Millburn Scouts Claim Victory, 140 Badges At Camp

SHORT HILLS, NJ - BSA Scouting Troop 17 of Short Hills recently spent a week at Yawgoog Scout Reservation in Rockville, Rhode Island, repeating an annual summer camp tradition going back many years.

Nearly 30 Troop 17 Scouts attended the week-long outing at the century-old, 1,800-acre scouting reservation, one of the oldest scouting reservations in the country. The main focus of the week was earning Merit Badges — awards based on individual areas of activity or study, such as Astronomy, Swimming, Oceanography, and Cooking. The scouts collectively earned more than 140 badges over the course of the week.

"Camp Yawgoog is an outstanding camp with impressive facilities, and everyone had a great time," said Scoutmaster Kevin Radics. "I'd like to congratulate all of our scouts for their accomplishments, and thank our adult volunteers for their invaluable support."

The scouts also had plenty of time for some fun and healthy competition, taking victories in camp-wide volleyball and water polo games, Radics said. Most notably, Troop 17 participated in a water carnival competition, winning first place among the troops based at their camp site, Camp Medicine Bow.

The event included a swimming relay race, a hand-paddled canoe race, a scavenger hunt, and other activities. Even Scoutmaster Kevin Radics got in on the fun, dancing and splashing his way to victory in the traditional "Scoutmaster Splash." Other activities included a mile-swim event and an overnight shelter-building and wilderness survival activity.

Although members of Troop 17 have attended summer camp for many decades, this was the Troop's first visit to Camp Yawgoog, at which scenes from the 2012 film "Moonrise Kingdom" were filmed.

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