March-April 2001March-April 2001
Edited by Scott Daniels
Thanks to the addition of a 20th subcamp, this summer's national Scout jamboree, at Virginia's Fort A.P. Hill from July 23 to Aug. 1, will be the largest single-site BSA jamboree since 1964.
The new subcamp is named after Ellsworth H. Augustus, who served as BSA president from 1959 to 1964. The new subcamp makes room for troops that had been on waiting lists across the BSA's four regions.
As a result, the number of Scouts, leaders, and staff attending the jamboree will exceed 40,000—the most participants at a single-site jamboree since 51,000 attended the 6th National Jamboree at Valley Forge in 1964. (The single-site national jamboree participant record is 56,377, set in 1960 at Colorado Springs.)
· Up-to-the-minute jamboree information, news, and pictures will be available on the Internet at http://www.scouting.org/jamboree. A Web site team will work with other jamboree media to bring the jamboree to life for people around the world.
· The evening of July 31 will be International Night at the jamboree, featuring a "World Brotherhood" theme. Some 336 Scouts and leaders from 21 other Scout associations are scheduled to attend the jamboree. The Scouts will camp as individuals with BSA jamboree troops, while international leaders will supplement unit, subcamp, or regional staff.
In 1972, some 80 Boys Scouts spread their sleeping bags on the main deck of the retired battleship Massachusetts and prepared to spend the night. That marked the start of the Overnight Camping Program at Battleship Cove in Fall River, Mass., a pioneering venture that has grown to include more than 30,000 campers a year.
On a typical day, the campers walk up the gangway, carrying sleeping bags, pillows, backpacks (and an occasional teddy bear). The awesome size of the ship dazzles them; they've never seen a ship so big.
It is not uncommon for a father, who spent a night on the battleship as a boy, to return with his son. On board, fathers, grandfathers, and uncles (some of them Navy veterans) proudly explain the workings of the ship to the younger generation.
 SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA SEA SCOUTS set sail with Dawn Riley (yellow jacket), 1999's Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and manager of the America's Cup syndicate, America True. Riley once sailed as a member of a Sea Scout ship. Sailing with her from left to right are Jason Lawrence, Ship Gryphon 33; Danny Kroman, Ship Challenger 145; Kim Yamato, Ship Odyssey 107, and Lowell R. Belany, Ship Northland 52. |
An orientation session features former crew members, Morse Code classes, storytellers, World War II reenactments, major motion pictures, and—at the nearby Marine Museum of Fall River—a marine safety and knot tying presentation.
Today's Scouts sleep in restored Navy bunks, eat their meals "Navy style" in the officer's wardroom, and awake to the sound of reveille.
Some questions asked of the former crew members at the orientation session are: How long were you out at sea? What was the food like? What was your job on the ship? How loud was it when the 16-inch guns were fired? Where you ever scared?
Battleship Massachusetts is a National Historic Landmark and official memorial of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to those who died during World War II and the Persian Gulf War.
The five other vessels in Battleship Cove include the destroyer U.S.S. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., which is the home of official memorials to Massachusetts service members killed in the Korean and Vietnam wars.
The camping experience is $35 per person and includes berthing in crew's quarters; full dinner, breakfast, and box lunch; admission and presentation at the Marine Museum; evening movies and programs.
For more information, call (508) 678-1100 or visit http://www.battleshipcove.com.
 In July, BSA Chief Scout Executive Roy L. Williams (seated at left) and Commissioner John Busby, national commander of the Salvation Army (seated at right), signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together "to establish and nurture Scout units as an expression of the outreach ministry of The Salvation Army." Also participating in the signing ceremony were The Salvation Army's Major Dorothy Hitzka, national consultant for Christian education; Lt. Colonel Richard Ulyat (second row, right), national secretary for program, and C. Michael Hoover Jr., BSA deputy chief Scout executive. |
A longtime supporter of the Boy Scouts of America and Scouting's values-based programs, The Salvation Army has formalized its resolve to continue a "valuable and productive relationship" with the BSA "on behalf of boys, young adults, and their families."
A Memorandum of Understanding, signed last summer by Commissioner John Busby, national commander of The Salvation Army, and Roy L. Williams, Chief Scout Executive, recognizes the importance of the BSA mission "to prepare young people to make ethical choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law."
The memorandum states that the two organizations "will work cooperatively with each other, within the policies and regulations of each organization, to establish and nurture Scout units as an expression of the outreach ministry of The Salvation Army, so that boys, young adults, and adults may grow in Christian character, citizenship responsibility, and with the personal fitness necessary to achieve their greatest potential."
For more than a decade, Troop 360 of Port Clinton, Ohio, has played host to hundreds of Scouts and adult leaders from several states and Canada at its Fall Invitational Camporee in Put-in-Bay, on South Bass Island in Lake Erie. The 2001 camporee will be Sept. 7 to 9, the weekend following Labor Day.
 Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial towers over Put-in Bay's harbor. (Photograph courtesy of Perry's Victory and IPM) |
The village of Put-in-Bay is located three miles north of the Ohio mainland and 10 miles east of the crucial naval victory of Commodore Oliver Perry over the British fleet in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.
The camporee site affords not only camping but several historical attractions, including Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial.
Held annually to coincide with the island's Historical Weekend marking the anniversary of Perry's 1813 naval victory, the camporee costs $40 per person, which includes all meals, boat tickets, shuttle transportation to and from the encampment area, a T-shirt, and camping fees.
"Bring your clothes and your tent; you don't need anything else," says Troop 360 assistant Scoutmaster Tom Hilton.
One activity during the camporee will be several groups of Scouts marching in the Historical Weekend parade. Camporee participants will also have the opportunity to view reenactors of the War of 1812 as well as experience music and art events.
Other attractions on the resort island include the Alaskan Birdhouse Wildlife Museum, the Lake Erie Islands Historical Museum, as well as activities like birding, bicycling, caving, fishing, boating, harbor touring, and gemstone mining.
For more information on the Put-in-Bay Fall Invitational Camporee, e-mail Troop 360 at pibcamp@email.com or write to Troop 360, P.O. Box 573, Port Clinton, OH 43452. Registration deadline for this year's camporee is Aug. 25.
As the home of Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and other major entertainment complexes, central Florida is known as the "Theme Park Capital of North America." Many of the popular attractions are active supporters of Scouting.
"The valuable partnerships and relationships we've developed with some of these organizations benefit many of our 43,000 Scouts," said Michael Hartigan, field director of the Central Florida Council, based near Orlando. "Most area attractions have special days, even special months, for Scouts, when they have half-price tickets available and other special promotions."
Parks and attractions that designate special promotions for Scouts include SeaWorld Adventure Park Orlando, Wet 'n Wild, WonderWorks, Water Mania water park, Gatorland, Ripley's Believe It or Not, Cypress Gardens, the Orlando Science Center and the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando also offer discount packages for Scouts and their family members. Most parks also support Scouting by advertising in the council newsletter.
One unusual program is Gatorland's twice-a-year "Alligator Safety Night" for Scouts and their families. A cookout with hot dogs, marshmallows, and sodas is followed by an evening of outdoor adventure in the Florida swamp.
At the September 2000 event, 158 Scouts got a close-up look at an 81/2-foot alligator, learning about its great strength, how it thinks and reacts—and how to avoid contact with one in the wild. From the security of a 50-foot observation tower, the Scouts then focused their flashlights on the hundreds of alligators in the park's breeding marsh.
"Each Scout and adult leader gets a special Alligator Safety Patch," said Gatorland Curator Flavio Morrisey. "And we also have programs to help Scouts earn their Reptile and Amphibian Study merit badge."
—B.S.
 
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In every campsite at the Tri-State Area Council's Cardinal District Fall Cook-A-Ree, chefs are busy preparing recipes that range from venison steaks and roast chicken to leg of lamb and a layer cake baked in the coals of an open fire.
"A main purpose of the camporee is to demonstrate the versatility of Dutch-oven cooking," said Steve Berry, assistant district commissioner and international representative for the Tri-State Area Council (which includes parts of West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio).
Troops prepare special dishes, and Webelos Scouts and parents select the winners. At last September's event, Troop 134 captured both the main course title, with a leg of lamb recipe, and best dessert, with a red velvet cake, both cooked in a Dutch oven.
"We also had a nature hike, rod and reel casting, a campfire, and basic skills competition," Steve Berry reported. "All the food was good, and the younger kids enjoyed everything, including the venison burger soup one troop fixed for Sunday lunch."
—B.S.
At the Del-Mar-Va Council's Sports Spectacular last June, Eagle Scout Aubria R. S. Black, Troop 47, Wilmington, Del., posed with (from left) Indianapolis Colts receiver Marvin Harrison and retired NFL stars Tony Dorsett, Franco Harris, and Kevin Greene. At the event—which raised more than $40,000 for Scouting—Greene, a former Carolina Panthers linebacker and an Eagle Scout, urged Scouts to continue to be involved—that it's possible to be active in Scouting and also pursue athletic interests.
Copyright © 2001 by the Boy Scouts of America. All rights thereunder reserved; anything appearing in Scouting magazine or on its Web site may not be reprinted either wholly or in part without written permission. Because of freedom given authors, opinions may not reflect official concurrence.
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