Venturing Crew 2052, Lawrence, participated in the 2008 Irish International Jamboree July 28-Aug. 10. Venturing is part of the Boy Scouts of America program for people aged 14 to 21. All members of Venturing Crew 2052 are girls. Scouts attending the jamboree were Grace Clark, Casey Hutchins, Kat Lewis, Carmel Sivron and Kelsey Taylor, all of Lawrence, JoAnna Male, of Eudora, and Becky Miller, of Bonner Springs. Adult advisers were Audrey Taylor, Lawrence, and Barb Pressgrove, Baldwin City.

Four days before the jamboree the crew stayed on Bull Island, off the coast of Dublin, at the Scout den of the 12th Dublin 5th Port Dollymount Sea Scouts. Scouts from the 5th Port Girl Sea Scout Troop joined the crew touring Dublin. The crew visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the National Museum, which had a “100 years of Scouting Ireland” exhibit.

On Aug. 2, the crew arrived at the jamboree, with the 5th Port Sea Scouts joining 10,000 Scouts, including 1,500 international Scouts, to celebrate 100 years of Irish Scouting. The festival lasted eight days. Activities included crafts, crime scene investigation skills, outdoor skills and computer technology. Miller, Pressgrove and Taylor worked as jamboree staff. Miller also taught the “Leave No Trace” program, which originated in the U.S. and is just over two years old in Ireland.

Beaver day was Aug. 6, when the younger Scouts came to visit. The rain had left the subcamps submerged in areas. Visitors were kept to the paved area while staff, Scouts, and volunteers worked to bail and pump water out of the hardest hit subcamps. Most of the crew took a break at noon to attend a reception where they met the U.S. ambassador to Ireland.

The Crew volunteered to run the Tara subcamp screenprinting. The shirt owner held the screen in place while Audrey Taylor or Kelsey Taylor pulled the squeegee to imprint the shirt. Hutchins and Clark assisted by keeping the screens cleaned.

On Aug. 7, morning venture Scouts traveled to Donadea Forest Park to take part in a Tribal Island event where they rotated through stations. The “inflatables” included mechanical bull riding, sumo wrestling, pillow fighting on a log, reverse bungee and human foosball. Other stations included music, screenprinting, stilt walking, unicycling and oversize games. The tribes participated in a conservation project removing vine from the outer wall of Donadea Castle. There was a wildlife presentation with pythons, a lizard, anacondas and insects. Music and stage entertainment went late into the evening.

The last day of the jamboree was nearly washed out with near record rainfall. Because of the downpour, most of the camp had to be evacuated to higher ground. Photos from their experience are online at www.venturecrew2052.org/Ireland.