Area Boy Scouts to Hold 20th Annual Klondike Derby

(Godfrey, IL - January 4, 2010) � Boy Scouts from the Lewis and Clark Council will be competing in a Klondike Derby challenge on January 16th at Camp Warren Levis in Godfrey Illinois. The Cahokia Mounds and Piasa Bird Districts will be hosting this 20th annual Klondike Derby event for all area scouts. The Klondike Derby is a winter skills challenge event. The Klondike Derby resembles a dogsled race reminiscent of the Alaska gold rush days. Musher�s (patrol leaders) race their sleds pulled by dog-teams (Boy Scout Patrols or Venture Crews) on a challenging course through Camp Warren Levis. Sleds race to different �cities� where they participate in scout skill competitions that include winter survival skills, fire building, first aid, and outdoor cooking to name a few. Scouts must demonstrate their ability to live by the principles of the Scout Oath and Law while they participate in a competitive event that demands leadership, team-work, intelligence, and endurance.

The race starts at 9 am Saturday morning and will finish by approximately 4:30 pm. Jim Hesse is the event chairman, also known as Klondike Pete. Contact the Lewis and Clark Council Office at (618) 234-9111 to register for this event or get additional information. The public, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts are invited to come and watch the Boy Scouts in action. The Klondike Derby is a traditional event that the Boy Scouts look forward to all year long.

In 2009, the Okaw Valley Council and the Trails West Councils consolidated to form the Lewis and Clark Council. The Lewis and Clark Council provides quality youth development programs to nearly 17,000 boys and girls in Bond, Calhoun, Clay, Clinton, Greene, Jefferson, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair, Washington, and Wayne counties in Illinois. The Lewis and Clark Council is the largest Boy Scout Council in Southern Illinois. This council is divided into six Districts: Black Gold, Cahokia Mounds, Illini, Kaskaskia, Piasa Bird, and St. Clair. The Boy Scouts of America strive to build character and integrity in our youth and help them become exceptional adults by cultivating in them a sense of community, family, ambition, leadership, and priority so that they will make the world a better place.