Favorite thing to recite around the campfire?

[OutdoorThinker]

Our crew likes reciting poetry, speeches and silioquies from plays around our campfires or when its raining and we're huddled under the dining fly (lets face it the rain happens more often).

 

Do you also recite things around your campfire? If so what are some of your favorites. I am looking for a good one to work on this summer.

[OldGreyEagle]

Lets see,

 

Casey at the Bat

Casey 20 years later

Cremation of Sam Mcgee

Ballad of William Sycamore

Polonius Advice to Laertes

Henry V St Crispin's day speech (working on it)

Oh wait, you already knew that

[FScouter]

"Listen to a story about a man named Jed ..."

[Fat Old Guy]

Hamlet, in the original Klingon.

[OneHour]

Same with FScouter ..

 

"Beverly Hillsbillies"

"Gilligan's Island"

"Brady Bunch"

etc.

 

 

 

[Bob58]

"Campfire Ashes" - the boys compete for the honor.

 

But I like Henry V (N, not "I'm Hen(e)ry the 8th!")

[acco40]

Some of the boys love "scary" stories and one of our Scouts excels in telling them. The problem is that he tells them so well many of the younger boys do not like them at all. So, 85% love them 5% don't and 10% have the proverbial "no opinion." One of the activities that I and many of the Scouts like to do is play charades around the fire. The problem sometimes is that the fire doesn't provide enough light for all to see the gestures and one thing I abhor around a campfire is a flashlight!

[EagleInKY]

Some of our boys love telling stories (some scary, some funny). The boys seem to love it. It tends to drive the adults away, though.

[Eamonn]

The Cremation of Sam McGee

Chief Falling Rocks.

Eamonn

[Fuzzy Bear]

As Camp Director, I enjoyed using the resources of the Staff in putting on the best of all possible camp fires. I am not sure that quality ever counted or that we could actually tell a good one from a bad one. I am not really sure we could tell one from the other. Now that I think about it, nobody ever judged. I don't think anybody wanted to judge, mainly because of the laughter. I am sure that we could come up with a skit about judging a campfire.

 

Let's see, we would have five judges. Of course one judge would be crooked and try to overstate the case or understate the case for a bad or a good skit, depending if it was their group. The bad group would win by one point, so the audience could show their displeasure for such bad sport.

 

This judgment scene would be the basis to build on. Scouts have an uncanny enthusiasm and ability to bring to life just about any idea. Their humor, use of scenery, song, or costume almost always brought life and joy to any fire. As far as favorites, I think the last skit at the last fire I attended was the best.

 

 

FB

[red feather]

Jabborwocky

Series of Red Feather stories ( about a young plains indian that tries do the the correct thing but somehow things turn on him, usually humorous with a 'hidden moral')

 

yis

 

last SM was a story teller and often would have to take a break to figure out how to get out of the story or someway to end it. being a lawyer he was a natural at it

[ozemu]

you have pricked my conscience with this one.

 

i once heard a recital of some banjo patterson that was brillant and i used to know the story "mulga bills bicycle' but my memory is shocking and it has gone.

 

i have made resolutions to memorise some of the old yarns by patterson as they are great stories and recited faithfully keep the context and feel for days gone by. i will get some of the better short stories copied and into a campfire folder.

[FScouter]

Any of the Jack London short stories are great. One that comes to mind is "To Build a Fire", a story about a man traveling alone by dogsled. He has a hypothermia accident and builds a fire to get warm, when all of a sudden ...

 

Another, "The Law of Life" is about an old man that has trouble keeping up with the group as they hike across the wilderness. He stops to rest as the others move on. The long howl of a wolf is heard in the distance . . .

[Big_Dog]

One of the troops that my sons were involved with had fun making up stories. One lad would start the story and build it up. Maybe 3 to minutes, then suddenly stop and pass the story to the guy on his right. Then he would continue the story in his own train of thought for a few minutes and pass it on to the guy on his right. This works pretty well with boys that are a little older, like 13 or 14, but the younger ones like it, too. Younger ones' stories usually involve boogers or flatulance, but heh, it gets their imagination going.

 

bd

[EagleInKY]

When I was a scout, there was a priest at camp that told the story of "Lindercella" each year. It was a play on words of Cinderella, I think I spelled it right. I don't remember how it went, but I remember all the boys loving the story. The priest has long since deceased, and I have not found anyone else that has the text. Has anyone here heard of it?