For life! For liberty!

Frontiersman

PALMER — Area Webelos and Boy Scouts came together in the Mat-Su Valley this weekend for outdoors fun and education.

Webelos Scouts participated in a Continental Army encampment weekend to celebrate the life, contributions and legacy of George Washington and to learn a little bit about becoming good men. The skies were cloudless Saturday at The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in Palmer, a.k.a. “Camp Liberty” to 125 Cub Scout Webelos from packs all over Alaska, who gathered in the early morning to begin a day of lesson learning and badge earning at the ninth annual Spirit of George Washington Camporee.

Webelos, which stands for “We’ll Be Loyal Scouts,” is a 20-month program for fourth- and fifth-grade boys to prepare to join a Boy Scout troop while learning outdoors skills and participating in 20 different activity badges. A well-run group of Webelos is a gradual change from being an adult-run den to being a boy-run patrol ready to fit into an adventurous scouting troop. This migration requires parents and den leaders to give scouts more and more control, decision-making power and responsibility as they progress in their skills, abilities and maturity.

Cub Scouts attending the two-day event brought along and slept in tents arranged in a typical Continental Army “Camp Liberty” layout and participated in memorable, hands-on interactive stations. Parents came for support and to lend a hand, but it was all about the boys.

At the Camporee, Webelos fulfilled several tasks required to achieve six major activity badges: Athlete, Citizen, Engineer, Forester, Outdoorsman and Showman. This year’s theme is “Continental Marines,” which involves scouts dressing and acting as if it were the 1700s when America was under attack from the French.

The Camporee hosted seven 25-minute historic and activity stations with a mission at each to accomplish a task in order to earn another badge.

Webelos waited for the ceremonial boom of the cannon, then broke into groups to spent 30-minute increments at Baron Von Steuben’s Military Drill Instruction, a prisoner’s base with four-square period games, George Washington’s A&E Biography video viewing station, performing feats of Marine skill and strength, Valley Forge hut building, rail fence building and flint and steel fire making.

Each Webelos unit, or Cub Scout pack, presented its militia unit flag and participated as a unit for the Camporee.

“Ready for duty, sir!” yells Pack 111.

Units such as the Bedford County Militia, the Massachusetts Militia, the Concord Militia and the Billerica Company rallied together, wearing homemade militia uniforms and cheering for their unit’s support. Some unit ranks were limited, holding as little as three members, while other packs were representative of a small army.

Each unit had a leader, or Cpl. denner, whose job is to assist each Webelo at the stations.

“I get to lead everyone around to each station and help,” said Cpl. denner Michael Kaucic of Pack 367.

This year’s Camporee was hosted by Boy Scout Troop 367, the “Green Mt. Boys,” the Daughters of the American Revolution Sleeping Lady Chapter, Colony High School JROTC, National Outdoor Leadership School, American Legion Post 15, Palmer Lion’s Club and Matanuska Valley Federal Credit Union.

“This Camporee gets better every year,” said Chuck Kaucic, the event’s chairman and Boy Scout Troop 367 leader. “These activities are designed to entertain and to educate our boys about the fellowship.”

At Station 1, Webelos are learning an important lesson about how to build a fire, just as people did in Colonial times but using thin pieces of stones, steel pins and straw to create and catch sparks. An added bonus for the young Scouts was the use of a modern lighter starter — flammable dryer lint — which helped in the windy conditions.

Pack 367 banged its rocks on the steel diligently, waiting for that one spark that would create a flame.

“I wish I had gone into something like this,” said Jesse Smith, who was supporting his son, William, and his Webelos den at the fire building station.

“My other son is a Tiger Cub Scout, so it’s fun watching these guys getting involved,” he said.

Also lending a helping hand were the more experienced Boy Scouts, like Zach Shumaker, 16, of Troop 367.

Shumaker has been in his troop for five years and knows a thing or two about starting a fire.

“It’s nice trying to get the boys involved in the Boy Scouts and getting them to learn a little history as well,” Shumaker said, wearing his tricorn hat and stockings, reminiscent of the early Colonial days.

Shumaker and other Boy Scouts had given their time to the event not to earn recognition or badges, but to promote the scouting brotherhood and spread the values to a new generation.

“You guys are awesome revolutionary soldiers!” exclaimed 1st Lt. Kaite Pemberton.

Pemberton, a Colony High School sophomore and member of JROTC, is teaching Webelos how to stand at attention, turn about face and present arms at Baron Von Steuben’s military drill instruction.

“It’s fun to know that us girls can be involved in a camp for boys, and this is why I love what I do, so I agreed to help out,” Pemberton said.

Baron Von Steuben, or 11-year-old Nathan Barnett, is a Boy Scout in Troop 325 and attended the Camporee as a Webelo.

“Now I get to help the Cub Scouts and shoot off the cannon,” Barnett said.

Tired from Friday’s all-night campfire stories and activities, Barnett dressed up as the Baron to teach Colonial history Saturday to eager Webelos, just a few years younger than him.

Over at the Freedom Theater, Pack 104 assembled to earn a Citizen badge by learning about George Washington, taking notes from an A&E Biography video.

Skills and muscle are put to use as Webelos marched on to perform additional badge earning tasks at the rail fence building, military training and hut raising stations. Here, Scouts chopped wood, moved and stacked enormous logs, performed push-ups and sit-ups, and broke a sweating fervor while having a jolly time.

Tammy Kitchen’s son Dylan, from Pack 360 in Big Lake, is back for year two of the Webelo program because of his passion to excel in Webelos Scout fellowship.

“He loves getting out and spending time with the rest of the boys,” Kitchen said. “Last year was enjoyable for him and he built on skills that helps him relate back to the history of our country.”

Fellow mother and Cub Scout supporter Leah Holmon’s two sons, Gavin and Garrett Birch, also have returned to the Camporee not to just earn badges, but to have fun and hopefully grow up with a structured values system.

“It’s hard when you lose your kids from scouting and the pressures of middle school,” Holmon said. “We’d love for them to transition into Boy Scouts and a clean, social life, and if you bond them tight here and set some expectations, things look a little brighter.”

Chuck Kaucic agrees.

“We touch on skill building, fellowship and Americanism, that’s what it’s all about,” Kaucic said. “I did these things in Scouts and keeping these young men in some sort of involvement is a lifetime tool. We have a legacy of commitment in the Scouts.”

Kaucic said parents have a lot to do with the success of pursuing a legacy of value building that is evident in Scouting.

Contact J.J. Harrier at 352-2269 or valleylife@frontiersman.com.