Scouting, Volume 60, Number 6, September 1972 Page: 12
104, [76] p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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played Klondike Derby and showed
emergency rescue techniques.
Three young assistant Scoutmas-
ters directed other booths on map-
reading and compass, camp equip-
ment and the Hot House (fire
making with flint and steel and fric-
tion method, goggles provided
free).
The biggest crowd, though, was
always around the huge stone fire-
place, drawn as I was by the smoke,
the tantalizing aroma, the loud
"yum-yum" and shouts of "Pizza!"
The big Ulcer Gulch sign notwith-
standing, the Badger Patrol did
cooking up brown. There was twist-
on-a-stick, reflector-oven biscuits,
apple cobbler, pizza, the works.
One tearstained Webelos, evi-
dently a too-close-to-the-fire baker,
reflected audience reaction. Waving
a scorched piece of dough at his
mother, he squealed, "Try it. It's
great. And I cooked it!"
I grabbed Tom Zosche, the patrol
leader, by his apron strings and
asked him why his gang had picked
cooking. "Mainly because our
patrol enjoys it," he replied, not
boastfully. "And besides, we're good
at it. We've certainly practiced it
enough." His chef hat bouncing as
he talked, Tom continued, "Our
whole crew worked hard to set all
this stuff up, especially Mark
Walcheske and Chris Klimoweh
over there."
As Tom gesticulated with a flour-
covered hand, a loud "Come and
get it!" rang out. Immediately I
was squeezed out of the booth by
a horde of blue-clad Webelos, each
scampering for a taste of hot bis-
cuit, butter and jam.
As one chipper fellow came walk-
ing back licking his fingers, I asked
him how he liked the show. "Cool,
man. And I even learned some-
thing." Where? "At the rope-making
yard and the Hot House." Why?
"Because I've never done those
things before." Do you want to be
a Scout? "Yeh, but that's the bad
part," he mused. "I just turned 10
last month, but I think I can wait
until I turn 11." And with that,
Timothy Means of the Baptist
Church's Pack 201 skipped away
for another try at something new.
Despite the action, two people
were notable because of their re-
laxed mien. One was smiling, peppy
Dorothy Leamon, a mother who
had just finished her work on some
refreshments down the line some-
where.
And the other? Why Scoutmaster
Walt Donofrio, of course. He spent
most of his time taking color slides
of his crew in action. Walt has been
with Troop 74 for 28 years, most
of that time as Scoutmaster.
"Sure it's work," he agreed when
I mentioned the banner, the booth
equipment and the special gear be-
ing used, "but what type of good
activity isn't? It helps to have ac-
cess to a hall like this. Thank good-
ness we have a strong sponsor
(Montville Reformed Church) and
a friendly minister. Pastor Lewis
Kain believes in Scouting and helps
us a lot."
Interrupting for a quick wave at
two Webelos den leaders who had
just entered, Walt went on, "Be-
sides, a show like this is just darn
good program. Our guys are enjoy-
ing everything as much as the
Webelos. That's what usually hap-
pens when the Scouts pick their
own projects and carry them out.
They always do better this way
than if I tell them exactly what to
do."
Then he concluded with a grin,
"We might even try this show again
when we need more boys."
Later I analyzed the night's in-
gredients—fun, gimmicks, action,
smiles and personal involvement
of everybody there. How better for
Webelos to be introduced to Scout-
ing? How better for them to meet
older Scouts in an informal, relaxed
atmosphere?
Finally, there's one last ingredi-
ent that makes Troop 74 perk and
made its Webelos Welcome a suc-
cess. It was well illustrated when
one Webelos Scout, after making
the rounds, asked one of the Bad-
gers, "Gee, do you do this every
Friday night?"
There was a brief pause, then a
slow, "Well, uh, no—but we do stay
busy." ■
The Webelos party could have been part of a
roundup push, but Troop 74 really didn't
need any new members. The main purpose was
to introduce the Webelos to troop Scouting
and to encourage them to stick around. Who
cared if they joined some other troop?
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 60, Number 6, September 1972, periodical, September 1972; New Brunswick, New Jersey. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth353553/m1/16/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.