Cub Scout Day Camp attracts 70-plus
TOM PINNEY/DAILY FORUM
Shawn Mahoney, of Maryville’s Cub Scout Pack 75, practices rifle shooting with an airsoft rifle at the Mozingo youth camp site Saturday afternoon. Mozingo was the host of the Cub Scout Day Camp, the first such day camp following the Boy Scouts’ recent district reorganization.
From self-sustaining ecosystems to target shooting, area Cub Scouts participated in several adventures this weekend.
More than 70 area Cub Scouts from several packs attended the Cub Scout Day Camp this past Friday and Saturday, held Friday at Beal Park and the Maryville Aquatic Center and Saturday at the Mozingo Youth Camp site.
The annual day camp, according to Maryville-based Troop 190 and Pack 75 assistant scoutmaster Brian Evenson, helps each Scout earn requirements toward necessary “Adventures.”
“For many packs, Scouts lasts from September to May to make room for activities and vacations during the summer,” Evenson said. “When that happens, it takes away valuable time for the Scouts to be able to earn requirements toward some of the Adventures, especially the water-based Adventures.
“When we hold this camp, we make sure they earn all of those requirements so that they can move on. We do lots of adventures, from hiking to swimming to water sports here.”
Adventures showed up in Cub Scouts to replace the more traditional merit pins. There were also more Adventures for the younger Scouts – Wolf, Bear, and Tiger – than there were for Webelos to complete.
Friday night’s agenda, which took place at Beal Park and the Maryville Aquatic Center, included completing the requirements for the Swimming Adventures. Saturday morning included a few other water sports, like fishing.
The main event Saturday started around 1 p.m., when the Cub Scouts were taken through various stations to complete Adventures. The stations included a nature hike, rifle shooting, archery, and slingshot shooting.
Another station, led by District I Program Chair John Chittum who also serves with Maryville’s Troop 190, involved building a self-sustaining ecosystem out of a used soda bottle. Inside the bottle was some water, rocks, a plant, a fish, and two snails.
“Everything in the bottle helps everything else work,” Chittum said. “The fish provides carbon dioxide for the plant, which feeds the fish.
“The rocks provide a base for the plant to grow, and the snails keep the ecosystem clean by consuming the waste. If you do it right, you never have to open the bottle.”
The ecosystem, according to Chittum, is a keen example of one of Scouting’s base principles, “Leave No Trace.” The idea behind the initiative is to make sure Scouts know to leave the Earth better than they found it.
The camp also featured an inflatable water slide, which was just for fun. Evenson said the slide was always a popular activity.
TOM PINNEY/DAILY FORUM
Dalton Hogue, a member of Tarkio’s Cub Scout Pack 88, lines up a shot with his slingshot at the Mozingo youth camp site Saturday afternoon. The annual Cub Scout Day Camp brought more than 70 Cub Scouts from northwestern Missouri to Maryville for the weekend.