Photo provided by the author
Boy Scouts of Troop 66 pose with their competition sled during this year’s Klondike Derby. From the left, front: Jake Smith, Ben Bazzano, Sam Petrucci, Cayden O’Brien; rear: Quinn Bathgate, Tom Fitzgerald, David Fitzgerald.
On February 10 and 11, Boy Scout Troop 66 attended the 2017 Matianuck District Klondike Derby at Camp Workcoeman in New Hartford. The Klondike Derby has been held for the Boy Scouts of America since 1949 and is based around the Klondike Gold Rush of the 19th Century.
During this event, troops from all different parts of Connecticut come together and compete in many different Scout-related activities and tasks. Each troop is required to build or bring a sled to the event, and the day of activities is ended by a sled race around the camping grounds, contributed to by all the troops in attendance. The Klondike Derby also includes a staff-cooked dinner and post-sled-race campfire with skits put together by different troops.
This year the theme was Marvel Comics. The events included Wolverine First aid skills, Spider-man knot tying, Doctor Strange message decoding, Captain America Frisbee throwing, and Black Panther orienteering. One of the events was a Scout cook-off, where each troop had to work together to cook up a meal on which they were scored by the volunteer judges. Troop 66 had a very enjoyable time. We will definitely be coming back for next year’s Klondike.