Here’s some good news to get you in the mood for fireworks: the Marriott Scout Service Center will reopen to the public on Monday, July 6, 2020!
We will be opening in phases, so there will be limited staff support during this time. There will be someone at the front desk to assist with your Scouting needs, but we encourage everyone to continue to do as much of their Scouting business as possible electronically. If you have paperwork or materials to turn in, please visit us; otherwise, please call or email.
The Scout Shop at MSSC will reopen on July 10, 2020. They will offer modified hours Monday – Friday, 10am – 6pm, Saturday 10am – 2pm and closed on Sunday.
All visitors are required to wear face coverings while they are in the MSSC. Bathrooms will not be available to the public, and there will continue to be no in-person meetings or gatherings. If you are not feeling well or have been in contact with someone who may be infected with COVID-19, please plan to visit us another time. We are committed to protecting the health of our staff and volunteers.
That said, we are excited to be reopening and look forward to seeing you again soon!
All of us have been living the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic with many of this year’s annual spring and summer Scouting events being canceled. But, as Baden-Powell once said: “A Scout goes about with a smile on and whistling. It cheers [them] and cheers other people, especially in times of danger, for [a Scout] keeps it up all the same.” A Scout is Cheerful! All Scouts live this part of the Scout Law; Order of the Arrow Arrowmen are specifically committed to “Cheerful Service” and promise to “… seek to preserve a Cheerful Spirit” (excerpted from the Order of the Arrow Obligation).
Enthusiasm was running high! The Scouts immediately began to come up with ideas that would both honor our Nation’s Flag and offer instruction, demonstration, and education to fellow Scouting families. Every level of Scouting incorporates a Scout’s Duty to Country. The OA leaders’ goal was to make it so any individual Scout or Scouting Unit would be able to use the video as a resource. Parents could use this at home with their Scouts and other family members as well. Since the idea began the last week of May, they only had about two weeks to hit their video’s targeted release date of June 14th, Flag Day – this included production and editing. Very ambitious!
person or as a group, so the collaboration had to be done completely via group phone calls and video conferences. Another challenge was that everyone had different devices that took videos in different ways – a real challenge when editing; but the team pressed on undaunted. A Google Drive was set up so that each participant/contributor could upload a video or slide from home. The Aquia OA Advisors then took all submissions and put them together into one presentation. It was successfully uploaded to the Aquia and Aquia OA Facebook pages on the target date for Flag Day, June 14, 2020 and shared at this link: 
BSA Troop 670 from Manassas, VA worked with the Georgetown South Community Center Manager, Meg Carroll, to collect 2,393 food items and $150 in cash donations to benefit a local neighborhood and nearby apartment complexes. Georgetown South is a low-income community in Manassas, VA with over 4,500 residents. The Scouts in Troop 670 used social media, email, and phone calls to advertise the food drive. Many boys distributed fliers around their neighborhoods to advertise further.
Adventures of Pack-Man and Newbie – Bake Off
My father was a Star Scout during the Depression, and when I turned 11 and joined a Scout troop he did as well. Within a short time, he became the Scoutmaster and I learned a lot about Scouting and being a Scoutmaster from him. We shared our names, so when I reentered Scouting (and also became a Scoutmaster), I used his name tag from the ‘60s and his position patch to remind me of his legacy. He did not live to see his grandson become an Eagle Scout, but perhaps one day we will have another Scout leader in the family.