Tuesday, July 14, 2009

SCGS Jamboree Highlights

Well this post is different, as I wanted to post some of my highlights of attending the 2009 SCGS Jamboree. In the past I have served on the committee, and of course, working the Jamboree means you can't get to go to many lectures, or browse through the vendor hall. But the past few years, I have tried not to be so involved, so I could attend the conference instead of working.

This year, the first highlight came before the "regular" portion of the Jamboree. I substituted at the Kid's Camp, held Friday morning. Genealogy has some bright new folks, as I reviewed and signed off on 29 Boy Scout Genealogy badges! That's more than I have signed in the past 3 years!!! Only one young man didn't have enough of the data to get my signature. And I was only one of 3 Counselors reviewing and signing! And with all the popularity of genealogy in the US, can you believe it is one of the "rarer" badges with only about 5,000 awarded 2 yeas ago? We need to change that, and this seems to be a wonderful way to do it! Kudos to Michael Melendez for his work on this!

I volunteered to sit the DAR table in the Vendor's Hall on Friday. We managed to help not only prospective DAR members but SR & SAR prospective members. The new on-line member's site allows us to do more than we could before, and we passed out many request for application forms, so the folks at NSDAR national headquarters are about to be really busy! We definitely saw more attendees from out of state, as well as an increased northern California contingent!

Actually got to go to some lectures this year.... They had some wonderful new speakers, and some of my old friends! The blogger's panel was terrific and I learned some great new ideas, both in techniques and content, and also encouragement. So maybe I'll try to set aside more time for blogging! I have already sent for some British vitals after listening to George Morgan, and the first one has already arrived!

Many of the lectures were recorded, and a couple of us went together on an order of ones we missed or wanted to lessen the cost per CD. I transferred a few of the CDs to my iPod so I could listen to them on the plane and while walking in DC where I spent the week following the 4th doing genealogy and attending DAR Congress. ( more on that later!). Although the quality differs from one to another, it was a great way to hear the lectures I missed! ( And yes, Paula, I will fill out a survey!)

Paula and the rest of the SCGS Jamboree committee are to be commended on a fabulously successful Jamboree! It is definitely the best conference !

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