Bring back Campfires at Campouts

[Buffalo Skipper]

How many troops out there really conduct a campfire while out on weekend campouts? I think campfires are great fun. My troop used to have them all the time. Songs, skits, and a chance to poke fun at the Scoutmaster.

 

Let me know if you do or don't.

 

If you do, how well are they planned. Do the patrols really enjoy them? Are they creative? What is the level of interest/involvement for younger, middle and older scouts?

 

If you don't, why not? (honestly!)

 

Either way, tell me how large your troop is, as I would guess that these are easier to pull off with a larger troop and more patrols to get involved.

 

Until last month, I cannot remember any taking place with our troop in years. We tried one at the last campout, and it went, well, so-so. I am wondering how much of that was just that these scouts had nothing with which to compare it, or a genuine lack of interest.

[artjrk]

The traditional Campfire program has been missing for a while in our troop. One reason is that more and more camping areas restrict the use of open fires, thus the boys don't want to gather around in the evenings. (I know there are other ways to have a "fire" just my observation)

 

Anyway, recently I have been bringing one of those above ground fire pits with screen (thus no open fire) The boys have been getting together more. Programs have been semiformal. Each Patrol performing a skit, adult patrol as well, followed by campfire games. The SPL one night brought his guitar and sang a song with a funny twist. I see this as a start to get campfires back into the routine. Last camp out we had our own OA Call Out since Ordeal comes before the next Camporee. It was the first camp out for our new scouts so the OA rep answered their questions about the OA. It was a great way to introduce them to the OA and what they can look forward to. Our Chaplain's Aide held the religious service during a campfire, since he had to leave early on Sunday Morning. As I said these have not been formal campfire programs but I like seeing the boys use this time in a positive way. We will see where this will lead.

[Lisabob]

I too have many fond memories of campfires, some with planned programs and some more spontaneous. Our guys seldom do this and I don't really know why. They always have a great time when they do, but usually it takes either a scout who is working on his communications MB (planning/running a campfire is one option for a requirement) or an adult to step in and offer to run one. Maybe it just seems like yet another thing to do in an already-packed weekend? Maybe, because they don't have much experience planning one, they don't really know what to do?

 

My son's troop has about 45 boys.

 

While we're at it, can we broaden this to include Cub packs? Our cub pack rarely had any sort of campfire. When a few of us adults started pushing for a campfire program as part of our kick-off and recruiting events, they were extremely well-received.

[OldGreyEagle]

I didn't know Campfires had gone away, it does take tradition and involvement plus a songmaster or two that can lead the songs. Typically we get started with the repeat after me, or rather shout after me "Froggie", we do that 2-3 times or more to get people pumped and loud plus if you have ever yelled your head off you know how physically taxing it is and it mellows the boys right out. Then we have a few song ranging from all 204 verses of the Quartermaster Store, the Non PC Boy Scout Sunday School Song, Johnny Verback and of course Green Grow the Rushes Ho. Of late the cheer, Good Capt Kirk has made a resurgence based on the film comming out and then when things taper off I have been known to do a few recitations such as

 

Casey at the Bat Ernest Thayer

The Bugville Nine Clarence P. McDonald

Cremation of Sam Mcgee Robert Service

Ballad of William Sycamore Stephen Vincent Benet

Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

The Voyageur Peter Drumond

Stopping by a Woods on a Snowy Evening Robert Frost

 

Normally one is what I do at a Campfire, although on Tuesday night of Summer Camp I have been know to all of the consecutively ( by request) to really mellow (sometimes read as bore) the boys down. I have had tried to do Polonius Advice to Laertes, Henry V soliquoy before the battle of Agincourt (Band of Brothers Speech) or the Charge of the Light Brigade but I havent had much luck in keeping locked in my memory

 

We will have 20 youth singing, shouting and listening

[EagleBeaver]

The patrol planning the campout decides what sort of campfire to have, but it's usually skits, stories, and songs. Either the patrol does the whole thing or they solicit skits and songs beforehand from all patrols.

We seldom have a non-campfire Saturday night.

 

The adults never lead more than 1 skit, 1 song, and 1 story. The coolest thing is hearing a scout tell a story that I introduced to the troop sometime in the past.

 

The troop has been having campfires for at least the past 8 years with the troop ranging in size from 15 to 63 so I don't think size matters.

[Basementdweller]

What other Story/poems are there???

[John-in-KC]

A lot of times, strike the dark, after dinner, the kids are tired. I've seen them in the autumnal months want to sit close, stay warm, roast marshmallows and tell ghost stories.

[gwd-scouter]

In our area open fires are banned for a great part of the year, so no campfires. When we do have them, songs and skits are very popular. Just had a campout a few weeks ago with all our new Scouts. Patrols planned their skits and it was a lot of fun. Fortunately, we have a good group of older Scouts that actually enjoy acting goofy and leading silly songs, so that encourages the younger guys.

 

At summer camp our Troop invites another Troop to our campsite one night for a campfire. We usually invite an out of council Troop. Stories are shared, a couple of pineapples are roasted on the fire, and fun is had by all.

[Gunny2862]

We are fortunate to be able to have fires MOST of the time.

 

With the fire comes some companionship and sharing that doesn't happen during the rest of the day.

 

We have never to my knowledge had a campfire "program" except for when putting on a show for others.

 

We are incorporating programming for regular campouts by starting the idea from the Top down -the PLC has started to learn a couple of skits and songs and we've talked a lot about run-on's that we will begin this weekend with at our campout.

The SM has been known to break out in a rendition (or rendering) of the classic Tex Ritter "I'm My Own Grandpa." upon request or when feeling the need to be annoying.(This message has been edited by Gunny2862)

[SR540Beaver]

Our troop almost always has a campfire unless there is something to prevent it. One instance is when we go to Trappers Rendezvous in Kansas in January. It is often super cold and as there are usually 4,000 people in attendance, we are packed into our campsite kind of like National Jamboree. There simply is no room to do a campfire program. Each year when the boys do their annual planning, boys volunteer to be the planner for one of the campouts. They usually have a buddy sign up to be the assistant planner. An adult volunteers to be the adult mentor for this outing. The boy planner is responsible for checking on camping fees, reservations, itenerary, etc. The adult is there to advise if needed and just to make sure nothing falls thru the cracks. It is also the boy planner's responsibility to make sure the Chaplian's Aide has the Scout's Own covered or has a replacement and to find an emcee to plan the outing's campfire program. Like I said, we almost always have one. One of our biggest challenges is boys falling back on old material and doing the same thing over and over. Occasionally they will complain in the PLC that the last campfire program was lame.....which gives us the opportunity to remind them that they are boy-led and it is only as lame as they allow it to be.

[Herms]

We use them during the Fall, Winter and Spring (maybe not even this year) campouts, but anymore it is so dry out West here that the fire danger in many of the forests prevent us from having open fires. We've even had a couple of campouts that we couldn't use a cookstove!

[Hal_Crawford]

We do campfires whenever possible. Songs, skits and a story or two. Fire bans and leave no trace rules sometimes get in the way but we have been known to get by with a lantern. At summer camp we will do a one any night that there isn't a camp wide camp fire. When car camping we have sometimes invited other troops or packs that happen to be camping nearby to join us.

 

[Knot Head]

We typically have a fire on Friday night where we just siat and talk a little.

 

Saturday night is up to a patrol and usually we have skits, songs and "bad joke time". But what these guys love is scary stories. The "Iron Claw" gets told one way or another pretty much every campout. We have one large dad with a deep voice who is a good story teller. He will read or just tell a story. He is really good and kind of the highlight of the night.

 

Last time we had a trivia game by patrol and they enjoyed that.

 

We also have an above ground fire pit that we use when car camping.(This message has been edited by knot head)

[desertrat77]

The campfire is a scouting tradition that has truly stood the test of time...still inspiring after all these years.

[resqman]

We have a campfire on Saturday nite unless prohibited by the campsite rules.

 

This past weekend we had campfires both Friday and Saturday. We had scary story on Friday nite. Saturday nite was led off by riddles and jokes. We had one lad who didn't like scary stories so they delayed the scary story until near the end and he sat with a few ASMs off to the side.

 

Skits are usually the same ones, Invisible bench, Scout store, etc. We probably need to suggest to the PLC to reseach new skits & songs to bring some new life to the campfires.

 

We usually hold off the lighting of the campfire until the SPL has confirmed that the evening meal and campsite has been cleaned up. This provides a carrot to encourage all troop members to act together to get the campsite clean.