Construction is proceeding on the new Yammine Lodge at Camp Berry. With the placement of the last truss, the senior patrol leader of Scouts BSA Troop 304 James Hedrick and Scout Tyler Kogan were on hand to lash a pine sapling to the last truss for a topping out ceremony. A topping out ceremony is a construction tradition that has been occurring in some fashion for centuries as a celebration of a project milestone. Traditionally, this ceremony occurs when the final structural beam is raised into place, completing the building's frame.
The new training Lodge will replace the former camp office and conference room as well as the camp’s health center. The lodge will serve as a welcome center for campers and participants attending events and programs at Camp Berry.
This lodge has been designed with multipurpose functionality in mind. Meeting spaces in the lodge are large enough to host volunteer and youth training education, merit badge courses, Scouting-related meetings/receptions, and year-round use for corporate meetings and family gatherings. This new 4,525 sq foot lodge, will enable the council to increase the number of events that are related to STEM, public safety skills, leadership, conservation, and workforce development for the community hosted at Camp Berry.
The rear of the new Yammine Lodge overlooking the Camp Berry Parade Field will feature the Jim Lorenz porch, dedicated to the long time Scoutmaster of Troop 321 in Findlay.
Yammine Lodge is being built by Garlock Brothers Construction.
The plan is to have Yammine Lodge ready for use for the 2023 summer season, which will be the 100th anniversary of scouts camping on the banks of Eagle Creek.
There are still naming right opportunities available for this project, including purchasing a brick paver. For more information about Yammine Lodge and Camp Berry, please call the council service center at (419) 422-4356 or visit www.blackswampBSA.org .
