100 Years of Scouting

The BSA’s 100th Anniversary won’t just be celebrated at the National Jamboree and at The Buckskin Council’s Anniversary Camporee. Each unit should have their own celebration so all of our current scouts will have the memory of being present when the 100th Anniversary was celebrated.

The Commissioner Staff is encouraging each of our packs, troops and crews to hold a birthday party for our scouts. It could be part of the Blue and Gold Banquet or a Court of Honor. Here are some ideas: The Anniversary colors are red, white and blue. You could order a cake with the anniversary logo. Anniversary themed party supplies can be ordered from the Scout Shop.

To save some of these memories we are going to make a scrap book for the 100th Anniversary year. We would like each unit to contribute 1 or 2 pages (8 1/2 by 11 inc.) to share their celebration activity (or other scouting activities). You can include photos, signatures, lists, programs, stories, etc. Be sure to put your unit number on the pages. Give the completed pages to a member of the commissioner staff.

100 YEARS OLD is a BIG DEAL

2010 marks the one hundredth birthday of the Boy Scouts of America and the Buckskin Council is going to have a big party. What type of party, you ask? How about celebrating by having a few thousand people camping out on the grounds of the Capital Complex? How about exciting activities, events, shows, booths and food all around the Capital and on the Elk River to Magic Island.

Mark your calendars and start planning now to attend the 100th Anniversary Council Camporee to be held May 7, 8 and 9, 2010 in Charleston. Cub Scout Day events begin at 10:00 am on Saturday, May 8, 2010. Leaders, youth and families are all invited and should come to celebrate. Look for additional information and registration to come out in the following months.

Registration Fees:

Cub Scouts-$10.00
Boy Scouts and Venturers-$15.00

This will be the Biggest Camp in the Buckskin Council History!

10 Ways to Celebrate the BSA’s 100th Anniversary
“Celebrating the Adventure, Continuing the Journey”

Have a Birthday Party.
Have a celebration at your pack, troop or crew meeting! You could hold it on February 8, 2010 or on another date that suits your unit. You could combine the party with your Blue and Gold Banquet or a Court of Honor. Have a cake with the 100th Anniversary Logo on it. Have balloons and banners. Show a video on the history of the Boy Scouts of America. Make a scrapbook page about your unit’s celebration and submit it to be included with those from other units to be kept in the Buckskin Council Museum. The “Happy Birthday, Scouting” committee consists of the entire commissioner staff and can help you with some resources.
Attend the Buckskin Council Anniversary Camporee.
The Anniversary Camporee in 2010 will be May 7– May 9. It is sponsored by the Council Camping Committee and the 100th Anniversary Committee.
Wear a Patch.
Everyone can buy and wear the official 100th Anniversary Patch from the Scout Shop. You can also earn ribbons to attach to it by demonstrating involvement in five of Scouting’s core values – leadership, achievement, community service, character, and the outdoors. The requirements are different for cub scouts, boy scouts, venture scouts and leaders. View the requirements on the scouting web site page called A Year of Celebration, A Century of Making a Difference.
Nominate an Extraordinary Scout or Scouter to the 100th Anniversary National Hall of Leadership.
Nominees must be living Scouts or Scouters. Inductees into the 100th Anniversary National Hall of Leadership will be given national recognition to commemorate their leadership and dedication to living out Scouting virtues in service to others.
Plant a Tree.
This family-oriented program called Generations Connection inspires families to explore the value of Scouting in the family and identify it as something to be shared and passed through generations. Through a partnership with Arbor Day Foundation, you can purchase trees to plant in your community. For each tree you purchase and plant, another will be planted in the Scouting Century Forest in Montana. The program is described on the Boy Scout website.
Call BSA Alumni.
There are an estimated 50,000,000 living BSA alumni. Each can register on the Boy Scout web site’s BSA Alumni Connection page. They can also find out about opportunities to re-connect with Scouting.
Visit the Touring Lodge.
The Touring Experiential Lodge is traveling the country on its way to the National Jamboree. The Buckskin Council was not selected to be one of the stops. The closest visits are Louisville, April 23-25; Cincinnati, May 21-23; Columbus, May 29-30; and Pittsburgh, June 4-6.
Go to a Baseball Game.
In partnership with professional baseball, “A Pitch for Scouting” will reach baseball enthusiasts across the country. There will be a Scout Day at all major league ballparks and most minor league ballparks during 2010. The Buckskin Council’s Pitch for Scouting committee and the West Virginia Power will select a date during the 2010 season to celebrate at Power Park in Charleston.
Find Buried Treasure.
Get in the Game is a national, geo-caching game. Scouts and others can use Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers and other orienteering techniques to find “treasures” or caches. Each cache will include information about the value of Scouting and a clue to finding the next cache. The Buckskin Council’s Get in the Game committee will put caches in our area.
Connect with Millions of Other Scouts.
If you can go to the National Jamboree, then go. If you can’t, then join your fellow scouts in A Shining Light Across America. The Jamboree’s July 31st ceremony will be simulcast to locations across America, including a site within the Buckskin Council. You can view the webcast or watch it with your fellow scouts at the Council’s site.