Friday evening started with the tragic news. Fluffy the Elk had been MURDERED!! All that remained was a partial antler.
Boy Scouts from Ft. Clatsop District were tasked with solving the mystery. They had a list of suspects, they had a list of items that may have been the murder weapon, and the actual murder scene had been narrowed down to just a few rooms.
In order to test their theories of who was at fault they had to complete a task at one of the various stations throughout the lodge. Those stations included the axe yard, first aid, bowling, the indoor BB range, knots at pioneering…
Boy Scouts were also kept busy with bingo, various card games, pool and foosball. Of course there was also the infamous photo scavenger hunt. This year there were two versions of the scavenger hunt, color photos to collect letters to be un-scrambled for a secret code.
Late in the evening Scouts were re-energized with “modified” Dutch oven desserts. As it was a “camp in” the use of briquettes was not allowed. Could the seasoned Scout Leaders adapt and pull off a winning desert by using a regular oven?? The verdict…yes they could. Tasty cinnamon rolls and fruit crisps!!
Alas, the mystery was eventually solved, the activities all completed and tasty desserts all devoured. There was nothing for the Scouts to do but climb the stairs one last time and retire to their tents for lights out at 2am.
Saturday morning the Scouts awoke to a tasty pancake breakfast and packed up their gear to head home.
Once the Boy Scouts had left the lodge, Cub Scouts came in.
Once checked in, the Cub Scouts headed straight to the third floor. They were also informed of the sad loss of Fluffy the Elk. Throughout the day they were able to check out the crime photos and search for clues to solve the mystery.
Cub Scouts were also able to take full advantage of the wonderful assortment of activities. But where would they start?? Of course the BB range and Bowling were a huge hit. Then again who can resist learning a new knot or two? Every Cub Scout should know a bit of first aid. What Cub Scout can’t use another tie slide?? And how much fun is it to play pool and foosball? With all the climbing up and down the stairs looking for photo clues, sitting for a bit a Bingo was a welcome activity. (Could this have been planned to give the parents who came with their energetic Cub Scouts time to recuperate???)
Cub Scouts also had a chance to write a card to a soldier as a service project.
At the end of the day when most of their energy was spent they assembled on the third floor. Final announcements and thank you’s were made. Cub Scouts were then free to head home with their parents, taking with them memories of a very exciting day and expectations for a repeat next year.
A HUGE thank you to Ryan Larsen, District Camp In Chairman, who put a lot of effort into making this event such a success.
Also deserving a great amount of appreciation is the Astoria Elks Lodge #180. Without the very generous use of their lodge and it’s amenities as well as providing 3 hot meals and all the soda the Scouts could drink this event just wouldn’t have been possible.
Of course also deserving thanks are all of the volunteers. From check in staff, to our trained range masters, those who manned the activity stations as well as adult leaders willing to be up until the wee hours of the morning and parents who were able to climb up and down the stairs with their Cub Scouts. Every one, no matter how much or how little they did, filled an essential position.
When the number were all in, 53 Cub Scouts and 44 Boy Scouts were in attendance. That’s 97 local youth that were able to take advantage of this awesome event.
Photos are available on the district Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fort-Clatsop-BSA/124642397559083
Fort Clatsop District Boy Scouts of America 