By Jonathan Ciecka, Troop 1829
Special to The Citizen
Part I
On July 24, Troop 1829 left for the National Scout Jamboree. After three days of fun- filled traveling that included a battleship tour, a look around the site of the First Battle of Manassas, and more, they finally arrived at the Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia.
Instantly, they were stunned by the size of the national event.
Local scout Julian Pasto said, “Even the food here is huge. It takes like a hundred different bins to feed just our Subcamp (a division of a certain region camp i.e. Southern Region).”
Even though they have six hours a day to do things, some scouts struggled to find a way to experience everything in only 10 days.
One of the most popular areas was the Merit Badge Midway. Here scouts could earn almost every merit badge offered by the Boy Scouts of America. Many can be completed in less than three hours. Another popular attraction was the Action Alley. From air-rifles to Buckskin games, scouts enjoyed a lot of what Boy Scouts is all about.
On Wednesday, July 23, it happened. Cannons shot, flags were waved and parachutists fell from airplanes at maximum velocity. The first arena show had begun. All 45,000 scouts and leaders at the jamboree were there.
Specially selected scouts were able to compete in games to win shirts for their seating area. After that, former “Survivor” contestant Burton Roberts and Alex Boylan from “The Amazing Race” talked about the impact of scouting on their lives. There were even more people who came, including Sgt. Slaughter, Miss America, and even the U.S.A.F. drill team. The scouts were amazed by the spinning bayonets of the drill team, and then the arena show came to an end all too soon. After singing God Bless America, the scouts were dismissed by region back to their camps.
So far, the Jamboree had been jam packed with exciting and fun filled moments, some that will never be forgotten.
Part II
Aside from all the Jamboree-wide activities, scouts can find lots of things to do in their Subcamps. Troop 1829 enjoyed all that Subcamp 18 had to offer every evening. One thing that got scouts excited was the movie every other evening. Using an inflatable back lit projector screen, scouts had an opportunity to enjoy a relaxing movie after a long day of exciting things. Some of the movies played included; “Facing the Giants,” “Meet the Robinsons,” “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” and “Eagle Eye.”
There was also an opportunity for scouts to geocache without having to find a cache online. After completing the course and unscrambling a secret word, participants entered into a daily drawing for a chance to win a special patch. Subcamp activities also included a dodge ball tournament and wiffle-ball games. In addition to all of the above, scouts had an opportunity to call home, surf the internet, or charge their phone, all for free at an AT&T connection zone provided by AT&T.
On July 31, the Arena Show for the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America began. Similar to the previous show, specially selected scouts participated in a series of games to win various prizes for their seating area. But as soon as the show started, it was clear this was no ordinary show. Fires exploded from the top of the viewing screen towers. Also similar to the previous show parachutists landed in the arena. To make the show even more exciting, the Black Dagger parachutist team displayed the most advanced of techniques. After that Mike Rowe, the star of “Dirty Jobs,” talked about his first experiences in the Scouts and how he became an Eagle Scout. At first the crowd got a kick out of his shirt that read, “A Scout is clean, but not afraid to get dirty.” After Mike explained, they realized how serious it was. It meant that scouts have to get uncomfortable sometimes and learn to like it if they want to be successful in life.
A world record was broken at the Arena Show. The record was for the world’s largest fireworks show held on a military base. The artistic pyrotechnics left the crowd speechless. When the last firework exploded, yet another truly amazing thing happened. All 70,000 attendants lit their candles that were handed out. It was quite a sight to see.
Then, all at once they were blown out, ending the show.
On Aug. 1 four scouts from Troop 1829 embarked on an exciting adventure. In a program called “Friendship Exchange,” they traveled to another troop’s campsite to enjoy a meal with people from that troop. Four scouts from that troop also traveled to Troop 1829’s campsite to find out more about their area. All in all it was an enjoyable night for both troops.
On Aug. 2 several scouts went to enjoy something for free that normally would be very expensive to do: SCUBA diving. This is just one of the many things that scouts could enjoy at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree that they normally wouldn’t have the opportunity to do. Those who participated said that they really enjoyed the experience.
As the Jamboree nears its end, scouts try to find time to fit in everything that they haven’t done yet. Hard as they try, most will still not be able to experience all that the Jamboree has to offer.
