eagle90

Any midwestern Scouter Forum members going to the Illini Jamboree in Rantoul, IL next weekend? This will be our first trip down there and I have some questions regarding food service and am also wondering if anyone else is attending, it may be fun to hook up some time during the weekend to put some faces to names!

Eagle Cave in Southwestern Wisconsin has been hosting Scout groups for over 30 years. I remember camping there myself as a scout, and still receive periodic information from them.

The registration and insurance for trailers varies from state to state. In Illinois our trailer is titled and insured in the name of the Troop. It sure helps to have one central location for all gear. Fortunately we have had no problems in finding a member willing to store the trailer for us.

As far as your first question, I think the individual troop would have rules for the scout's use of their accounts. As far as the parents providing treats or lunch for the workers, this is quite common in our troop. Whether it is a hot dog BBQ lunch, or a quick trip to McDonalds, I can;t see where this would be a problem. Good luck!

Bob - Taking away the SM and ASM's we have a committee of 15, not including 5 ASM's who are registered but away at college for the bulk of the year.

We have a Committee of 20 people, counting SM and ASM's. Some do have specific areas of responsibility - Transportation, Refreshments, Annual Dinner, Pancake Breakfast, First Aid Meet, Advancement, etc. but the others are members at large who will pitch in for various one time events.

Thanks OGE - You just gave me the SM minute for our first troop meeting next week!! DALE

We have never gotten a tour permit or permission slips for Eagle projects in the past. However, for the last eagle candidate we had, the Advancement Chairman who approved the project concept told the candidate he must get a tour permit and permission slips. It was NOT a damgerous project and was right in the neighborhood. The workers were providing their own transportation. Not to be disagreeable, I obtained the permit, but still wonder why?

A few years ago we were returning from a rafting trip and were stopping at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. Of course we were traveling in uniform. We checked into one of the chain motels and the gentleman behind the counter saw we were in uniform and gave us a 10% discount on our rooms. Since we had 5 rooms, we saved about $70 or so!! It does pay to travel in uniform!

Our PLC is looking at High Adventure options for 2005 (Already!) and in surfing the net found the Chisholm Trail Adventure sponsored by the Longhorn Council in the Dallas area. It looks like a good combination of aquatics and land based adventures. It seems fairly reasonably priced too. Anyone have any experience with this program? Thanks for the help! DALE

We have required the Scout to bring a letter from his language teacher at school certifying he has passed the requirements for the Interpreter's Strip.

We just returned from our BWCA trip yesterday. It was a great time! We drove the 12 hours to Ely, MN and when we got there it was 44 degrees and raining (Yes, this is August!) Fortunately the rain ended and we had cool ( 60's - 70's) but sunny week. We did manage to see a moose, otter, wolf, and lots of bald eagles in additon to the chipmunks, squirrels, etc. Also caught a couple of nice Northern Pike and friend them up. Our scouts did a good job both canoeing and portaging. Kenk - no internet access, but surprisingly the Verizon cellular worked all week!

Nine of us are leaving for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area tomorrow. I can't wait to hit the canoeing waters!

The last time I was in the Boundary Waters, our scouts caught some nice bass and walleye. They cleaned and fileted them, and I was frying them up for dinner. I swear one was still alive and jumped right off the spatula, splashing hot grease all over my wrist. I ran down to the lake and immersed the hand, the scouts learned some new words, and I ended up with 2-3 degree burns on the wrist. This was day 4 of a 7 day trip. Made it back ok though, but still have a nice scar on the wrist. We are heading to the Boundary Waters again Tuesday. Wish me luck!!

Ed = I try to do the same thing. It just never seems to work out that way. LOL. After so long, I finally looked up your Bible verse today - AMEN!!! DALE

Ed- Nice pics. Sounds like you had a good time too. One question - How do you keep the leader tent so neat? I would NEVER want a picture of my tent taken!!!

Just returned from a great week a Lefeber Northwoods Camp in Laona, WI. Pefect camping weather all week - Highs in the 70's, lows in the 50's(great for sleeping!). Only about an hours worth of drizzle all week. Our 11 scouts passed 25 MB's and earned the camp's Super Troop Award. And the old geezers actually got out of camp and played 18 holes one day! On the way home our kids were already talking about what they want to do next year. Thats one sign of a good Summer camp.

I joined Cubs at 8 years old, and don't remember my parents asking if I wanted to or not. Dad was active in Cubs as CC. Moved up to Boy Scouts (Dad became SM) and got my Eagle at 14. Stayed in thru High School, then laid low during college, but returned after college and eventually became SM too. Still doing it today!

It's off to Lefeber Northwoods Camp in Laona, Wisconsin. The weather looks like it will be good so far. Hope everyone has a good week, and will report on our experience when we return! DALE

We hold a COH in mid September where all the summer awards are passed out. While at camp one of our older scouts who is either taking the Photography Merit Badge or is a photo buff is designated the camp photographer. The troop pays for the slides and developing and he takes pics all week and makes up a slide presentation for our COH. We invite the upcoming Webelos to join us to get a taste of what camp is like.

RUN, RUN QUICKLY. There seems to be a lot of vindictiveness showing its ugly head now. I would get out at the earliest possible moment!

We also use permission slips for every outing. It serves to inform the parents of the particulars of the trip as well as giving their permission.

Flush toilets? Showers in the sites? WOW! We have the old "two holer" (with a toilet seat!) and metal urinal. There is a wash stand with running water and a spigot. The camp has two centrally located shower facilities with scouts showering on even hours, adults on odd hours.

Even though most of us haven't met in person, i feel like many on these forums have become friends, and it is sad to see anyone you consider a friend leave. The advice and suggestions have been invaluable to me and hope they will continue. While I don't always agree with ALL of the opinions, or take ALL of the advice, I am thankful that there are those out there who know more than I do and are willing to share their knowledge. It's a sad day when someone you have come to respect will no longer be around. Please reconsider! DALE

Our troop does really well with "older" scouts attending Summer Camp. Last year we had 6 high schoolers at camp, and this year we have 4. We also have a High Adventure activity every year, and many times we have our senior scouts attending both activities.