Boy Scouts of America celebrate 95 years

The Boy Scout program was first developed in England by Lord Robert Baden-Powell and was brought to America because a boy did a “Good Turn” - an act of kindness for which he sought no reward. It happens that an American named William D. Boyce lost his way on the foggy streets of London. A boy walked up and asked if he could be of assistance. Mr. Boyce told him where he wanted to go and the boy led him to his destination. But when Boyce offered him some money, the boy said “No thank you, I am a scout. I won’t take anything for helping.” Mr. Boyce was so impressed that he met with Lord Baden-Powell. He liked what Baden-Powell told him and he knew that boys in the USA would want to be scouts, too.

On Feb. 8, 1910, Mr. Boyce and a group of businessmen, educators, and political leaders founded the Boy Scouts of America. That is why the first Sunday in February each year is celebrated as Scout Sunday by Troops all across America. On Sunday, Feb. 6, Troop 64 from Waukon helped celebrate the Boy Scouts of America 95th anniversary.

The Boy Scouts of America helps boys discover their potential through various outdoor activities. They learn to care for themselves in all kinds of weather, set their own significant goals, reach for them, and grow in strength and confidence. The boys develop into the kind of men our country needs as active citizens, committed to the principals set forth by the Scout Oath and Law. They also develop into leaders who can fulfill important responsibilities in their communities and nation. The scouting program helps boys develop into good men with an understanding of community service.

Boy Scouts of America developed a younger boy program in 1930 called Cub Scouting that has rank advancements for boys age 6 through 11. They are Tiger, Bobcat, Wolf, Bear, First Year Webelos, and Second Year Webelos. “Webelos” means We’ll Be Loyal Scouts. Boys do not have to be in Cub Scouts to be in Boy Scouts, but they must have completed the fifth grade and be 10 1/2 years old.

At the troop level, scouts age 11 to 18 advance in rank called the “Trail to Eagle.” There are seven ranks: Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, and Eagle. Frequent Scoutmaster Conferences are held where the boys are asked about their goals in scouting, quizzed on what they’ve learned, and asked if there is any help they need to reach the goals they have set for themselves.

Venture Scouts is a co-ed program for older scouts age 14 to 21 where they learn skills for demanding ultimate adventures and sports activities. Canoeing, hiking, cycling, basketball, soccer, or volleyball are just a few of the activities they might participate in. The Northeast Iowa Council is in the process of trying to find adult leadership to develop a Venture Crew in Waukon. Today, scouting is a world wide program of youth groups serving several million boys and girls ages 6 to 21.

Over the years there have been several Waukon Boy Scout Troops including Troop 42 in 1930 and Troop 46 from 1931-1963. There was also a Troop 48 in 1931 and Troop 45 ran from 1938-1949 and the current Troop 64 was organized in October of 1958. Since the 1970s, Scoutmasters have been Dave Duncklee, Ernie Lubahn, Jim Wadsworth, Lawrence Benda, John Troendle, Don Haler, and Arnie Laures since Jan. 1996.

Waukon’s Troop 64 is in the Dellaykee District of the Northeast Iowa Council of Boy Scouts of America and is chartered by VFW Post 4117 of Waukon. The current roster includes 32 scouts and 29 adults as registered members of Troop 64. Since 1958, 22 scouts have obtained the rank of Eagle Scout and there are several in the troop that have projects started or completed and will be adding their name to the plaque that is displayed in the court house lobby that honors those that have earned the Eagle Scout rank. There are also 38 people from the Waukon community registered as merit badge counselors and at the local level all the leaders and adults involved in the program are volunteers.

Activities are an important part of scouting. Troop 64 has a philosophy to keep the boys active by using High Adventure Trips as an incentive. Some of the High Adventures include hiking in the Wyoming Rockies in 1992, Boundary Waters canoe trips in 1994, 1999, and 2002, a three-day canoe trip on the Upper Iowa in 1996, a hiking, fishing, and sightseeing trip to the Black Hills in South Dakota in 1997, white water canoeing on the Flambeau River in Wisconsin in 2000, Spanish Peaks Scout Reservation in Colorado in 2001, and Florida Sea Base in 1998 and 2003. Troop 64 was fortunate to be selected in a lottery style drawing to have two crews, or a total of 12 scouts and four adults, eligible to attend Sea Base in Florida again the summer of 2005. The troop outfitted themselves in August 2004 for a backpacking trip into the Boundary Waters near Isabella, Minn., on the Pow-Wow hiking trail. Troop members not attending Sea Base in June 2005 will have the opportunity to participate in a four to five day high adventure on the Upper Iowa River with plans to possibly canoe from Granger, Minn., to the Mississippi River with a different camp site each night.

Community service projects in which the troop takes part include the annual Christmas tree pickup, which won a Colgate award for the troop in ‘97, Memorial Day Parade, VFW Auxiliary Poppy Sales, Corn Days clean up, Martin Luther Homes Spring and Fall Clean-up, and building a shelter house at the park. Another service project that the troop has done the past several years is a proper American Flag retirement ceremony.

Troop 64 conducts two different fundraisers including a Christmas Wreath sale and their “made to order omelet breakfast” held in the spring and fall each year. The next omelet breakfast is Sunday, April 24 at St. Patrick’s Church basement, serving from 7:30 to 12:30. The scouts earn a share of the profit from each wreath and ticket sold “because a scout helps pay his own way.” Some of their camp fees include summer camps that average $165 per scout, weekend campouts that are usually around $15, and high adventure trips that can cost from $100 for a small scale trip to $900 for Florida Sea Base or up to $1500 to attend the National Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, Va. or Philmont-Scout Reservation in Cimarron, N.M.