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scout hut while on a camping trip on the Apalachee River in 1919. The boys worked to make money to fund the construction, and the structure – a wooden frame house located on the east side of Church Street between 5th and 6th Streets – was built that same year. The original building was torn down, but currently serves as the site of the Mc-Natt, Greene and Thompson Law Offices.
The first scout hut lasted the troop 41 years before a new facility was needed. The Kiwanis Club of Vidalia located Quonset metal huts in Camp LeJune, North Carolina, and bought 6 of these structures in 1960. They had the buildings taken apart and brought back to Vidalia, which they donated to troops in Reidsville, Claxton, Brooklet, Metter, and Vidalia. Vidalia City Council allowed Troop 933 to erect their Quonset on city property at the corner of Winona and 5th Streets.
According to Former Kiwanis Club of Vidalia President Carl Cannon, those buildings cost the Club a total of $800 that year, which accounted for almost all of the Club’s funds.
That Quonset Hut served as the base location for Troop 933 until 1993, when the Troop was revitalized and rapidly expanded. Upon recognizing that the old hut had become dilapidated and unusable, Troop Committee Chairman Matt Oxley worked to come up with ways to get a new hut.
A “dawn ‘til dark” marathon was held on November 5, 1994, with the help of over 100 volunteers. The Sweet Onion Classic golf tournament donated $25,000 to the project, American Legion gave $5,000 for the construction, and numerous other goods and services were donated by Vidalia citizens. With these donations, along with the many of hours of work by Kiwanians and others, the new scout hut was built in its current location.
The Scouts moved into this hut and held their first meeting on January 28, 1995.
Troop 933 Today
Today, Troop 933 continues to meet monthly at the scout hut at Ed Smith Complex, and has 10 total scouts, including one Life Scout, who recently completed his Eagle Project.
According to current Troop Committee Chairman Ken Whitson and Scoutmaster Brett Copeland, Troop 933 engages in a number of activities, from scouting in the wilderness to volunteering and civic participation. “Every year, we help the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Ladies’ Auxiliary to put flags and wreaths on graves of fallen soldiers for holidays,” Copeland shared. “We also are the local resource for flag retirement. We have a collection box for old flags at Vidalia Fire Station 1, and flags may be taken there to be properly retired.”
The men say that the group also attends yearly summer camps, including a national camp in North Carolina.
“We hope to continue to help Troop 933 thrive and help young boys continue to love the outdoors and their community,” Whitson explained. “We are grateful to the Kiwanis Club of Vidalia for always supporting us, and we truly appreciate what you all have most recently done for our Scout Hut.”
