Bass Pro Shops Family Summer Camp

Troop 501 is  proud to announce that Bass Pro Shops has selected the Boy Scouts of America as a promotional partner for its upcoming 2011 Summer Family Camp promotion.

Bass Pro Shops is inviting every family, friend, and supporter of Scouting to visit the local Bass Pro Shops store at some point this summer from June 4 through July 10, 2011.

In its third year, this multi-faceted event gives families the knowledge and ideas they need to maximize their enjoyment of the outdoors. The following events are offered on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and weekends for the duration of the promotion (remember, everything is free!):

• Workshops for youth (suitable for ages 8 to 12) on subjects like fishing, camping, and archery. Following each workshop, participants will complete a worksheet and earn a lapel pin. Opportunities are available to test youth bows, practice casting, shoot air rifles, and do other activities.
• Free crafts will be available for children of all ages, including stamping animal tracks, leather stamping, and building and painting a birdhouse. Each Saturday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., families may enjoy making s’mores together over an open fire in front of the store.
• Families may take home a copy of the Summer Fun Guide, a 52-page magazine produced in conjunction with Field & Stream magazine. It’s chock-full of great information for families.
• On weekends, children may have their photos taken for the cover of Field & Stream and retrieve the finished photo from a special website.

The promotion takes place…
It runs in all Bass Pro Shops stores from June 4 through July 10, 2011, and is open to anyone interested in visiting a Bass Pro Shops store during the dates mentioned above. BSA employees, friends, family, volunteers, alumni, and supporters are all welcome!

Scout presence in stores…
At any time during Family Summer Camp (but particularly on weekends, when traffic is highest), Scouts are encouraged to be in the store, in uniform, to talk to customers, solicit membership (youth and adults), and remind visitors of the donation program (explained below). Bass Pro Shops have offered covered, skirted tables and chairs for councils interested in providing coverage and will have in-store signage promoting Scouting.
Donation program being offered in stores…

During the calendar month of June, Bass Pro Shops will offer customers an opportunity to donate $2 or $5 to the BSA at each cash register. This donation will also enter the customer into a drawing for a $500, $250, or $100 Bass Pro Shops gift card for customers completing their information on the donation form. At the end of the promotion, 50 percent of the funds collected will be sent to the National Council and the other 50 percent will be given to the local host council. Scouts present in the stores are encouraged to talk about the donation with customers to increase results.

Merit Badge classes and workshops being conducted…
Bass Pro Shops is uniquely qualified to offer several workshops with merit badge requirements included. This year, Bass Pro Shops has chosen to highlight the Fishing and Rifle Shooting merit badges for Scouts (The fishing workshop does not include the final step of actually going fishing; for the Rifle Shooting merit badge workshop, Bass Pro Shops is using the air rifle option.) Each store will select two or more associates to become certified as merit badge counselors, and a supply of blue cards will be available for counselors to sign off on the classes they teach.
Classes will be taught on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. according to the following schedule:

Thursday, June 9 Rifle Shooting
Tuesday, June 14 Rifle Shooting
Thursday, June 16 Fishing
Tuesday, June 21 Fishing
Thursday, June 23 Rifle Shooting
Tuesday, June 28 Rifle Shooting
Thursday, June 30 Fishing
Tuesday, July 5 Fishing
Thursday, July 7 Rifle Shooting

Class sizes limited for the Summer Family Camp merit badge classes and workshops
Class size will be limited to 10 Scouts, so pre-registration will be necessary. Scouts may register in-store at the customer service desk or over the phone by calling the store at (636) 688-2500.