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Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

At Camp

Camp Snyder Campmasters – Join the Team!

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Calling all friends of Camp Snyder! Have you been out to Camp Snyder and met our amazing Camp Ranger, Ryan? Did you know that there is a group of volunteers who help Ryan take care of the camp each weekend? That group is the Camp Snyder Campmaster Corps.

Each weekend, one member of the corps comes out and works checking in and checking out visitors, watching over the camp, and making sure that the visitors are having a good visit while on the camp property. The corps covers every weekend from September 1 through the first weekend of June. As you can imagine we need a strong group who are willing to commit to coming out a couple weekends each year to help with coverage. We are reaching out to the Scouting community to extend an invitation to join the corps.

We will be holding an information/training session on Saturday, December 11th from 1pm – 2pm in the Dining Hall at Camp Snyder. The session will cover the expectations of a Campmaster, what a weekend typically looks like, and customer service. If you are interested in learning more about the program and/or joining, please come out on the 11th!

What: Camp Snyder Campmaster Information Session
Where: Camp Snyder Dining Hall
When: December 11
Time: 1pm – 2pm

No advance sign ups necessary!

Get more information on Campmasters at www.gotosnyder.org/work-volunteer/campmaster

Aquia Scouts BSA get “Back to Basics” at Fall Camporee

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Scouts get “Back to Basics” at the Aquia District Fall Camporee.

On the weekend of October 15-17, 2021, 175 Scouts from ten Troops and seven Webelos Dens Aquia District gathered for a joint Camporee and Webelos-ree in Stafford County’s Curtis Memorial Park.

The theme of the Fall Camporee was “Back to Scouting Basics”. In addition to doing typical camping and fellowship activities, Scouts competed as Patrols in a series of basic Scout skills challenges in the Scout Activity Area which the Scouts discovered Saturday morning after a one-mile hike from Curtis Memorial Park. Seventeen patrols demonstrated their knowledge of topics such as navigation with map and compass, first aid, rescue techniques, outdoor preparedness, US flag etiquette, and even basic seamanship. A bonus station involved testing the Patrols’ abilities to cook a nutritious meal while hiking.

The average score of each Troop’s Patrols was added to the score each Troop received from a campsite inspection to determine the winner of the 2021 Commissioners Cup award. Coming in 1st Place was the Bobcat Patrol from Troop 199G and Troop 1717G chartered to Hartwood Presbyterian Church posted the highest overall score! The girls of Troop 1717G will keep the Commissioner’s Cup until the next Aquia District Camporee in 2022.

In the Patrol competition, 2nd Place was earned by the Wolverine Patrol from Troop 840B and in 3rd Place was the Panda Patrol from Troop 218B. Placing 2nd in the overall Troop results was Troop 1717B and 3rd Place was claimed by T26B. Congratulations to all Scouts who did their best!

The Webelos-ree’s theme was “Scouting Olympics”, and centered on teaching and perfecting traditional Scouting skills like knot tying and fire building. However, as with every Scouting activity, there were interesting “adjustments” to each activity. For example, the knot tying station did include rope, of course, but the rope was 50 feet long and 2 inches thick! The eyes of the Scouts popped wide when they saw the rope and realized what they were going to have to do to be successful… And then came the smiles.

The foot races, a standard component of Scouting’s physical fitness mantra, were not merely races against the clock. For instance, there was a 3-legged race where the Scouts had to cooperate and coordinate with each other to get down the track. It proved a good idea to hold this event on the grass, as many Scouts spilled over as they tried to run, laughing as they fell, rolled, struggled to recover, and fell again before finally crossing the finish line. The cheers and laughs from fellow Scouts provided good motivation.

Another of the seven stations the Scouts traversed was fire building, a staple of Scouting experience, skill and knowledge. However, this time the Scouts were amazed to learn they could spark a fire without matches! How? They learned to use steel wool and a 9-volt battery. The amazed and giddy enjoyment of yet another Scout-learning experience was an apt reward for the many adult Scouters who had planned and organized this great weekend.

In the evening, after the end of a fun-filled Saturday, the Webelos and Scouts gathered for a campfire hosted by the Aquia Chapter of the Order of the Arrow, BSA’s honor Scout society. Numerous skits and songs were performed by the Scouts. A great time was had by all!

After a long hiatus from the 3-dimensional fun of the Scouting program, this “Back to Scouting Basics” and “Scouting Olympics” weekend was a welcome reminder that the Scouting program is still alive and well in Stafford, Virginia. Come join us! Learn more about at ncacbsa.org/aquia/.

Goshen Service Weekend Highlights

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The Goshen Staff Alumni Association got a lot done at their recent work weekend. Projects included moving tables, chairs, and equipment from a special event, building 25 brand new platforms for tents, repairing picnic tables, and starting the large project of replacing boards on the Olmsted docks.

Visit Goshen’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/GOSHENNCAC , for more pictures from the weekend.

Want to learn more about the GSAA? www.gotogoshen.org/gsaa

Three Cubs Form Their Own Troop

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This is a success story. Troop 1207 attended Camp Bowman at Goshen this past summer with three scouts and two adults. This may sound like a pathetic turnout, but was actually an amazing turnout for our brand-new troop.

This story starts with a group of three Cubs in an AOL Den, about to graduate from the same Pack, with a dream of recruiting a few friends from other packs and starting their own Scouts BSA Troop. The plan was to file paperwork immediately after the Blue and Gold, and get their charter in time to go to Goshen that summer.

The Blue & Gold was scheduled for March 15th, 2020. Very bad timing. The national COVID-19 shutdown was declared March 13th. The B&G was canceled. The world went into lockdown. Their dreams seemed as empty as the city streets in the early days of the pandemic.

The Blue & Gold was eventually rescheduled for late May, as a Drive-Up graduation broadcast on Zoom. It gave closure, but the enjoyment was short lived. Goshen canceled summer camp. People were afraid to leave their homes. Going for a hike became impossible if the parking lot was even a little bit crowded.

By Fall, vaccines were on the horizon, and people began to poke their noses outside. The three friends hatched a plan: With or without a Troop, they would start meeting, and doing scout stuff.

For the next 10 months, they met every week after school in a local park, and worked their way through the list of requirements of the Scout and Tenderfoot ranks. Rain or shine, cold or heat, they took the requirements one at a time and checked them off. Best of all (from the would-be scoutmaster’s perspective), they did all this knowing that it didn’t count since they weren’t an official troop, and they would have to do it all over again, if they ever did manage to get a troop.

They recruited their friends. They asked their parents to file the paperwork. They kept meeting. The charter was approved June 21st, 2021.

The following week, three scouts from Troop 1207, Vienna, VA, the newest troop in the council, spent the week at Camp Bowman at Goshen. They earned 10 merit badges between them, did all the cooking and cleaning, and summited Viewing Rock.

All of them are signed up to go back in 2022. I call that a scouting success story!

Michael’s Woodshop Ventures Into New Territory

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On October 1, Christina A. of Crew 893 hosted the first Summit Award Project in Michael’s Woodshop, making a set of knot boards for a local Girl Scout Troop. With plenty of bench space, there was ample room to create work stations for drilling, laminating description cards, cutting & binding cords and assembling the knot boards. With good planning and organization and support from fellow crew members, family and friends, Christina was able to successfully complete the knot boards over the course of a busy evening in the shop. Congratulations and job well done!

Michael’s Woodshop may be reserved for use by NCAC youth or Units and it is an exceptional venue for hosting Summit Award Projects, Eagle Scout Projects and other large or complex group projects. The shop is well-outfitted with the tools and work space to create just about any woodworking project. The shop is operated by a team of experienced volunteers who can answer question and provide assistance as you plan your work. A volunteer will also be on hand to provide instruction and supervision throughout your activity.

 

Michael’s Woodshop operates year-round and is a great place for Scouts to create and learn. In addition to working on large projects, the shop may also be reserved for many other Unit activities such as our Baloo the Builder and Webelos Build It workshops and our upcoming Pinewood Derby Days sessions. Please visit the Michael’s Woodshop webpage for more information about the shop capabilities, upcoming events or reserving the shop. If you have questions or would like additional information, please email the volunteer team at MichaelsWoodshop.CWBS@gmail.com

Family Camping is Back at Camp Snyder!

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The ever-popular family camping with activities is available again this fall at Camp Snyder.  You can choose from two weekends, October 22-24 or November 19-21.  Cubs, Scouts BSA and younger and older youth can participate on either weekend.  Sign-up quickly, because these weekends with program activities are limited to 150 participants.

Your Cub or Scout can be as adventurous as they want! They can work on handicrafts and leatherwork, be the BB gun champion, complete a project in the woodshop, shoot archery like Robin Hood, learn through STEM FUN and robotics, as well as climb the daunting Scouterhorn. And the whole family can take a nature walk guided by a Master Conservator or take a COFFEE break and be a SLACKER at the climbing area. And, on your own, your family can fish (bring your pole) or bike (bring your bike and helmet), hike, try the Geocaching course, and cook smores at your campfire. All program activities will be scheduled on an appointment basis to avoid long waits and provide COVID-19 virus precautions. The number of openings for each time slot is limited, so sign up soon to get the best choice of activities.

Families can register and sign up for program activities at  https://www.gotosnyder.org/year-round-events/cub-scout-expo/ .

See you there!