Recently, ClassB staff ventured up to Mount Hope, West Virginia for the Boy Scouts of America’s highly anticipated 2013 National Jamboree. This was the first ever Jamboree at its new permanent location, the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve. It was also the first time ClassB attended a Jamboree as exhibitors.
Eleven ClassB staff members worked the event and oh, what fun we had! The days were long and the weather was trying, but we gave it our all. Our CEO, Eric Hilferding, said: “I had so much fun helping attendees screen print their shirts, I never wanted to leave the booth!”
From running an awesome program as exhibitors to exploring the grounds and attending shows, our Jamboree experience was nothing short of memorable. Here is our Jambo in review.

Opening Show

On the morning of the second day of the Jamboree, we watched contingents fill the trails as they filed into the AT&T Summit Stadium. OA Service Corps members were staggered across the stadium to help manage the crowd and get the attendees hyped up. It was an overwhelmingly awesome feeling to sit amongst the 30,000+ Scouts and Scouters in anticipation of the big show. National Order of the Arrow and Venturing officers greeted the crowd and introduced Chief Scout Executive, Wayne Brock. Inspirational messages, photo montages and energizing performances by the Army National Band and Taylor Made got everyone excited about the Jamboree.

The Jamboree

This 10,000+ acre facility offered breathtaking scenic views, thoughtfully designed landmarks and action-packed activity bases. As you entered the main gateway, the Scout Law was written down all the pillars that lead you through Gateway Village. The self sufficient Sustainability Treehouse offered educational displays and was a worthy attraction to visit along the way. The impressive 786-foot-long CONSOL Energy Wingtip Bridge took campers form their sub camps to Action Point, where they could earn merit badges, visit exhibitor booths and choose their adventure. Popular Jamboree activities offered included:

• Zip lining and canopy tours
• Rock climbing and bouldering
• BMX and mountain biking
• Skate parks
• Archery and shooting ranges
• Kayaking and dragon boats
• The Cloud
• Action Point

Action Point & the ClassB Booth

We had our very own tent space in Action Point, centrally located at the heart of all the Jamboree activities in Summit Center. Coincidentally, half of the ClassB staff running it were Eagle Scouts! Every morning, ClassB staff member and Eagle Scout, Justin, would sound the conch shell to signal the opening of the booth. Paul and Thomas (also Eagle Scouts), ran Scouting trivia with Justin and lead the crowds in camp songs to keep the energy high from open to close!
Our booth had some awesome attractions for the participants. We offered a wide variety of commemorative licensed designs at and the ‘Tag Your Shirt’ station. Lines wrapped around the booth to play the game for a chance to win the highly coveted ClassB Totem Pole Patches. We even got pictures of the first 100 of you to collect the entire 15-piece event set. Be sure to tag yourself in our Facebook album.
When speaking about the booth, ClassB Marketing Director, Kristen Garcia, said: “One of my fondest memories of the Jamboree will always be when the torrential downpour of rain trapped everyone in our booth and Paul sang us back to sanity. He could sense the tension in the crowd and quickly burst into song, leading everyone in ‘Ain’t Gonna’ Rain No More!’ At the song’s end, the clouds parted and everyone cheered!”
You came from your sub camps far and wide in heat and rain to play our carnival style toss n’ win game, screen print your shirts and of course, sing camp songs with us! Everyone left with patches in hand, designs on shirt sleeves and smiles on their faces.

ClassB Street Team

ClassB staff members were often seen on the trails handing out free patches, sunglasses and other cool swag. The highlight of the trip for us was getting to meet so many of you, our super fun and proud ClassB customers. You scouted us out on the trails and in our booth to show off your custom t-shirts, which we loved. ClassB staff member and screen printer, Amanda, said: “It was so awesome to get to see our customers wearing shirts that I helped print!” We took some great photos with you; so, be sure to look for yourself in our Flickr album.

Closing Show & Final Days

As the Jamboree festivities came to a close, we funneled into the stadium for one last show. The BSA put together an awesome line up for us, beginning with opening performances by BSA’s Got Talent finalists as well as pop singer, Sarah Centeno. Guest speakers included: ROTC Director of Recruiting, Colonel Paul Webber, AT&T CEO, Randall Stephenson, Dirty Jobs show host, Mike Rowe and the King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf, who lead the 30,000+ crowd in a chant. The show closed with a memorable performance by popular rock band, 3 Doors Down and everyone made their way back to their sub camps to prepare for inclement weather.
The final days of the Jamboree were spent watching participants hurrying to complete activities, collecting and trading patches and trying to stay dry. We packed up our program, watched the contingents file into their sub camps one last time and waived goodbye to the Summit. As we bussed back to Bradley Crossing, we swapped pictures and stories of the friends and memories we made at our first ever Jamboree.



For more great pics from our trip, check out: ClassB @ 2013 National Jamboree – Flickr album ClassB @ 2013 National Jamboree – Facebook album

Find additional memories from the Jamboree at: Boy Scouts of America Flickr Boys’ Life magazine 2013 National Scout Jamboree – news, videos and news QBSA Radio – Jamboree radio Jamboree Today – news Jambo Live – Archived stadium shows #2013jambo Facebook #2013jambo Twitter Virtual Jamboree  

This final day of 2013 National Jamboree coverage comes to you direct from the summit’s CONSOL Energy Wing Tip Bridge. This uniquely designed 786-foot-long, 100-foot-tall structure serves as the main route from two of the campsite villages to the the adventure activities. Because the ravine separates the sites from each other, this bridge turns a tedious 45-minute hike through trails and a creek into a 2-minute breeze straight across.

Aside from its utility, this bridge serves as an awesome dual purpose transportation structure. Scouters can use the main walkway to quickly stroll from one place to the next, or they can walk two secondary pathways that stretch high above and far below the main bridge to offer its visitors amazing views of the Summit and its high adventure posts.

Wood used to pave the bridge was locally harvested from black locusts trees and is expected to withstand harsh weather conditions for many years without staining or painting.
CONSOL Energy made a significant donation of $15 million to the project. According to its chairman and CEO, this iconic bridge was thoughtfully constructed to symbolize the transition from the last 100 years of Scouting into the next 100 years to come. With the Jamboree festivities coming to a close, we couldn’t think of a more appropriate landmark to visit before leaving.



Do you plan to visit the Summit after the Jamboree? Tell us about your plans in the comments section below.

We will be sharing our Jambo in review blog post upon our return home. Be sure to bookmark the page and check back with us!

This day of 2013 National Jamboree coverage comes to you from the Summit’s very own Brownsea Island Experience. This modern-day reenactment serves as a tribute to the first ever Scout campout organized in 1907 by Scouting’s founder, Baden Powell, at Brownsea Island in England.

Keeping to the agenda followed over 100 years ago, participants have the opportunity to engage in the very same games enjoyed by the original campers. Scouters had a blast playing games like Tug O’ War and Whale Hunt.



Talented actors portrayed General Baden Powell and his right hand, Major MacLaren instructing the boys on their first day of camp. Every morning of the Jamboree, the Brownsea Island Scouts perform a flag raising ceremony under their direction.

What a fun way to relive the founding of Scouting! It’s amazing to see of how much the program has evolved from all those years ago. If you are at the Jamboree, we definitely recommend stopping in to travel back in time for a quick and fun education.


What are your group’s favorite games to play? Are they historic or new creations? Tell us in the comments section below.
Remember, we will be keeping you posted on all the fun we’re having right here on our blog. Be sure to bookmark the page and check back with us throughout the Jamboree!  

This day of 2013 National Jamboree coverage comes to you direct from the Summit’s Sustainability Treehouse, located near Action Point. This structure was built to demonstrate The Summit Pledge program’s commitment to sustainable practices.


Two 4kW Urban Green Energy vertical access wind turbines were installed, facilitating the generation of electricity for the treehouse. To avoid disturbing the trees during construction, a 180-ton crane with a 190-foot boom was used to lift the turbines over them and onto the platform. Now THAT was thoughtful planning!
As you enter, an informative wall graphic explains some of the green functions of the Sustainability Treehouse:

• Self powered
• Collects water
• Recycles waste
• Makes its own heat

This was definitely a worthy attraction to visit! On the rooftop pavilion, visitors were even invited to leave their mark by engraving messages onto recyclable tags. From top to bottom, great attention to detail was used in the design of this impressive structure.We are confident that it will inspire the youth for many generations to come!

Do you incorporate any sustainable practices in your every day life? Share them with us in the comments section below.

Remember, we will be keeping you posted on all the fun we’re having right here on our blog. Be sure to bookmark the page and check back with us throughout the Jamboree!

This day of 2013 National Jamboree coverage comes to you direct from the ClassB booths in Summit Center, the heart of all the Jamboree excitement! We are honored to have the opportunity to exhibit and to set up some super fun booths. One includes our famous carnival style Toss N’ Win game. Many of our Scouting friends already know about our game and have stopped by for some practice throws!

What makes it so special this year? It’s being run by Eagle Scouts and the prizes are officially licensed patches from an awesome event set! ClassB staff members Justin, Paul and Thomas have seen many a Jamboree and will be there to make sure you walk away with all three pieces of ClassB 2013 National Jamboree Totem Pole Patch Set!

We worked with several other vendors to create an officially licensed 15-piece patch set. When assembled it makes a totem pole that’s almost four feet tall! Wondering how to get the whole set? That’s the fun part! Participants will have to go on a scavenger hunt of sorts to collect all the patches.

Each participating vendor has a piece of the set. Scouts can commemorate their visit to each of the different booths with an awesome patch! Participating vendors include:

• ClassB – (three patches)
• Boys’ Life – (base patch)
• AT&T (two patches)
• Otis Spunkmeyer (two patches)
• The Greenbrier Resort (two patches)
• Goal Zero (one patch)
• Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (one patch)
• Mickman Brothers (one patch)
• GT Bicycles (one patch)
• Bare Bones Living (one patch)

Already at the Jamboree and wanting a little help tracking some patches down? Here’s a legend that shows all the patches in the set and which vendor you must visit to collect each patch. If you’d like one to keep, you’ll have to play to win it!

Were you able to collect any pieces of the set? Upload a photo to our Facebook page. We’d love to see how you arranged your totem pole!

Remember, we will be keeping you posted on all the fun we’re having right here on our blog. Be sure to bookmark the page and check back with us throughout the Jamboree!

Our first day of 2013 National Jamboree coverage comes to you from the Jamboree’s very own radio station, QBSA Radio.

The guys behind The Eagle’s Voice have been “blastin’ stuff atcha” nonstop since Friday to bring you coverage of the big event. QBSA Radio is your 24-hour source for Jamboree news, weather, on-air events and of course, great tunes. Fun-loving Welch local, Ed Evans, is hosting the morning show every day from 5:30 – 9:00 am. Be sure to tune in!


Scouts can sign up for 15 minute slots of air time, allowing them the opportunity to select songs, give public service announcements, conduct interviews and give shout outs to their contingents. To commemorate the experience, participants will receive an awesome officially licensed “On Air Personality” patch!

QBSA Radio operates under a temporary license from the FCC and must follow federal regulations. Before participants can have their 15 minutes of fame, they must first go through a brief training station to provide proper identification and familiarize themselves with radio lingo.

Additionally, QBSA broadcasts live from the opening and closing stadium shows, making folks listening back home feel like they are right in the middle of the excitement! We’ve been told that the station will host some super fun events and have awesome commemorative Jamboree giveaways to blow out. ;)

Be sure to tune in locally to 98.3 FM or download the free TuneIn Radio app to listen in. For more information about QBSA and to follow their activity, check out the QBSA Radio Facebook page.

Have you already been listening in? Let us know what your favorite part of the program has been so far in the comments section below. We’d love to hear what you think!



Remember, we will be keeping you posted on all the fun we’re having right here on our blog. Be sure to bookmark the page and check back with us throughout the Jamboree!

T-minus three days and counting… Time to Go Big. Get Wild.

And ClassB will be there when it happens!

 
After a much anticipated wait, the 2013 National Scout Jamboree is almost here!

In less than a week, Scouters from all over the country will gather in Mount Hope, West Virginia to celebrate the new permanent home of the Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Family Scout Reserve. The Boy Scouts of America promise that the new site will play host to some of the most exciting experiences ever offered at a Jamboree before.

This 10,000+ acre facility has been carefully designed to include some of the most impressive high adventure activities in the world. Participants will look forward to 10 days of: zip lines, canopy tours, rock climbing and bouldering, skate boarding, mountain biking and bmx, shooting sports, archery and whitewater rafting, to name a few. From extreme sports and competitions to exhibits and stadium shows, there’s sure to be something for everyone.

Our friends from QBSA Radio will be “blastin’ stuff atcha” through live broadcasts beginning at 5:30 am every day. Tune in locally to 98.3 FM or download the free app, TuneIn Radio.
As for us, we have always enjoyed attending the Jamboree as visitors; but, this will be our first year going as exhibitors! There will be TWO ClassB tents centrally located at the heart of all the excitement, in Summit Center.

One tent will include our famous carnival style Toss N’ Win game, offering players some awesome Jamboree swag for prizes. For you avid patch collectors, we have collaborated with several other attending vendors to create an awesome event patch set (sneak peak at left). You will have to embark on a bit of a scavenger hunt to collect them all… and you have to play to win ours!

We’d love to see how you arrange your totem pole! If you get an entire set, take a photo and upload it to our Facebook page, where we will also be running contests to blow out some of the Jamboree souvenirs we’re giving away.

The second tent will include screen printing stations for participants to tag their shirts with officially licensed commemorative Jamboree designs. If you plan to attend, stop by for a visit and bring a t-shirt!

Eleven of our staff members are super excited to be attending the 2013 National Jamboree and can’t wait to report back! We will be keeping you posted on all the fun we’re having right here on our blog. Be sure to bookmark the page and check back with us throughout the Jamboree!
If you are planning to attend, leave us a comment to tell us what contingent you’re with and we’ll see you at the Summit! :)

Last week, we had the AMAZING experience of attending the 2012 National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC) at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan.

Jonah, an Eagle Scout and one of the ClassB team members to attend, said, “I hadn’t realized just how huge Order of the Arrow really was, nor how much it really enhances the Scouting experience until I was given the opportunity to visit the 2012 NOAC.” From being an exhibitor at the Adventure Central EXPO to attending nightly shows and events, we were fortunate to share the NOAC experience with the over 7,000 Arrowmen who attended. Here are some highlights of the trip.

Opening Show

We really had no idea what to expect when we arrived to the Breslin Center the first night of NOAC. The first lodge on the scene with crazy awesome hats was Coosa Lodge. (Coosa Rocks!)

The energy of the opening show was incredible along with some truly professional stage, lighting and sound work from Scouts. Gregg, an Eagle Scout, OA member and our VP, described his first NOAC experience, “I wish I’d made it to NOAC as a Scout. The opening show was incredible and got me pumped up for the week even though I wasn’t an attendee.”

Exploring NOAC

After setting up the ClassB booth (more on that later), we explored NOAC a bit. We made two-part resin neckerchief slides at the Composite Materials booth, saw some epic patch trading blankets and got an idea for just how much fun Arrowmen like to have – which is good, because we also showed up to have a great time!

Also impressive was the support from the Greater Lansing, Michigan community. All the businesses nearby had prominent signage welcoming the Boy Scouts of America and many were even giving away free t-shirts!

Adventure Central EXPO & the ClassB Booth

There’s just something cool about being on an ice arena floor for three days. Take over 7,000 Arrowmen who are looking for an air conditioned break between a hectic NOAC event schedule and give them a game to play and you’ll have plenty of fun!

Kristen, aka “the ClassB girl,” ran our Toss & Win game until she lost her voice. But, for the thousands of Scouts who played, it was well worth the wait. We gave out 100 limited edition Eagle patches, 900 regular Eagle patches, ~3,000 flying discs, and 10,000 pens to eager Arrowmen. You juggled for bonus prizes, had your mascots pose for us and, of course, threw underhand and gently!

Closing Show

The end of NOAC was sad for us. While, of course, we were at the event to tell people about our t-shirts and patches, we also made new friends and had a great time. But, the best way to end a once-in-a-lifetime experience is with a great blow-out party!

We donated 1,000 flying discs just for that occasion and the NOAC Radio station blasted those during their “Pre-Show Insanity” show. As it turns out, flying discs also double as great fans to stay cool. ;) Once inside, the “Human Sacrifices” show really showed off the depth and quality of show we’d come to expect from NOAC. And, what better way to close a show than to lead 7,000 people in karaoke to classic rock tunes and shower them with 250 lbs. of confetti?! In that moment, all of the bonds forged over the week-long conference were more prominent than ever.

This was an incredible experience for us and we’re totally looking forward to returning for NOAC 2015 to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Order of the Arrow!

ClassB @ NOAC 2012 – Flickr Photo Album ClassB @ NOAC 2012 – Facebook Photo Album