July 31st, 2010 - Day 8

With a new day upon us, a new adventure is about to begin for us all. Starting with a French toast breakfast you could see the boys were still exhausted from yesterday and not quite awake yet. Knowing that a good day was ahead of them they all went their separate ways, with a buddy of course, to take on whatever came their way.

As I left the campsite on my way to the Action Center, I spotted that the bathroom crew still had a good sense of humor by the ornaments placed on the front of their vehicle. Our Action Center is located just across the main road by our campsite, and features a number of fun activities for the boys to participate in. Activities in the Action Center include Archery, Rappelling, Climbing, Air Rifle, Trapshooting, BMX, Bikathlon, and Buckskin Games. At Buckskin games boys are able to do several events ranging from; popping a balloon with a whip, branding, hawk throwing, roping, and of course black powder. All these activities are not only fun, but help the scouts experience things that they wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to experience at home.

Temperatures at the Jamboree have begun to cool down making life outside at the Jamboree a little more bearable for everyone, including the many visitors. Every day the Jamboree allows only so many visitors to be on site and today was no exception. With the arena show tonight, people began arriving early to secure their spot for scouting’s centennial celebration called “A Shining Light”. It was my understanding that the Jamboree reached their capacity limit by 9:30 AM a full ten and a half hours before the show even began. All day visitors could be seen walking around the Jamboree participating in the activities and experiencing the long lines at every station, store, and event that the boys have grown accustomed to over the last week.

Before

After

By request of the senior patrol we were required to be back in camp a little earlier today than normal so we had time to assemble and gather our evening “on the go” meal. It wasn’t much of a meal to begin with and knowing this ahead of time I stopped by the kettle corn trailer before getting back to camp so I would have a snack for later. Before we left camp we assembled underneath our gateway for a group picture of all the boys looking nice in their Class A uniforms. Just like the last arena show the whole process getting to the show went pretty smooth considering this time there was almost twice as many people in attendance. As we got there the pre-show had already started and was keeping everyone entertained until the main event. When we got to our seats, or I guess I should say patch of ground, we were located a little farther back and to the left from our spot at the last show. The crowd was already enormous when we got there and was still growing as we waited for the show to start.

Just before the start of the show, Barack Obama addressed the scouts through a short pre-recorded video, which contained no apology for not being able to make it to either show, a tradition that every President before him as done. Clinton and Bush both missed the Jamboree during their first term in office but were able to attend during their second term, keeping the tradition alive. The first part of the show started off with a bang as the arena was lit up by huge flames located on the top of stage and live video feed from remote locations around the nation joining in on the 100 year celebration. This lead into a song performed by several scouts wishing scouting a happy birthday that included dancing and in upbeat tone that set the stage for the rest of the show but for the next 100 years as well. Other guests included Eagle Scout – Mike Rowe from Dirty Job’s, Singer – Alex Boye, Chief Scout Executive – Bob Mazzuca, Rock Band – Switchfoot, Jamboree Chairman – Terry Dunn, and musical group – Honor Society. The real highlight for many though was the tremendous firework display at the end to mark our step into the next century of scouting.

President Obama's Speech Transcript

At the end of the show as we headed back to camp, amongst the crowded Jamboree streets the talk was all about wonderful the show was. I can’t speak for everyone but I do have to admit that the show was pretty good and one of the better arena shows that I have seen in my three jamborees. It was a good way to end the day for it wasn’t long after everyone got back that we all settled down for a good nights rest.