2005 National Scout Jamboree - Arena Shows

Arena Shows

Three Arena Shows were planned to be held during the jamboree. Allan Gibbs was the director of Arena Operations.

The first Arena Show was held on July 27, 2005. The first show was a staff show, and a youth arena staff member served as MC. The show also featured a staff barbecue and a speech from the Chief Scout Executive, as well as a preview for what was to come during the rest of the week.

President George W. Bush was scheduled to attend the second show, along with Senator Bill Frist but was not able to attend. The second show was finally canceled due to extreme temperatures. However, Frist was already en route to the show when it was canceled, and consequently delivered his speech. He emphasized the Support our Scouts Bill recently passed in the Senate. A number of participants and staff members were treated for heat exhaustion and heat stroke while Frist was delivering his speech—at one point, his voice was competing with a helicopter airlifting one victim to a nearby hospital. It also began to rain heavily as Scouts returned to their campsites. The trip to and to and from the second arena show earned the moniker "the death march" among scouts attending the jamboree due to the distances scouts were required to travel in extreme heat, from the Bataan Death March experienced by American POWs in the Pacific theater of WWII.

The final show set a jamboree record for the most attendants. President Bush did speak at the third show regarding the importance of Scouting. Jim Fowler, as well as other numerous dignitaries visited and spoke during the closing show. It concluded with both a laser show (originally scheduled for the first show, using music from Epcot's IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth), and a fireworks show.