Community Corner

District Boy Scouts Attend Dexter Camporee at Hudson Mills Metropark

Scouts participated in leadership and team building activities during the weekend camp.

Area Boy Scouts were given a rare opportunity to show off their leadership and team skills during the "All-Troop Scout Camporee" at Hudson Mills Metropark on Sept. 14-16.

Three troops and three cub scout packs attended the event, which was orchestrated by Boy Scout Troop 448. Roughly 63 scouts and 32 adult leaders were on hand to celebrate the scouting program in the community.

"Many of our scouts were positively affected by the community-wide response to the tornado and took notice of the high number of Dexter scouts that participated in the volunteer clean-up efforts," Dexter parent Pete Potsos said. "(The camporee) was an opportunity to celebrate the spirit of Dexter-wide scouting."

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Potsos said the camporee also served as a recruiting event to encourage other boys in Dexter to join the Boy Scouts.

"In spite of the broader Michigan trend of losing scout numbers, participation in Dexter is still very strong. By bringing together all of the Dexter scouts, boys were able to visibly see that there are many more actively involved in scouting then they realize — which in turn can give them peer confidence to sustain their involvement with the program," he said.

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Troops 442, 456, and 448 and Packs 448 and 477 attended the event.

On Friday scouts were divided into four cross-troop teams. The scouts braided survival bracelets out of para-cord, as a team building exercise.

On Saturday the scouts set off to Hudson Mills for a demonstration of the sport of disc golf, by local area disc golf professional players. The boys also helped clear the invasive Autumn Olive plants from four different sections of the disc golf course. This event was sponsored by REI and Hudson Mills staff and volunteers. The rest of Saturday evening was filled with numerous Scout-related games, craft skills and a game of football. 

On Sunday, the event closed with a ceremony that included local residents that have benefited from scout service projects, such as the tornado clean-up efforts, an expansion at the Horseshoe Park in Dexter, and the raised garden beds at the Dexter Community Garden.


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