The Bailey Jamboree and its Communual Legacy
- I
- Sep 23, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 30, 2025
STOWE - Blue skies oversaw this year’s Bailey Jamboree as hundreds of kids took the field for the annual soccer tournament last weekend.
This tournament was created as a tribute to two local boys, Liam and Solon, who died in 2009 in a Christmas Eve house fire. Sixteen years later, the jamboree persists as a testament to who they were, and a chance to teach kids the value of teamwork, play, and community.
“This is what they loved to do, playing games,” said George Cook, co-founder of Capital Soccer and Liam’s coach at the time of his passing. “With the help of their parents we established this, but it’s important to know it’s mostly about having fun. We don’t keep score… it’s really about having a great time playing the game that those guys liked to play.”
Held over two days each fall, the jamboree hosts a wide age range of local youth soccer teams. Ten fields ran simultaneously to accommodate the 91 teams at the Stowe Events Field, with recreation teams playing Saturday and local club teams on Sunday.
“It’s amazing to see all the kids come out and play. It’s a community event and we hope that the people who come embrace that spirit,” said Kay Joshstrand, board president of Capital Soccer.
To make sure everything stays flowing, volunteers - often parents - participate in parking everyone, reffing the games, setting up the venue, and running fundraising.
“We can’t pull this off without them, they’re all here kind of volunteering this week,” said Cook.
Erik Schwarz, the director of the Bailey Jamboree, said they started setting up the fields five days before the event’s start. “All the fields had to be lined. We had to move the goals from other towns… Volunteers helped with all of it,” said Schwarz.
Sam Henchen chose this fall to volunteer for the first time in the seven years her son has participated in the event, where she found herself beneath a tent selling everything from baked goods to hamburgers. The sales help fund Capital Soccer’s annual trip to Barcelona, Spain.
“They play matches against teams from Spain, they train, but there are excursions everyday. They go to museums, cathedrals, whatever. A lot of cohesion develops on that trip. Team building,” Cook said. Joshstrand chimed in, “good food!”
“That’s a biggie,” Cook replied.
“Normally I’m coming here being like, ‘Can I try this? Can I get that?’” Henchen said as she reflected on previous years of craving the homemade treats on the table. But she chose to volunteer this year because her son will be one of around 50 other players going to Barcelona.
Henchen will be joining the team on their trip and she believes most parents do, but not all. Another parent helping fundraise was Jill Briggs Campbell, whose daughter “very politely uninvited” her from the trip.
“I’m super proud of you, and also, what the hell,” was Briggs Campbell’s reaction to the comment. For many of these athletes, this trip is a foundational moment in their independence as they transition into their teenage years.
“Capital Soccer is a way to teach kids wins and losses, growing and maturing through the sport,” said Schwarz. While some of the athletes move toward higher levels of play, “I don’t think that’s something we’re really focused on, it’s just an outcome,” Schwarz said.
Cook touched on the importance of leading by example, saying, “having an adult on the sidelines with the kids that models good behavior, proper communications, ways to interact, problem solving, working with people they don’t know. A lot of the kids don’t go to the same school, so this is a social event outside of school.”
“We hire coaches that are knowledgeable soccer people, but their behaviors, who they are, what they do, that is actually more important to us than how much they know about soccer.” Cook continued, “we want our kids to be around good people.”
Cook also noted that Capital Soccer is expanding its facilities, “we’re building a new field in Waterbury, which we just got the permitting for.” He continued saying, “that’s huge for us, because there aren’t a lot of flat areas in central Vermont where you can go and play. Now we’re going to have three fields at the Ice Center… a U10 field, a U12 field, and a full-size field. We’ll have a field for every age group.”
Henchen described the jamboree, “kind of like a tradition, the kickoff of the season for their fall leagues. It’s not just what they do on the field, but it’s outside of that. You see these people in the community out and about… there are real connections between players and their coaches and club staff.”
As each of these children grow, they become a product of their surroundings. The authorities in their lives dictate who they become as individuals and how they fit into the collective. Capital Soccer works to uplift these kids to the best person they can be: The community around the Bailey Jamboree is a testament to that.
While Chris Bailey, Solon and Liam’s father, was not able to attend this year, he still believes in the yearly event as a representation of who his children were.
Bailey shared via email, “More generally, they both loved to be active and play games outside with friends. The jamboree carries on Liam’s love for soccer and competing in sport… [it] keeps it light and fun, without a focus on ‘win or lose.’ Liam loved the competition, and primarily for its own sake.”
The Bailey Jamboree is not scored on goals, but by the friendships built, lessons learned and the joy on peoples’ faces. For some, it has become tradition to gather each year - an opportunity for families to appreciate the community they have. A part of that community lies Liam and Solon, who continue to inspire others to better themselves and to work to chase their goals.
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