LINN – More than 250 Boy Scouts of America gathered at Linn R-2 on Saturday for the Scouts Merit Badge College, hosted by Linn Scouts BSA Troop 17 for the 23rd year.

“I felt the Merit Badge College went well and overall, I was very pleased,” said Troop 17 Coordinator Debbie Backes, who managed the all-day event in partnership with Linn R-2 employees. “We had a beautiful day weather-wise for mid-July, and had a good turnout even though our numbers were down a little this year.  I would like to say thank you to Linn R-2, which graciously allowed us to host the event on their campus this year as State Tech campus was unavailable due to renovations.”

The alternative would have been to cancel the event, and Backes said she’s grateful for R-2’s assistance.

Of 291 Scouts registered from 101 Troops representing 12 councils in several states, including Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, and Texas, 263 attended.

The event began with an opening flag ceremony and ended with the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, Scout Oath, and Scout Law. Shortly following the ceremonies, Scouts dispersed to one of 34 merit badge classes to learn the basics of the topic and gain hands-on experience.

Merit Badges offered during the Merit Badge College included American Cultures, Animal Science, Animation, Architecture, Aviation, Chemistry, Chess, Citizenship in Society, Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, Citizenship in the World, Collections, Communication, Cooking, Crime Prevention, Disabilities Awareness, Dog Care, Emergency Preparedness, Engineering, Fingerprinting, Fire Safety, First Aid, Genealogy, Geology, Home Repairs, Inventing, Mining in Society, Personal Fitness, Personal Management, Photography, Rifle Shooting, Robotics, Sustainability, and Traffic Safety.