Scouts Do Their Duty at 400-Exhibit Convention

Jon Bullock, wearing a loose white shirt that flopped over his long, multicolored surfer shorts, didn’t look much like a traditional Boy Scout on Saturday. But his Laguna Hills Troop 729 was demonstrating skateboard safety, not wilderness survival.

The exhibit was one of 400 at Anaheim Stadium, where Orange County’s packs, troops and posts of the Boy Scouts of America gathered for the annual Explorer and Scout Fair.

Scouting of the ‘80s

The displays of fire trucks, police cars, tepees, tents and surfboards reflected for friends and family scouting in the ‘80s, said Devon Dougherty, spokesman for the Scouts’ Orange County Council.

Still, a good old-fashioned first-aid demonstration could be found. With fake blood covering his arm, apparently caused by a fake nail piercing his wrist, a Boy Scout from Orange Troop 543 explained the basics of first aid to a Cub Scout.

Behind them, Scouts rappelled down a plywood cliffside, where wooden pegs imitated rock crevices. Chad Gorsuch, 16, said the rock climbing demonstration stemmed from his troop’s interest in the sport.

Other kids, he said, may not think scouting is fashionable.

“A lot of people, they’re kind of against it,” Chad said. “I don’t really care. You just kind of ignore them. I have a lot of fun backpacking and rock climbing.”

Another demonstration Saturday appeared to be popular among the younger Scouts and hilarious for the adults.

In “Dash and Crash,” younger Scouts donned firefighters’ clothing before connecting lengths of fire hose together.

At a buzz, four midget firefighters in oversized gear and flopping helmets wobbled, stumbled and tumbled along the course. One was rescued when his pants fell to his knees.

Twenty thousand people were expected to attend the fair, Dougherty said.