[memcom] Youth Item of Interest

[Roberta L. Dougherty]

Message sent by Bill Husted, R/C Gov't Partner Relations Com

MAKING WAVES
>
> Scouts, Camp Fire Kids aboard boat show program
>
> By Mike Esposito
> Tribune staff reporter
> Published December 11, 2005
>
>
> Special education sessions for Boy and Cub Scouts and Camp Fire Kids who 
> visit the 2006 Chicago Boat, RV & Outdoors Show will allow the youngsters 
> to earn a Discover Boating patch.
>
> This is the second year for scouts to participate; about 300 earned the 
> patch at the 2005 show. But this is the first chance for Camp Fire Kids.
>
> The Camp Fire Kids make sure any new awards fit their outdoor program, 
> according to Stephanie Schiszik, CEO of the Camp Fire USA Illinois Prairie 
> Council, which covers DuPage and parts of Will, Kane, Kendall and western 
> Cook Counties. "It's really kind of unusual that we'd offer a new patch," 
> Schiszik said.
>
> "Camp Fire . . . for many, many years has done programs dealing with water 
> safety--swimming and boating," she said. "When we first looked at boating 
> safety at this level, we thought it was a way to give our kids an emblem."
>
> The National Marine Manufacturers Association, producer of the show Jan. 
> 11-15 in McCormick Place North, helped develop the Discover Boating patch 
> curriculum, which includes four learning stations.
>
> First stop will be the Discover Boating Center, an association booth that 
> focuses on all new boaters. This station offers lessons on lifejacket use, 
> boater knowledge and navigation terms.
>
> The second stop for patch-seekers is the Illinois Department of Natural 
> Resources booth for conservation information to learn about invasive 
> species, the food chain, outdoor ethics and visual identification of 
> Illinois fish species.
>
> At the third booth, the U.S. Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary will 
> offer youngsters lessons on knot tying and navigational skills.
>
> Aspiring anglers will enjoy the fourth stop, the catch-and-release Huck 
> Finn Trout Pond, stocked with brown, brook and rainbow trout.
>
> "Part of what we do in scouting is to have kids explore things they might 
> enjoy," said Chris Townsend, program director for the Chicago Area Council 
> of the Boy Scouts of America. "In scouting we focus on outdoor activity 
> and, obviously, boating is not an indoor activity. What I look for is a 
> kid to go there and have fun and learn something that he didn't know 
> before and maybe have an experience that he'll keep with him the rest of 
> his life."
>
> Hours for the Chicago Boat, RV & Outdoors Show are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Jan. 
> 11-13, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Jan. 14 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Jan. 15. Admission is $10 
> for adults, $4 for ages 13-15 and free for kids 12 and younger. (Seniors 
> 65 and older get a $2 discount Jan. 11.)
>
> Flotsam & jetsam
>
> - Defending champion Boston College won the annual Thanksgiving weekend 
> Timme Angsten Memorial Regatta in Monroe Harbor, finishing no worse than 
> 6th place in any of the 22 races. Vermont finished 2nd and Wisconsin 3rd 
> out of the 14 colleges that competed.
>
> - The December/January issue of Professional Mariner magazine has a 
> "Maritime Milestones" story about the first radio broadcast to ships at 
> sea at 9 p.m. Christmas Eve 1906. The show, hosted and largely performed 
> by Reginald Fessenden, was broadcast from near Marshfield, Mass.
>
> - Mark your calendar for the 10th anniversary of Strictly Sail Chicago. 
> The sailboat-centric show will run Feb. 2-5 at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand 
> Ave. There will be new boats, technologies and gear from more than 250 
> sailing-industry exhibitors (plus radio-controlled sailboats and coloring 
> and build-a-boat contests for children). Show hours are 11 a.m.-8 p.m. 
> Feb. 2-3, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Feb. 4 and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Feb. 5. Admission is 
> $12 Feb. 2-3, $15 Feb. 4-5. Children 15 and younger are free. Multiday 
> ticket discounts are available. Visit www.strictlysail.com.
>
> - The latest edition of the Floating Film Festival, featuring film critic 
> Roger Ebert, sets sail from Caldera, Costa Rica, Feb. 7. It traverses the 
> Panama Canal and includes stops in St. Lucia, Antigua and Turks & Caicos, 
> ending in Miami Feb. 18. More than 20 films will be presented aboard the 
> cruise ship Crystal Symphony. Call Rosemary Durham at Joy of Travel, 
> 800-268-0900, ext. 230. Early bird cabins have sold out, but space is 
> available ranging from waterview cabins ($3,825) up to penthouses 
> ($7,569).
>
> ----------
>
> Mike Esposito is a US SAILING-certified club race officer. Contact him at 
> MEsposito@tribune.com.
>
>
>
>
>
> Copyright © 2005, Chicago Tribune
>