This year is the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Scouting movement, and the Hiawathaland Council and the Peninsula Waters girl scout concil had a special council-wide camporee in celebration last this weekend at the U.P. State Fairgrounds. Cassie and I went for the day Saturday, there were all kinds of activities for cubs, scouts, scouters, and girlscouts. There were about 1000 people there.

All the troops were given a country with a Scout program to represent, and each troop had a booth. One troop had a large display with cards from 1968 showing the uniform of every country with scouts. Here's the Scottish card:


Here's my Lady Wife and I next to the firetower display in the Pocket Park


The Fairgrounds has a "Steam Village," with all kinds of shops and such. They weren't all open, but the sawmill was running, and the blacksmith's shop was open. The smith, who I had never met before, invited me in to work at the forge. I made a brooch, then the smith left to get lunch. A troop had just come up, so I kept working to show them how a blacksmith works and what he does, and a bit of the history. They were very interested. I ended up missing the Eagle Scout reception, but I was teaching so I think it was worth it. I can't seem to go anywhere without getting flithy.


No kilts here, but this is something from the opening ceremony. They had all scouters who had been involved 40 years or more come foreward. The man who had been involved the longest had been a scout for 74 years. This gentleman was the oldest scout in the district (the whole council, actually). He started with scouts in the 1930s, and is 103 years old! He's older than the Tin Lizzie he's sitting in!


A lot of people asked me about the kilt. Some of my old friends from scout camp teased a bit. What I thought was interesting was that the Cub and Boy Scouts seemed to take it more in stride than the Girl Scouts. One, about 11 or 12, came up behind me when I was looking at one of the world scouting booths and asked me something, I think it was about cookies. I turned and she just froze, and looked at me like I was from another planet. I don't think she was expecting the beard. There was a girl scout booth right next to where I was standing, and still staring at me she asked one of them if I was a Boy Scout. So I told her yes.

Another girl, around the same age, stopped dead in her tracks when she passed me when I was standing next to a fire ring. I said hello, she just stood and stared, then ran off. Very strange.

It was a good day. Lots of fun, lots of activities.