Adventure Awaits
Welcome to Great Rivers Council
Boy Scouts of America has been shaping the youth of America for more than a century. Discover everything Scouting has in store for you!
Headquartered in Columbia, Missouri, Great Rivers Council, Boy Scouts of America serves the youth and adult volunteers in 33 counties in central and northern Missouri. Our mission is to provide character development, citizenship training, and growth in physical, mental and spiritual fitness, to help create the next generation of leaders.
The Great Rivers Council is home to Invention Scouts and the only Sinquefield Invention Campus in the Boy Scouts of America. Our Invention Campus provides access hi-tech equipment, computer lab, 3D printers, laser engravers, CNC routers, embroidery machines, Scan-n-Cut machines, welding, metalworking, and more.









News
To help us continue to provide virtual programming into the Fall & beyond, virtual merit badge classes will be $15. These fees will help us to cover the costs of Zoom, continue to develop quality content including powerpoints, etc., and provide instruction. Certain merit badges (examples: basketry, woodworking, etc.) will have higher costs due to kits that will be mailed out to participants.
Classes will be capped to ensure quality instruction. Electronic merit badge cards will be emailed to participants at the conclusion of the merit badge. We will do our best to continue to schedule more classes. Please subscribe to our Program Newsletter to receive monthly updates on new virtual merit badge classes.
If you have any questions, please contact Thomas Yang at thomas.yang@scouting.org
Please see our new monthly program newsletter.
As always, the safety of our Scouts, volunteers, employees and communities is our top priority. This checklist outlines several minimum guiding protocols that adult leaders/ volunteers must consider while working with local and state health departments, local councils, chartered organizations and Scouting families on when and how to resume meetings, service projects, camping and all other official Scouting activities.
Please contact Dennis Kerns at dennis.kerns@scouting.org and Charles Wood at charles.wood@scouting.org with any questions.
Do you love Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics? Did you know that the BSA has awards for superior achievement in Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM)? The BSA’s award for superior achievement in STEM is called the Supernova Award. It can be earned at all levels of Scouting: Cub Scouts (starting at Wolf Rank), Scouts BSA (starting at 1st Class), & Venturing/Sea Scouts. Come learn more about this great award and how your Scout can earn this award at our Supernova Award Seminar, Dec. 3rd from 6:30pm-8pm. The focus of the Supernova Award Seminar is to explain what the Supernova Award is & the number of Supernova Awards available, discuss the timeline of the Supernova process, how an adult can become a Supernova Mentor, & introduce a few of our Council’s current Supernova Mentors.
This seminar will be done over Zoom, so please ensure that you have a computer & reliable internet. Once registered, you will receive a Zoom invitation no less than 24 hours before the Zoom session.
Register here.
If you have any questions, please contact Thomas Yang at thomas.yang@scouting.org.
Forging blades (bladesmithing) is an ancient trade & art dating back thousands of years to the Ancient Egyptians. Have you event wanted to experience the timeless art of bladesmithing? Well now is your chance!
Why should you register? Full day professional, public blacksmithing classes can easily cost over $300. For $180, We are offering an exclusive, weekend blacksmithing experience, taught by professional blacksmith & Camp Ranger, Justin Tattitch. This price includes all supplies, equipment usage, 4 meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner Saturday & breakfast Sunday), & a t-shirt.
Attendees will also have the option of camping outdoors or sleeping inside the Sinquefield Invention Lab at no additional cost.
Program schedule will be as follows:
Friday
7pm-10pm: Intro to Blacksmithing Class – in this 3 hour course, Justin will teach you the fundamentals of moving & forging hot metal; working with anvils, tongs, & hammers, practicing key techniques such as scrolling, drawing out, & twisting, & marking projects such as an S Hook, fire poker, and more!
Saturday
10am – 6pm: Forge Your Own Knife/Bladesmithing Class – in this full-day class, you will experience how to forge your own blade out of steel. Justin will teach you the key techniques of knife-making including spreading & shaping a blade, hardening & tempering, & grinding a cutting edge.
Register here.
Attention Scouts BSA! Get those sleds ready for our annual Klondike Derby, January 29th-31st at the Missouri National Guard in Macon. Registrations close January 8th.
The main event is the Great Sled Race. Other events will be air rifle shooting, tomahawk throwing, lumberjack challenge (log cutting), fire building, tent setup, log drag relay, stake your claim (lashing of poles & flag raising), compass challenge, Scout trivia, blizzard (building a shelter with a tarp & starting a fire), & snow snakes. Register here: https://scoutingevent.com/653-klondike2021
Attention all Cub Scouts! Join us for the Cub Scout Gold Rush January 30th at the Missouri National Guard in Macon. Activities will include snow snakes, races, wrist rockets, invention lab, various games & crafts, and more! No special equipment is needed. Cost is $11 per youth & $5 per adult. Register here: https://scoutingevent.com/653-goldrush2021
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The Great Rivers Council is generously supported by United Way of Northeast Missouri, United Way of Audrain County, United Way of Central Missouri (Jefferson City & Lake), and Sedalia-Pettis County United Way.