Community Corner
East Hampton Boy Scouts Take Part in National Jamboree
Troop 298 boys spend 10 days in West Virginia for Scouting gathering.
Eight local Scouts and Scouters from East Hampton Boy Scout Troop 298 returned this week from the 10-day National Scout Jamboree, a gathering of tens of thousands of Scouts from the U.S. and around the world that happens once every four years.
The Troop 298 members who went as part of the 180-member Suffolk County Council, B.S.A., contingent included adult leaders Joanne Schaefer, who served as a Scoutmaster, Paul Casciotta, who was a 1st assistant Scoutmaster, and Scouts Mario Casciotta, Travis Santiago, Brenden Farrell, Taylor Murphy, Andrew Wilson and Matthew Lester. They were placed in Jambo Troop D222, with other Scouts from the East End and elsewhere in the county.
This was the first time the National Jamboree took place at its new permanent location, Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia. Before arriving at the Summit on July 15, the Suffolk County Scouts spent a day at Hersey Park and a day at Gettyburg.
Activities at the Jamboree included rock climbing, whitewater rafting, zip lining, BMX racing, skateboarding, scuba diving, and more. Troop D222 also took part in a hike to the highest elevation of Summit Bechtel, a "technology quest" featuring exhibits by NASA and National Geographic, and a day of service in Lewisburg, West Virginia, where they cleared brush to make way for a walking path connecting a public park with a community garden. For the closing show, the band 3 Doors Down performed. Speakers included Mike Rowe of "Dirty Jobs" and Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf.
Disclosure: Writer Brendan J. O'Reilly attended the National Jamboree as an assistant Scoutmaster.
