Normally, Scout Master Mike Blanchard tells his boys “no electronics” on camp-outs. But on Saturday, Boy Scouts from Troop #31 and Girl Scouts from Troop #81001 showed up at the Rochester Grange with their laptops, computer towers, and monitors in tow.
TekNite, as it’s now being called – for the first three years it was called the “LanParty Lockin” – is “the one night of the year that I get to say bring all your electronics,” Blanchard said.
A computer security engineer and “a big gamer going way back,” Blanchard thought up the event because he saw that his boys were “all engaging in video games … they’re so plugged-in.”
He set up a network inside the Grange, which all the boys and girls signed in to so they could play computer games together without any danger of unsupervised web surfing (“there’s no naughty business going on at all,” Blanchard said).
From 7:00 pm on Saturday to 7:00 am on Sunday, the Scouts engaged in various computer games (driving, motorcycles, etc.) interspersed with physical challenges – like a chewing gum sculpture contest, which the kids themselves judged – to keep them awake and alert.
Other challenges included a “Whatsit Box,” which the kids would stick their hands into and try to identify the content(s) by touch alone, and a “Mystery Box,” with numerous locks on the outside – and more challenges on the inside – they had all night to try to open.
As a security engineer, Blanchard wanted to get the kids thinking “outside the box.”
There were Scout-oriented prizes as well as “fallout dollars,” hats and other “little tchotchkes” the Scouts could win during the night.
The boys and girls brought blankets, fuzzy slippers, pajamas, and a bevy of drinks and snacks for themselves, and Blanchard provided 15 pizzas from a local pizza parlor.
Each Scout received a T-shirt (the front was designed by Blanchard’s son, Corbin) and an electronic badge designed by Blanchard.
“The big security conferences all have an electronic badge that does something,” he said, “so I designed these badges this year for the boys. [The badges] all do something. They can program them; they can plug them into their computers.” Blanchard even programmed them to play the old school game “Simon.”
There were Uber/Medic badges for the Scout leaders (and Corbin, who was recently made Eagle Scout) and Human/Zombie badges for everybody else.
There were seven adults on hand to oversee the boys’ and girls’ activities.
“It’s really nice to see the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts doing something together,” Blanchard said.
And on Sunday … everybody rested.
By Deina Zartman
