More than 1,400 Cub Scouts attend camp in Haymarket

The Boy Scouts of America National Capital Area Council operates Cub World at the 380-acre Camp William B. Snyder located in Haymarket.

Camp director Eric Steele oversees the program along with help from a staff of 38 young men and women, of whom 16 are Eagle Scouts. Several of the staff members have worked at Cub World for four years. So far, it has been a busy summer, as more than 1,489 Cub Scouts have attended activities at Camp Snyder.

The staff has come up with innovative ways to keep the campers busy.

This years' theme is "Passport to Adventure" with a spy and detective focus. The Scouts become detectives and try to figure out which staff member is Ripley Jebediah Hemingway.

Steele said some parents are even more into it than the kids.

"This is the best program I've been a part of in my 27 years at various camps," he said.

When asked about his thoughts on the theme, parent Bill Giles said, "I don't think there is a boy who doesn't like adventure and mystery."

Boys can learn to shoot a BB gun, sharpen their archery skills, participate in an archeology dig, swim, experience nature, learn about different sciences and other activities.

Campers sleep in tents and experience evening campfires. Not only do the boys have a variety of events, but there are opportunities for adults to have fun along with their children. Parents can enjoy caveman golf and scavenger hunts.

Staff member Kelly Spong is the director of the Native American Village and the handicraft station. She said the boys enjoy making something they can take home with them to remind them of the Cub World. She added the Scouts seem to like the theme this year as they go about obtaining the clues and trying to find out which staff mem-ber is Ripley.

Matt Bess, a staff member and the nature director, enjoys teaching how to take care of our resources and how to respect nature while interjecting some science into the program.

Preston Battle, a Cub Scout from Pack 1787, said that he liked mostly everything about the nature program, espe-cially the volcano erupting.

"I was hoping to see a snake, along the trail, but I didn't," he said.

It appears that all the Scouts love the water and the pool.

Scout Michael Crawford said, "I like boating the best because I got to drive the paddleboat."

Mark Macala, one of the fathers, said, "The kids are fascinated with archery and the BB gun range because they have never done those things before, but they love the pool."

Shaylyn Leary, the ship director, and her assistant, Liam Berigon, run the adventure ship program. They taught the boys about parts of a ship and solved a puzzle allowing them to get into a treasure chest. The reward inside was buckets filled with water balls, which the boys threw at each other.

BB guns are one of the most popular activities at camp.

Tony Crawford, the shooting sports director, said that one of the most meaningful aspects of his job was helping teach the boys to shoot and seeing the excitement in a young boy's face when he hits the target.

When asked about sleeping in tents, there was a consensus about some bugs, but that didn't dampen their spirits as the excitement of roasting marshmallows and telling ghost stories overshadowed a few spiders and bugs.

According the Cub Scouts from Pack 481, it was a unanimous "awesome" when asked if they liked the campfire. Many chimed in and shouted out their favorite skit. According to the boys, "Everything was cool and we are going to come back."

Camp food doesn't always invoke a favorable impression, but one boy said, "I could live on it, and I love the peanut butter and jelly bar!"

Not only is Camp Snyder busy with summer programs, but there are parent/son overnighters throughout the year that give parents a chance to spend quality time with their sons.

All youths can experience Camp Snyder as it sponsors the Hauntings of Haymarket Hollow in October, which is an evening of scary fun full of surprises.

For more information on Scouting or Camp Snyder, contact Eric Steele at 571-248-4904 or Eric.Steele@scouting.org.

-- Submitted