For three days, they learned, explored, worked toward merit badges, bonded … and made memories.
From the archery lessons to life size chess games, polo to swimming, the estimated six dozen Cub Scouts descending on Riverbank this past week packed plenty of excitement into every day.
Jenn Hetzler, Pack 40 Day Camp Director, said the camp brought together 70-plus Cub Scouts ranging in age from 7 to 11, from the Greater Yosemite Council’s Sierra Valley District. That included scouts from Groveland to Salida, Escalon to Ceres and a couple more outlying areas, said Hetzler.
“We have youth volunteers from local BSA (Boy Scouts of America) Troops and churches, along with adult volunteers,” she said, noting that there were several BSA certified leaders and counselors on hand to help with the projects and activities.
The three-day camp had a ‘Knights of the Roundtable’ theme and was open to Tiger, Wolf and Bear Cubs in addition to Webelos scouts. The camp ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. Scouts and their leaders spent the first two days at Jacob Myers Park along the Stanislaus River, with lessons in archery, chess and studying nature. The third and final day saw activities move to the Community Center Park in Riverbank, adjacent to the swimming pool, for a day full of games and water fun.
There were also leather projects, wood crafts, fun and games and more for the scouts to enjoy.
With the youngsters divided into different groups, each one had an activity to keep them busy on Friday morning, as they rotated through, finishing up some projects and playing a version of polo with small brooms and a bouncing ball. Some used cardboard horses; others did without the horses and just armed themselves with the brooms and took off running. Then they wrapped up the camp with an afternoon of swimming, cooling off as the temperature heated up.
Hetzler said the camp is an annual gathering for the district scouts and one they seem to enjoy, noting that it’s a great way to meet other scouts and work together on projects and merit badges.
The dates for next year’s camp are already set, slated for July 22 through 24, 2015.