A Momentous Week for Scouting

The Boy Scouts have just completed a gigantic conclave at Fort AP Hill in northern Virginia. 45,000 scouts and adult leaders gathered for ten days at their National Scout Jamboree - celebrating 100 years of the scouting movement.

The Durham Bulls played a modest role for the local Occoneechee Council. Last Saturday night we turned our video screen into a huge television, and 400 local scouts watched the Centennial Celebration (via satellite) themed "Shining Light Across America." Blue Cross & Blue Shield of NC sponsored the DBAP event. Durham and five other US sites were selected for the Jambo Simulcast...catchy name!

Actually, the scouts did more than watch. They participated. There was a live camera trained on the scouts in Durham. Images of our scouts at the DBAP were beamed to a video screen on the stage at the National Scout Jamboree.

Serious TV gear in our press box for the live shot

A compact satellite truck connects Durham with the Jambo

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As I have mentioned before, the Bulls sponsor an Explorer Post through the Occoneechee Council. These young folks - about 75 active members - produce our in-house video and television broadcasts. They are raising money for a new college scholarship program in a novel way; check it out...click here.

DBAP - Home to High Achievers

Last week began and ended with kids at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park (...and we managed to play some baseball, too!)

On Monday we hosted 250 honor roll students from Durham's middle schools, Friday night 800 Scouts took over the outfield for a camp out, and the week concluded with the final day of Pepsi Baseball Camp on Saturday.

The Bulls hosted the students and their parents for lunch, and the young scholars got to run the bases as the ceremony concluded. Check out the slide show at the Durham Public Schools web site.

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I wish that I had better pix of the Scouting sleep-over, but I'm grateful for the camera phone shots. After Friday night's game with Buffalo, the DBAP was pretty much converted to a KOA . The outfield was literally covered with tents. (No camp fires or RVs, though.)

There's more to come: Y Guides and Princesses in July; Girl Scouts in Sept. Click here for details. And THANKS to our sponsor:

Also, I'm especially grateful to Bulls' Head Groundskeeper Scott Strickland. What a patient, understanding guy! And I appreciate the extra effort from our staff. They didn't get any sleep at the sleep-over.

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Last but not least, our first installment of Pepsi Baseball Camp was Thursday, Friday and Saturday on the DBAP field. Camp Director Mary Beth Warfford spent her birthday with seventy kids in the Carolina heat and humidity...while the kids spent time with professional baseball players - a unique sports camp! Click here for info on the July and August sessions.