Camp Geiger, Wednesday, July 1

Tonight was a very special treat for all scouts at the camp and their families, especially first year scouts. It was family night, and some of our scout families were able to make it up here, bringing some smiles to a few otherwise tired faces.

I need to tell you about the staff here at Geiger, led by program director Matt Becker. Matt had a birthday this week and got continual grief all week long, including several pies in the face, but I secretly think he enjoyed every bit of it.

The staff put on a tremendous campfire for all the scouts and their families, incorporating all of the troops at the camp. There were many songs and skits by each troop, and the staff was unbelievably entertaining with the Pink Pajamas skit, the baby raccoon skit and of course the dancing little people were awesome!

Then they were treated to a performance by the braves and warriors in the tribe of Mic-O-Say. Those members of the tribe came out all in their hand made costumes, with beautiful feathers, carefully crafted headbands, and other beaded parts of their costumes, and danced as the drums beat their time. Then they acted out the story of one young warrior and his battle with evil, all played out in the dream of a chief, filled with visions of medicine men, and the white buffalo. The scout playing "evil" even had a real snake for the part.

The very last part of the campfire ceremony was a poignant and touching story of scouting and what it means for boys to use the program to become men. The staff formed a choir and gave a wonderful background ambiance for an oratory of how a boy grows from the small young person his parents mold, to learning and achieving great things in their scouting career, to how they use what they have learned to become great leaders and inspiring people in society at large. They really demonstrated why it is important to live by the scout oath and law, to be faithful to God, family and country, and to always strive to be the best person they can be.