starting at 2:00 pm. Followed by dancefloor sign language, cooking, ice cream sandwiches, tiki drinks and more fun throughout the afternoon
Annual group photo: 5:30 at the Rainbow Stage
Dinner: 6:00 ~ 7:30 pm (exact time TBC)
Camp-wide Teepee Crawl: 7:30 – 9:30 pm. This year’s teepee theme is ‘In Dreams’ — make sure to come dressed for the surreal times!
Dance party: 9:30 pm until late

Sunday:

Arts and crafts: Get crafty at the Art Shack! There will be a plethora of activities from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Brunch : 11:30 am ~ 1:30 pm (exact time TBC). With a special Sunday Service by Brother Kris. DIY breakfast will be available if you’re peckish earlier
Live music and talent show! For the first time at Camp Tasty, live music by Andy Bundy at 4:15 in the Big Top followed by a variety + talent show led by Noam. Come ready to rock the mic with a song with backup from our in-house musicians, showcase your (un)talents, tell a joke or three.
Dinner: 6:30 ~ 8:30 pm (exact time TBC)
Dance party: 9:00 pm until late

Monday

Brunch: 11:30 am ~ 1:00 pm (exact time TBC). DIY breakfast will be available earlier. This is the last meal included in your ticket
Strike: soft strike starts after brunch, and we officially start strike at 3pm (TBC). Everyone must help with strike tasks!
Dinner and movies: ~7:00 pm onwards. For those who stay through the end of strike, chill for the night

Activities

We’ve got a full day of fun in-store for Tasties of all ages on Saturday and Sunday. Check the schedule for more info, but you should know a few activities will be better if you bring somethings from home:

Strange Brews (Friday 9-11 pm). Bring a bottle of something exotic, hard-to-find, or just hard-to-drink for Strange Brews. Something from a far-off land, bizarre beer, adventurous spirits, unique wines, obscure libations to surprise palettes and delight adventurous participants. Come prepared with a little knowledge about what and where your drink originates so you educate while you imbibe!
Teepee Crawl (Saturday 7:30 – 9:30 pm). This year dreams do come true in our Saturday night centerpiece event. Roam from teepee to teepee and explore what delights (or frights) our hosts have within. We encourage you to come dressed for dreams! Bring a cup!
Untalent Show / Open-Mic – Come ready to rock the mic with a song with backup from our in-house musicians, showcase your (un)talents, tell a joke or three, and entertain the masses!
Yoga sessions on Saturday and Sunday – bring your own yoga mat. Check the schedule for details!
Kiddie Pool on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Tasty Tots come on down to cool off in the kiddie pool. Bring swimsuits and towels!
Storytime Teepee – Bring a favorite children’s book or two to read for storytime at the teepee crawl!

Music Lineup

Check the schedule for all the set times and full descriptions!

As always, Tasty’s finest DJs and musicians are ready to rock, from all-night Big Top dance parties to chill sessions in the Laid Back Lounge teepee to daytime sound sessions with a blend of live performances and DJs. And come together as a camp for brunch with Brother Kris as he delivers Sunday Service! Thanks to Waveworks AV for providing the world-class sound in the Big Top!

Waiver, COVID protocols and fire safety

Every adult MUST sign a waiver to attend Camp Tasty! In addition, anyone under 18 must be included in the signed waiver of their parent or guardian. It’s easier for everyone if you sign digitally before you arrive. Contact Amit Verma (amitninja@gmail.com) right now if you didn’t receive an e-signature request. There is a section on the last page of the waiver that parents / guardians with kids must complete.

Stay home if you’re not feeling well. COVID cases have ticked up again recently and there’s good old flu season coming up. If you are not feeling well, please do not attend. Use good common sense to reduce your chance of exposure before the event.

We take fire safety hella seriously. We currently do NOT have permission for a campfire. The Camp Tasty Black Oak Ranch property is considered a HIGH RISK area so we must follow strict rules around open flames. If the property owner does by chance change their mind and allows us to have a campfire, we will have detailed information on the required campfire management process at the Welcome Table and teepee circle fire ring. Regardless of having a campfire or not, the following fire practices will remain in effect throughout the entire weekend:

There will be NO smoking, candles, lanterns, incense or any kind of open flame in any campsite or other areas outside of the fire pit area.
The only place where smoking is allowed is within the teepee circle fire ring. No exceptions!
The only place where you can use camp stoves is in the dining area on the picnic tables.

Emergency contacts:

Cell phone reception on-site is very limited! Verizon has the best coverage from what we’ve heard / seen. There’s a landline available in the kitchen.

Sindi is the facilities manager at Black Oak Ranch. Her landline number is 707-984 6767 and her mobile is 707-472-7882.

You can also try Amit Wadhwa, but he’ll be on-site from setup through strike with limited cell phone access: 415-231-8115.

Directions, carpooling and parking

An important note for folks who’ve been here before 2021: the bridge near the Big Top is gone! We now cross a bridge over Streeter Creek near the kitchen

We’re back at our little gem of a spot: Camp Winnarainbow at Black Oak Ranch in Laytonville, California. Black Oak Ranch is about 3 hours north of San Francisco / Oakland, right off of the 101. Detailed directions are listed below. Following Google Maps to Camp Winnarainbow will not get you to the main camping grounds, so read these directions well before arriving as you will not have reliable cell reception!

Add your starting point and get directions to Camp Winnarainbow using Google Maps

One of the last main landmarks in the town of Laytonville is Boomers Saloon on the west side of Highway 101. Once you pass Boomers, the turn off for the property is 4.6 miles away. The 101 is not a highway at this point, so there’s not an exit number. We’ll stick a sign up with some lights for night arrivals to assist you in spotting the turn of the 101.

Google Maps will bring you to the parking area, NOT to the campground. Follow these turn by turn directions from the 101 to the unloading area

From the turn off the 101, it’s about one mile to the parking area and to the campgrounds. We plan to have signs with lights directing you. Please have the directions to the unloading area with you too. The blue line in those directions will bring you to the parking area. Keep an eye out for Tasty signs just before the road turns left towards the parking area. The red line that starts at the bend will bring you to the unloading area. Note: the bridge is fairly steep, take it slow! Here’s a map from the 101 to the unloading area:

We repeat: the bridge near the Big Top is gone! We now cross a bridge over the Streeter Creek near the kitchen. Don’t try to enter where you used to!!

Unloading and Parking

Have your headlamp ready if you’re arriving after dark. Flashlights are definitely needed here!

When you arrive, there’s a small loading area in front of the Big Top where you can temporarily park. Park here and then go to the Welcome Table to get checked-in (see the Arrival section below). We’ll have a few wagons available to help get your gear to your campsite. Once you’ve finished checking in and unloading, move your car ASAP to the main parking area. Drive back the way you came to get to the parking area. You’ll see signs. We CANNOT leave cars in the unloading area.

Black Oak Ranch has asked every vehicle on-site to have the name of the driver and where to find them visible in their dashboard in case a car needs to move. We’ll give you paper and pen to do this at the Welcome Table.

Carpooling

Please try to carpool! There’s a sheet here to offer / ask for a ride. You can also message other campers through the Google Group.

Venue info

Amenities at Black Oak Ranch include: proper toilets (no porta potties – yay!), hot showers (though don’t forget we’re still in a horrible drought!), parking (but not directly next to your campsite), refrigerator, ice, spacious camping grounds with plenty of shade, places to charge your phone, and limited space in a refrigerator for essential perishables.

What to expect on arrival

When you arrive, check-in at the Welcome Table:

Grab a welcome drink!
Sign your waiver if you haven’t already to get your wristband
Check in and let us know when you think you’ll leave
Get your camp / teepee assignment
Read the whiteboard for any key notes
Get your Camp Tasty schwag (one per person only).
Unload ASAP, making sure to drive slowly, especially at night
Write your name and where you’re camping on a card and put it in your dashboard in case you need to move your car for any reason
Park your car in the designated area listed in the Unloading and Parking section above

We’ll also collect lost and found at the Welcome Table, and have a first aid kit on hand. The Welcome Table will have the most complete schedule for the weekend on the whiteboard. Check it daily to know what’s going on, see any daily notes, and to leave any messages.

Where to Sleep:

We highly recommend sleeping in your tent or a teepee. If you’re camping in your tent, feel free to explore and camp anywhere inside the property boundaries. There’s a quiet zone where families usually camp behind the Dining Commons. If you’re arriving Thursday night for setup, you’re welcome to sleep in any teepee Thursday night and then move to your tent Friday morning for the rest of the weekend. If you are sleeping in a teepee, you’ll receive an email with your teepee assignment.

RVs and camper vans

If you are bringing an RV or camper van and have not contacted us yet, please let us know ASAP what your situation is so we can place you. A very limited number of vehicles can park on the road past the showers. Do not show up expecting to be one of those vehicles – you must contact us first! The parking lot is however fair game for sleeping in your vehicle overnight and has space for camper vans and small RVs. Do not park a vehicle to car-camp in the general camping area.

Venue Map

Never been before? Get a sense for the lay of the land, see the venue map below. Click here to download the map.

Kids at Camp Tasty

Camp Tasty is kid-friendly. The music does go until late night / early morning at the Big Top though. We have a camping quiet zone near the Dining Commons. We’ll have crafts throughout the day and a kiddy pool on Saturday afternoon. If you have anything that needs to be refrigerated, you can use the refrigerators in the Dishwashing Room. Label your items. Parents – find Allegra to sign a separate waiver before your kids enjoy the bounce house. We’re looking for adults to supervise the bounce house – sign up here!

Volunteering

Tasty is a community event, put on by a community of friends. It can only happen if you contribute. Contributing means either volunteering with setup, tasks during the event, or helping with strike.

Please sign-up to volunteer in a slot in this spreadsheet. When you arrive, find your activity lead to get more details. We will also have tasks written on index cards for strike throughout the entire day Monday, regardless of what time you leave. Visit the Welcome Table any time Monday before the official start to strike to see a list of strike tasks. Please take one, complete it, and mark off on the task list. Please do at least one strike task before you depart, as it will make all of our lives much easier before the drive home!

Meals and snacks

Your ticket includes all meals from Friday dinner through Monday brunch, and some damn fine Tasty snacks throughout the weekend. Meals are served in the Dining Commons. Snacks are by the Big Top. Bathe in the late night glory of the Bamboo Lantern. Meal times are being finalized, we’ll post official times at the Dining Commons and Welcome Table.

Friday dinner. ~ 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Saturday brunch. 11:30 am – 1:30 pm. DIY breakfast will be available earlier as well
Saturday dinner. ~ 6:00 – 7:30 pm
Saturday late night snacks. When munchies creep in, the Bamboo Lantern appears
Sunday brunch. 11:30 am – 1:30 pm. DIY breakfast beforehand
Sunday dinner. ~ 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Monday brunch. 10:30 am – 12:00 pm. DIY breakfast beforehand

You’ll find everything you need for DIY breakfasts in the dishwashing room. Do NOT keep food in your tents or teepees unless you want a visit from a racoon. Room permitting, you can store food you bring in the fridges, dishwashing room or the lockers near the dining area. Make sure to place your food in one bag and label it with your name. Ice machines are located in the back of the kitchen.

Water

There is great potable water on-site, so you do not need to bring any of your own.

Bring your own drinks

We’re not hosting a bar this year because we always end up with too much and then have to transport and store a bunch of half drunk bottles and mixers. We will have a few basic mixers available, as well as ice and coolers (great for drinks to share). Bring a Strange Brew for our annual Friday night tasting (9pm in the Big Top)!

We’ll have some cocktails for you at brunch and a special (alcoholic) treat for you on Saturday afternoon. Our goal is to not have to transport booze back so be ready to take stuff home.

— Don’t forget to bring your own cup, mug and water bottle. —

What to bring

Required for Entry

Electronically signed waiver form submitted by Oct 4th
Good vibes

Personal Gear

Headlamp
Sunscreen
Insect repellent
Towel
Personal toiletries
Light, sun-friendly clothes for the day
Warm clothes for night
Warm hat
Brimmed hat
Water bottle
Party cup for cocktails
Mug for tea / coffee
Personal snacks
Meals prior to Friday night, if arriving early
Party supplies
Ear plugs
Fun party lights for communal area & teepee- make sure to write your name on them
Comfortable stuff to sit on
Yoga mat
Hiking shoes
Decorations for your teepee
‘In Dreams’ theme costume for Saturday night/ fun party outfits for the rest of the weekend!
Bikes for the kids
Swimsuits for kids for kiddie pool
Games

Camping Gear

Warm sleeping bag (nights ~40 ℉)
Sleeping pad (unless you’re assigned to a teepee, which includes mats)
Pillow
Tent
Wagon or cart if you have one
Extra batteries
Extra mats / blankets for common areas
Lamps, lanterns
Chair – label it with your name!

Drinks (BYOB)

Booze, your favorite mixers, wine, beer, and non-alcoholic drinks for yourself and a bit to share if you’re so inclined!
A Strange Brew for the Friday tasting eve

We provide:

Drinking Water
Bathroom soap
Toilet paper – thank goodness!
Paper towels
Eating utensils

Plates
Refrigerator and freezer (put your stuff in bags and label them)
Ice ice baby
Basic mixers

Weather

As of today (Oct-3), here’s what Accuweather says:

Check for yourself obviously as the forecasts have been changing frequently. Black Oak Ranch staff noted Accuweather as the most reliable for Laytonville.

Leave No Trace

This is a Leave No Trace event. Pick up after yourself throughout the event. MOOP your site and around the venue. There are garbage cans and recycling bins at the Big Top and Dining Area.

Thank you for participating, see you soon!