Arranges a Priest to give Mass from 7pm - 8pm Saturday evening. Arranges whatever equipment and/or xeroxes that the Priest needs (per his wishes.) Arranges an area for Mass; easy in good weather, a problem in poor. Gets a copy of the directions to the Projectoree to the Priest, well ahead of time. Brings a large tarp (or tarps) and set-up gear if moderately poor weather is expected. Establishes a "bad weather" policy for cancellation in the event of ridiculous weather conditions. Acts as a "lookout" for the Priest on Saturday evening, helps him set up. Assists in finding Altar Servers among the available Scouts. Helps clean up afterwards, and assists the Priest as needed in getting items back to his vehicle. Disassembles and puts tarps away, moves picnic table(s) back to the camping area (if used.) Writes a Thank You letter on behalf of the Projectoree and mails it during the following week.

We have previously used Priests from both Arlington and Woodbridge. It is always best to use an Arlington Priest. If no-one is available, call the Diocesan Office and talk to the Scouting Chaplain; he may be able to help. Arranging a Priest needs to be done well ahead of time, certainly no later than April 1^st. In general, we will have between 40 and 60 Catholics at Mass (note that this is usually right on the edge of viability with respect to getting a Priest.)

Thanks for your assistance!

This job primarily combines the Health and Safety Monitoring for the Projectoree with the "timing" coordination for Saturday. Although certain aspects of the position continue through the weekend, the primary time frame is all day Saturday. Because (except for the "Rovers") this is pretty much a "sit-in-place" job, it is recommended that these positions be held by Adults/Senior Scouts who are not interested in doing a lot of running around. At least 1 of the participants in this job should be currently certified in First Aid and CPR.

The "First Aid Central" point will be on the main competition field, under the tarp which was set up (unless it was raining heavily) for the Registration Desk on Friday night (it will still be in place all Saturday.) If it rained heavily on Friday night, you may need to work with the Registrar's Troop to set the tarp up, since the registration point will have been in the Comfort Station instead of out on the field. Note that this area is effectively the Projectoree Headquarters for all daylight hours on Saturday.

Materials Needed:

This job is actually two jobs - which are essentially summarized in the Title. The jobs run all-day Saturday. In order to simplify the writeup, each job is described separately, start-ing with the Flag Ceremonies.

Materials Needed:

_____ (1) American, Virginian, and (if possible) Arlington Flags, with stands for each.
_____ (2) A 40 - 60 foot long piece of heavy-duty "cable" rope.
_____ (3) A dozen 1 foot long pieces of light rope.
_____ (4) A walkie talkie (available from Troop 111 or 647).
_____ (5) Air-Horn (Borrow from the First Aid Coordinator)
_____ (6) Copies of Suggestive (General) Flag Ceremonies (Below)

On Friday night, you should visit each Troops' campsite to arrange one of their Scouts to carry their Troop Flag at the opening and closing flag ceremonies the following day. The selected Scouts assemble on the main field at the FIRST double air-horn blast Saturday morning (8am), so you can practice whatever ceremony you have planned. It is definitely preferable that these Scouts wear a full Scout Uniform for this event! - for this reason, you may want to use a Senior Scout who's not involved in a morning event (so he can go change at his leisure after the events start.) Remember, we may have news photographers present, so it's important to look sharp.

Opening Flag Ceremony - Early Saturday morning, you'll need to stretch and tie off the heavy-duty cable rope on two trees, as tightly as possible, on the far end of the main field (the end closest to the campsites.) The shorter the run, the better (it will remain more taut.) Set up the flag stands evenly spaced below the rope, then tie the short ropes into the cable above the stands. Remember that the stand for the American Flag will be on the far left as the audience is facing the flags (so it will be on the speakers' right side.) This set-up should all be done well ahead of time. The flag ceremony should be done however you wish (a suggestive ceremony is attached), with the Scouts tying their respective flags to the cable after they post the colors. Remember that the color guard does not salute the flags or say the Pledge of Allegiance - please remind everyone of that fact. Whoever leads the ceremony should have a good strong voice, and be crisp and sharp in his commands. Once the flag ceremony is complete, we're going right into the morning events without pause, so please hand the assembly off to the Projectoree Organizer immediately upon retiring the Color Guard.

Closing Flag Ceremony - We'll be re-assembling the Troops in the main field just after dark (i.e., about 8:15) for the walk down to the campfire. The Closing Flag Ceremony Scouts should assemble at 8:00 for practice. The closing flag ceremony is a formal closure to the day activities. It is not a good idea to leave the flags, stands or ropes up after dark! - we don't need any Scouts "clothes-lining" themselves running around the field after dusk. Once the ceremony is over, the Troops are led down to the campfire circle.

These are typical Summer Camp Opening and Closing Flag Ceremonies. You can adapt them for use at the Projectoree. You do not have to use this ceremony; if you have something better, go ahead and use it instead.

[Note: It is best to practice this at least once before trying to do it in front of the entire Projectoree.]

You'll have multiple flags - the U.S., Virginia, (possibly) Arlington and each Troop's personal Flag. You'll need at least one Scout for each flag, plus one additional person to run the commands. The American Flag should be in the lead, with the others following in the order listed above, with Troop Flags in numerical order; remember, the American Flag must be positioned at the far left hand side with respect to the onlooking Scouts (that is, to the speaker's right-hand-side if he is facing the audience.) You should have already tied in the support cable, and have positioned each Flag stand spread equally along (below) the cable; in addition, there should be a small piece of rope tied to the support cable above each flag-stand. This enables you to tie the flags to the support cable, giving them support and preventing them from tipping over.

You are talking to over 150 Scouts, Staff and Leaders; speak as loudly as possible (without screaming.)

Head: "Camp Wilson, Attention!" [Wait for quiet, make sure Scouts are actually at full parade attention.]

"Color Guard, Forward March." Color Guard approaches from the far right of the audience, walks in front of the flag stands.

When opposite the flag stands: "Halt." "Left Face."

"Camp Wilson, Hand Salute! Color Guard, Present the Colors!" All Standard Bearers should straighten up and slightly raise their flags.

"Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. "I Pledge Allegiance..."

When finished: "Two" (Allows all attendees to return to Parade Attention Position)

"Color Guard, Post the Colors" Each standard bearer should BACK UP to his respective stand (Do NOT turn around!), post his flag, and quickly tie it into the support cable rope. Once this is completed, Color Guard should reassemble in front of the flags, facing the flags. At this point:

"Color Guard, Left Face." "Forward, March!"

Wait `til back at starting point: "Halt." "About Face."

"Camp Wilson, At Ease!" Look to Projectoree Organizer and nod your head, then step back several steps.

This ceremony should also be practiced before trying to do it in front of the entire Projectoree. If you can use the same people as you did to open, things will probably go a lot smoother. Also, if it isn't windy out, you can go ahead and untie the supporting ropes in order to save time during the actual ceremony.

Again, you'll need enough Scouts to handle each flag, plus one to run the ceremony. They should again be positioned on the far right of the audience. The ceremony is essentially the reverse of the opening. And again, you are talking to over 150 Scouts, Staff and Leaders; speak as loudly as possible (without screaming.)

Head: "Camp Wilson, Attention!" [Wait for quiet, make sure Scouts are actually at full parade attention.]

"Color Guard, Forward March."

When opposite the flags: "Halt." "Right Face." "Advance and Retrieve the Colors."

[Scouts should retrieve the flags, return to lineup, facing the audience.]

"Camp Wilson, Hand Salute! Color Guard, Retire the Colors!" American Flag starts first, crossing in front of all the other flags. As the American flag passes the Virginia flag, that flag bearer should step in behind and follow the American Flag, then the next flag steps in behind the Virginia Flag, and so on.

Wait `til back at starting point: "Halt."

"Two" [Allows saluting Scouts back to Attention.]

"Camp Wilson - At Ease!"

At this point, you're done with the actual ceremony. Troops should head out (at your direction) down to the campfire circle (someone who knows where they're going should lead them there.) Flag bearers should pick up their flag stands and return both flags and stands back to their campsites. In order to avoid later problems, the flags should be securely stored. You should handle the American, Virginian and Arlingtonian flags and stands, then head down to the campfire yourself. Campfire Coordination

The campfire starts at the April 1st Organizational Meeting, when the Scoutmaster of each Troop is supposed to tell us what skit(s) his Troop intends to put on at the campfire program. By April 21st, he'll tell us how many additional flags he's bringing to be retired, and the names of the young Scouts who will assist with the flag retirement ceremony. This is done early for two reasons; first, to avoid getting repeat skits, and second, to get the Troops thinking about all these issues before late Saturday afternoon. Once you have this information, you can put together a program. You will be running that program at the campfire itself, so its a good idea to put a formal schedule together; a suggestive schedule is attached. We'd also like the Campfire Staff to put on a skit or two, just to keep the quality up.

Materials Needed:

_____ (1) 2 Coleman Lanterns, full of fuel (extra fuel and mantles, if needed)
_____ (2) The formal campfire schedule, written down, on a clipboard
_____ (3) Several good sized bow-saws
_____ (4) Several pairs of gloves (to prevent blisters)
_____ (5) Several (dry!) newspapers, for firestarters
_____ (6) A "brick" of wax (potent fire starters!, much safer than liquid fuels)
_____ (7) Pack of matches, with a Bic Lighter for a positive back-up
_____ (8) Several shovels and rakes
_____ (9) Several large water buckets, full
_____ (10) Several flashlights, with fresh batteries
_____ (11) A medium-sized tarp
_____ (12) Optional - megaphone (borrow from Bob if needed)
_____ (13) Flags to be retired
_____ (14) Song-sheets, if needed - at least 200.

Next, on Friday night, you should collect any extra flags to be retired that were delivered to the Registrar, along with the rosters of the Scouts helping on the flag retirement ceremony. The duplication in information collection is to make sure you don't get "burned" by last second no-shows.

Saturday morning (i.e., after the opening flag ceremony), the next activity is to clear the fire-ring and build a large campfire. You will need to walk some distance from the campfire to find acceptable wood; use the bowsaws to cut dead, downed timber - nothing too large; the biggest logs should be less than 6 inches in diameter. Use of gloves would be prudent. Remember, the entire fire is going to last less than 1 hour, so don't go crazy. The "teepee surrounded by a log cabin" seems to be best style for these type campfires. Leave a distinct "gap" on the side closest to the big stump so that the Flag Ceremony Scouts will have a spot to toss the flags INTO the fire (instead of on top of the fire). Use the newspaper as your base, with the wax blocks sitting above the base on actual branches - once the flames get hot, the wax melts into the rest of the wood and really gets the fire to take off in a hurry. Don't forget to have a free space to get a match in to start things up. Finally, if the weather is threatening, or if rain is expected later in the day, cover the camp-fire with a tarp to protect it (use rocks to hold the tarp in place in case the wind kicks up.)

Once this is done, take a look at 1995's and 1997's service projects (the rebuilding of the log-rings around the campfire to sit on.) Some of these will have been moved out of place by the winter floods, so spend some time to get them back in place. We're going to have over 200 people at the campfire, so lots of seats are needed. Once this is done, you're free to take a break, help with the service project, help the Staff Food Coordinator with lunch, or spend some time participating in the events (the obstacle course is always a popular free-time event for Staff members.)

The campfire basically begins with the closing flag ceremony on the main field. This is discussed in more detail below. Several members of your staff should be already in place at the campfire ring when we get there. Please wait until the first Scouts are entering the campfire ring before starting the fire (or have some impressive starting ceremony.) Try to get everyone to sit on the hillside to the left of the campfire - avoid having people behind the campfire. I will be asking the Staff to spread out with their Troops to maintain order, and I will also ask them to enthusiastically lead the cheering for the skits and awards. Hopefully, this will avoid some of the behavioral and disciplinary problems we've had in past years.

Again, I expect you to lead the campfire. I'll make some preliminary announcements and plead for some decorum before we start, then I'll hand it off to you. (We'll announce the individual event winners during the prelims.) Call out the skit names and Troop/Patrols, ask for absolute quiet (and don't start until you get it for each skit), and ask the skit people to speak as loudly as possible. Remember, we don't have electronic gear, so things have to be quiet and the Scouts have to be loud in order to be heard. Monitor discipline carefully. Once the skits are done, the Scoring and Awards Coordinator (and you) will handle the awards. Once the awards are given out, we'll close with a song and send the Scouts back to their campsites. Once everyone is gone, please kill the fire with the water in the water buckets, using the rakes and shovels to make sure everything is stone-cold dead. You may need to go get additional water to make sure of this - and please, make sure. Once this is finished, clean up and bring everything back up to the staff area, or (preferably) return it directly to whichever Troop brought everything.

On Sunday morning, please work with the assigned cleanup Troop to do a final recheck of the entire campfire area to recover lost tools, flashlights, jackets, etc., that the Scouts will have left behind. Also, police the area - there'll surely be a couple things and plenty of trash lying around. Relay these to me, unless names/Troop numbers are obvious (in which case, give them to the respective Troop.)

Thanks for your assistance!

NOTE: The Catholic and Protestant Masses are scheduled for 7:00 - 8:00pm; the Protestant Mass is usually done well before 8:00, but the Catholic Mass, as often as not, will run over.

8:00 - Single Blast on Air Horn as warning for Closing Flag Ceremony

8:15 - Second Double Blast on Air Horn to reassemble Troops

8:20 - Run Closing Flag Ceremony (Suggestive Program attached); Begin Walk to Campfire Circle

8:30 - Start Campfire when you hear Scouts coming.

8:50 - Opening Remarks by Projectoree Organizer, Flag Retirement Ceremony; Announcement of Event Winners, Event by Event, Begin Skit/Song Program

Opening Song (?) "God Bless the USA" during the flag retirement ceremony???

Staff Skit I (?) ________________________________________________

Troop _____, doing ___________________________________________________

Troop _____, doing ___________________________________________________

Troop _____, doing ___________________________________________________

Staff Skit II (?) ________________________________________________

Troop _____, doing ___________________________________________________

Troop _____, doing ___________________________________________________

Troop _____, doing ___________________________________________________

* Recognition of Staff
* Announcement of Patrol Winners, in Reverse Order (Fifth to start, First last), with Patrol Leaders coming up to collect Flag Streamers as announced.
* Closing Remarks and Announcements
* Stand for Scout Vespers
* Troops return to their campsites

Flag Ceremony and Campfire Coordinators then put out the campfire (or leave it going for the Staff, whichever you prefer.) Fire must be left "drowned," and dead-out. If necessary, get extra water to ensure that it's truly dead.

Arranges a Minister to give a Protestant Service from 7pm - 8pm Saturday evening. Arranges whatever equipment and/or xeroxes that the Minister needs (per his or her wishes.) Arranges an area for the Service; easy in good weather, a problem in poor. If an outside Minister is used, provides a copy of the directions to the Projectoree to the Minister, well ahead of time. Brings a large tarp (or tarps) and set-up gear if moderately poor weather is expected. Establishes a "bad weather" policy for cancellation in the event of ridiculous weather conditions. If an outside Minister is used, acts as a "lookout" for the Minister on Saturday evening, helps him or her set up. If needed, assists in finding acolytes among the available Scouts. Helps clean up afterwards, and assists the Minister as needed in getting items back to his vehicle. Disassembles and puts tarps away, moves picnic table(s) back to the camping area (if used.) Writes a Thank You letter on behalf of the Projectoree and mails it during the following week.

We have previously used Ministers from Arlington, but most years one of the Scouters on-site acts as a Minister. Arranging a Minister needs to be done well ahead of time, certainly no later than April 1st. In general, we will have between 100 and 150 Protestants at the Projectoree, of whom about half will attend Services.

Thanks for your assistance!

This job involves attempting to get the Projectoree into several of the local Arlington and McLean newspapers, and is specifically pointed at presenting Scouting in a positive light (i.e., by showing Scouts having a good time.) It involves some rather low key work before, during and immediately after the Projectoree.

Materials Needed:

_____ (1) One or two cameras, and adequate film (200 daytime, 400 dusk, 1000 campfire).
_____ (2) One or two notebooks (for taking quotes.)
_____ (3) Several fresh pens.

This is essentially a Friday Afternoon/Evening job only, with a little additional work late Saturday Afternoon. It can be run with two - three Senior Scouts, or 1 Shadow Adult and 1 Senior Scout; in the latter case, the Adult is strongly advised that the intent is to assist the Scout, not take the job over and do it for him.

Because of the nature of the job, the participants need to be in place and ready to go by about 5pm Friday afternoon - thus, you need to leave Arlington right after school in order to go down and set up. Get the directions to Camp Wilson from your Scoutmaster.

Materials Needed:

_____ (1) A medium sized tarp setup, including all poles, stakes, ropes, etc.; this is absolutely critical if the weather is going to be less than perfect.
_____ (2) A large poster-board listing "Registration," plus a staple gun or some other means to attach it to a stake post (the stake-post should be in place when you arrive at the site.) Note - this may be done by the Site Coordinator - check with him first!
_____ (3) Picnic Table to work on (many are available around the site, but one will have to be moved Box of into place.)
_____ (4) Flares (available from Bob.)
_____ (5) All necessary Forms (available on the website, or from Bob if necessary), in a briefcase or small box (for safekeeping.)
_____ (6) T-Shirts, Patches and Projectoree Ribbons (available from Bob), presorted by you (if desired) into individual Troop "bags."
_____ (7) Cash Box or briefcase for completed registration forms.
_____ (8) Clip-Board, i.e., a flat surface to write on. (A picnic table doesn't work well!)
_____ (9) Several Pens.
_____ (10) Large Magic Marker and 8 heavy-duty, medium sized plastic bags or boxes.
_____ (11) 2 medium sized buckets.
_____ (12) A calculator, with fresh batteries.
_____ (13) A stapler.
_____ (14) A couple of strong flashlights, or a Coleman Lantern (with fuel)

This job begins Thursday night before the Projectoree; go to Dr. Bob's house (email him for directions) and pick up the box of flares, all forms, T-Shirts, Patches, and anything else you need that you've prior-arranged with Bob. You can save a lot of hassle Friday afternoon if you spend time Thursday night pre-sorting the T-Shirts and Patches into individual plastic bags or boxes, each labeled with its respective Troop number - however, this will create more bulk for you to transport Friday afternoon. Up to you. If you decide not to do it Thursday night, be sure to bring the bags/boxes and a large magic marker so you can do it Friday afternoon while you're waiting "between Troops." Note that there's usually plenty of time "between Troops!"

On Friday, you'll need to leave as quickly as possible for the site in order to set up. You should eat a good meal on the way, and have some drinks and snacks with you, since you'll be pretty much isolated once you begin. Hopefully, you will have visited the site during a previous Projectoree, but if not, this is what you'll see: When you enter the camp proper, there will be a long, rather narrow field on your right hand side; this is the main competition field. Set up about 3/4's of the way down the field, next to the small concrete pad. Please erect your tarp, then move a picnic table (from the camping area) under it, then staple your "Registration" sign to the provided stake (or to the picnic table if your prefer), then organize your forms and T-Shirts, Patches, Registration forms, etc. Realistically, you won't see the first Troop `til about 5:15 - 5:30, so if you get done a lot earlier than that, go ahead and set up your gear in the Staff area (see map for Staff area "A.") You'll have long stretches where nothing's going on, then 10 minutes of sudden frenzy.

With each Troop's arrival, use the provided check-off list to make sure you get everything taken care of - first, have them fill out their Registration Forms (if not already done.) Confirm that their T-Shirt and Staff Food orders have not been changed from their original orders (which will be provided to you on a master list.) Collect their checks, made out to "Troop 111," and staple it to the registration form, and place it in your briefcase or some other safe spot. Next, give them their T-Shirts, Patches, maps to the site and any other paperwork they need. They should count their T-Shirts and patches as a double check. Explain where their campsite is, and where the Staff site is, using the map you gave them. Remind them of the PLC and Staff Meetings in the Staff Area at 9pm that night (and let them know we'll have a double air-horn blast as a 5-minute warning for the PLC.) Check off everything on the list as a double check that you got it all done, point them in the right direction, and let `em go. Every Troop has been to prior Projectorees, so they shouldn't need any help finding their campsites.

If all Troops have not arrived by dark (roughly 7:55pm), two Scouts should go out to the road entrance and set up a few flares. Set up another flare in the road in front of the registration desk also. If you need to do this, ask some of the Staff already on site for some assistance (you should keep two Senior Scouts at the Registration point, two more at the road.) Since flares are cool, you should have no lack of volunteers! Obviously, be very careful with the flares; keep them in the road, and have your buckets (filled with water) available to extinguish them if necessary. If you're unsure on how to light them, please ask an Adult for advice. The Scouts should have flashlights and stay off the road as a safety precaution - bright colored clothing is definitely preferred! Please avoid going crazy on flares if you use them - the Registrar's "assistants" burned an entire box of them in 1997 for fun; awfully expensive!

Once everyone has arrived and been registered, you're almost done. Leave the tarp and picnic table in place (it will be the First Aid/Water/Timekeepers/Lost and Found/"Rovers" Station on Saturday,) and clean everything else up. Hopefully, you should have little or nothing left over except some forms and patches. If there were any problems or shortfalls, write everything down and include that list with the registration forms. If necessary, kill the flares in the buckets, then head on back to the Staff site. Relay everything to Bob, who should be somewhere in the Staff area.

On Saturday, after the late afternoon events are over, go ahead and take down your tarp and move the picnic table back where you got it. The First Aid people should help you!

Thanks for your assistance!

This job is essentially summarized in the Title, and represents the guts of the weekend program as far as the Patrol competitions are concerned. Although certain aspects of the position apply post-Projectoree, the primary time frame is Saturday afternoon and evening. Because it is pretty much a "sit-in-place" job, it is recommended that these positions be held by Adults and/or Senior Scouts who are: (A) Patient and meticulous; and (B) Not interested in doing a lot of running around late in the day.

 The "Scoresheet Central" collection point will be the First Aid Station on the main competition field, under the tarp which was set up for the Registration Desk on Friday night (it will still be in place all Saturday.) The personnel running that station know that they are to collect all the scoresheets and relay them to the scorekeeper. It is recommended that the scorekeeper keep in touch with the First Aid personnel through the course of the day, especially at lunchtime, when the morning Event Scoresheets (the Blue ones) will be available. In addition, the scorekeeper should keep in touch with the campfire coordinators, since the award presentations will be the highlight (and pretty much the finale) of the evening.

Materials Needed:

_____ (1) First through Eighth Place Patrol Award Ribbons (available from Bob)
_____ (2) Laptop Computer with scoring program installed, plus backup batteries (Note: There are several 110 volt lines which are USUALLY active at the Comfort Station.)
_____ (3) In case of hardware or software failure:
     _____ (i) Several calculators with fresh batteries
     _____ (ii) A dozen sheets of notebook paper, in one or two clipboards
     _____ (iii) A couple of fresh pens
_____ (4) (Optional) Megaphone (borrow from Bob), and whatever other props you feel are needed are necessary for the campfire award presentations.

This job begins Thursday night before the Projectoree, when you should pick up the Awards from Dr. Bob's House (email him for directions.) Please be very careful not to fold, spindle, mutilate or otherwise trash the Awards! On Friday, about the only thing necessary to do is make sure you hit the PLC and Staff meetings, so you hear the instructions given to the Patrol Leaders and Staff members on the scoring protocol (and can make any additional comments you feel are necessary.)

Scoring is done on both a primary and backup system. The primary is the Blue card-stock "event scoring sheets," which the Senior Scouts at each event will be filling out during the course of the event. With luck, this is all you will need to do all necessary data entry into the laptop. The backup system is the yellow card-stock "Patrol scoring sheet," which the Patrol Leaders will be maintaining through the course of the day. The "Patrol scoring sheets" are used for scoring only in case of need (undecipherable entries or - Heaven Forbid - lost "event scoring sheets.") Their primary purpose is to determine the average age of the Patrol for the age normalization protocols. However, note that we have had virtually undecipherable event scoring sheets for several event at past Projectorees, despite our repeated verbal and written pleas for legible entries. Be prepared to "wing it" if needed on certain events (or toss them out altogether if you can't make heads or tails of the entries.)

The program entries would, I think, best be done with one person reading off the data point, and the other entering it into the system. You'll need a formal mechanism for differentiating Patrols (we'll have a Master Sheet equating Patrol Names to Patrol Numbers, which will be relayed to you Friday night or Saturday morning.) A double check system once each data set is entered would be prudent. We need:

(A) The outright winners of each event of the day.

(B) The First through Eighth place overall winners for the day.

At the campfire, I would recommend first listing the winners of each individual event (maybe this could be done early, to whet everyone's appetite???); then later announcing the overall winners in reverse order, making the award to the Patrol Leader, who should come down to the fire-circle to receive his ribbon. P.S.: Whoever makes the announcements should do so in a loud voice, trying to build up some suspense.

After the Projectoree is over, I will need a formal printing of the results to publish in the post-Projectoree newsletter. People are always very interested in this, so please get it to me within a reasonable time frame. That's it.

Thanks for your assistance!

This position works with the Projectoree Organizer and the Pohick Bay Ranger Staff to develop and carry out a service project for Camp Wilson. Note that completion of the service project is in exchange for receiving the minimum charge for the use of the Camp, so it is important to do a good job on a worthy project. Past projects have included rebuilding and improving the campfire circle area, cutting up and removing fallen trees, digging various concrete blocks out of the main field, removing rusty barbed wire from the surrounding woods, and filling extensive ruts in the main field and planting grass seed. Similar type projects can be expected for this and future Projectorees.

The Service Project is completed following the Scoutmaster Chariot Race on Saturday afternoon. Each Troop is required to send at least two Senior Scouts to the Service Project, so staffing is not an issue. In fact, several Troops send more than the minimum, so you should easily have 25 plus Scouts and several Adults available for work.

The biggest issue is having the materials and equipment needed to complete the project on site. Both are available from the Pohick Bay Staff; however, they have only limited numbers of tools, so it will almost certainly be necessary to bring additional tools or other equipment (wheelbarrows, chainsaws, rakes, shovels, digging bars, etc.) from home, depending on the project. You can also solicit for needed materials from the attending Troops, which can make things a lot easier on everyone. If you need to purchase anything, don't forget to save your receipts and submit them for reimbursement.

Note that all safety regulations must be adhered to; thus, only qualified adults can use power equipment such as chainsaws, or drive vehicles. Where appropriate, eye and hearing protection may be required by all participants, or a set minimum distance away from a dangerous operation enforced. You should encourage rest and water breaks as needed. If you are uncomfortable with a proposed project for safety reasons, you should discuss this with the Park Staff and the Projectoree Organizer well ahead of time.

Thanks for your assistance!

Coordinates with the Projectoree Organizer and the Camp Rangers to get the camp opened early Friday morning. Ensures that the electrical and water utilities are "on" at the comfort station, and that the dumpster is unlocked. Visits the Gunston Fire Station to let them know about the event, and the use of air horns. Works on Friday morning and early afternoon to lay out the entire site - posts signs on the main road and throughout the camp, delineates event areas, establishes camping areas for each Troop, works with Staff Food Coordinator to set up the Staff Area, places instructional signs at the Comfort Building, directional signs to the campfire circle and camping areas, ensures that the access roads through the camping areas are kept free of tents and vehicles. Acts as Staff Coordinator through the weekend; assigns "free Staff" (if any) to salient tasks. Helps mediate (or if necessary, arbitrate) disputes (if any) arising from programs and events. Assists with the service project. Assigns Troops to individual clean-up tasks on Sunday morning. "Breaks Down" the camp with respect to all signs erected Friday afternoon, relays recovered materials to the Projectoree Organizer. Acts as backup to the Projectoree Organizers in dealing with Park Rangers and Staff, Gunston Fire Station (Fairfax County #20), Fairfax County Police (if needed) and District personnel. Does final "sweep" of entire campsite to ensure that we left it better than we found it, and notifies Park Rangers that we have departed (so they can come back and lock up the site.)

Materials Needed:

1. Gunston Road Entrance - Large Projectoree Sign, with left arrows, placed on the right hand side of the road 50 - 100 yards or so before the entrance. We have also used orange and yellow surveyor tape attached to the signposts in the past in order to increase visibility. Sign should be double-posted and firmly stapled - the wind can be quite strong out on the road.
2. Registration Point - Depending on the weather, this will either be on the small concrete pad near the end of the competition field, or in the Comfort Station kitchen area. You will need to judge this with an eye towards the weather. Normally, a large sign, marked "STOP!" and "Registration Point" with an arrow is sufficient for this point. You may also wish to put "Saturday First Aid Station/Water Point" on the sign as well - up to you. Note that the ground on the main field is very hard; save your sharpest and toughest stakes for these sign(s).
3. Main Field Competition Areas - You will need to subdivide the area into four subareas for the morning and afternoon events. Each sign should list the morning and the afternoon events to be held at that subarea. Refer to the competition schedule for the list of events, and divvy the area up as you see fit. If windy conditions are expected, these signs will also need to be double posted and heavily stapled. As noted above, the ground on the main field is very hard; save your sharpest and toughest stakes for these signs.
4. Camping Areas - As in years past, we want people to use the further entrance point to the main camping area, and also want it to be one way from that point to the exit point (i.e., the exit near the comfort station.) We also want a sign for the staff area. Thus, we need one sign with left arrow and listing "STAFF," plus a "Do Not Enter" sign for the egress point of the access road, and finally a "Camping area" with a right "one way" arrow at the entrance point of the access road. Inside the camping area, we need to put up signs (Troop #'s on paper plates are fine) for the individual Troop camping areas, based on the sizes of the respective Troops. We should have good numbers for this at the April 30th organizational meeting. We also need one or two "NOTE: No Parking allowed in the Camping Area - Unloading Only!"
5. Two "Campfire Circle" signs, one with a left arrow off the main road, the other with a right arrow at the trailhead leading down to the campfire circle.
6. Comfort Station - one sign at the kitchen area: "Off-Limits - Absolutely No Dishwashing!" Another sign behind the building (at the sinks/water spigot), also stating: "Water Only - Absolutely No Dishwashing! Inside both toilets, posted prominently - "Keep this area Clean! Absolutely No Dishwashing in Sinks!"
7. Ancillary Competition Area - On the main road leading down to the Dining Hall, one sign "Obstacle Course/Firebuilding" with a straight-ahead arrow, and another at the access road to the ancillary competition area with a right arrow.
8. (Only Somewhat Tongue in Cheek!) - One last sign at the exit point, facing into the Projectoree, stating "Scouts, Warning! - Fairfax County Police will pick you up if you try to walk to the 7-11! Stay in Camp!"

Equipment Needed:

A) At least 20 campaign-sign style stakes. 30 would be more prudent; you're going to have some break on you. Pre-sharpened to real points (not just the usual slant-cut) are best; otherwise, they'll break while you try to pound them in. Note that many of our signs are now the type that fit on the wire hangers (the inverted U's that most candidates use now.)
B) One or two small (hammer size) sledge hammers for pounding the stakes and/or wire hangers into the ground. Note that regular hammers and/or rubber mallets do NOT work well. Several small pieces of 2x4's work well as blocks to place on top of the stakes for hammering - they can take the pounding a lot better than the stakes can!
C) One or two staple guns, with plenty of extra staples. Staples should be at least 4 inch, and pointed, for best (and easiest) results.
D) One roll of yellow or orange surveyor's tape; this is an optional item, but really helps people see the signs, especially on Gunston Road.
E) One roll of duct tape (or equivalent) for signs at the comfort station.
F) One small bowsaw, maybe a hatchet, for repairing/sharpening broken stakes.
G) All signs, pre-prepared. Old campaign signs (white on the back side) are the best for this purpose - they're stiff enough to handle some wind, and are semi-waterproof.
H) A few extra blank signs, "just in case."
I) A super-size black magic marker (available at Ayers, Staples, or some hobby stores), for creating or modifying signs.
J) Work-gloves (unless you enjoy splinters in your hands.) After Sunday Cleanup, Please keep all signs and still-useable stakes for future Projectorees!

In brief, primarily responsible for developing a menu for the staff, buying the food, and setting up the cooking/eating area at the Staff Site. Works with the Site Coordinator in developing a Staff Duty Roster for cooking and cleaning. Works with the Projectoree Organizer to determine the total number of Staff eating at the Staff Site. Not a glamorous job, but a critical one for the success of the Projectoree.

Materials Needed:

_____ (1) Menu (emphasizing quality meals, easy to prepare and police), multiple copies, published in the area. You are welcome to buy commercial stuff, like pizzas, if you like.
_____ (2) List of Staff eating in the Staff area, by meal (provided by each Troop via email)
_____ (3) Food, commensurate with the number of Staff, by meal
_____ (4) Additional "Snacks and Drinks," for the Friday Night PLC/Staff Meetings
_____ (5) Food Lockers and Coolers (with block ice as needed)
_____ (6) Cooking Equipment commensurate with the amount of food to be prepared
_____ (7) Stoves and Fuel to run them
_____ (8) Lanterns and Fuel, extra mantles
_____ (9) Disposable eating ware (plates and bowls, utensils, cups, paper towels, etc.)
_____ (10) Cleaning equipment, as needed
_____ (11) Trash cans, heavy-duty plastic trash-bags
_____ (12) 2 - 4 Large Tarps, plus additional gear needed to erect; critical if poor weather is expected.
_____ (13) CB Radios, for communications (if don't have, borrow from Troop 111 or 647)
_____ (14) Optional, Duty Roster, developed in cooperation with the Site Coordinator

This position starts well before the Projectoree with the development of a quality menu. One of the draws of being on Staff is how good the food is compared to what the Troops are eating (and how much more convenient, also!) Convenience, that is, how easy/fast to prepare, consume and clean up, are all issues to keep in mind when designing the menu. The other critical issue is how many Staff members will be eating at each meal - something which has been wildly overestimated at past Projectorees. The problem is that many of the Senior Scouts only come on Saturday, run their events, and leave immediately; this is how they're able to shoehorn in the Projectoree around Sports, work and weekend parties. Past experience suggests that the only major meal will be the Saturday lunch, with less than half that number of people eating Saturday breakfast or dinner, and only about a third eating Sunday morning breakfast. In a change from past years, we will collect Staff Food estimates at the April 30th Organizational Meeting.

You will need to plan to be at the Projectoree fairly early - preferably early afternoon at the latest, in order to do some set-up. Obviously, you will be able to call on Staff members to help you set up as they arrive - but that will be fairly spotty (and won't happen `til late in the day.) The Projectoree Organizer (myself) and Site Coordinator(s) may be available to help during the day. However, you're best if you come with sufficient assistance to get the place set up without your having to do everything yourself.

Finally, if your Troop is unable to loan everything you'll need to set up the Staff area, you'll have to call around Troop-by-Troop in order to borrow things for the weekend. Some Troops will have lots of extra gear they can loan - others will have little or nothing; it's hit-or-miss. If you have real problems, talk it over with me.

Sunday morning, you will be designated sufficient Staff assistance (or a free Troop) in order to break camp quickly. At this point, you should be a coordinator, not a "do-er." If possible, it's best to relay borrowed materials directly to the respective Troops while they're still on-site - certainly easier than having to do it later in the week.

Don't forget to save all your receipts!!!

Thanks for your assistance!