Submitted information and photos:
Cub Scouts is a program that brings families together to learn new things and accomplish fun challenges. Pack 797, chartered to St. Peter and St. Paul Episcopal Church on Johnson Ferry Road, serves over 100 elementary-aged children from East Cobb.
On Saturday, September 11, 98 Scouts and parents gathered for their first campout of the year held right in East Cobb at McFarlane Park. The “Movie Under the Stars” Campout was designed for families to have fun, get to know each other, and for new campers to experience camping close to home. Families arrived at 5:00 PM to set-up their tents, enjoyed hot dogs from the grill, a moving campfire with a 9/11 moment of silence, watched a movie under the stars, and slept comfortably in their tents overnight.
Sometimes it is hard for parents to see how much value Scouting can bring to their family, especially if it is all new to them. The outdoor component of the program can be intimidating for some, and while Cub Scouts is designed to introduce families to the outdoors, children gain much more benefit from the program than just an appreciation of nature and how to be prepared in all elements. Scouting introduces children to countless skills and experiences, brings families closer together, and ultimately builds children into values-based leaders. Pack 797’s Campout was a terrific first experience for many of the new Cub Scout families and a great kick-off to the fall for the returning Scouts as well.
McFarlane Nature Park was a terrific host located off of Paper Mill Road on Farm Road. It’s 11.5 acres was once the centerpiece of extensive agricultural acreage owned by the late Atlanta attorney Hughes Spalding, Sr. William and Florence McFarlane bought the property in 1958. When Florence McFarlane died in 1990, she willed her land to the community. The Park has been a terrific and appreciated resource for Pack 797 and other Scouting groups in the area.
Packs and Troops in Marietta are welcoming new Scouts throughout the fall. If you are interested in learning more about joining Cub Scouts or Scouts BSA, visit www.AtlantaBSA.org/Join.
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