9th National Jamboree

White background with blue text that curls around the edge of button. A blue mountain silhouette is on the top center, and below it is two lines of straight blue text.

The National Jamboree is a large event put on by Boy Scouts of America that occurs around every four years. The 9th National Jamboree took place at Moraine State Park in Pennsylvania, from August 3rd through 9th in 1977. This was the first Jamboree which had a selective qualification process, as earlier Jamborees were open to all scouts. The Ninth Jamboree was a celebration of the two hundredth anniversary since the boy scouts were established. Some special celebratory events included a “Liberty Bell race” which involved scouts setting up a tripod, installing a heavy bell, then ringing it, and a Bicentennial salute. For the Bicentennial salute, scouts constructed flap poles. 

Besides the Bicentennial events, the Jamboree hosted representatives from six local centers who gave demonstrations on different lifestyles in America. These demonstrations included life from Polynesia, Mexico, the Cowboy-Southwest, Indians from the plains, the Cajun area, and colonial America of New England. Reflecting a future concern for pollution and the environment, presentations were given on water, wind, and solar energy power. Other festivities included scouts presenting their skills in sciences, crafts, and music for an arts and science fair. Scouts also showed their skills in the kitchen during the national cooking and baking contest. 

The Kern River Valley Boy Scout Troop 690 attended the Jamboree in 1977. This troop, from Lake Isabella in California, was led by scoutmaster James Ash. The Jamboree was a part of a summer cross-country bus trip the troop went on. They also visited “Mexico, the Space Center in Houston, Tex., and Washington, D.C.” As of 2021, this Troop still meets on the first Tuesday of every month.