Updated 11/29//19: This will be a 1-night camp-out and we will be at camp site #4.
SATURDAY 12/7/19
7:30AM - Meet at IWLAR, Load gear, Assign Scouts to Vehicles
8:00AM - Leave for Antietam National Battlefield, 302 E Main St, Sharpsburg, MD 21782 (1-hr drive), to help set up the candles.
9:00AM - Arrive at Antietam, go to assigned field and begin candle setup
12:30PM - Break for lunch
3:00PM - Should be done with field setup
Dusk: Drive through the battlefield to view the beautiful lighted candles
7:00pm - Campers camp overnight, day-people return home
SUNDAY 12/8/19
8:00am - Break camp, clean up the field, then stop at a restaurant on the way home for a hot breakfast. We anticipate arriving back at the IWLA by noon on Sunday.
The time spent setting up and cleaning up will count as SSL hours.
Dress warmly in layers including hat and gloves. There is little protection from the wind on the field. Don’t wear fabric sneakers or cotton clothes!
Ed Dennis will be on-site providing hot chocolate
Adult in charge: Haytham Najjar
Troop 1097 will support Antietam National Battlefield during this most somber yet beautiful event, the Memorial Illumination (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HjUxo4zk3Q or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTVAaQhyQZ8).
More than 23,000 candles will be lit and lined up along the battlefield to pay tribute to the soldiers who were killed, wounded, or reported missing at the noteworthy Battle of Antietam. A half hour drive through the battlefield just after dark will reveal seemingly endless rows of candles to symbolize the lives that were lost that September day. The Scouts (and family members who would also like to volunteer) will set up luminaries on "our field" throughout the day on December 1st and spend the weekend camping at Antietam. SSL hours are available for this activity.
Scouts and family volunteers will begin the day by putting the candles into the luminaries. After that, they will arrange the bags in lines on the field. We’ll eat bag lunches provided by the troop, probably have an hour or two of free time, then we’ll light the candles. There will be a short ceremony at the Maryland Memorial at dusk, after which the volunteers will be the first to drive through and see the Illumination. After we drive through the Illumination, the troop will enjoy a reception featuring cookies and homemade soup at the Washington County Agricultural Center, where we’re camping. A Scout is helpful, so we’ll also be assisting the reception staff with clean up afterward.
In previous years, Troop 1097 was assigned to field #28.
BSA Permission Slip Fillable.pdf
Winter_Camping_Checklist.pdf
winter_camping_tips[1].pdf
