Local outdoorsmen, women and children will celebrate scouting's centenary on Aug. 1. "The day will start with a sunrise ceremony at 8 a.m. at the Legislature," says Richard Puttenham, Winnipeg patrol leader of the Scouts Canada Foundation. "We have invited every MP, MLA and city councillor. Hopefully a few politicians who were former scouts will stand up and give a short speech."

"It started off when I was a kid going to camp. I always made sure I had 20 or so of my own badges, then I'd find another kid and go, 'OK, I'll give you one of my Peguis badges for one of your St. Boniface or St. James ones,'" Puttenham says.

Years later, Puttenham discovered just how valuable some of his relics were. "When I was in my 20s, I went to a swap meet with my bag of stuff. I pulled out one badge and this collector told me its current value was $75. I was stunned," he says. "He asked if I'd like to trade -- I said yeah -- so he took his binder, pushed it across and said, 'Pick out 50 badges.'"