“Beam Me Up, Scouty” scores a hit

For Travis Riggan, finding a way to celebrate the centennial of Boy Scouting in the United States simply meant looking to Riverside’s future, the one written in the stars. The Star Trek ones, that is.
The 16-year-old high school student, working his way to being an Eagle Scout, was asked to be the Junior Assistant Troop Leader for Riverside Troop 235 at the BSA National Jamboree this year. The event was delayed a year to have the multi-year event coincide with the 2010 Centennial.
One of the traditions for the Scouts is trading patches, especially unique ones, and boy did Riggan devise some.
Inspired by his hometown’s claim to be the future birthplace of the fictional Captain James T. Kirk (of Star Trek), Riggan sketched out a number of Star Trek themed designs, enlisting the help of craft artist Loree Sayre to make them real.
When the Hawkeye Area Council’s Jamboree committee (including 2010 Jamboree Scout Master Gene Fields) saw the eight designs at the meeting in Cedar Rapids, the combination of Star Trek and Scouts was too good to resist. All eight were accepted. One Scoutmaster, a patch collector as well, said, “These patches will be a top trading item” at the National Jamboree.
Right now, Troop 235 is raising funds to help defray costs of going to the National Jamboree by offering a limited number of the Riverside/Star Trek patches. Riggan said the patches vary in design and availability with prices ranging from $3.50 to $6.50. There is also a special limited edition fund raiser patch for $5.
Featured designs are the USS Riverside NCC-1818, the symbol for Kirk’s hometown, space scenes and one with the whimsically winning “Beam Me Up, Scouty.”
Riggan is the son of Scott and Carol Riggan of Riverside and has been “surrounded” by Star Trek all his life. His mother is the current president of the Riverside Area Community Club (RACC) that has sponsored Trek Fest for 26 years.
The patches are available at the Riverside History Center/Voyage Home museum on Highway 22 in downtown Riverside. For more information, call the Center at 319-648-2226.