Union County Cub Scouts advance rank at 'Camporee'
By APRIL BITTEL Sentinel Writer

Sentinel photo/April Bittel Above: Nicholas Atkinson receives the representative mark of the Wolf as he advances from a Wolf to a Bear in Cub Scouting. Below: A "hiking" group poses for a photo next to the lake.

Dark skies and soggy campsites didn't deter Union County's Cub Scouts and their families from celebrating the boys' hard work at the Cub Scouts Rank Advancement Camporee and Family Fun Weekend. Last weekend families arrived ready to camp and advance on their way to Boy Scouting.

Cub Scouting is a year-round family program designed for boys who are about 7 to 10 years old. At age 7 (or first grade), a boy starts out as a Tiger Cub working to earn his Tiger Cub Badge. After moving through the ranks of Wolf, Webelo, a boy is ready to move on to Boy Scouts.

Cubmaster Robert Atkinson and Assistant Cubmaster April Brundrett and other volunteers organized the weekend event that was held in Blairsville at the Robert W. Woodruff Scout Reservation, a campground owned and operated by the Atlanta Area Council of Boy Scouts. "We're very proud of all these young men. They had a lot of fun all year and learned many things about family, spirituality and their community, just to name a few. Their hard work paid off and now we are here to celebrate with them," said Atkinson.

Advancing from Tiger Cub to Wolf were Kade Pierce, Eric LeCroy, Jacob Wolf, Jared Drullinger, Eli Dills, Jacob Hood, Evan Browning, Noah Frost, Devin Saunders, Tyler Camp, Jacob Ross, Blake Holman, Cliff Herr, Dakota Herr and Tristan Hemm.

Advancing from Wolf to Bear were Austin Clark, Nicholas Atkinson, Kohl Brown, Spencer Brundrett, Caleb Metcalf, David Cruz, William Smock, Christopher Hodges, Justin Cobb, Joel Rogers, Hunter Young and Eric Perricone.

Advancing from Webelos 1 to Webelos 2 were Logan Wood, Eli Gooch, Colton Anderson, Daniel Kumler and Travis Warren.

Boys wanting to get involved are invited to join the Cub Scouts for Summer Twilight Camp that is being held from June 18-22. It is a great time to get started in Scouting. Call Robert Atkinson for more information at 706-835-2766.

Left: Devin Saunders of Tiger Cub Den 2 is ready to unroll his sleeping bag. Above: After being presented with their Tiger Cub Badges, (left ro right) Blake Holman, Cliff Herr, Tyler Camp and Noah Frost review what it will take to earn their Wolf Badge.