Ceremonies - Opening

American Pioneers, They Have Refused To Give Up

PERSONNEL: Narrator and 6 Cub Scouts

NARRATOR: American pioneers have been men with curious minds, strong purpose, courage, determination and a proud, fierce loyalty. Through every hardship, they have refused to give up.

CUB #1: In 1607 same 100 men and several venturesome boys stepped ashore at Jamestown and founded the first English settlement. Soon others came seeking new homes and religious freedom.

CUB #2: During the Revolutionary War, the minutemen and other great patriots fought for our independence and founded our nation. There were men like Patrick Henry, Nathan Hale, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

CUB #3: Daniel Boone, Lewis and Clark and, others opened the way westward. Then came the pioneers, trappers and settlers. This was the great westward movement over the famous trails with scouts like Buffalo Bill Cody, Kit Carson and Davy Crockett.

CUB #4: Robert Fulton produced the first steamboat for river travel and Peter Cooper built the first steam locomotive which brought forth our railroads. Robert Morse invented the telegraph.; Colonel Drake drilled the first oil well; Edison gave us the electric light; Bell invented the telephone, and Abner Doubleday gave us baseball.

CUB #5: As we entered the 20th century, Teddy Roosevelt taught us to conserve our resources; Ford gave us a motor car, and the Wright brothers, an airplane. Lindberg made a non-stop flight across the ocean and Byrd explored the Antarctic. William Beebe began exploring the ocean floor with his bathy-sphere.

CUB #6: From the 1940's until now, progress by our people has been ever increasing. Because of many men in science, we have automatic machines, television, planes that fly faster than sound and rockets on the moon. It was Neil Armstrong who first stepped out on the surface of the moon and spoke the words heard round the world; One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

NARRATOR: For us, the United States is still a land of expanding opportunity. The doors of education are open to every American boy. You can be trained for any one of thousands of skilled jobs in industry, business, science or social fields. In whatever way you choose to earn a living, you can look forward to a life of opportunity because of our nation's great pioneers. Today let us salute the flag in honor of these great people who have gone before us and had visions of today's America. 

Please rise and join us in the Pledge of Allegiance.