Boy Scouts to celebrate centennial in Belpre today

The Mid-Ohio Valley will be a stop on a tour commemorating the upcoming centennial anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America.

On Wednesday at Civitan Park in Belpre, a group of Scouting volunteers from Michigan will make a presentation to the Allohak Council around 10 a.m., said Nicolas Mehl, district executive for the Blennerhassett and Little Kanawha districts. The volunteers are part of teams that are visiting each Boy Scout council as a preliminary celebration to gear up for the centennial anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America in 2010.

The ceremony will be held near the park's gazebo.

Under the theme "A Century of Values," the road teams are winding their way across the country, traveling more than 45,000 miles and helping Boy Scout councils kick off local celebrations of 100 years of Scouting's role in character and leadership development, Mehl said.

"The Century of Values team will be presenting the Allohak Council a mural depicting famous people, places and events of the past 100 years of Scouting," he said. "The painting was designed by Bill Morrison, an Eagle Scout who has designed and drawn animations for Disney and Hollywood. Each mural is numbered and autographed by the artist."

A small flag ceremony will be performed by local Scouts followed by remarks from local Allohak Council officials including Scout executive Dale Musgrave, Council President Bob Ashley and Council Commissioner Greg Gentry as well as Dale Jones, the event coordinator for the Century of Values team. Area mayors and other officials have been invited to attend.

"After all of the great Scouting adventures within our council over the past several years as well as the many more experiences that are sure to be even greater than before, we all reflect about the great adventures that the weekend campouts, the Scout Camps, the merit badges and more have brought to each and every one of us," Mehl said. "These activities that the Scouts participate in as (youths) instill values that grow and blossom in their lives for a lifetime."

The Allohak Council encompasses 14 counties in West Virginia and three in Ohio, from around Nelsonville, Ohio, in the west to Davis, W.Va., in the east. The council reaches to the north as far as Newport, Ohio, and to the south as far as Walton, W.Va.

In 2008, the Allohak Council served 4,395 youth with 1,900 volunteers in leadership roles, Mehl said.

"The Allohak Council achieved the rank of Quality Council for the second time in two years, and in the 2008 year was the only Quality Council in the entire state of West Virginia," he said. "In 2009, the Allohak Council anticipates serving 4,500 youth and anticipates being a Quality Council for the third year in a row.

Scouting teaches young men about responsibility and leadership while providing a wide range of experiences to help them develop skills as well as have fun, Mehl said.

"Scouting offers a young man the excitement and adventure in outdoor programs," he said. "Scouting is family oriented, and ... it helps individuals develop independence and prepares them to become young outstanding Americans."