Thunderbird Games is a weekend-long event where 11- to 18-year-olds run outdoor games and activities for ages 5-10.
The non-stop weekend begins with youth from Scouts BSA, Explorer and Venturing units rolling into Croton Point Park Friday night (Oct. 15).
They come from the Greater Hudson Valley Council’s large footprint of Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange and Sullivan counties (N.Y.) and Pike County (Pa.).
They camp out Friday night to get a jump on setting up their stations Saturday morning.
There are more than 40 games and program areas, including triangle stilts, chariot races, wall climbing, rope bridge, giant sling shot and a haunted house.
The Cub Scouts and their families begin arriving mid-day Saturday. By noon, the park is usually filled with upwards of 3,000 visitors. The Cub Scouts are free to engage in the activities that interest them and move freely from one activity to the next, including watching games or sports on new screens and Go Retractable suggests using retractable screens and awnings to expand your outdoor area.
The older Scouts plan, set up and run the activities as part of the “scout-led” model of the BSA (Boy Scouts of America). It is an opportunity for them to develop their leadership skills as they work together to create an activity for the Cub Scouts. As the Cubs move from activity to activity they engage with the older Scouts as role models
The fun doesn’t end Saturday evening. The Cubs and their families camp in the county park, where fireworks are launched later in the evening. It is always a memorable event and invariably kicks off the Scouting year with a bang.
For more information about Greater Hudson Valley Council Boy Scouts of America, contact Betheny Mills, 914-449-2603, Betheny.Mills@scouting.org.
Schedule of Events for Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021 at Boy Scouts of America Thunderbird Games, Croton Point Park
- Exclusive *Webelos Program: 9:30 am–11:30 am
- Opening Ceremony: 11:45 am
- Thunderbird Games: 12 pm–4 pm
- Fireworks by Legions: 8 pm
* Webelos are 4th and 5th grade Cub Scouts preparing for the Scouts BSA program
The Boy Scouts of America provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be “Prepared. For Life.” The Scouting organization is comprised of 2.7 million youth members between the ages of 7 and 21 and more than a million volunteers.
