If you were at last night’s Spikes game you may have noticed a lot of people in uniform. Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts came out in droves for a special promotion which included a baseball game and a rare chance to experience the park up close and personal.
The Spikes gave area troops and packs special reduced-priced tickets and last night’s game did not disappoint. The Spikes and the Vermont Lake Monsters went scoreless until the bottom of the ninth inning. Outfielder Steven Ramos lined a single to left-center field giving the Spikes a 1-0 walk-off victory.
But that was just the opening act. Following the game, fans were treated to a brilliant fireworks display. As people headed for the exits, the night was just getting started for the scouts.
The kids set up camp right on the field where the Spikes had just finished playing, with plans to bivouac all night long.
Keegan Dean is an 11-year-old Tenderfoot Scout who belongs to Troop 50, sponsored by Park Forest Village United Methodist Church. Keegan said he was pumped up for the mass sleep over, “I think it’ll be really cool to spend the night on the Spikes field. It’s a baseball field! And you don’t get that opportunity a lot.”
Like all good scouts, Keegan came prepared, “We got a tent, we got sleeping bags, we got pillows.”
Jim Kennedy, the Scout Executive for the Juniata Valley Council, says the scouts have been camping out at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for several years now. “It’s a great night for scouting, we get them out and be a part of the Spikes. They’ve been a great partner of ours along with the United Way.”
Tyler Metzel is a member of Cub Scout Pack 31, sponsored by Saint Pauls United Methodist Church. Tyler was especially looking forward to, “running around in the darkness.” Tyler has done this before. He describes sleeping on the field as, “Kind of hard and lumpy but it’s really nice.”
Eleven-year-old Johnathan Inman belongs to Troop 32, sponsored by State College Presbyterian Church. He says the night is pretty tiring, “Because you have kids running around a lot into the morning hours.” When asked where they’ll make a campfire, Johnathan laughed a said, “Probably not on the field!”
Kennedy says his scouts love it. They planned to watch a couple of movies on the scoreboard along with some other late night activities. But Kennedy laughingly admits he’s never been brave enough to actually spend the whole night camping out on the field.
