Scouts rule, compete during Patriot Games

Chris Cox, 6, a Cub Scout from Louisville, crawled under the wires of the obstacle course.

Story and photos by Sgt. JOHN NEVILLE/Inside the Turret associate editor

john.neville@knox.army.mil

Hundreds of "bubbles" surrounded the road leading into Keyes Park over the weekend as scouts from across Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio pitched their tents on Fort Knox for Patriot Games, a day of competition and fun for the region's scouting community.

The event, which marked the third edition of the games, drew more than 10,000 scouts, volunteers, and family members to post.

The scent of burning wood filled the air Friday night and lingered through Sunday morning as scouts cooked up savory meals such as rotisserie ham, chili, and hamburgers.

Deciding what to eat on camping trips is something scouts take seriously, according to Jim Williams, the Cubmaster for Fort Knox's Pack 155.

"They plan their menus and do all the purchasing themselves, making sure to stay within their budget," Williams said.

Troop 155, the only Knox Boy Scout troop to camp at Keyes over the weekend, and their Cub Scout brethren, Pack 155, went through two bags of marshmallows Friday night in what Knox Webelo Den Leader Mary Williams defined as "experimental" cooking.

The Knox units also discovered that night that Jiffy Pop popcorn doesn't cook too well on coals.

"We had a couple of kernels on the bottom pop, then the bottom of the pan burned," Jim Williams said. "We went back to the gas grill.

Lights went out around the park at 11 p.m., but scouts talked and joked into the night until fatigue got the best of them. However, a sign of life could always be found in the midnight wanderers trekking back and fourth to the bathrooms.

Unfortunately for Troop 155, camped nearby, the never-ending smack of the door to the portable restroom was heard into the night.

"It a good thing we're upwind of it," said Jim Carroll, Troop 155's Scoutmaster.

Opening ceremonies kicked off the games Saturday morning. Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, Brownies, Venturers, and Explorers tested their skills at the archery and air-gun ranges, battled each other with pugil sticks, and tested their agility on an obstacle course.

But scouts did more than compete against each other. They also shared scouting experiences and issues affecting their own troops with others.

Among all the fun, better scouts with tighter bonds left Keyes Park Sunday to serve their communities and live the Scout Oath.