Scout dads of 161 reunite

Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts of America) is without a doubt a great program for youth in our country to learn survival skills, earn merit badges, and gain leadership experiences. However, it could be very difficult to succeed in scouting without support from parental figures along the way. Parents are often the ones who help drive them to and from camps, provide encouragement and guidance, and even supply some, if not all, equipment for the scouts. Scouts develop bonds with each other through the regular scout meetings and camping trips, as do the parents who help support their children.

A particular group of fathers who mentored their sons in Troop 161 during the 2010s has recently begun holding regular get-togethers where they reminisce about the many meetings, backpacking trips, summer camps, and expeditions from a decade ago. Most of these dads' sons were successful in achieving the rank of Eagle Scout.

Many of the dads who had heavy participation back in the day would see each other at Rock & Rails concerts in the summers to catch up. A couple years ago it was suggested by Tom Sesnic, father to an Eagle Scout, that, due to the fact they have so much fun during the summer concert series, it was unfortunate that they would not regularly see each other again after August until Rock & Rails started up again the following year.

John Barto, another dad to an Eagle Scout, took action and formalized monthly meetings to take place on Mondays, the same day of the week when Scout meetings were held, to share their crazy stories and memories. "We always had a lot of laughs," said Barto "and getting to relive those memories with this group of dads is really fun, and there are a lot of laughs." He added that it is thanks to this group of dads that scouting events back in the day went smoothly, and how special this group is.

Some of these dads have stayed in touch outside of these gatherings through participating in groups such as the Niwot Community Association, but without these scout dad-specific opportunities, they would not be able to see as many friendly faces as they would have otherwise. On occasion, former Scoutmaster Bill O'Donnel will attend and participate in the upbeat camaraderie as well.