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January 13, 2010

Publisher's Desk – Boy Scouts and pickle juice

Anonymous The Randolph Guide Wed Jan 13, 2010, 07:53 PM EST

I never had any doubt that my late brother Walter loved pickle juice. That image was ingrained in my head following a particular Boy Scout banquet held many, many years ago.

It was during the time that both my brothers were in Scouts that I was desperately jealous of them both. They got to go to Camp Old Indian and they went camping in the woods and built campfires and learned to tie knots and make lariats and sleep in sleeping bags in tents they made as lean-tos.

I was jealous. It was like camping – which I had done since I was a toddler with my family – on steroids to me.

But alas, I was informed they called it Boy Scouts for a reason: Only boys were allowed. But I still got to look at their Boy Scout Handbook when they were not using it and learn how to tie knots and start a fire with two rocks and make a tent using a tree, string and a tarp.

I still have Walter’s old Boy Scout Handbook. My mother still has his Boy Scouts of America sash in a footlocker at her house along with his Eagle Scout pin. My oldest brother Doug was also an Eagle Scout.

But back to the pickle juice.

At the suppers, the Scouts and their families would crowd into the fellowship hall of the troop’s base church. I can’t remember a single meal we had but it didn’t matter. I adored and idolized both of my brothers so it wouldn’t have mattered if we were eating dirt. It still would have been cool.

At the end of each meal, the scout masters would present a slide show of the year in scouts, a tradition I am sure has been replaced by PowerPoint presentations and video clips. I can still hear the whirring of the slide projector as it advanced from slide to slide.

And then, there it was, in all its poster-size glory: My brother Walter, dressed smartly in his Boy Scout uniform, sash positioned just so, with a pickle jar – sans the pickles, of course – turned up into his mouth. The whole place howled and that image of my brother was firmly ingrained in my mind forever. I can still see it like it was yesterday.

Which brings me to this: The 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America is Feb. 8. In honor of the milestone, we want readers to send us their memories of scouting in Randolph County – photos, written memories, whatever you want to send. How did Scouting impact your life when you were a youth? How is it impacting your life now? What did being a Boy Scout do for you? Are you a current Boy Scout or Cub Scout? If so, why did you choose to be one?

You can send us your contribution one of three ways: by e-mail to news@randolphguide.com, by mail to PO Box 1044, Asheboro, NC 27204 or you can bring it by our office at 431 South Fayetteville Street in Asheboro. We don’t care if it’s handwritten or typed – just be sure we can read it and include a phone number where we can reach you.

And if you have a photo of yourself swigging pickle juice in a Boy Scout uniform? Send that or bring it with you – I would love to see it.

Patricia M. Edwards is the publisher of The Randolph Guide. She can be reached at (336) 625-5576 or by e-mail at pedwards@randolphguide.com

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