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Plans move forward for Camp Stambaugh’s 100th anniversary
CANFIELD
Boy Scout Camp Stambaugh has undergone a major face-lift in preparation for the 100th anniversary celebration of the venerable scouting facility the weekend of Sept. 20-22, 2019.
Camp Stambaugh, on Leffingwell Road in Canfield Township, is part of the land trust of his farm that philanthropist Henry Stambaugh created for the Boy Scouts in 1917.
About 50 Scout leaders, volunteers and Scouts met Sunday at Camp Stambaugh to begin to put the finishing touches on plans for the celebration, dubbed “Come Together for Another 100,” which is expected to attract between 1,500 and 2,000 Scouts, said Chris Bergdorf, director of camping for the three camps in the Great Trail Council: Stambaugh, and Manatoc Reservation and Camp Butler near Peninsula in the Akron area.
Not only is the purpose of the celebration to bring Scouts together, which now includes girls, but to unite the Great Trail Council as one, said Bergdorf during an interview at Sunday’s meeting.
There have been a couple of council mergers over the years that have left hard feelings among some in area Scouting, particularly the adults who had invested time and money in the councils that were eliminated.
Part of the reason for the 100th celebration is to help solidify the Great Trail Council, said Bergdorf, adviser for the event.
“I’m dedicated to making that happen,” he said.
The widespread Great Trail Council is composed of seven districts, including Whispering Pines in Mahoning County and Arrowhead in Trumbull County, which includes a couple of units in Parkman.
Jim Rappone, overall chairman of the 100th celebration, said arrangements have been made for the encampment to be at the Canfield Fairgrounds from which shuttle buses will take Scouts back and forth to Camp Stambaugh.
Rappone said there will be 40-plus activity stations, manned by volunteers, for the Scouts, and there will be fireworks during the encampment and Scout Vespers the final day. The program chairman is Brad Lang.
People who haven’t visited Camp Stambaugh will notice a number of upgrades, said Bergdorf.
Among the major improvements are the rebuilding of the swimming pool and lake, new roofs on nine cabins, remodeled restrooms, finishing work on the new chapel, new sewer lines to the septic system, new equipment, and for those who find the climb down the hill from the camp entrance to the dining hall and back up again challenging, a parking lot has been added at the bottom of the hill, Bergdorf said.