This marked the first OA banquet for my son and I. We got a late start so didn’t arrive until after everyone was seated and dinner was about to be served, which would seem to be just in time, but we didn’t get a chance to mingle and meet people and I still don’t know too many folks in this group yet. Fortunately, when we walked all the way to the back to the last table, there was a leader and several Scouts from Johnsburg! So we had a pleasant dinner conversation. Several of the other Scouts were wearing Philmont patches so we talked about our experiences.
The featured speaker was a local history teacher who role plays Abe Lincoln. He dressed up as the President and bore a striking resemblance to him physically. And he adopted the demeanor and bearing one would expect from someone of his position and era. It was quite good. He started with a brief introduction but then switched to taking questions from the audience, just as if he were at a news press conference. I learned that Freeport, one of the sites of the famous debated between Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debates, was where the Freeport Doctrine was “created” when Douglas in a reply to one of Lincoln’s questions stated that to determine whether or not they should be a free state or a slave state. This was a very important decision, especially from the northern abolitionist’s point of view. He also dispelled the myth that Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg address on the back of an envelope at the train station on is way there. In fact, Lincoln wrote it weeks prior to the address. I still consider that short speech to be among the most instrumental documents in our nation’s history, right along the Declaration of Independence. Some men are born with the insight and instinct on how to define the basic truths of our nation’s foundation in freedom. Abe Lincoln stands among the likes of Jefferson and Franklin in that regard.
“Abe” went on for about an hour followed by the Lodge Chief
handing out awards and recognition to members. We then visited the “store” to
purchase a few patches before heading home.
I had plans for the day and my oldest son has vowed never to go to another Klondike because of his bad experience at the last one (see Klondike Derby, Camp Lakota (Woodstock, IL) – January 26, 2003), so my youngest son went by himself. As usual, we had to split the attendees up into two ad hoc patrols, the Flaming Outhouse patrol and the Brown Thunder patrol. My son was a member of the Flaming Outhouse patrol.
Two years ago it was cold but no snow. Last year it got too cold so they canceled the event. This year was perfect. It wasn’t too cold an we a about six inches of new snow. Our older boys were helping out with the sawing event as is customary for our troop. I had urged my older son to help out as I was sure it would enjoy doing that as he likes helping out and working with kids. And then Mr. Guy approached him and gave his arm a gentle twist. The timing was perfect and it almost seemed as if we were in on it together but he did it on his own. So he reluctantly agreed to help. But the night before he got sick so he ended up staying in bed instead. To bad because Mr. Guy said everyone had a good time.
The patrols did real well. My son’s patrol, the Flaming Outhouse, won and placed in several events. Brown Thunder did even better. They won first place over all, beating out the perennial favorites, the "Iron Man" patrol out of Crystal Lake! (I just wish they had chosen more appropriate names so we could submit it to the newspaper for a little publicity.)
This outing is becoming routine with very little excitement, which is a good thing. Mr. Twomey set most of it up, although Mr. Mill made an appearance to help with the check-in even though is son wasn’t skiing. Both of my sons love to ski. In fact, my youngest was late coming off the slopes, just as is older bother was at his first ski trip, although I didn’t have to walk out to the lift lines to pull him off. I, of course, didn’t ski. But M. Guy, Mr. Teta and I were able to get together and finalized the dates and locations for the outing calendar. I still think this is a wonderful activity for the boys, especially since it introduces them to a sport they would not have tried otherwise as I don’t ski. I think both are proficient enough to be on their own next year so perhaps we’ll bring my daughter next year for her first time on the slopes. It should be fun!
This was the third year in a row where I organized the February day outing to downtown Chicago. It’s a ton of work as we invite Webelos and their parents and the I have to coordinate collecting money from folks outside of our troop, as well as calculate different fees as we take advantage of age discounts on the Metra train where children under 11 ride free with an adult. Then I usually purchase the train tickets and CTA bus cards in advance. I would run over to the CTA offices at the Merchandise Mart, two blocks from my office, and the train ticket at the station on my way home. This year, however, I was surprised to learn that the CTA moved from the Mart to a building west of the train station. So I ended up taking a bit of a hike to get them. I wonder if I can suggest we go someplace else for the day trip next year!
The museum itself is a great place to visit. There’s almost too much to do and see. I made up a scavenger hunt sheet with simple questions based off of information I gleaned from the museum’s website. I was hoping that it would help force the boys into reading some of the exhibits instead of just bouncing from one to another without spending any time to understand what it was they were looking at.
My oldest son didn’t come along as he had an important interview with Great America for a summer job he wants very bad. My youngest son and I grouped up with two other Scouts and a new Webelo and his folks. We visited many exhibits and I was really surprised and please that the boys were really interested in completing the scavenger hunt sheet I made. In fact, our group actually won the hunt. Many of the answers that lifted them over the top came from exhibits that are squeezed in the stairwells. So it had the desired effect. The two exhibits that really caught their attention were the fetal child development where they had actual fetuses in jars at over two dozen different stags of development. The other was the basic science balcony where fundamental aspects of physics where explained. I was really surprised that this basic science caught their fancy.
This balcony normally overlooks one of the exhibit wings or halls. But today they had hung a black drape to block off the special display on the human body. It was an extra cost to enter that exhibit. But I caught my son and one of the other Scouts peaking through the curtains at the display. It reminded me of old images of children peaking through holes in the canvas to watch the circus.
Finally, we all went to the Omnimax Theater to see the movie “Mystery of the Nile.” The Omnimax screen is a hug aluminum dome. The image wraps around both side of your peripheral vision so when the camera is soaring over the Nile in a place you really feel like you’re flying. Tom bragged how his patrol got the best seats, right in the center in front of the projector.
It was a good trip but I am getting tired of coordinating it every year. Calculating the different fees for adults and youth and the different transportation costs for youth is hassle. I’m going to suggest we try a museum in Rockford next year so we have to drive!
I always desired to get a red wool jacket like the leaders wore when I was a scout. They would sew on their patches, telling the tale of their scouting activities much like a traveler of old applying stickers from the different countries they have visited on the luggage. But when I finally got around to it, the Scouting Supplies Division discontinued the item. But m wife kept her eye out for me and picked up a red fleece jacket, which is a more modern equivalent since the synthetic material is more in line with clothing we wear on campouts.
So I next went through my patch collection to determine what I would have sewn on. I decided to go ahead and use even my rare patches even though sewing them on would decrease their value. They had been sitting in boxes in a cabinet for years. I would pull them out maybe once a year to look at them, and then put them back. Buy sewing them on the jacket, I would at least have the opportunity to see them and to share them with others.
One of the patches is a beautiful Wulapeju Lodge jacket patch of a
dream catcher with six laser cut, embroidered feathers dangling down. The feathers would
be difficult to sew on as would the felt Philmont bull I wanted on the front shoulder. So
I decided I would take it to a seamstress or a tailor rather than try to mess it up
myself. It then occurred to me that one of our committee members, Mimi Murphy, sews and
does jobs on the side. So I asked her if she would be willing to take it on, which she did
and I’m so glad I did. She did a marvelous job, far better that I could ever manage
on my own, and she didn’t charge me a dime. I asked what I owed her and she refused
to accept any money. She said I’ve paid already by being a “wonderful mentor.”
That’s an especially nice gesture, but it also is the second time this year I’ve
been reminded and honored that my involvement with scouting has reached beyond my own
family and that the work and time I invest in the troop is having a positive impact on
many youths in our community. I will make a point to remember this every time I put on
this jacket.
