The summer of 2019 was a great one for the scouts, staff and leaders who came through the front gates of Canyon Camp. This summer we served nearly 750 scouts and leaders in five weeks of Scouts BSA and more than 150 Webelos, leaders, and parents. Scouts learned many new scouting skills and achieved a lot of advancement. We also welcomed ten all female troops this summer, including three lone scouts. At the conclusion of the camp season, Freeport High School rented the camp and hired staff to provide two days of programming for their incoming freshman and football teams. This will begin the process of other schools who will also rent the facility for sport training and outdoor education.
The new high ropes course became an area that scouts enjoyed this summer. They also used the zip-line and the climbing wall. Scouts in the OWL program went caving to have a new experience. We offered Mining in Society, Signs, Signals and Codes, and Search and Rescue merit badges as new badges this summer and brought back Cooking merit badge. We are currently looking to rotate merit badges for 2020. Additional camp improvements are underway, and we're excited to share updates throughout the year.
During our fifth week of camp, we honored the legacy of Don Beck by recognizing his family for the memorial donation that allowed for some of the kitchen remodel. We also recognized Ken and Angie Friedrichs for the donation that allowed the building of the high cope course as well as partial funding of the zip-line. They were honored with the prestigious North Star Award, which recognizes people not enrolled in the program for the significant support of the Scouting program. Through the generosity of many camp alumni and friends, we also were able to name a new Spirit Scholarship for camp staff members in namesake of one of our Camp Directors.
Thank you to the many Scouts, leaders, families, volunteers, and staff members who made this year a tremendous success. All in all the 2019 summer camp season was strong and plans are in place to make 2020 even better.
Sincerely,
Dick Reynolds and Lee Binkley
Co-Camp Directors