by Gregory Martin
Hometown Scout Reporter
On Saturday July 31, scouts from around the world gathered to watch the greatest arena show of all time at Fort A.P. Hill in Caroline County, Virginia.
The pre-show had a special performance by Sarah Centeno, 14, of Texas. The show began at 8:00 p.m. with a video message from President Obama. Then the countdown began… The crowd started to shout “Ten, nine, eight...,” and then the epic show began.
Out of nowhere cauldrons of fire lit up the black night sky with an orange glow. First came a special performance by Bob Mazzuca, the Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America. He started with a video message and went off the screen rappelling, popping out behind the Jumbotron and then rappelled down the metal tower.
More special performances were by the bands Honor Society and Switchfoot.
Special guest Mike Rowe talked about being not afraid to be dirty. “A Scout is clean, but is never afraid to get dirty,” says Rowe. The Shining Light Across America Kicked off at 10:00 p.m. and ended with a grand finale of fireworks. Simultaneously at the statue of liberty in New York was another large fireworks display at the same time as the show at Fort A.P. Hill. The evening concluded with a special sneak peek of the 2013 National Jamboree at The Bechtel Summit in West Virginia.
Gregory Martin is a Caroline High School student and a member of Caroline Boy Scout Troop 524.