The Weyburn 5th Scouts troupe are excitedly preparing to take in the World Scout Jamboree to be held in 2019 in West Virginia, and are about halfway to their fundraising goal.
The group is currently planning for three scouts and the leader, Al Klassen, to attend at a cost of $5,000 each, members of the Weyburn Rotary Club heard in a presentation from Klassen.
This will be the first time in 36 years that the World Jamboree has been held in North America, he noted, and while this will be situated in the northeastern United States, the event is being co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
The Jamboree will be held on July 22 to Aug. 2, 2019, is expected to have between 45,000 and 50,000 Scouts and leaders from over 150 countries, and Canada’s contingent will be around 300, with 75 of those just from Saskatchewan, said Klassen.
Prior to the 10-day Jamboree, the Weyburn group is planning a four-day trip with the Canadian contingent to Washington, D.C. on July 18-22, he added.
Jamborees, like the Olympics, are held every four years, and the last one was held in Japan, with the next one in 2023 slated for South Korea. Canada was the last host in North America, back in 1983.
The immense site is the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve, and some of the activities will include rock-climbing on cliffs large enough to handle 150 climbers at one time, and a 2.5-mile long zip line, a river for kayaking or white-water rafting, trails for hiking, cycling and dirt biking, and a large firing range. This site opened in 2013, and has hosted two National Scout Jamborees for American Scouts.
“They will supply all the tents and cots,” said Klassen, noting they only have to come with their backpack supplies of clothing and personal items. “It’s an all-inclusive adventure vacation.”
The Weyburn Scouts ranges from Beavers and Cubs up to Scouts, Ventures and Rovers, and the troupe currently includes three girls and seven boys.
Some of the fundraising efforts for the Scouts coming up include a hamburger night at Brown’s Social House on Monday, May 7, a barbecue on Saturday, June 9, and a concession at the Car Show in downtown Weyburn on Saturday, June 16. There are also plans to host a medieval feast in the fall at the Legion, said Klassen.
