By Anne Mazar
Mendon Troop 1 is organizing a celebratory camporee for up to 300 participants at Inman Hill Oct. 9-12. The event will be open to the public Saturday Oct. 10, with food stands, displays and activities.
“They want the event to be inclusive, with Mendon youth and adult scouts as well as scouts from other towns, Girl Scouts and alumni,” said Jason Kuter, co-chair of the 1926 Committee, which is named for the year Troop 1 Mendon was established.
Co-chair Mike Merolli, added “It’s great to use this town-owned recreation area because there are not many places left like this. It’s exciting!”
Planned activities include:
- Traditional scouting skills competitions (knot tying, fire building, orienteering, pioneering)
- STEM-focused challenges (geocaching, forestry, environmental biology)
- Historical exhibits and a “scouting origins” station
- Campfire programs with skits, songs and an awards ceremony
- Construction of a pioneering camp gateway
- Backpacking, open-field camping and day pass options
- Public safety displays
Kuter, former Troop 1 scoutmaster explained, “I thought scouting was awesome as a kid and wanted to bring what I enjoyed and learned to my kids and others.”
Before girls were admitted to Boy Scouts, Kuter worked in parallel with a Girl Scout troop so they could collaborate on their activities. He said their troop went to Iceland, Yellowstone, backcountry backpacking in New England and other high adventures while making sure the trips were affordable. He also stressed that service to others and the community without expecting anything in return was at the core of their projects.
Boy Scouts started in the U.S. in 1910 and Mendon Troop 1 was established in 1926.
“To make it to 100 years is a heck of an accomplishment,” Troop 1 Scoutmaster Joe Houde said.
In 2018, the Boy Scouts of America started admitting girls into Cub Scout troops and in 2019, girls could work toward an Eagle Scout badge. The organization is now called Scouting America.
As part of the buildup to the event, Houde is inviting all current scouts and scoutmasters and alumni – male and female – to march together in the Mendon Memorial Day Parade. The turnout will show the incredible impact the scouts’ service and Eagle Scout projects have had in Mendon, he said.
Mendon troops 1 and 44 have produced well over 130 Eagle Scouts since Mendon’s first years in scouting, with the majority since 2000. Allison Reese, Troop 44, is the first girl in Mendon to achieve Eagle Scout and there are two right behind her.
Besides Kuter, Merolli, Houde and Shea, other Eagle Scouts include Mendon Fire Chief Jason Bagma, retired Mendon Postal Clerk Fred Phipps and Mendon Town Moderator Tom Merolli, among many others. The oldest known Mendon Eagle Scout is Larry Pearson, former Mendon farm owner.
When asked why he was involved with scouting, Tom Merolli quipped, “Where else can you play with fire and knives!” Of course, with thorough safety training.
For more information on the camporee or marching in the parade, visit Mendon Centenntial Camporee.
