eagle90

Our troop has been holding a Rummage Sale for almost 20 years now, and it has built up to where we clear over $2,000 for one day's work. And we get to clan out our garages, attics, closets, etc. It's also a great fellowship type activities, as almost every family gets involved. I can;t see where this would conflict with any BSA policy. If it does, SO WHAT??

I was doing a SM conference for Tenderfoot last week for a boy who has an older brother in the troop. I was explaining what will occur at his BOR, and I asked him what his brother had told him about the BOR's. The boy looked straight at me and said, "He said it was a bunch of old men sitting around trying to scare the crap out of me". I couldn't help myself and burst out laughing. A Scout is honest????

CNY Scouter - We did the Chisholm Trail Adventure in 2005 and had a phenomenal time. It is a great trip with great facilities and a super staff. GO FOR IT! Dale

"good SM's actually show up at an Eagle project", As a veteran SM. In the beginning, I attended all Eagle projects, but found myself becoming the "go-to guy" instead of the Eagle candidate. Younger scouts would come up to me during the project and ask questions about what to do,where to go, etc. I would direct them to the Eagle candidate, but realized my presence was cutting into the leadership capabilities of the candidate, so I have stopped attending the projects themselves. Of course I will offer any advice to the candidate, and will always follow up on the day of the project asking how things went, what went right, wrong, etc. Just works out better for me and our troop's Eagle candidates.

I totally agree with making Cooking a required merit badge. I disagree with lowering the age for Scouts to 10 years old. 1. Most scouts (and their parents!) are not ready for it. 2. The age range from 10 to 18 is too great to have a comprehensive program. Dale

It's always been a dream of mine to someday raft the Colorado River thru the Grand Canyon. We have done the New River in West Virginia a number of times, and can only imagine what the Colorado is like! Dale

Having been attending summer camps since the 60's, I have found that camps and programs change very little, if at all, from year to year. So if you get a copy of last summer's Leaders Guide, I would venture to guess that 98% of it will still apply to this year. Dale

Anyone have a good opening ceremony for an Annual Troop Dinner? I've used the same Rededication ceremony for umpteen years and would like to try something new for a change. Thanks for the help! Dale

This reminds me of the old Region 7 Canoe Base in Boulder Junction, Wisconsin. To teach the 8 points of the safe swim plan, They introduced us to a beautiful girl - MABL LABI M Medical Checks A Ability Groups B Buddy System L Lookouts L Lifeguards A Adult Supervision B Bottom Check I Intelligent Discipline. I remember it to this day, some 40 years later! Dale

Happy New Year! May all of your Scouting wishes, dreams, and goals come true in 2008!

Just wanted to spend a minute wishing all of our Scouter.com friends a very Merry Christmas! May you find everything you want under your tree! Dale

While we do have regularly scheduled BOR's we have also done them on weekend campouts and Summer Camp. In fact the last two summer camps, we have done over 20 BOR's and SM conferences over the course of the week!

We schedule Scoutmaster conferences for the fourth Wednesday (meeting night) of the month and BOR's on the first Wednesday of each month. If there is a COH coming up, we will schedule an extra BOR to make sure all is covered before the COH.

I have found it is almost ALWAYS the same scouts (or parents) who are late every time. It is not fair to the people who are always on time to cater to the perpetual latecomers.

We collect payment in full two weeks before the event, and thee are no refunds for cancellations. In the case of a legitimate illness, we will offer credit toward the next campout.

We meet at a public school, on every Wednesday night that school is in session (September thru early June), with a two week break at the holidays. We camp eight weekends per year and do a week's summer camp and a week's High Adventure trip each year. Dale

We attended the Maine Base back in 1984, so my advice is very dated. We stayed at a campground (Matagamon Wilderness Campground) right near the base. Advice - BRING TONS OF INSECT REPELLANT! They are the size of small birds!! Seriously, it is some of the most beautiful country and outstanding canoeing I have ever done. Dale(This message has been edited by eagle90)

There is a policy in place to reinstate leaders whose membership was suspended or revoked. It is done through the regional office. Years ago we had a leader's membership revoked due to an alcohol problem, and after rehab, he was in the process of asking for reinstatement through the regional office. In the mean time, his son aged out of the program, so the reinstatement never happened.

I agree with Kudu. Do not set up the scouts to fail. Especially if you have visiting Webelos who you are trying the recruit and impress. Don't forget by rule, the Webelos must have a parent with them. Nothing will turn off a parent (and Webelo) to your troop if you have bad meals on a campout. Put on a good show! Dale

For weekend trips, the driver donates his gas, but we normally do not charge the adults for food, camping fees, etc. For Summer Camp and/or High Adventure trips the estimated transportation fees are included in the cost up front. Last year when gas went from $2.00 to over $3.00 per gallon before camp, we added a fuel surcharge of $20.00 per scout and everyone understood and no one complained. Dale

We are in the midst of shopping for a new troop trailer. We have outgrown the one we now own. For those who have troop trailers, what kind do you have, what size and features, and what was the price. Thanks in advance for a little market research! Dale

OK, did I miss something? What is MyScouting?

I would say I am most proud of my Eagle Scout, Silver Beaver, and Adult Religious Award knots. Dale

The only interface I have ever had with the region, is that they are the ones who approve National Tour Permits.

We had a similar situation in which our SPL was arrested for being at a party where illegal drugs were found. Of course, he, like a former president, never inhaled, so he said. We knew this would be publicized and he would not be a good role model for our younger scouts. He was also working on his Eagle. Our CC and I (SM) made a decision to remove him from the leadership position. He already had enough time in for the Eagle requirement. This was done with his and his parent's agreement. Our sponsor is a Parent teacher organization who has little if anything to do with us, so they were not involved. Things worked out well, as the ASPL took over with eagerness and did a great job, and the former SPL did go on to earn his Eagle.