Boys Scouts to Light WHS Lawn for Centennial Tonight

The front lawn of Westfield High School will be aglow tonight as Boy Scouts from across Westfield gather to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Boy Scouts of America.

Several hundred scouts and local residents are expected to gather on the WHS lawn for the celebration which will kick off at 7 p.m. this evening. The highlight of the ceremony, according to centennial celebration committee chairwoman Lucia Perpina, will be the lighting of hundreds of glow sticks held by each of the participants.

Perpina said the ceremony will be bookended by a display of the history of scouting in Westfield in the high school cafeteria. Memorabilia from the Westfield Historical Society and the private collection of Westfield resident Stanley Lipson will be on display. Lipson recently gave a presentation sponsored by the historical society and the Memorial Library on the history of scouting in town. Age appropriate scavenger hunts using the memorabilia will be given to scouts ranging in age from first grade to seniors in high school.

"They will need to have to look at materials to find the artifacts," Perpina said.

In addition to the scouting museum, Perpina said a charity drive sponsored by Pack 172 wil be held inside the WHS cafeteria. Residents are encouraged to donate medical supplies for the people of Haiti, which the scouts will then send to the earthquake ravaged country.

While the Boy Scouts of America is encouraging a national celebration on June 13, Westfield and other towns in northern New Jersey are holding celebrations tonight, the actual centennial of the congressional charter founding the organization. Currently over 1,000 people participate in the Boy Scouts in Westfield, with at least 600 expected to attend tonight's ceremony.

Perpina said a collection of scouts will be participating in tonight's celebration. Nick Roth, an Eagle Scout with Troop 77 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church will present the colors, with Ryan Fleming from Troop 72 at the Presbyterian Church and Andrew Deutchman of Troop 273 at Jefferson School will discuss the history of scouting. Andrew Maldanado of Pack 172 at Franklin School and Jake Penders of Troop 73 at Holy Trinity School will also speak.

Several Cub Scouts will also participate by lighting the glow sticks. This portion of the program will be led by Andrew Cunningham of Troop 171 at Wilson School, Frank Duggan of Troop 172, Ben Kelly of Troop 176 at McKinley School, Justin Elbert of Troop 270 at Washington School and Jacob Wendler at Troop 673 at Jefferson School.

Several dignitaries will be participating alongside the scouts. Mayor Andy Skibitsky is scheduled to present a town proclamation during the ceremony, while U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon County) will present Westfield scouting with a flag that has flown atop the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield), Assemblyman Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield) and Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz (R-Summit) will present a resolution from the state legislature. County Freeholders Angel Estrada, Mohammed Jalloh and Alexander Mirabella are slated to present a resolution from the county government. Councilman Dave Haas, the only Eagle Scout in town government, plans on attending the ceremony.

Perpina said the ceremony is slated to go on no matter what the weather or the condition of the WHS lawn following this weekend's snow.

"As long as nothing is falling from the sky, we are having it," she said. "Even if there is light rain, we are having it."