Yesterday, we began installing your new exhibit, Camping in the Jungle: Stories of Scouting in the Panama Canal Zone and expect to add the finishing touches by the end of this week!

Stay tuned for a sneak peek of the exhibit, but in the meantime, we wanted to thank you all for sharing your stories, ideas, and opinions with us.  Your contributions have brought so much life and depth to the exhibit.

We hope you can join us on March 12 for the joint Panama Canal Society / PCMC Friends meeting to see the exhibit in person!

Later this spring and summer, we will be calling on you once again to lend your curatorial skills and knowledge to the second scouting exhibit, which will be on display at the PCS Reunion in Orlando!

We are getting close to installing the Scouting exhibit!  But we are still trying to fill in some gaps with your wonderful memories and stories.

Today, we hope you can share some information about the “Order of the Spirit of Good Deeds”.

Was this award given to you, or anyone you know?  If so, please tell us about it in the comments section!

Hello Co-Curators!

It’s time to gather ’round the campfire!

We still need to collect some additional stories for the scouting exhibit, which will be installed very soon.  We have lots of wonderful objects, including this coffee cup & tablespoon with rope attachment from Boy Scouts SE 438 (Gift of Richard & Lila Cheville).

We want to use objects like these form the collection to illustrate the stories of YOUR experiences as scouts in the Canal Zone.

So put another marshmallow on the fire, and tell us…

• What is your favorite memory of a Boy Scout / Girl Scout camping trip?
• Did you (or someone you know) ever use a cup like this while you were camping?
• Did something scary ever happen on a camping trip?
• What is the funniest thing that ever happened while you were camping as a scout?

Please share ANY memory you have of your scouts camping trips– it may be featured as an exhibit label!

Just a preview…

We have reserved the prominently located Lobby Gallery cases on the first floor of the Smathers Library for our exhibit– and now that we know the dimensions of our space, we are beginning to lay out the objects.

This spread represents about 2/3 of the objects that could be included in the exhibit.

Do you see anything here that is of particular interest?  Anything we should leave out?

(We will post more detailed images of the objects soon– but for today we just wanted to share our initial layout process with all of our co-curators!)

Hello again, Co-Curators!

We have so enjoyed hearing your scout stories, reminiscing about camping, hiking, and badges!

But we also know that living in the Panama Canal Zone was an especially unique experience, so being a scout in the Canal Zone must have been exceptional as well!

What made being a scout in the Panama Canal Zone unique?

What sort of scouting activities were unique to CZ scouts?
What made being a Boy Scout / Girl Scout in Panama so special?

Do you have an “Only in the Canal Zone!” sort of memory to share about your time as a scout?  We want to hear it!

Please share your thoughts, memories, and stories with us in the comments section– we hope to include your words in the exhibit!

Good morning and Happy Monday, Co-Curators!

Things are moving right along with the Scouting exhibit, which is exciting.  We have found a few Girl Scout items in the collection, which got us thinking…

Did you (or your daughters/granddaughters/nieces, etc.) sell Girl Scout Cookies in the Canal Zone?

If so– what do you remember about it?
Do you have a story or memory about selling Girl Scout Cookies?

If so, please do share it in the comments section!  We would love to include your stories as a part of this exhibit!

UPDATE:

We have learned that while Canal Zone Girl Scouts may not have sold cookies, they did sell calendars!  To that end, we would still love to collect some of your stories and memories about Girl Scout Calendar sales!  Please share with us in the comments section!