Scouts’ centennial marked with parade

The Boy Scouts of America will continue the 100th anniversary celebration with a national jamboree in Virginia.

More than 46,000 Scouts, leaders, staff, and volunteers from around the world are expected at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree, which starts today. Organizers also expect about 250,000 visitors.

Scouts from 12 to 18 years old will spend 10 days enjoying such activities as archery, fishing, robotics, and testing their own DNA.

The group has held the event at the Fort A.P. Hill Army base every four years since 1981. It skipped a year so the event could mark the organization’s 100th anniversary. The Boy Scouts have hosted the gathering since 1937.

Organizers plan to move the event to a permanent site in West Virginia in 2013.

The mobile exhibit, called Adventure Base 100, is traveling to more than 40 locations across the country. The trip began in January at the Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, Calif., and will end in November in New York City.

The Scout Parade closed with a ceremony to name inductees into the National Hall of Leadership and recognize them for their service. Four inductees, representing the many Scouts and Scout leaders across the country, received the honor.