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Scout Iver Evanger of Fairbanks, AL, looks at a few
examples of carvings at the Jamboree. |
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Nathaniel Haron, San Diego, CA examines another carving. |
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 About the Author
Gregg Shields is with Edelman Public Relations, and serves as the national spokesman for the Boy Scouts of America. He is also a wood carver, studying at the Carving Arts Studio in Lucas, Texas.
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More than 1,000 Scouts, ages 12
to 17 took a three-hour class in
the basics of wood carving at the
2005 National Scout Jamboree’s “Merit Badge
Midway.” The Jamboree was held in Caroline
County, VA.
“Each and every boy was a story,” said
Paul Ries, chairman of the Woodcarving merit
badge booth. “One day we had a few boys
from Puerto Rico visit. They wanted to do a
pattern with their flag on it, so the boys helped
us design one. The next day we were inundated
with the rest of that troop.”
Part of the challenge with Hispanic youth
was that only one of the volunteers could speak
Spanish, said Ries. Both bi-lingual and lefthanded
instructors are a priority for the next
Jamboree in 2010, the Centennial of the Boy
Scouts of America.
The boys began with a safety lesson on tools and proper carving techniques, then
whittled a three-quarter inch square into a ball. They graduated to carving a pre-cut blank into
a relief and then fi nished with a three-dimensional
item.
About 50,000 boys earn the Wood Carving
merit badge every year. It’s one of the most
popular merit badges that boys are not required
to earn to become an Eagle Scout.
Giving the Scouts this introduction to
wood carving required the help of 32 Boy
Scout leaders and volunteers.
“It’s so great to work with a kid who is
carving wood for the first time,” said volunteer
Bob Reitmeyer, author of several wood
carving books and a frequent contributor to
Wood Carving Illustrated. “It’s exciting when
he completes his projects. It gives him a sense
of accomplishment. It’s more than just the
woodcarving, it’s an accomplishment.”
Bob Zenoble shows Scouts Jorge Montalvo and Francisco Rodriguez Caez, both from Puerto Rico, a coping saw. |
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