Local Boy Scouts arrive, set up camp at Jamboree
By David Joyner
Published in News on July 28, 2010 1:46 PM
BOWLING GREEN, Va. -- More than 40,000 Boy Scouts gathered Monday at Fort A.P. Hill Military Training Facility near Bowling Green, Va., for the National Scout Jamboree.
Between the hours of 6 a.m. and 4 p.m., Scouts flooded the fields of the fort to set up campsites. During this time, the area, deemed "Tent City," quickly became the fastest growing city in the world, with thousands of "homes" popping up each hour.
A contingency of 40 Scouts and Scouters departed from Camp Tuscarora in Four Oaks, around 7:30 a.m. and arrived at A.P. Hill just before 2 p.m. The group consists of scouts from Wayne, Sampson, Johnston and Duplin counties. They quickly got to work setting up tents, cots, and make-shift kitchens.
Once camp had been set up, the Scouts sat down their patrols for a much anticipated supper of Jamboree-provided barbecue sandwiches.
As the sun began to set, Jamboree hot spots included the sidelines of the staff's dodgeball game, between campsites to meet Scouts from across the country, and the Trading Post, which maintained a two-hour waiting line until its closing.
The Tuscarora contingency met at 9:30 pm to plan for today and recap the day's events.
The 10:30 p.m.signaled lights out and almost at once flashlights, lamp-posts, and campfires were extinguished, looking up, many Scouts saw the stars more clearly than they ever had before.
This morning the troop will participate in the "Mysterium Compass," an Order of the Arrow adventure, which will test scouts on making real life decisions through augmented reality games.
The Jamboree, which runs through Aug. 4, expects to accommodate over 80,000 participants per day. Expected guest speakers range from Mike Rowe of the TV reality show "Dirty Jobs" to Miss America.
The event is off to a great start and Scouts are guaranteed the experience of a lifetime.
Follow the News-Argus through Aug. 4 for more from the Scouts at the Jamboree. Tuscarora Council Scouts David Joyner and Victor Thomas will be reporting daily for The News-Argus.