We were gods among our peers. We were legends, and even though we were officially unknown and only spoken of in whisper, it was enough.

In the 1980’s, the members of Boy Scout Troop 4, Four Rivers Council, Paducah, KY lived by the creed of being both the very best and the very worst troop in the region. We were the best by living and exemplifying excellence in scouting.

We were the worst because that excellence often came in the form of pranks, mischief, and unbridled chaos. When a new summer camp director is hired to replace a beloved, longtime executive, he tries to bring an improved sense of discipline along with a new set of rules.

One was that the long time tradition of camp-wide pranking would no longer be tolerated. This placed the members of Troop 4 in a difficult spot.

How were we to maintain our hard earned aura of prestige under the new management?A snake, a soldier, and a pair of dirty underwear/(an abandoned toilet) set the stage for a series of shenanigans that not only made the local paper and stand out in boy scouting history, but ultimately placed us on the path of our lives and shaped us into the men we were to become. The Great and Loyal Royal Order of the Grunt, Tales and Misdeeds from Camp Roy C.

Manchester (pages/word count #) is a nostalgic look back to boy scouting in the 80’s as told through the eyes of a merry prankster. Camp Manchester is a real place.

Many of the people in this story are treasured figures in scouting. The events are as true as the author is willing to admit while still retaining Omerta.

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