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.