Locations for Courts of Honor

[optimist]

This coming July, we will be having a Court of Honor at a campout. The camping area is very close by, just outside of our town. The parents will come out around midday, the Scouts will prepare a nice picnic lunch, and after everyone is fat and happy we will hold our CoH.

A troop I used to be with had a summer picnic/outdoor CoH every year. It was usually very successful. However, this will be the first time we've ever done a CoH in association with a campout. Has anyone here done something like this before?

Also, what are some other ideas for places where a Court of Honor might be held? I've been at CoHs that were little more than regular meetings with recognition and I want to do what I can to help ensure these are special events.

[ASM-142]

My troop has a summer COH every year a couple of weeks after we get back from summercamp. This COH includes a BBQ and fun activities. Fun activities have been anything from horse shoes & frisbee to swimming and softball.

[wagionvigil]

Had one at a Camporee once. ALso I have seen many Eagles Presented at the National Jamboree

[diamondbackAPL]

our court of honors are usually just very simple. you go in, you get your awards, you load up on junk food, and then you go home. we have not done a COH outside the church where we meet, but I would like to do one on a campout or something like that for my communications requirement.

I don't have any suggestions on places for a COH, but on one court of honor we watched "Follow me Boys" after the reception, maybe you could do that at a COH that's not on a school night, and after it's too dark to go play games outside.

[Chief J]

We generally hold a COH each quarter (as long as there are awards to be presented). We hold three of them at our normal troop meeting place and utilize a trop meeting for this. The indoor ones are in Class A and there are snacks and light refreshments provided to the family members and Scouts following the ceremony. The June Court of Honor is held in conjunction with our Summer Picnic. We begin with a cookout, and after feasting hold the COH, and then let the Scouts and Siblings play games or partake of the playground in the community park. The Picnic COH has been very successful for us.

Eagle COH are seperate from these COH's and each Eagle Scout and their family have a say in the preperation of their Eagle COH. These have always been a formal gathering with dignitaries and invited guests of the Eagle Scout in attendance.

Chief J

[ICanCanoeCanU]

We do the same as chief - above.

Oddly enough though that this subject came up as our troop is debating about doing our year end COH at our June campout. Also close to home and we're hoping some of the older, eagle scouts would stop by as most are home from college and get back and forth to work. Our problem is timing, since our next campout is in two weeks.

[ICanCanoeCanU]

Follow up - we did not have time to pull off our COH at our last campout but the boys want to do this next year for our final COH and year end picnic. We did ours again at the location of our meetings and we usually hold this event outside. It turned out to be a violent thunderstorm so we did it inside and it was quite nice with the rumbles outdoors.

[Rick Tyler]

Warning -- old guy story!

I went on my first backpacking trip the summer after I joined Boy Scouts. I was 12. I had finished Tenderfoot just before the trip, but didn't know it. Either I was clueless, or things were a little less formal back then in my troop. Or my memory of things like boards of review isn't very good...

We were in the high Sierra a day out of Tuolomne Meadows camping near the Young Lakes. My father and mother were both on the outing. Moms coming on campouts is nothing new, by the way. We had a roaring fire going (hey, it was 1968) and were having a campfire program.

The Scoutmaster called me up and presented me with my Tenderfoot badge in front of the campfire. Mom and dad were there and there were 5,000 stars wheeling overhead. I recommend holding all Courts of Honor at 10,000 feet in the Sierras. I have no idea what my other COHs were like -- but I'll always remember that one.

I found a picture on the Internet from the spot where we held that campfire: http://www.thebackcountry.org/younglakes/yl15.htm. We were fishing the middle lake when a mountain lion made its way up that ridge in the picture earlier in the afternoon. We stood and watched it for a long time.

And this, my friend, is what Scouting is all about. I never earned my Eagle (I gave up after two troops folded), but my memories are golden.