More on my first “Catch Up Day” (30 Jul 10)

Saturday is the date of the closing Arena show and my estimation is that if there are no changes to the Show or to the entry “requirements” when I show up tomorrow, that the President will either videotape his appearance or that somehow AT&T will telecast the President from the White House sometime during the “Shining Lights” portion of the closing Arena show.

I uploaded about 100 photos — five at a time because the computers at the FedEx Office (formerly Kinkos) won’t allow one to upload massive quantites of photos… they have the Direct X controls locked out… It’s a pain in the butt because not only is it costly, but I would rather spend my time in writing instead oftrying to make sure that I don’t upload the same image two or three times.

Before you ask “couldn’t you do this for free from your hotel room or from Panera Bread (I KNOW you went there at least once!!)”?, I could…and yes, I DID go to Panera Bread (yesterday, after driving back to the Jamboree after getting the new shocks installed!) The problem is that this laptop has the sticking space bar (which I will attempt to get repaired in Lexington, KY on the way back home) and the Walnut netbook has a very small screen which does not lend itself to much work like editing photos (I use it for video work and checking email mainly).

So after spending almost $70 and talking with some guy from Minnesota who noticed my “SCOUTER” car plate and wondered “who in their right mind would drive all this way from Minnesota?”, I went back to the Jamboree site.

The first place I went to was to the Jamboree headquarters, whereby I picked up the two Cezari (sp) prints which I asked the Chief Scout Executive and the National Commissioner to sign. When I get someone to take a photo of them, I’ll upload them here and on my website. After I secured them in my van, I then went over to the Post Office to see about getting some stamps. The line was too long — I would return later before the Jamboree was over.

I then walked down to the Conservation area and spent time talking there. The Conservation Trail was where I spent my first two Jamborees at — in 1973, getting hints on how to improve my Hornaday Award packet (not much help there…they gave me another application (I already had one but thanked them anyway) and suggested that I get a “counselor to work on the Badge”.

I was about three-quarters toward earning the MEDAL back then. So I told myself that I would actually help someone to EARN the rare medal, not just hand out an application and say “good luck buddy!”

The William T. Hornaday Award bar. This is what one was supposed to wear before the BSA finally introduced the Hornaday Award square knot insignia in the late 80s.

In 1977, I was on the Enviroment-Conservation Crew working at “More Rain State Park”, the site of the Jamboree that year. I proudly wore my Hornaday Award Pin (it was actually the SECOND ONE; the first one was STOLEN from the Scout shirt during an Order of the Arrow event and I’ve been looking on eBay to replace it…you know that that small metal bar goes for about $750????) during the Jamboree and talked with LOTS of Scouts about how I earned it — the merit badges I earned (including one which can no longer be earned, Conservation of Natural Resources (the merit badge was renamed Envirormental Science, given new requirements, and I earned it quickly after it was announced!), and the service projects I did and document around my home town, Fort Knox, Kentucky. I proudly bragged that in part because of my projects and those I worked with the Enviromental Engineer and the Range Control offices on base, that Fort Knox got one of those big Enviromental awards which came with money to improve the base!! How cool was that!?!

So I wanted to see and hear what Scouts and Scouters are saying to Scouts today about earning the William T. Hornaday Award medal and/or Badge. They had a LOT — sheets, background information, hints on how to earn it, and the BSA produces a Conservation Handbook which serves as an overall “pamphlet” on how to earn the Award.

Cool.

People from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, National Parks Service, and what used to be called the Soil and Water Conservation Service were on hand too, to help Scouts to develop plans of action to better their communities.

I walked out feeling even better about earning something rare — but I was still a little upset that my bar which is in a drawer right now is NOT the top bar which matches my Gold medal. Someone told me over lunch that someone had a complete Hornaday Award set on ebay and it all went for under a grand.

“Complete?”

“Yep. Gold medal, bar pin and a card or certificate or something. A thousand bucks!”

“Wow. I wished I would have known…”

“Well, keep looking…they’ll show up again eventually…”

At least I still have two of the Hornaday square knot insignia to wear. I may try to write to National one more time to see if they will replace my gold bar.

I was really tired, so I returned back to my hotel room and after confirming my plans for tomorrow — Closing Show Day — I made some phone calls, caught up on some personal emails and phone calls, and then went to bed. In order for me to be ON SITE EARLY and not in a parking lot, I needed to be on base no later than 8am.

Night.