CHARLESTON, W.Va. — For 14 hours on Friday, hundreds of buses will be continually leaving Fayette County’s Summit Bechtel Reserve carrying the thousands of participants in the World Scout Jamboree on the first legs of their trips home.
“We’re going to move roughly 44,000 people out of what became one of the largest cities in the state of West Virginia for ten days,” said Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, West Virginia’s adjutant general leading the West Virginia National Guard.
“That’s a major muscle movement however you look at it.”
Friday was departure day for the Scout contingents with the thousands of International Service Team (IST) members, the volunteers who have been working at the Jamboree, following on Saturday.
Beginning at 4 a.m. Friday, buses were scheduled to start rolling at the Summit on a coordinated timeline with oversight from Summit staff along with the Guard, state Division of Highways, State Police and others.
By the end of the day Friday, as many as 800 buses could be en route to other destinations, including airports like Charleston’s Yeager Airport.
The heaviest traffic was expected along Route 19 near Mount Hope.
“Those buses will be going all different directions to include across the West Virginia Turnpike,” said Maj. Gen. Hoyer.
“We want to make sure that the last thing that these kids from these 150 countries see going out is a good experience of passing through West Virginia in a safe and expeditious manner.”
Drivers were being warned about the increased traffic.
Traffic updates were available via www.wv511.org.
The Closing Show for the 24th World Scout Jamboree, which opened on July 22, 2019, was scheduled for 8 p.m. Thursday at the AT&T Summit Stadium bringing together all of the Jamboree participants for a final time.
“We are on center stage right now and we are doing major work for the security of our nation by building relationships and helping the Scouts foster this environment for building relationships,” Hoyer said earlier this week.
“West Virginia has really put on a great face for the world so I think, down the road, it’s going to pay dividends for us.”
The West Virginia event was the first for a World Scout Jamboree in the United States since the 1967 Jamboree in Idaho. The U.S., Canada and Mexico were joint hosts this year.
.@BechtelSummit sends greetings to Idaho and Alberta! These were the home of two north-american jamborees, in 1967 in Idaho, USA and in 1983 in Alberta, Canada. Jamboree returned to North America after 36 years. We are following those who came before us. pic.twitter.com/QRoHC2rQCU
— 24th World #ScoutJamboree (@2019_wsj) July 31, 2019
In 2023, the 25th World Scout Jamboree will be held Saemanguem, South Korea. The Korea Scout Association previously hosted the 17th World Scout Jamboree in 1991.