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Scouting Corner – Year of Celebration

By Thomas McDermott
Scout Executive, Illowa Council
Boy Scouts of America

Scouts put the OUTING in SCOUTING

Cub Scout summer camp experiences – Day camps are a mainstay for summertime fun for Tigers, Cub Scouts and Webelos. These boys, along with their families and leaders, all take advantage of the many camping opportunities at Loud Thunder and around the Council. Last year over 1,100 of our Cub Scouts took part in six local Day Camps, Family Camp and Webelos Camp. The local Day Camps serve boys are District divided. In Iowa, Mesquaki District serves Jackson and Clinton counties; Kittan serves Scott; and Hoover serves Muscatine and a portion of Cedar. In Illinois, Saukenuk serves Rock Island, Mercer and Henry counties; Medicine Lodge serves Warren and McDonough; and Sha-Bo-Na serves Henry, Knox, Stark and pert of Bureau.

Boy Scout Troop Camping – Boy Scout Summer Camp takes place at the Loud Thunder Scout Reservation, where boys enjoy hot summer days swimming in the pool, canoeing on Lake George, hiking through nature, and sitting around a blazing campfire at night. Scouts have a chance for a summer camp or high adventure experience, fulfilling one of the most important elements of Scouting. Loud Thunder is a magical place year-round, but never more so than at Boy Scout Summer Camp!

High adventure camping for older Boy Scouts, Explorer Scouts and Venture Scouts – Get out of the house and into the excitement offered at one of the BSA’s High Adventure™ Bases!

You’ve got three choices to choose from!

1. Florida Sea Base – a unique aquatic quest at the Florida Sea Base. Make a splash! Head to the Florida Keys and dive into an amazing Florida Sea Base adventure and wade into more excitement than you ever though possible. Snorkeling, SCUBA, boating, and beach camping are among the many possibilities.

2. Northern tier – a canoeing or winter camping challenge at the Northern Tier. Don’t miss the boat! One of the most beautiful, and remote parts of North America offers a unique opportunity for Scouts. Canoeing, hiking, fishing, and winter camping in and around the beautiful lakes of northern Minnesota and southern Canada await you at the Northern Tier.

3. Philmont Scout Ranch – or a wild west backpacking expedition at the Philmont Scout Ranch. Take a hike! The mountains of New Mexico offer the adventure that you have always dreamed about. Backpacking, rock climbing, western lore, living history, and the views from peaks over 10,000 feet tall will make memories that last a lifetime.

Jamboree 2010 – Scouting Paradise, Jamboree Style. Nestled in the rolling green hills of Virginia, close to our nation’s capital, Fort A.P. Hill lies near many historical Civil War landmarks. This 76,000-acre facility has hosted the national Scout jamboree since 1981. The Boy Scouts of America uses approximately 3,000 acres of land to support a city of more than 43,000 Scouts and leaders. The 2010 Jamboree will be held from July 26th to August 4th.

Continuing with our countdown to…

100 Things You Didn’t Know About Scouting

60. A Boy Scout was selected to read Abraham Lincoln’s address at the 50th anniversary commemoration of the Battle of Gettysburg in 1913, one of among several national notices the BSA received that year.

59. The BSA is eco-friendly! In addition to publishing the first “green” Boy Scout Handbook in 2009, BSA magazines Boys’ Life and Scouting have been certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

58. Of 121 merit badges, the one earned most by Scouts across the country is First Aid; more than 84,419 Scouts earned the badge in 2008.

57. In 1981, real Life Scout Harrison Ford made film history, playing fictional Life Scout Indiana Jones in the first of four adventure films.

56. In 1927, the BSA created Honorary Scouts to distinguish “American citizens whose achievements in outdoor activity, exploration, and worthwhile adventure are of such an exceptional character as to capture the imagination of boys.” Among the Honorary Scouts were Orville Wright and Charles Lindbergh.

55. The BSA sells almost 1 million neckerchiefs each year. If laid out flat, they would cover 120 football fields, or 124 acres.

54. A young George Herman “Babe” Ruth was a Tenderfoot Scout in Troop 23, promising to do a Good Turn daily.

53. At his family’s request, two separate honor guards of Eagle Scouts played a major role in the 2006 memorial services for President Gerald R. Ford, the first U.S. president to achieve the Eagle Scout rank as a boy.

52. In April 1937, Cubmobiles, patterned after soapbox derby racers and described as any contrivance on wheels (one, two, three, four, or more wheels) became an annual feature of Cub Scouting.

51. Robert E. Peary discovered the North Pole in 1908. When his article on the adventure appeared in print in June 1914, it was not in Harper’s or Collier’s. Only Boys’ Life had it.

Be here next month to see some more trivia about the Boy Scouts of America.