By Jim Heavey
This past weekend, the Greenwich Council, Boy Scouts of America, held its annual Fall Camporee at Greenwich Point. The Camporee is traditionally a competition between the Patrols from the various Troops around town. This year’s theme was “Culinary Excellence.”
An integral part of the annual Camporee is to perform service projects. This year, the event was held on the same day as the Silver Shield Foundation Walk. The Foundation raises funds to support the children of first responders who die in the line of duty. Over 75 Scouts in full uniform stood at the halfway mark, cheering on the walkers and waving American and Troop flags. Once all the walkers had passed by, the Scouts headed up to the site of the old Tod mansion where, under the supervision of the Greenwich Parks and Recreation Dept., they planted six new holly trees and cleared wisteria, an aggressive vine that plagues the Point.
Lunch came next, with Patrols preparing an assortment of sandwiches, warm soups, and beverages. Next, the Troops set up their campsites in the field adjacent to the Clambake Area. There followed a round robin of six food prep demo stations, run by the Scoutmasters. Yours truly roasted a chicken in a cardboard box. It came out tender and juicy, if I do say so myself — and was promptly devoured by hungry Scouts. Troop 11 deep-fried a turkey, which met a similar fate. Troop 7 demonstrated various camp stoves; Troop 9 created fajitas; and Troop 5 revealed the culinary secrets to baking in a Dutch oven (DO). Troop 38 put a DO to good use, simmering up some chili.
After the demos, the Scouts enjoyed friendly games of football and volleyball before returning to the campsite. Then it was time for the competition.
A Patrol from Troop 35 won third place with grilled chicken-vegetable kabobs over a charcoal fire. Another Troop 35 Patrol took second place with their scrumptious chicken alfredo. First place went to a Patrol from Girl Troop 23 for their parmesan-crusted chicken breast served with mashed potatoes and fresh zucchini. While their food was excellent, it should also be noted that the first-place Patrol also provided the judges with a tablecloth, a menu, fresh bread and butter, and live entertainment provided by singers and a ukulele player. That said, the food alone was first-place worthy. Dessert consisted of assorted brownies and cobblers baked in DOs, with Troop 10 serving up an outstanding monkey bread.
After dinner, the Order of the Arrow (Scouting’s honor society) hosted the campers at a bonfire on the beach and organized skits, songs, and entertainment, with all the Troops participating. At the end of a very full day, Scouts trekked back to the campsite to enjoy sleeping under the stars alongside Long Island Sound.
In the morning, several hardy Scouts woke before dawn to get a little fishing in. Patrols cooked up morning fare of “mountain man” breakfast, pancakes, sausages, and more. In one last competition, each atrol was given an egg, a tortilla, and a slice of bacon and instructed to be creative. Top honors went to Troop 10 for their pancake surprise and Troop 11 for their fried egg, bacon, and cheese tortilla served with fresh fruit salad.
The Camporee was the first camping experience for several of the participants. In addition, it was Girl Troop 23’s first outing as a newly minted Scouting USA Troop. The event wrapped at 0930, when parents collected their Scouters, concluding a Camporee that was a great success by every measure.
