Marlboro Scouts attend Jamboree

MARLBORO — On July 25 seven Scouts from Boy Scout Troop 86 of Marlboro left for Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, to attend the 17th National Scout Jamboree for the Boy Scouts of America (BSA).

The Troop 86 members joined the Monmouth Council contingent of 100 Scouts and 16 leaders participating in this special event.

Since 1937 the National Scout Jamboree, held approximately every four years, has provided unforgettable experiences for more that 650,000 Scouts and adult leaders. More than 2.8 million young people between the ages of 7 and 20 are members of the BSA.

This year’s National Scout Jamboree, which celebrates 100 years of scouting in America, was held for 10 days, from July 26 to Aug. 4. Approximately 45,000 Scouts and leaders and 275,000 visitors attended the jamboree. Scouts and leaders from 50 states and 26 nations joined in the festivities.

According to Robert J Mazzuca, the BSA’s Chief Scout Executive, “ ‘Fun’ is the watchword of the jamboree. This week is all about the boys.”

During the 10 days of the jamboree, Scouts experienced activities such as kayaking, rappelling, canoeing, fly fishing, archery, swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling, shooting, buckskin games and hands-on merit badge demonstrations.

There was also a 17-acre conservation trail, 5-kilometer runs, evening entertainment and a 100th anniversary rededication ceremony simulcast to fellow troops gathering throughout the world.

Fort A.P. Hill is a 76,000-acre facility, which has hosted the National Scout Jamboree since 1981. The Boy Scouts used about 3,000 acres of the fort with 21 camp- ing areas housing about 1,200 to 2,000 Scouts and 200 staffers each. Campers brought their own tents, cooking equipment and supplies.

In addition to Troop 86’s own Scouts, Scoutmaster Bill Cain’s Jamboree Troop hosted six Scouts and three leaders from Brazil and Malaysia.

This was the second Jamboree that Cain and Nick Bentivenga have attended. They both attended the 2005 National Jamboree; however, this year Bentivenga returned as a troop leader. The other Scouts from Troop 86 who attended the 100th anniversary National Scout Jamboree were Andrew Ahn, R.C. Anderson, Ben Cacciola, Ryan Karl, Andrew Klepner and Jordan Standig.