On Sunday, November 14th 2021, Scout Troops 1774 (Boys & Girls), along with the Arrow of Light Den from Pack 1774, gathered together with their families for their “First Annual Scoutsgiving,” held at the Fish & Games Club here in Ludlow. Roughly 30 scouts and 30 family members attended. 

In the days leading up to the day of the event, the Scouts paired up with one another, and brainstormed dish ideas. 

Liberty Carlson,  from Scout Troop 1774 (girls) explained, “We had a $20 budget, and with that we could make whatever dish we wanted.”

 The Scouts did everything from shopping, transporting, and preparing the food with their partner. They then had to take on the responsibility of cooking the dish outside with their partner. The fire started at 10:30 a.m., and dinner was served just after 2 p.m. There was turkey, ham, all the sides that you could imagine, and some amazing desserts. The turkey and ham were cooked in a “camp oven” which essentially is a cardboard box lined with foil. Charcoal briquettes are used to keep an even temperature inside. 

Elizabeth Richter, a Scout from Girl’s Troop 1774 commented, “There was many compliments about the different food that was very well prepared using no electricity, and only fire”. The Turkey came out amazingly tender and juicy. Girls Troop Assistant Scoutmaster Amanda Winslow added, “Some families even joked that maybe they would try cooking their turkeys this way for Thanksgiving.” 

Girl Troop Committee Chair, Julia Liszka shared, “We leaders saw this as an opportunity to not only work on their cooking skills, but also as an opportunity to work on communication and teamwork.” Troop 1774  along with Arrow of Light are a family. Just by seeing all the friendships, laughs, jokes, you can tell how much this means to them all. Bringing all the families together to share one thing they all have in common, a Scout who loves what they do. Julia also adds “By having families join us—we highlighted another key pillar of scouting; community, friendship, responsibility, and teamwork”.

Towards the end of an amazing event, all the Scouts came back together to pack and clean everything up. Parents, kids, and even a puppy all helped to make sure they got one more word from the Scout Oath achieved, which is CLEAN. In the oath, it means to keep your body and mind fit. Help keep your home and community clean. They sure do an amazing job helping keep the community clean!

Boys and Girls Scout Troop 1774 are always looking for and welcoming new adventurous kids, ages 12—17 to join! If you or you know someone who may be interested in joining, Follow them on Facebook @ Scout Troop 1774. 

Participants recognized and thanked Laurie Smith for coming up with this amazing event. The dedication and time Laurie puts into these scouting events amazes all. Everyone in the troops, and their families are so grateful for her.