The Zip Line
The Na onal Jamboree Newsle er of the Great Southwest Council
Series 2013 Issue 2 In this Issue: Dear Great Southwest Council Boy Scouts, Scout Parents, and Scouters,
Chairman’s Corner 1 Hello again from Mike Jacobs, your 2013 Na onal Boy Scout Jamboree Chairman,
From a Scout 1 Extensive prepara ons have been con nuing to make our 2013 Jamboree experience the best Tourstop Trolley 2 ever! Your commi ee has been working to finalize the travel and tour i neraries, the equip- ment commi ee has been ge ng our logo and patch design done, and our staffing commi ee Trolley con’t 3 has been busy selec ng our leaders. In this newsle er we’ll review all this new informa on for our con ngent. 4
Con ngent FAQs 4 The Chairman’s Corner
From a scout: First and foremost, we wanted to let you know about a great Christmas present you’re ge ng. How does one even begin to We now have the final numbers for the cost of the Jamboree trip and it has been reduced $410 describe the experience at to 3390! Your payment schedule will be reduced by this amount. We have also added a second Jamboree, first off the place is con ngent that is Jamboree only, for a li le lower cost, $2290. They will not par cipate in the massive in 2010 they had a other week of ac vi es and will only go direct to Jamboree, but it will also be a great me. We bus system just to get from have posi ons open on the short trip. However, we believe that the few posi ons we have for the short con ngent will fill up fast. So, please pass the word on this new op on. one side to another. But be
prepared, in 2013, not busses, Also, later in the newsle er, you’ll see examples of our Troop logos and patches. I want to thank but an even be er layout for Gerry and his team for their work. I think it has come out great. They are well designed, funny, all the ac on. Next the gun and very tradeable. We are just finalizing the copyright and publishing permissions and should range was awesome they had have these available for our con ngent shortly. And for those who are not part of the archery, black power and a con ngent proper, we will have patches for Scouter volunteers who go to Jamboree to help out. giant shotgun range. The lake That way you can be iden fied as part of the Great Southwest Council, everyone’s included in was epic they stocked 1000’s the excitement. of fish in it so at the beginning
of the week you would catch We are working to schedule our first Troop mee ng a er the first of the year. It is tenta vely a fish every 5 minutes. How- scheduled for Saturday, February 9th from 10am to 3pm. At this mee ng, we’ll review all ever if you prefer a challenge con ngent members physical and medical informa on and selec ng our troop youth leadership. you just have to wait 3 or so So if you want to be part of the Troop leadership team, please come prepared to throw in your days and the fish popula on name. Exact details of mes and loca ons will follow. has thinned out to a nice Con nued on page 2 moderate catching pace. The best thing that I have to say would be
the big Arena Show at the end. There were entertainers of all types, speakers and scouts doing challenges. We even had a huge flash mob. Those are just some of the many things I loved about the jamboree and I can’t wait to go back in 2013. The new site looks great, with even more to do. Tim Jacobs Life Scout Troop 1974 Finally, I’d like to let everyone know that my posi on with the con ngent will be changing. I was humbled to learn that the Jamboree commi ee has asked me to shi from Commi ee Chairman to Jamboree Scoutmaster. A er, having a great me, being an Assistant Scoutmaster for our 2010 Jamboree con ngent, I am truly looking forward to being with our con ngent again in 2013. With this change I’ll now be work- ing with the council personnel commi ee to finalize selec on of our Jamboree Troop ASMs. I want to thank Dale Balmer for taking over the Chairman responsibili es. He has many years of Jamboree experience and has been instrumental in ge ng our i nerary arranged. Thanks Dale
Enjoy this newsle er, Yours In Scou ng,
Mike Jacobs Great Southwest Council Na onal Scout Jamboree Scoutmaster
Tourstop Trolley Dale Balmer, Tour Director
Among the many historical sites on the Jamboree tour i nerary are two ba lefields that were key to the shaping of the na on in two different wars. The first is Valley Forge Na onal Historical Park from the Revolu onary War. The other is Ge ysburg, Na on- al Military Park, from the Civil War.
Valley Forge is the site of the military camp where the American Con nental Army wintered from December 1777 through June of 1778. It’s about 25 miles northwest of Philadelphia, and we’ll be visi ng it on the morning a er the con ngent arrives in Philadelphia to start the tour. It’s most famous for the difficult condi ons that were endured by the soldiers during the winter, but it’s also the loca on where the Con nental Army was able to start hav- ing standardized training, under Baron Friedrich von Steuben. This training was key in shaping the Army into a disciplined group prepared for the ba les ahead that eventually led to freedom for the Colonists and crea on of the United States.
Of interest to Scouters is that Valley Forge is the loca on of the oldest annual Scou ng event in the world, the Valley Forge Pilgrimage and Encampment. The event was first held on Feb 22nd, 1913, Washington’s 181st birthday, when BSA was just three years old. It has been held every year since, even during the Great Depression and World War II, though at a reduced scale during those mes. The event started as a pilgrimage or memorial ceremony honoring Washington, but since 1948 has included a camping event. Today, the Valley Forge Pilgrimage and Encampment is held on President’s Day weekend, with Scouts camping Friday through Sunday, and par cipa ng in a Pilgrimage on Saturday. During the Pilgrimage, par cipants move around the park to hear volunteer interpreters describe how the soldiers lived during their me at Valley Forge. Valley Forge was also the site of three Na- onal Jamborees, in 1950, 1957, and 1964.
More info: http://www.nps.gov/vafo/index.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_Forge http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_Forge_Pilgrimage Tourstop Trolley con’t
Ge ysburg is the site of the largest ba le of the Civil War, and took place July 1st through 3rd, 1863. The tour is planned to visit there on July 11th, 2013, so you’ll be Notes from Na onal visi ng right a er the 150th anniversary of the ba le! We’ve arranged for a profes- Jamboree Webinar sional guide to provide a tour of the ba lefield and describe the ebb and flow of the figh ng, which is o en described as the war’s turning point. Prior to this ba le, the The following are notes from the leadership of Confederate General Robert E. Lee had the North on the defensive in Na onal Webinar in December of items that part of the country. A erwards, the defeat placed the Southern armies in a diffi- all con ngent members should be cult posi on from which they never recovered, leading to the eventual surrender at aware of: Appoma ox Courthouse in April, Cook kits and dining fly provided, 1865. Because of the large number but not individual mess kits and of casual es from the ba le, it was decided to have a soldier’s utensils. You need to bring those. cemetery on the site. The Meals – issued twice a day. Expect dedica on ceremony for the cemetery included a speech by breakfasts to be cold, especially for President Abraham Lincoln. The days of service or whitewater ra - speech later became known as The ing or hike Ge ysburg Address, one of the most well-known speeches in Duffle bag will be 32” x 18” x 16” American history. Also, The Ge ysburg Address is one of the speeches that can be used for Requirement 6 of the Ci zenship in the Na on merit badge. For a Scou ng connec on, one of the Confederate generals at the ba le was Lieutenant General Ambrose Powell Hill, for whom Army Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia is named, and which was the site of eight Na onal Jamborees, from 1981 to 2010
More info: What to Bring http://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gettysburg Each Newsle er we will provide some informa on on what each par cipant should bring for the Jamboree Everything you bring must fit in the jamboree duffel bag that will be provided and your personal day pack. It is important that par cipants pack the right items. Council Strip Patch #1 for the Con ngent Personal Gear Sleeping bag (lightweight in stuff sack with 30 degree ra ng is good) Ea ng kit (plate, bowl, and spork are adequate) Two 1-liter water bo les Toiletry kit (keep it small) Two bath towels, Two hand towels, Two washcloths Flashlight Sunscreen Non-aerosol insect repellent
Important Contingent UPDATE!
The Great Southwest Council’s Na onal Jamboree commi ee has been reviewing op ons to allow more youth to a end the 2013 Na onal Jamboree. A er discussions with the tour company, WorldStrides, and Chris Shelby our Council Execu ve, we’ve developed two op ons for a ending.
With the first op on par cipants will depart Albuquerque on Wednesday, July 10th, 2013. The group will fly into Philadelphia, and tour Valley Forge and Ge ysburg on Thursday before moving to the Washington DC area that evening. Friday through Sunday will be spent in the DC area. On Sunday night, July 14th, the group will travel to Charlo esville, VA, and spend the night there. On Monday, the group will tour Jefferson’s home, Mon cello, and then enter the Jamboree that a ernoon. They will return home from Jamboree on Wednesday, July 24, 2013. The cost of this op on will be $3390.
The second op on will be a (mostly) Jamboree-only. This group will depart Albuquerque on Sunday the 14th and fly into DC. There they will join up with the first group and drive to Charlo esville to spend the night. On Monday, the combined group will tour Mon cello and then enter the Jamboree. The en re group will return together on the 24th. The cost of this op on will be $2290. Spots are open in both op ons. If you haven’t registered, now is the me to do so!
National Contingent FAQs
Will there be any fundraising done to Will we meet as a troop beforehand? offset costs? Yes. We will have our first mee ng Yes Indeed. We will be rolling out some February 9th, 2013 and will establish a fundraising ideas in our Troop mee ng regular mee ng schedule from there. on February 9th. Also, please feel free to So how's the food during the tour? provide sugges ons for fundraising to The food ranges from awesome to OK, our Fundraising Chair Melinda Moore. but there's always plenty of it, and lots of What's the best museum to see in DC? different places to eat so there's a lot of It depends on what you're interested variety, and no one goes hungry or has to in. We've worked with the tour company pay for food out-of-pocket; it's all cov- to provide pre-scheduled visits at a set ered by the Jamboree fee. If you don't date and me to some of the more popu- like a par cular meal, well, the next one lar museums or places that are hard to will be something else! This me, among get into. The Holocaust Museum, the 'awesome' places are Good N Plenty Na onal Archives, or US Capitol are good near Lancaster, PA; and Michie Tavern, examples of this type of museum or near Jefferson's Mon cello. Good N Plen- a rac on that we'll visit. But we've also ty serves typical Pennsylvania Dutch or worked to provide open me where the Amish food, and Michie Tavern serves Scouts and their leaders can decide what hearty food typical of the Revolu onary museum they want to visit. Three of the War period. There are also interes ng more popular museums of this type, with places with lots of variety - Union Sta on awesome displays, are the Air & Space and the Old Post Office Building in Wash- Museum, American History Museum, and ington, DC. These are large food court Natural History Museum. All of these areas with all sorts of interna onal cui- places have great websites that you can sine and fun op ons for a meal, but also visit and get a feel for what they have, have 'regular' food like Mexican or and what you might be interested in burger and fries. Plus a meal or two at spending some me visi ng. Will I be able to go big and get wild? McDonalds or buffets when out sightseeing. ABSOLUTELY! This will be an event of a life me.