By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
The unveiling last Thursday (September 19) of the “new” meeting place for local Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts went pretty much unnoticed.
Although about 1,000 people gathered for the annual Taste of the South, held at Heritage Park, just a few yards from the Scout hut’s location, only one person traveled that distance to check out the recently renovated building, headquarters to Cub Scout Pack 275 and Boy Scout Troop 26.
Greg Babiak, Troop 26’s Assistant Scoutmaster and a second-generation Eagle Scout, said he and his brothers — Doug and Matt, also Eagle Scouts — enjoyed following in the footsteps of their father, Ed, who was also an Eagle Scout.
He admitted, though, that the often-leisurely pace of Scouting can’t compare with the fast-paced but mostly sedentary lives a lot of youngsters experience today.
“There’s a stigma about Scouting,” Babiak said. “It’s considered ‘not cool.’ It’s cheaper than most activities, but kids today want to stay inside and play video games, or they want something more exciting to do.”
Earlier, Babiak — who earned his Eagle ranking while a member of Troop 506 in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. in 1993 — had earlier commanded a raising of the colors by Troop 26 Scouts Samuel McIntyre and Ashton Garrison at Taste of the South.
Despite the one-person attendance for the Open House, Babiak, Amanda Gibbs and Troop 26 Scoutmaster Tony Gibbs were pleased as punch over the upgrades to the venerable structure, which was a library before it became home to local Scouts.
Tony Gibbs had about decided that the needed repairs to the building might never get done, when a retired construction company owner contacted him.
“I went and talked with (a local bank) and got a list of people to call (about doing the work),” he said. “One construction company said it would be seven months before they could even start, and two others didn’t even respond. Richard Maxwell called and told me to meet him at the Scout hut and he would give me a quote.”
The actual work went way beyond the scope of what was expected, Gibbs said.
“They completely reworked the outside, replacing the boards with HardiPlank,” the Scoutmaster explained. “We got two new doors, the whole outside was repainted, and they even built a roof over the steps to help protect the door. The fence was pretty much gone, but I hadn’t even mentioned that. They still put new boards up. It all looks nice now.”
And while only one person toured the building, Babiak and Gibbs pointed out that Troop 26 was holding on at 10 members, while Pack 275 had grown from four to seven. Two of the new members paid immediate dividends, as their mothers also volunteered to help.
“We had two to sign up last week,” Babiak said. “The mother of one girl who signed up offered to be a leader, and the other one volunteered to help, too.”
Cub Scouts is for boys and girls from kindergarten age through 5th grade. These youngsters advance through seven levels: Lion Cub (kindergarten), Bobcat, Tiger (1st grade), Wolf (2nd grade), Bear (3rd grade), Webelos (4th and 5th grade) and Arrow of Light.
Boy Scouts is for boys and girls ages 11-18. Advancement levels include Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life and Eagle, Scouting’s crowning achievement.