What started as a "thank you" concert for the city of Baraboo, ended up being an adventure of water, mud and a sense of purpose.On Thursday, June 12th, the Madison Scouts were scheduled to play a concert for the city of Baraboo as way of saying thanks for hosting the corps during everyday rehearsals. However, due to severe storms and flooding in the area, city officials decided it was best to cancel the concert out of safety concerns.The Scouts opted to use the time for ensemble rehearsal inside the UW-Baraboo facilities. But when close to 40 people showed up for a concert, the Scouts couldn't disappoint and put on a great musical performance to the delight of all in attendance.Soon thereafter the evening's agenda took a far different path. With the severe weather having passed, the city was facing a crisis from the rapidly rising Baraboo River. In the gym, several members were approached by local citizens in need of people and labor to help protect homes along the river. Those members approached Corps Director Dann Petersen who was, at the time, having a meeting with the veteran members of the corps."The members approached me about helping the community with the flooding," said Dann. "Upon hearing this, the veteran council immediately urged me to deploy the corps to help in these efforts. After some consideration about the issues involved, we set out to assist the Baraboo community. We are Madison Scouts...that's what we do."Dann decided that only members over the age 18 should participate. "It was hard for the younger members to stay back at that school, but as their summer guardian I needed to make that decision." Approximately 80 members and staff were quickly deployed from the school to assist in sand bagging operations around the banks of the Baraboo River.

The corps was deployed as a group and worked diligently until close to 1 a.m. to help build sand bag walls in order to protect homes in the nearby area. "It was an incredible site," said Pepper Wooters, cymbal instructor and participant in the evening's events. "The guys worked their butts off, standing in 2 feet of water and filthy from head to toe. They would be singing their show parts in unison, it was almost a mini-rehearsal. It was touching to hear them sing May You Never Walk Alone while helping out in this way."Upon returning to the school, the Scouts hit the showers to wash away the after affects of the night's activities. On Friday morning, Dann consulted some health professionals about the precautions that should be taken since most of the members were standing in river water. Upon recommendation, about 20 of the members got a tetanus booster shot as a precautionary measure.

"Aside from muddy clothes and sore muscles, the corps is fine," stated Dann Petersen. "On Saturday morning the mayor of Baraboo stopped by rehearsal to thank us. One of the key missions of the Madison Scouts is character and leadership development. We got a firsthand lesson Thursday night on what it means to step up and help solve a problem. We gained a lot from that experience as a group, it's something that each of the members will be able to build upon this season, and in their future lives."

The Madison Scouts begin their 2008 season on Friday, June 20th in Middleton, WI. For more information on the corps, visit www.MadisonScouts.org. To contribute to the corps, please visit www.MadisonGear.comSee More Photos