AYER — Scout Troop 2 is commemorating a monumental milestone — 100 years since it was first formed in town in 1926.
A celebration is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Ayer Gun & Sportsman’s Club at 255 Snake Hill Rd. that will feature historical displays, entertainment, scouting demonstrations, vendors, and more. To prepare for the event, organizers have been putting together history about the troop and are seeking people who have been involved in it over the years as well as reconnecting with those who may have moved away from town or may still be in the area.
Ayer resident Maggie Durand serves on the troop leadership committee, and her late father Richard Durand was the troop scoutmaster from 2009 to 2019. She has been on the committee for around a decade, her husband is the troop treasurer, and the rest of the committee are parents of the scouts who are currently involved.
“We’re hoping to expand our outreach across the state and beyond,” Maggie Durand said of getting the word out to as many people as possible about the centennial celebration. “This is a huge milestone for Troop 2 and the Town of Ayer.”
Sara Withee also lives in town and wrote a piece ahead of the exceptional event that the entire community is invited to for the Ayer News, which she started a year ago.
“Not every Scout Troop reaches 100 years. But Troop 2 in Ayer will celebrate this special milestone this Fall and is inviting the community to come and enjoy,” Withee penned.
She reported that Maggie Durand and her husband are working to set up a history room for the October event and that while Troop 2 has a website with many photos, this will be their first time setting up and sharing the materials and stories in a public setting.
“We want this to be a community party. It’s not just Troop 2 celebrating 100 years; the community is celebrating,” Maggie Durand is quoted in the story.
She shared some background on the town’s scouting history in Withee’s piece. Ayer had Troop 1 for a brief time and then Troop 2 was established in 1926 as part of the Fitchburg Area Council before becoming part of the Nashua Valley Council in 1965.
In 2018, the councils merged once again and are currently operating under the Heart of New England Council out of Rutland. Moore’s Lumber & Hardware on West Main Street is the charter organization for Troop 2 and if you want to find the troop, they meet weekly at the Ayer Gun & Sportsman’s Club.
Children aged 11 to 17 can participate in Scouts and there is also Scouts BSA Troop 3 in town, which the Ayer Fire Department supports. Many of the scouts who participate in the Ayer troops live in town, but some also come from other communities and if they are younger, there’s Ayer Cub Scout Pack 32 for grades K-5.
They are hoping to have members of the community and former scouts of Troop 2 look through the photographs they have gathered and help identify the people in them by visiting troop2ayer.com/troop-2-history and they are also looking for additional pictures as well as memorabilia to incorporate.
The ultimate goal of the centennial celebration is to bring together people who may not have seen each other in 10, 20, or even 50 years and anyone who would like more information or has something to contribute can email [email protected].
“Ayer is really amazing in that it has such a strong Scouting culture for such a small town,” Maggie Durand shared in Withee’s story, adding that she thinks the 100th anniversary of Troop 2 “is more exciting for the adults.”
“When the current Scouts are older and look back, I think it’s going to be really cool for them to see what they were part of.”
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