417 Boy Scouts from Vermont’s Three Rivers District took over the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum this past Saturday for a full day of fun, learning, and hands-on activities. These young men are from Chittenden, Franklin, Grand isle, and Western Lamoille counties in Vermont, and they had their Spring Camporee at Button Bay State Park, and with us! They toured the site, visited our Conservation Lab, stepped aboard the gunboat Philadelphia II, tried out the horse-powered ferry, and more:
Blacksmithing Courses Expert blacksmith instructors worked with scouts all day long. Blacksmith Brian Anderson demonstrated in the eighteenth century forge, and instructors Peter Wells and Bob Wetzel lead the scouts in making iron campsite pokers. (Those must have come in handy Saturday night when they were camping.)
Rowing More than 200 scouts got to try out LCMM’s pilot gigs on Lake Champlain. Working together as 6 or 8-person teams, they rowed these graceful and powerful wooden boats at our waterfront.
Woodworking LCMM volunteer John Tichonuk worked with scouts to try out traditional woodworking tools and techniques. They used tools like an auger, a draw knife, and a spoke shave.
ROV Demos LCMM uses this same Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to explore some of Lake Champlain’s 300 shipwrecks. Scouts got to see things up close and personal as we beamed the video to an inside screen.
Thanks to all our volunteers for making this a great day, and THANKS, Boy Scouts! We invite you to send us an email at info@lcmm.org or leave a comment below.
Got a Boy or Girl scout in your family? Bring him or her to LCMM – or bring the whole troop for a great field trip! Call (802) 475-2022 to schedule something exceptional!
- Take a blacksmithing course
- Build a boat
- Go for a Shipwreck Tour
- Visit LCMM
- Earn your Archaeology Merit Badge at LCMM’s Conservation Lab
- Take an On-Water Ecology Field Trip