Written by: Blaise Wong
One of the main focuses of the 180th Pacific Coast Scout Group is to provide service at various Scouting events in Metro Vancouver. To this effect, we were excited to take part once again (this was our third consecutive year!) in the 67th Annual Salmon Festival during Canada Day on July 1, 2012 under the invitation of 12th Richmond Scout Group.
The event was held in Steveston, Richmond, which included a large parade, and a number of exhibits and attractions. The Festival was first held in 1945 to both celebrate Canada’s birthday and it’s vibrant and diverse community. Today, with increasing numbers of volunteers and helpers, it has blossomed into one of the largest community events in Canada, and on average it attracts around 70,000 visitors per year from around the Lower Mainland.
Under the coordination of 180th’s Jared Merrell, we helped build and supervise an obstacle course for kids, promoted Scouts Canada at our informational booth, and served breakfast at the very popular Pancake stand.
I spent a very fulfilling day there, from 6am – 8pm, helping out at the various activities. My first duty was to serve food and drinks in the pancake stand alongside fellow members from the Rover Crew and members from the 12th Richmond Scouts. The stand was extremely popular from start to finish, helped of course by the lure of the freshly made pancakes!
When breakfast was finished, I helped with supervision of the obstacle course and learned how to make a cobra weave (a survival bracelet that is incredibly fun to make) from one of the Scout leaders in the 12th. The course that was set up included a rope bridge, and numerous other activities that required crawling, jumping, and balancing. It proved to be popular with a large number of kids who found the challenges fun and intriguing. Many times I was asked by inquisitive kids how some of the courses had been made!
Overall the day was an absolute blast. I had a lot of fun mingling with experienced Scouts, and laughing with kids as they maneuvered through our course. The event helped me see just how important it is for our Crew to support our local community groups: not only does it help them, but most importantly, it is also a great opportunity for us to learn from other Scouters on how to run such meaningful and fun-filled events for the community. To the 12th Richmond Scouters, leaders, parents, and volunteers, thanks for having us. We look forward to being back again next year!