Hobo Dinner

On Wednesday night, the scouts put on the annual Blue and Gold Banquet. Families were invited to enjoy a night of food and fun with their boys. During the afternoon, the children looked for costumes and prepared their hobo packs.

The younger children usually choose the clothes they want to wear and often wear mismatched clothes. They are also very hard on their clothes and frequently have holes in the knees of their pants. Looking like a hobo comes naturally. It really shouldn’t have been that difficult to find tattered clothes, but they wanted to make sure they looked extra scruffy. They were excited to have a family activity night.

The scout theme for the month of February is “Resourcefulness”. Everyone was told to dress up as a Hobo, bring a tin can to eat out of, and a bucket to sit on. There would be a prize for the best-dressed hobo. Dad must have thought that meant he needed to dress better than normal. So he put on a pair of jeans without holes in the knees, an unstained shirt, and even combed his hair.

Hobo awards were given to hobo families at the end of the night. The children looked like a bunch of traveling Hobos. In spite of Dad, the Willis family still received a prize. Our award was a box of microwave popcorn. The funny thing is, we don’t even own a microwave! I guess we’ll have to take it to Grandma’s.

Before dinner, the cub scouts received awards and recognition. A few short skits were performed, and the scout leaders taught us about hobos. “A hobo is a migratory worker or homeless vagabond, especially one who is penniless. . . Unlike 'tramps', who work only when they are forced to, and 'bums', who do not work at all, 'hobos' are workers who wander.” “A vagabond is a drifter and an itinerant wanderer who roams wherever they please, following the whim of the moment.” Hobos and vagabonds tend to demonstrate resourcefulness. Their lifestyles fit right in with the February scouting theme.

Everyone was asked to bring an ingredient for the community “Hobo Soup” (vegetables, meat, soups, macaroni, etc.). It was all mixed together, and some spices were added. Scout leaders were resourceful in their own right and used the church kitchen to warm up the neighborhood hobo meal. It was actually quite tasty.

We ate out of tin cans, had seconds, and some even had thirds. Group resourcefulness even acquired ice cream and apple pie from a community donor. Maybe the scout budget was used to purchase dessert at a local grocery store. Not sure. Either way, the entire evening was enjoyable; the food was delicious, and the family came home with smiles on their faces.