Troop 449 Iron Chef Family Cookout November 13, 2004, at Camp Sacajawea by Brenda Becklund On the evening of Friday, November 12, 2004, a small contingent of scouts and leaders went on a hike and spent the night in a wooden cabin at Camp Sacajawea in Apple Valley, Minnesota. At 9:00 AM on Saturday, November 13, additional scouts and adults arrived at camp. All present set about the tasks of: cleaning and organizing the contents of the Troop trailer, preparation of the food for the Iron Chef Family Cookout (the Troop’s annual opportunity for the scouts to display some of the skills they’d learned during the year -- the feast was scheduled to begin at noon) and construction of the bonfire materials at the nearby counsel fire area for the Court of Honor to follow. The morning air was cool, crisp and clear. As one scout and adult managed the preparation of the coals for cooking the cobblers in Dutch Ovens outside over an open fire, the majority of the scouts and adults moved their Coleman stoves into the building to begin their food preparation. A short time later, as the cobblers were cooking merrily over the outside fire, the smoke alarms within the building began to sound loud and long. A sudden mass-exodus ensued from the building, followed by the creative arrangement of cooking gear across the surrounding grounds. The Camp Ranger arrived shortly thereafter to provide latent instructions on the procedure to follow if smoke detectors are erroneously activated… Families of Troop scouts began arriving shortly before noon. The atmosphere was jovial and festive. The food was arranged inside the cabin on tables in buffet style. Family members were invited to serve themselves, and then find seating for consumption of lunch (available both inside and outside of the cabin). The parents seemed duly impressed with what their son’s had learned and presented. Following lunch, a torch-led Court of Honor was held around the bonfire ring. The COH included eight (8) rank advancements and thirteen (13) merit badges. After closing ceremonies, scouts and their families all pitched in to assist with clean-up of the cabin and cooking utensils. This annual event appeared to once again be a success.