Boy Scouts Celebrate 100th Anniversary at 2010 National Scout Jamboree

Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia will host 45,000 Scouts

Boy Scouts from all 50 states, territories as well as some foreign countries will gather at Fort A.P. Hill near Bowling Green, VA for their 2010 quadrennial jamboree which marks 100 years of Scouting.

WASHINGTON, DC (BSA Media) - One-hundred years of Scouting will come to life at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree, July 26-Aug. 4, 2010. Approximately 45,000 Scouts, leaders, and staff from all 50 states, territories, and foreign countries will have the opportunity to live, work, and play together in an atmosphere of Scouting fellowship. The setting for the quadrennial jamboree is Fort A. P. Hill, near Bowling Green, Va.

Most Scouts visit areas close to Fort A. P. Hill before or after attending the National Scout Jamboree. Popular visiting sites have been Washington, D.C.; New York City; Williamsburg, Va., to visit the Jamestown Settlement; and various Revolutionary and Civil War battlefields. The United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, and the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, are also popular sites.

Many units are having a special recognition to mark the 100th Anniversary. The closing arena show will be unlike any other jamboree arena show in history. It will be big, bold, interactive, and unforgettable! You won't want to miss it! Plans are to Webcast the show, allowing anyone with Internet access to virtually join in this huge celebration.

History

The first Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree was scheduled to be held in Washington, D.C., in 1935 to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Scouting in America. Unfortunately, the jamboree was canceled due to a polio outbreak in Washington. When the first Jamboree was finally held in 1937, Dan Beard lit the opening campfire using flint and steel. Scouts from all 48 states brought the wood that was used in the campfire. There were some 27,232 Scouts camped on the National Mall under the Washington Monument. Since that time, 16 national jamborees have been held, the last in 2005.

The Future

The Summit: Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve in Glen Jean, West Va., will become the BSA's permanent home for the National Scout Jamboree as well as the organization's fourth high-adventure base.

High-adventure activities such as whitewater rafting, rappelling, mountain biking, and hiking will be available at this site. It will also host leadership development training year-round and has the potential to host World Scout Jamborees.

Work on the new site has already begun, thanks to a $50 million contribution from the Stephen D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation. The 2013 National Scout Jamboree is scheduled to be held at The Summit.

To find out more about the Boy Scouts of America's 2010 National Scout Jamboree, visit the Jamboree Web site at www.bsajamboree.org.

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