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Selectmen tonight will present local Boy Scouts with a proclamation, congratulating them on 100 years as an organization.
Ken O'Brien, an assistant Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 1, said he hopes the boys and their families will fill the upper Town Hall at the meeting.
``The program's foundation is based upon character development, leadership, and mental and physical fitness,'' said O'Brien, who was a Boy Scout himself. ``And it's not just an organization, it's a movement based on ideals ... Throughout all the things we do, we get to grow, mature, understand (new things), and grow up to be good citizens.''
``All the weekend camping trips in all kinds of weather,'' said O'Brien. ``You experience all of the adversities that come along with it.''
Mendon Boy Scouts have gone on trips across the country and even to Germany, meeting other Scouts and performing good deeds.
``You grow from it,'' said O'Brien.

The first Sunday in February is Boy Scout Sunday, when Scouts traditionally attend church in uniform and take part in the service.

Early February is also when Cub Scout packs hold their Blue and Gold banquets, where the oldest Cubs, called Webelos, bridge to Boy Scouts.

Both mark the anniversary of the founding of Boy Scouting in the United States on Feb. 8, 1910.

Scouts across the country, as well on the Olympic Peninsula, are observing the 100th anniversary today, while Cub Scouts and parents of Pack No. 4479 got a jump on the celebration at their annual Blue and Gold banquet on Sunday.

"What makes this particularly special is that this is the centennial celebration," said Cubmaster Andrew Dubar.
Crossing the bridge one by one, each Webelo was welcomed by members of Troop 1477, who presented the new boys with new neckerchiefs, troop numerals, red epaulets and a Boy Scout handbook.

Then the boys, raising their hands in the Scout sign, recited the Boy Scout Promise in unison.

Some of Greg Bruner’s most cherished memories with his sons were made during camping trips with the Boy Scouts.

“It’s a great father-son bonding experience,” Bruner said. “There are so many distractions for kids today, and Scouting provides that opportunity to make cherished memories.”

Bruner’s son Andrew, 18, is an Eagle Scout. Bruner’s son John, who died of a heart condition at 19 in 2007, was also an Eagle Scout.

“My dad was always part of (Scouts),” Andrew said. “I started young. I would go on camp outs with my older brother (John) before I was old enough to be a member.”

Bruner said Boy Scouts “reinforces family and church values,” such as serving others.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. There are a few special events planned nationally, but locally Boy Scout officials are using the anniversary to remind people that Boy Scouts is still a thriving organization.

“We want...

One hundred Boy Scouts from across North Carolina will travel to the state’s capital today to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America.
The Scouts, one from each county, will not only carry their county flags, they will carry the banner for Scouting: helping others. In honor of a centennial of Scouting, Boy Scouts statewide are pledging to contribute 100,000 hours to community service projects.
Jonathan Sherman, 16, plans to do his part by erecting a flag pole at the Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic in Greenville. Jonathan’s Eagle Scout project was selected from Pitt County to present his service project at today’s “Report to the Governor for Boy Scouting.”
“The whole theme of the Report to the Governor is 100,000 hours from 100 counties,” Ray Franks, Scout executive of the East Carolina Council, said.

In 1917 in the city of Passaic, German-born Henry Roehrich became one of the first Eagle Scouts in New Jersey. A merit badge at the time could be earned for "signalling," which required knowledge of radioing, semaphore flags and lighting, ways to communicate from a ship.
In 1941, his son, Ken Roehrich, scavenged for aluminum as a Boy Scout to contribute to the war effort.
A generation later, in 1977, Ken Roehrich’s son William, who today lives in Washington Township in Morris County, traveled to Canada to attend a Boy Scout jamboree in Ottawa.
In May, the Roehrich family could claim a fourth-generation Eagle Scout. Eighteen-year-old Brent Roehrich spent 30 hours helping to beautify a church parking lot in Hackettstown with mulch, a cherry-blossom tree and a fish-shaped garden.
Today, the Boy Scouts of America turns 100, and the history of the entire family of Scouting comes full circle.