KOKE‘E — The setting afternoon sun warmed the clearing where the surrounding trees protected the people from the brisk trades as Boy Scout leaders, Scouts, and supporters gathered for the rededication of Camp Alan Fayé Wednesday. The crisp notes of
KOKE‘E — The setting afternoon sun warmed the clearing where the surrounding trees protected the people from the brisk trades as Boy Scout leaders, Scouts, and supporters gathered for the rededication of Camp Alan Fayé Wednesday.
The crisp notes of dual trumpets echoing in the Koke‘e air marked the start of the formal program as the colors rose in front of the cabin that had its start as a storage facility for the campground.
The rededication celebrates the completion of an arrangement that gave the Aloha Council of the Boy Scouts of America ownership of the 29-acre wilderness camp located about 3,000 feet above sea level.
The attendance of national Chief Scout Executive Roy Williams as well as Aloha Council Executive Rees Falkner only added to the celebratory nature of the blessing, officiated by the Rev. Wayne Vidinha of Ke Akua Mana Church.
Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste, recollecting his days at the Koke‘e camp as a Scout, congratulated the Boy Scouts on their acquisition as well as for their efforts at helping today’s young people “make the right decisions.”
“It almost makes you want to be a Scout, again,” Alan Fayé, Jr. said after receiving a special leather-bound Boy Scout Handbook from Williams following the formal dedication ceremonies.
Fayé, himself a Scout with Troop 61 and the son of the Alan Fayé the camp is named for, said they used to camp in an area near Pu‘u Ka‘a Pele, and in those days had to truck everything in, including water.
His dad and workers from Waimea Sugar and Kekaha Sugar collectively worked at clearing the thick eucalyptus stands, and turned the current site into a workable campground.
In the ‘60s, the elder Fayé received the Silver Beaver Award, one of the highest awards presented by the Boy Scout program, and upon his passing in 1968 the camp was renamed Camp Alan Fayé from its original Camp Koke‘e moniker.
The current cabin that serves as camp headquarters during the week-long summer camps started out as a storage facility for the camp, thereby eliminating the need to truck supplies and camp materials up and down from the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility where they used to be stored.
Fayé said, “This is the best playground, and having a camp like this is like a dream come true.”
Camp Alan Fayé is open for use by Scouts and other community groups all year long, although supervisory staff and camp personnel are still not provided.
The facility features eight campsites, each with running water, and a latrine close by. A centrally located hot-water shower facility serves the campsite, along with a multi-purpose trading post.
For recreational and skill development, the camp offers users a rifle range, a campfire bowl, and lots of room for outdoor and environmental activities.
Two one-week, summer-camp sessions are held in July, where encamped Scouts are given opportunities to participate in camp activities covering ecology, conservation projects, riflery and archery at established ranges, and nature hikes along the many trails in the state park.
The camp has provided opportunities for Scouts to grow physically, socially, and spiritually for over half a century in Koke‘e, said Dr. John Black, Kaua‘i district camping chair, noting that the first summer camp was held in 1958.
Besides the formal dedication, Williams was assigned the task of thanking people who were instrumental in the Scouting program on Kaua‘i. Special gifts were presented to Fayé, Baptiste, Tommy Contrades, Mel Rapozo, who represented the Kaua‘i United Way, and other community representatives.
The Garden Island Sports Editor Dennis Fujimoto was the sole recipient of a citizen award for all he has done for the Scouting movement on the island.
In a lighter moment, Vidinha joked, “I was the one making the police run around. I never liked Scouts because they always met in a church. But today, I live in a church.”
That was replied to by Williams, who closed the day by saying, “Working in Scouting is the Lord’s work.”
Sports Editor Dennis Fujimoto may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@pulitzer.net.
