"Days 6 - 10" by JAMBOREE 2010! | The Pilot: Southern Pines, NC

Days 6 - 10

August 4, 2010

On Saturday, I visited the American Indian Village where there were various historical re-enactments.

On Saturday, we also attended another arena event to celebrate the 100th anniversary of boy scouting. First, we saw a video message from President Obama. Next, Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs made a guest appearance. He was an eagle scout and talked to us about how positive scouting was in his life. He also told us that, “A Scout is clean … but not afraid to get dirty.” After Rowe left a band called Switchfoot played for us. Next, we participated in “A Shining Light Across America.” Each scout held a candle and once we received the flame we passed a part of our flame to another Scout. After everyone's candle was lit, we all held them up and blew them out at the same time. It was really cool!

On Sunday, I attended church service in the morning. In the afternoon, I went to the Merit Badge Midway where there were lots of exhibits on the different metis badges. There were all sorts of interesting things to do there.

On Monday, I finished earning all 5 "rockers" or acheivements. While at the jamboree, scouts try to earn the five rockers. These rockers represent the core value areas of Scouting. The first rocker was for the 5k run. The second rocker represented Duty to God. The third rocker was for participating in the outback centers which included scuba diving. The fourth rocker was for participating in the activities centers, such as the Merit Badge Midway. Other activity areas include an American Indian village display that was run by the Order of the Arrow (the Boy Scout honor society) of which I am a member. I was very proud of this accomplishment because many scouts that attend the jamboree do not achieve all 5 rockers.

On Tuesday, I took an amateur radio course. Now, I am looking forward to obtaining my certification as a ham radio operator. This will allow me to talk to people from many different places and will be an excellent source of communication during emergencies also.

Well, it is almost time to pack up and head home. This has been a great experience that I will never forget.

CNMT 2 years, 9 months ago

I hope you enjoyed your time at National Jamboree - it truly is a once in a lifetime experience. My son got to go several years ago (he is 29 now, so it has been several years!). He also met lots of new friends and traded lots of patches, including OA patches as he was also a member of OA (as am I). He took lots of pictures and we still have them to relive the experience. He got to celebrate his birthday at Jamboree - complete with a birthday cake that I could order online before he got there! Keep working toward that Eagle Scout. My son earned his Eagle Scout also - I was one proud Mom at that ceremony and still have a shadow box on the wall to remember that whole journey. Thanks for sharing with us thru the blogs. I know this has been an experience you will never forget.