Scouting display added to annual Sayre dinner
SAYRE - A collection of artifacts from the history of Scouting in Sayre will be featured at the annual dinner of the Sayre Historical Society on Tuesday, March 12 at Sayre High School. The dinner will include a program by Sayre historian James Nobles on "Remembering Our Past." The deadline for reservations is March 1 and the cost is $20. Reservations for the dinner/program can be made by calling Mary Sargent at (570) 888-6081 or Tom Collins at (570) 888-6821. The dinner is open to the public.
CAPTION: Sayre Troop 17 Scoutmaster Cliff Cyr (left) assists a group of scouts at an event held in 2007 at the Troy Fairgrounds. A display of scouting memorabilia has been added to the Sayre Historical Society's Annual Dinner being held March 12 at the Sayre High School.
The Scouting display is being organized for a new exhibit opening on September 7 at the Sayre museum. The exhibit will cover both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in Sayre and will run until December 22.
Among the various items that will be on display are uniforms from the past, camping gear, banners and photographs. More information and artifacts are being sought for the exhibit. Contact the Sayre Historical Society at 570-882-8221 to loan items for the display.
One of the highlights of Scouting in Sayre occurred on a cold December day in 1947 when 16-year-old Boy Scout Sidney Daniels jumped into Packer Pond and saved the life of a young man who fell through the ice while ice skating.
The December 19, 1947 Sayre Evening Times stated that Daniels heard the call of the boy who had fallen into the pond in water that came over his head. Daniels, the article said, found a long pole and rushed to assist the boy. The boy however, was unable to grab the pole so Daniels dropped into the water and loosened the boy's skates which had become tangled in weeds. The boy was able to make his way to the nearby shore, the article said.
According to a news account in the July 30, 1948 Sayre Evening Times, Daniels was honored with the Boy Scouts of America Gold Medal for Life Award for his life-saving measures. The medal is the highest honor possible in Scouting and is awarded to only a handful of scouts each year. The award presentation was made in Howard Elmer Park during one of the weekly band concerts by the Lehigh Valley Railroad Shop Band. The award was made by L.E. DeLaney, chairman of the General Sullivan Council Court of Honor Committee to Daniels and his mother, Mrs. Paul Davidson, according to the article. Troop 7 Scoutmaster Leon Shershen was also in attendance.
Historical accounts state the first troop of Boy Scouts in Sayre was organized in 1911 with nine boys which soon grew to over 65 in one year.
The annual dinner, prepared by the Nutrition Group at Sayre, will feature chicken breasts in herbed sauce, meatballs marinara, pasta alfredo, tossed salad, seasoned green beans, dinner rolls, fruit crisp with ice cream and brownie sundaes. Doors open at 5:30 with dinner served at 6.
The Sayre Historical Society Museum will reopen for the 2019 season on Saturday, April 6 with a new exhibit "Working on the Railroad: Sayre and the Lehigh Valley Railroad" centering on the development of the railroad industry in Sayre from the late 1860's to the present time. Numerous rare images of local railroad employees at the Sayre Shops will be included in the exhibit.
The Sayre Historical Society is a non-profit historic preservation organization staffed by volunteers and located in the Lehigh Valley Railroad Passenger Station. The member-supported group receives funds from the Bradford County United Way and the Bradford County Tourism Promotion Agency.
