OK, last post. I am pleased to report that my computer, pronounced dead by the Jamboree IT guys, has apparently resurrected itself. Hallelujah! Me thinks it was a victim of heat stroke. I am, needless to say, pleased that I don't have to add a new computer to my list of Jambo expenses.

It was a long drive home to NW Arkansas, but what a wonderful experience. Your decision to send your sons on this journey was a good one and one they will always remember and treasure. Blessings to all! Until next time....farewell!

So much to do!

I have spent a few hours most days out and about checking out all the Jamboree action. I have not come close to hitting EVERYTHING, but I have certainly seen enough to be impressed with the vast and varied activities available to the boys. Most impressive to me is the quality of instruction at the merit badge and activity areas. Taught by adults, here scouts have a chance to really learn about things that interest them from caring, dedicated, professionals in their field.

Today I visited the Conservation Area. It is huge and full of well done, hands-on displays from the Game and Fish, US Forest Service, Corps of Engineers, and waaaay more. I crawled through a cave and learned about bats; met some indigenous reptiles; played the engineer as I guided a boat through a lock and dam; talked to a paleontologist about his dinosaur bones; panned for gold; learned about endangered and invasive species; identified the features of good and bad Leave No Trace campsites; watched boys crawl through sewer pipes as if they were grease; learned about erosion with a demonstration model, among other things. As you can tell, I was pretty fascinated with the raptors that were tethered there.

I did a little shotgun shooting and was very impressed with their set up. At the range I visited they were shooting 12 gauge shot guns at sporting clays (there are four additional 20 gauge ranges). The range is set up to service 5 sets of scouts per coach, 10 at a time. Yes, 50 shooters at a time. In two days they had 1400 scouts through that one range, 10 shots each. They get a 20 minute safety lesson then they shoot clays from three different directions, both singles and doubles. Very fun and not impossible even for beginners like me!

Just another 36 hours or so before the troops leave and another 42 until the majority of the staff will gone. Tomorrow many troops will move in and load their trailers and after 4pm, the staff will start to break down program areas. Staff are trading patches and exchanging business cards and reflecting on the week. In the troop camps, the leaders are holding meetings and letting their scouts know what tomorrow will hold as they prepare to leave.

Tonight the staff had their celebration dinner -- steak, fresh sweet corn and potatoes with live music -- prepared by our awesome dining hall staff. Staff patches and Southern Region belt buckles were distributed as thank you gifts and many kind words were spoken. We're not quite ready to leave, but we are thinking about it. Hopefully there will be another post tomorrow...we'll see if I can get on Vance's computer again. If not, I hope you have enjoyed the blog and a glimpse of the Jambo. It has been fun and I would staff again in a heartbeat! Goodnight!

Readers, this post is from Jordan Davis, a Hometown News correspondent from Fort Smith, AR and part of the Westark Area Council contingent. I thought it might be nice to have a scout's perspective on Jamboree. Enjoy!

From Jordan:

Up in Fort A.P. Hill, VA is where we are at this 2010 National Scout Jamboree. I'm enjoying this chance to connect to you all back home from a first-person point-of-view, much different from my edited articles in the newspaper back home in Fort Smith.
From this scout perspective, I'd like to say that I'm having an awesome time as a scout here, for many reasons. I don't want to write a 1000-word essay here, but just to explain several of the things going on.
Merit Badge Midway, for one, is a 'midway' that consists of almost all the available merit badges in Boy Scouts. I'm currently working on the Railroading badge, while several of my other buddies are participating in things like Dentistry, Crime Prevention, Metalwork, Pioneering, Golf, and so much more. This is a great place for us scouts to work on our required and non-required badges to get us up to the rank of Eagle!
When we're not there, we could be at a varitey of other places, including (but certainly not limited to) any of the three given action centers, where trap shooting and other gun activities, swimming and snorkling, and patch trading are big things. There are plenty of vendors available for a quick snack while the boys are in the centers looking at things set up by organizations like the Army National Guard.
When we're done with the day and are tired and worn out, we head back to camp to prepare dinners to eat, all of which are more than sufficient. I'd have to say my favorite, most interesting dinner would be a few nights ago when it was Iron Chef Night, and we were given ingredients like Mac-and-Cheese and Spam and things to make a salad. Each night is very interesting, and I'm so glad our Spam-and-Cheese meal turned out well!
This doesn't even touch base of all the exciting things going on here- things like the Technology Quest, where lots of new technological and robotic things are available to work and play with.
I must put in for my position, one of the reasons of why I get this laid-back and special opportunity to blog from a first-person point-of-view, being a Hometown News Correspondent. Perhaps you've seen my two articles in the Southwest Times Record in Fort Smith? When we toured Washington, D.C. prior to the jamboree, four of the boys from our jamboree troop got the special opportunity to place a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. My second story was about the amazing new Scout stamp that was unveiled just a few days ago, which I would recommend all of you to get at your local post office!
Enough of my commerializing my position though. In additon, an exciting thing that is hot at the jamboree is the Patch of the Day, of which there are only 2010 made each day for the entire jamboree, which makes them extraordinarily special and valuable to collect.
And I must add one last thing: The Shining Light Across America event last night, a.k.a. the Closing Arena Show, was amazing. People like Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs, the world-known band Switchfoot, and many other awesome people made this show happen, and it was a real tear-jerker toward the end. If you missed it, you missed something amazing!
Thanks guys, for reading the blog, and thank you Trish, for letting me take this time to share my point of view!

The camp is still a buzz over Saturday night's incredible "Shining Light Across America" arena show. Our subcamp started walking at 4:15 led by Ryan Lemons and his buglers. The walk this time was a little more leisurely as it was later in the day and everyone was tired from the days activities. But there was still some boisterous song singing and chanting along the way. Since we stepped off so early a non-refrigerated backpack meal was provided. Some troops too more provisions like these guys.






The arena show staff does a great job of providing entertainment for those that show up first at the arena. After our 45 minute walk we settled in and watched Trinidad & Tobagos, a youth steel drum band and the Crazyhorse, SD, Native American dancers. Following that was a pretty crazy thing - first, picture a couple hundred scouts dressed in plastic ponchos. Now seat them in bleachers and unroll a huge see-thru "canvas" of sorts over their heads and give them a paint brush to fill in the pattern and "voila!"
Scouts were encouraged to text the messages to the stage and they appeared on the main center jumbotron. These were everything from "Hi Mom!" to troop greetings and funny comments. Messages were also posted by those watching at home to scouts in the the crowd. Three scouts were aloft in lifts and did some of the announcing from there while overlooking the crowd.

At one point it began to rain slightly and everyone broke out their rain gear. Fortunately it was very light and did not last long.


Then came the countdown and the main show began. Huge fires were lit on the tops of the stage pillars and some awesome pyrotechnics signaled the start of the show in front of 70,000 excited folks in the arena and thousands more watching at home via TV and webcasts. A young scout sounded the kudu horn and Chief Scout Executive Bob Mazucca addressed the crowd and then "rappelled" down to the stage (or so it appeared!). The crowd was pumped!

It wasn't long before the big guest, Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs was brought in riding the bucket of a front end loader. Mike explained his issue with the scout law to be "clean", a tough bill for the self-proclaimed "ambassador of dirt." Then he showed his shirt that said, "A Scout is clean...but not afraid to be dirty." "Get uncomfortable and like it," he told the scouts. He was great fun and we were sad to see him go. (I couldn't find a YouTube link - yet - but here is the link to the pre-video he did http://www.youtube.com/watch?v/=A6jdeAEVdns)

(added later) Here is a link to a video of Rowe's inspirational and very fun message. It starts at 30 seconds in: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Znobtgls0OY


A video salute to scouting in the movies highlighted scenes from and references to scouting in cinema and a rapper sang a theme song from the movie Scout Camp before the band Switchfoot took the stage. Their music was loud and raucous....and the boys loved it. The finale was patriotic, scoutly and tugged the heart strings of everyone there. Great music, an amazing choreographed fireworks show, more history retrospect, more scouting feel good ---- simply amazing stuff. Here are some highlights of the show...

Here is the final sequence...(the last bit comes with sound - fair warning!)

(added later) Here is a much better, longer, version of the final sequence that you can actually hear the music to -- it was shot much further back than we were. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1Pmmt5gjqc

It was nearly 10:45 when the show finished and a jubilant crowd started heading back to camp. Left behind were 182 Arrowmen cleaning up after the amazing rock concert-styled show. They had about 2000 man hours in by the time they were done, finishing up around 1:00 a.m. -- just two and a half hours.

More to come.....

Thursday Evening

Not often does the entertainment of the Jamboree come to our back door. Last night was the exception when the BSA hot air balloons showed up. Many boys took advantage of the sight and visited with the men in charge. As a finale to their visit, the treated us to a "glow".

On the hillside overlooking the balloons was Ryan again tutoring a bugler.

On my way back to camp I noted that there was some serious patch trading going on even tough it was dark. While there is a lot of trading going on, these guys were pretty serious about it, according to the boys walking by. They had two tables set up, chairs, lanterns, a radio playing QBSA, a fan and "free water" for their customers. Pretty funny.

The patch trading frenzy has been taking place since day one of the Jamboree on blankets on the side of the road, under trees -- where ever the trader feels like they can get some traffic. This afternoon I took a spin around the far side of the Jamboree and noted that the trading was just as rampant there. Scouts were even bringing out their cots and using them as makeshift tables for their goods. Large crowds were gathered to take a look at the offerings.

Are you interested in hearing Sec. of Defense Robert Gate's speech from the Arena Show? It is a good read and very heart-warming to those of us who love the Boy Scouts of America. Check it out:

http://www.defense.gov/Speeches/Speech.aspx?SpeechID=1494

We have had a beautiful, mild day today. Nice cool breeze and only highs of 87 or so -- but little humidity. Fabulous.

Thursday was yesterday...

Yesterday, Thursday, was a hot one with intermittent rain showers. Thunderstorms were threatening but did not materialize, but we did have one very hard rain with really large drops. I went to check our tent (too late) and got drenched letting down the sides. Inside the big army tent I covered beds with plastic to keep the ceiling drips off. Floorless, a few low spots collected water but quickly soaked in and dried. Later, the sun came out and as you can guess, it was oppressively steamy.

I did not get a post out last night because while uploading photos it became unresponsive. The Jambo IT guys came by, checked a few things and told me there was nothing they could do to get it running again. They figured it had gotten too hot -- and they were probably right, despite having it propped up and a fan on it. If you would like to contribute to the Trish-Love-I-Have-To-Have-A-New-Computer-Because-Mine-Fried-At-Jambo Fund, I will let you know where to mail the check!

So as not to disappoint our followers, I am now using Vance Lacky's personal computer. Vance is a Scouting professional from Georgia and keeps us in stitches. Thanks for the loan, Vance.

Thursday morning I visited the Order of the Arrow Mysterium Compass. It is, reportedly, a very cool "augmented reality" experience for boys only - no adults allowed. Actors portray various scenarios and he Scouts have to make decisions and take actions as they go through. Outside the Compass is "The Vault." Think you are a memorabilia or patch collector? THINK AGAIN. A guide told me that the display represents about $8 million dollars and nearly every bit of it belongs to one man. It was all displayed in plexi-glass wall cases. Various rooms highlighted areas such as Diversity; merit badges and insignia at the beginning; old patches by state, representing different camps; Service; Scouting founders and more. One of the fascinating things shown was a long, cloth piece to which all the original patches had been sewn and pins pinned. The piece belonged to a traveling salesman who would go from council to council. I took great pleasure in watching the scouts reaction and seeing their interest to the "old stuff". Many photos were taken by youth -- proof that Scouting is indeed timeless in its appeal. Here are a few highlights.

As you parents know, boys of scouting age can be bottomless pits when it comes to food. To ease their hunger there are many concessions around the Jamboree. This concession was doing a booming business selling hamburgers, fries and chicken strips among other things.

I did a walk through the our subcamp which nearly overlaps subcamp 14 from the Central Region and took pictures of the troop gateways. Arizona brought 10 troops I think and designed gateways on an old Southwest ghost town theme that all worked together and was connected by a split rail fence.

The Commissary gets very busy at times. I took a few shots of some of the scouts coming after their food. Each troop is to bring a wagon for this purpose. After getting their food they head to the cooler if there is something cold, then to the ice chests for bagged ice.

More later...

Arena Show Highlights the Day!

Morning came early to our subcamp. We stepped off on the "march" to the arena at 6:45 a.m. - the first subcamp to head that way in a carefully choreographed mobilization. Ever hiked with boy scouts? This was supposed to be a "leisurely" walk, but was instead a brisk walk thanks to some chipper, excited scouts. And good for them! Most got up at 5:00 or 5:30, so if they can get up, eat a cold breakfast, put on their tan field uniforms, Jambo neckerchief and get on the road that early I will happily let them set the pace.

Mobilization steps off at Subcamp 20-21

What an awesome site to see! It was a steady stream of uniformed humanity. From our camp it was 1.7 miles. It grew along the way as we picked up scouts from the Central Region. When we turned the corner into the arena we looked upon a vast field of dusty grass dotted with cases of bottled water. We had also been told to take three water bottles and been handed other bottles of water along the way. While at the arena the Jambo medical staff kept a close eye on the crowd looking for signs of distress. As the morning haze burned off it did get warmer than we would have liked and they hotly pursued their mission for hydration.

Photos of the mobilization and arena show
(explanations below)

All this concern for water intake stemmed from the last Jamboree when far too many scouts and scouters were affected by the heat. It didn't help that they had mobilized later in the day and had to wait for hours in the hot sun to accommodate a presidential appearance. (I would have loved for the boys to see the President, but really, the security procedures are daunting.)

Scout Band entertains with sing-along of "Hey Baby (Would you be my girl)"

Things were already happening on stage when we arrived ahead of schedule. Music was played by the Jamboree band, made up of both youth and adults ("Heeey, Hey baby! I wanna know-ow-ow, would you be my gal," Philmont Hymn, and some great patriotic music, among others). Videos were played advertising upcoming events at the finale arena show, including one by Mike Rowe, Eagle Scout, and host of the cable TV show Dirty Jobs. Mike's comments were pretty funny, but had a great message. He was advocating removing "clean" from the Scout Law because if you don't get dirty, you can't do anything fun or do any good works. He has a point! A Mike Rowe shirt is available at the trading post that comments on getting dirty. It is "dyed" using red dirt and is very popular. (If your kid comes home with one, be sure you read the washing instructions!)

The pre-show also included a bit of scout competition, hosted by a couple of Eagle Scouts who have appeared on reality TV shows Survivor and the Great Race (or something like that, I am not a reality show watcher). They got some scouts to team up and the competition was to stack five apples on top of each other using whatever they could think of to do it. There was a little creativity, using pens to hold them together and such. (I would have mashed one end flat.)

Throughout the pre-show scouts continued to pour in until the 13 acre natural amphitheater was a sea of tan. It was a sight to see. The huge jumbo-tron screens were wonderful and gave everyone a great view of what was happening. Southern Region, was one of the first to be seated and was right up front.

Meanwhile, back at camp, Robert Gates flew into the landing field behind the camp and was whisked away in Secret Service suburbans and taken the back way to the arena. No one saw him specifically, but the cars were a dead give away.

Finally, a little after 9:00 (with a few troops STILL coming in) the show began with a big countdown. A snappy upbeat version of The Stars and Stripes Forever brought in troop American flags from the back with moving pageantry (chill bumps) and the show began in earnest. It was emceed by the two millionth Eagle Scout, Anthony Thomas, who did a fabulous job. Anthony received his Eagle on June 17, 2009 in Lakewood, MN.

The big guest was of course Robert Gates. He was phenomenal. Brought tears to my eyes. He is an Eagle Scout, of course, and spoke of his unremarkable youth, his entry into Washington, DC as a CIA agent and his rise to Secretary of Defense. Very inspirational. The boys were moved also. (Here is a link to a video of his address. It was very moving. I encourage all who love the Boy Scouts to watch: http://www.dodvclips.mil/?skin=oneclip&fr_story=FRdamp374445&rf=ev&autoplay=true)

Bob Mazucca, Chief Scout Executive wished the boys a good event and encouraged them to embrace the program. Tico Perez, National Scout Commissioner (a volunteer position) did the same.

Special guests were Sgt. Slaughter, of World Wrestling Entertainment fame and his entourage; Miss America whose most important words reminded the boys that they were the future husbands and fathers of the country and therefore their character counts. Also appearing was the Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team, the US Army Herald Trumpets, and the Golden Knights paratrooper team. Interspersed were some neat videos, one of which was a great historical one that had photos spanning the 100 year history of BSA and so much more, all set to music the kids would enjoy.

The last musical number was Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, complete with canons fired by the National Guard. AWESOME! Then the huge crowd was dismissed by region and left in a far less orderly fashion than it came in. After the show many of us explored a part of camp we had not yet seen, drifting back to camp late. More on that another time.

I would invite you to see some (better) close up shots of the Arena Show at http://www.bsajamboree.org
It was a wonderful, inspirational day, but my bed is calling. Good night all.