Scouters of Holmes Co. cap off fair with a splash

Bingo took on a new look during a recent participation effort by Scouters of Holmes County, with an eye toward building and promoting good leadership and citizenship skills among area youth.

SHC created a bingo game that encouraged youngsters to tackle some interesting tasks to fill out a winning line in their bingo card. They could then turn their entries in for a drawing, and two brothers were drawn as winners for the event.

Desmond Riemenschneider, 8, a Tiger Scout, said he enjoys Scouting because he likes to go camping with the Scouts and he’s made some good friends.

He said the challenges to complete the bingo board were fun, and his list included gardening, picking up sticks and visiting the courthouse. Another bingo square was watching fireworks to celebrate Independence Day, and he did that on the water at Lake Buckhorn.

His older brother Ashton Riemenschneider, a Webelo, said sifting through the possibilities to create a winning bingo row was fun and challenging, and he said it was worth the time and effort.

“We went to some cool places, and I learned a lot,” Ashton Riemenschneider said. “I really had fun at the courthouse.

“One of the reasons we thought this would be a neat idea was because it taught youth about a lot of the things we do in Scouting,” said Melissa Biltz, member of the board for Scouters for Holmes County. “The other purpose was to create something that got kids involved with the community that was geared toward building citizenship. The more we can get kids involved in doing these, the better.”

The concept behind the Good Citizen Bingo Challenge was simple. Participants could get the bingo card and perform the various requirements that led to a winning bingo entry.

The catch was that as they completed each task, they needed take a photo of themselves either doing a project or with a completed project.

The challenges were broken down into four categories: Team Player, House Maintenance, Health and Safety, and Community and Fun. Some of the challenges were work- or chore-related while others featured the concept of setting up an evening of fun with family or friends.

One bingo spot was reserved for touring the courthouse, where Biltz said they had 23 people show up to take the courthouse tour.

“That was a very neat experience for the kids and for us as adults too because we don’t often get to see what takes place on the inside of the courthouse,” Biltz said. “Everyone was very interested to get to talk to the judge and see the way things operate there, and Judge Sean Warner did a fantastic job of showing us what the caseload looks like during an average day. We’d rather see the kids go into the courthouse as a visitor rather than being escorted in, and many of the activities on the bingo card were designed to build character and help kids along a good path.”

It was all part of the effort to build a desire to pursue citizenship in younger people, and Biltz said it helps kids understand the value of being a part of their community.

Biltz said the time the Scouters of Holmes County and Holmes County Scout troops spent at the Holmes County Fair, where they had a large tent loaded with interactive options for the kids, was a big hit, and they got to talk to a number of young people to describe what Scouting is all about.

She also said it provided them with a good chance to share about the Scouts’ High Adventure Camps. Currently, 22 spots are already filled for the Sea Base Camp excursion that will take place next summer. Of greater importance was discussing the Northern Tier Wilderness Trek, which will include canoeing and plenty of outdoor hiking between Minnesota and Canada.

“The Scouts will be in the wilderness for that trip, and part of the purpose of Scouting is to teach the kids how to survive in the wilderness,” Biltz said. “The kids are the ones making decisions and doing the work. They are the ones leading, and the adults who accompany them are there only to make sure everyone is safe.”

The camps are open to anyone age 18 and younger. Biltz said they would love to have two treks, one male and the other female. The limit on each trek is eight youth.

If anyone wants more information, they can call or email Biltz at 330-231-6175 or melissabiltz@gmail.com, or they can stop by Windy Hill Automotive, north of Millersburg on state Route 83, where they can get information from Brody DeHass or Rebecca Schlabach, who serves as crew advisor.