HARLINGEN — Richard Costello held the board steady.
“Six and one fourth inches,” said fellow scout Francisco Cavazos.
The two scouts were building a small chest box to earn their woodworking merit badge Wednesday afternoon at the 2021 Winter Camp at Camp Perry. The boys were enjoying a grand return to normal scouting activities at a newly renovated Camp Perry after a year in isolation.
About 120 scouts from troops throughout the Rio Grande Valley Council of the Boy Scouts of America — and four troops from outside the Valley — had come together at Camp Perry for a week of camping, singing songs, and earning merit badges in a variety of subjects.
Oscar Garza, Winter Camp director at Camp Perry, was elated.
“The last Winter Camp we had was in 2019, so it’s important right now to engage the scouts,” he said.
This time last year, COVID-19 had sent everyone into lockdown. There was no outdoor camping; Winter Camp was held online, and scouts earned a few merit badges that way, but of course this left much to be desired.
Both scouts and adults could agree on that.
“Last year, my Winter Camp was online, so it wasn’t as fun,” said Diego Davila, 14, a scout with Troop 76 from McAllen.
“I did complete a few merit badges, but it wasn’t as fun as having the experience of being outside,” Diego said.
He looked now at his woodworking project and the scouts waiting on the power saw.
“The week here at Camp Perry has been amazing,” he said. “I get to come here summer and winter and I just love camping outdoors. It feels very good to be back out here again.”
On the other side of the camp, Michael Hall from Troop 73 in Edinburg was teaching a cooking class. The previous day they learned how to do foil cooking with a banana, Graham crackers, Oreos and other sweets. On Wednesday it was a very different cooking project, as evidenced by a man tending a fire nearby.
“We are going to make chili today with the Dutch oven,” he said.
The scouts in the class seemed to be enjoying themselves.
“It’s been pretty good,” said Lane Elsik, 14, a life scout in Troop 186 from Kingsville.
“I’ve been to a few different camps, but Camp Perry has been pretty good with the different things it offers,” he said. “I’ve earned Citizenship in the World, and I’m also working towards music, cooking, and automobile maintenance where we actually get to work on a car, and there are a few more.”
Everywhere the energy ran like a sort of pulsating springtime of renewal.
“Third down, third down,” said a coach of a group of scouts playing football.
He threw the ball to a slight boy who zipped briefly across the field.
“I got Diego! I got Diego!” someone else shouted.
At noon they gathered in the new dining hall for a lunch of burgers and fries, while amplifiers filled the room with “Great Balls of Fire” and “You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling.” The scouts took turns shouting their troop songs and the exuberance of returning to remembered things was powerful. And it seemed to be a fresh look at the familiar that made it new.
Perhaps it was a joy powered by the sorrow it left behind, or maybe the scouts were more eager than ever to explore scouting without allowing the darkness to interfere. It was fitting that, in the middle of the December winter, the sun was bright with temperatures in the 80s.
Garza eagerly pointed out that the number of scouts this year was almost at the same level as those in 2019. Plus, only one out of council troop had been present at that Winter Camp. This year four had come from Kingsville, Bishop and Laredo. He looked forward to very good year of scouting in 2022.
