Welcome to the world of the Colonial District. The theme of the Fall 1999 Colonial District Camporee is "It's Colonial!"

After a year of existence, it is time to celebrate who we are and what we have become. The Colonial District stretches from Alexandria to the Occoquan River, from the Potomac to I-95. We are part urban, part suburban, and, in some places, part rural.

The camporee is being held within the district -- at Gunston Hall Plantation. Gunston Hall was the home of George Mason. We owe many of our liberties to George Mason. Mason was one of the founders responsible for the Bill of Rights. The Constitution as written did not include the Bill of Rights. Mason, who helped write the Constitution, would not sign it without the Bill of Rights.

The first Congress saw Mason's wisdom and adopted the 10 Amendments to the Constitution. Freedom of the press, freedom of religion,  Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination, and the freedom of assembly were part of Mason's wisdom.

For more information about George Mason and Gunston Hall Plantation, check out the Gunston Hall Web site at http://www.gunstonhall.org/.

Who?

The Fall Camporee is open to all Colonial District Scouts and Scouters. In addition, second-year Webelos Scouts may spend the night with Scout troops. First-year Webelos Scouts may participate in the Saturday activities.

What's Happening?

Boy Scout Activities -- Four merit badges will be offered: Archaeology, Pioneering, Indian Lore, and Orienteering. Space for the Archaeology merit badge is limited to 30 boys. The staff archaeologist at Gunston Hall will supervise Scouts in a dig. Obviously, some work for this merit badge must be done before the camporee. Please have the boys complete this work and bring it with them. All merit badges are complicated and will take both morning and afternoon to accomplish. Have blue cards filled out before arrival.

First-year scouts can participate in a 10-kilometer volksmarch. Along the way, there will be stops where instructors will go over some of the requirements for first class in the first year. These include identifying 10 plants, identifying signs of 10 animals, and tying some knots. Boys who participate in this should bring a daypack, carry water, a first aid kit, and a poncho and wear sturdy shoes. Charlie Marineau is the Scout activity leader. Contact him at Afmarcr@dia.osis.qov.

Webelos Activities -- Second-year Webelos scouts may participate with the first-year Boy Scout walk if they wish. If not, there will be morning and afternoon activities specifically for them. Rita Trimarchi is the chief of Webelos scouting. For questions, suggestions or comments contact her at r.trimarchi@erols.com.

Activities for All -- The Plantation House will be open, as will the museum. Feel free to tour these. There also will be a "Colonial Cook-off." Colonial recipes will be in the schedule packets that unit leaders will receive, will be . Your scouts are encouraged to try their hands at colonial cooking and submitting their favorites for judging. The U.S. Army's Third Infantry will put on a demonstration of Continental Drill on Saturday afternoon.

First Aid

There will be a first aid station on site. For any more serious injuries, there is a fire station near the campsite and they can be called via 911. All injuries should be reported to the first aid cadre at the site. Mount Vernon Hospital is the nearest full-service hospital.

Where? Gunston Hall Plantation is located beside Gunston Road a few miles east of  Route 1. It is between Mason Neck State Park and Pohick Regional Park. The phone number is (703) 922-9220. How Much? Boy Scout and second year Webelos Scout cost is $20. This covers the stay, insurance, medical supplies, program supplies and patches. First year entrance is $2.

How to Prepare

Although this is car camping, please try to incorporate Leave-No-Trace principles whenever you can.

No ground fires are allowed, not because we are afraid of fires, but because they disturb the ground. Archeologists digging in the fields would be confused by the marks fires leave in the ground. District commissioners will be on hand to help troops and packs settle in and will inspect the troop and pack sites before leaving.

Registration

We are trying to make registration easy. It is important we have an accurate count for the merit badges and the first-year scout walk. If at all possible, please submit your unit's registration information by e-mail to Camporee Director Jim Garamone at jagaram@hq.afis.osd.mil. Please include:

• Troop or Pack Number
• Number of Scouts and Adult Leaders Who Will Attend
• Number of Boy Scouts wishing to take:
      Archeology
      Pioneering
      Indian Lore
      Orienteering
• Number of Boy Scouts participating in the first-year program
• Number of second-year Webelos taking part in the Boy Scout first-year program
• Number of second-year Webelos taking part in the Webelos program
• Number of first-year Webelos participating in the Saturday Webelos program
• Troop/Pack Point-of-Contact (including phone number(s) and e-mail address(es).

Units unable to provide this information by e-mail should call Jim at (703) 360-5692 or send him this information by mail at
    Jim Garamone
    9009 Stratford Lane
    Alexandria, Va. 22308-2743