By Sharron Luttrell

Last weekend’s camporee at the Inman Hill conservation area was more than a celebration of 100 years of scouting in Mendon, it was an opportunity to reflect on a tradition that has endured over the generations and a reminder to those gathered that they were carrying the legacy into the future.

“ … tonight, as we celebrate 100 years of Troop 1 Mendon, remember that we’re not just looking backward. We’re part of a story that’s still being written,” former Troop 1 Mendon Scoutmaster  Joe Houde told those gathered last Saturday night. Houde helmed Troop 1 between 2022 and 2026.

Between 75 and 100 scouts and adults spent all or part of the weekend on Inman Hill. The camporee was initially going to be open to scouts from across the region, but some months ago, the organizers decided to scale it back.

In addition to traditional scouting activities, like using flint to start a fire, the scouts cooked muffins and eggs in hollowed out orange peels covered in foil, and had an egg-drop competition, using leaves, sticks and other objects from nature to cushion the fall.

A highlight of the weekend was learning about Mendon’s Scouting history from Larry Pearson who, in 1962, became Troop 1’s eighth Eagle Scout, said Jason Kuter, a former Troop 1 scoutmaster.

Kuter and Mike Merolli, also a former Troop 1 scoutmaster, co-chaired the 1926 Committee that organized the camporee. Both men serve on the Mendon Select Board – Merolli is chair and Kuter chaired the board last year – and are Eagle Scouts, a fact that Houde pointed out during his remarks.

“A young person learns leadership and service and then spends a lifetime putting those lessons to work,” he said.

(Photos courtesy Jason Kuter)