On Saturday May 28 — a day in which Buffalo set a new temperature record — Penn Dixie hosted its inaugural Scouting Rocks! program. The event was free for Boy and Girl Scouts in uniform and was designed to highlight the shared values between scientists and scouts, including: teamwork, creative thinking, problem solving, and respect for the outdoors.
Over 100 scouts and their families attended the event, which began with introductory remarks from Congressman Chris Collins — an Eagle Scout himself as well as major frequent supporter of Penn Dixie, Hamburg Town Supervisor Steven Walters — a strong supporter of Penn Dixie and community advocate for regional tourism to Hamburg, and Penn Dixie Executive Director Dr. Phil Stokes.
The program included special guests Adam Blair — an Eagle Scout — and Emilie Reynolds, both SUNY Buffalo mechanical engineering students, who helped scouts to design and launch rockets made from household materials. Rob Bauer from Moog helped to develop the activity but could not attend the day of the program.
Also included was fossil collecting in our freshly excavated quarry, sunspot viewing with astronomer Ernie Jacobs, nature walks with Penn Dixie staff, and Lomo Lomo food truck. We acknowledge the Greater Niagara Frontier Council of Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts of Western New York for their support and guidance with this new program. Penn Dixie thanks all who attended and helped to make the program a tremendous success!
Finally, we thank Butch and Jake Burkett for taking photos at the event. You can find the full photo gallery here.