The rescheduled Klondike Derby was finally held on January 30th. We couldn't have had a better day - just below freezing so there was no mud, plenty of sunshine and no wind.
We got a late start due to a couple of boys playing on the Park Middle School basketball team and only were able to take part in three of the activities, but it sounded like everyone had fun in the activities we were able to do. The boys were able to take second place in the fire building station and received a ribbon for their efforts.
We wound up cooking dinner in the parking lot. It saved us having to carry everything to a campsite only to carry it back and the higher elevation of the parking lot gave us plenty of late sunshine and a great view of the setting sun. We had a little medical mishap and had to take one boy to the office for first aid. I’m proud to say that everyone handled themselves calmly and appropriately during this incident.
The evening campfire was a cozy affair. The boys showed great enthusiasm which earned them a bag of Blow-Pops for the ride home. The culmination of the campfire was a flag retiring ceremony. I am proud that we had four scouts selected to participate in this ceremony including our new Chaplain's Aide who gave a benediction for the flags.
Despite the short time available, the Klondike Derby was a great event for us and fantastic kickoff to the Centennial year. I’m proud of the way each boy conducted himself and want the parents and the boys to know that they should be proud as well.
Jim
