frankpalazzi

Inappropriate? Depends on your audience really. I've seen the times change enough where "prudishness" is certainly on the rise. My guideline, and I use this for food too: "When in doubt, toss it out!" You'll never go wrong with food OR skits! -Frank

I have to agree with Jblake here. Why hold it against the boy if you can't round up 3 committee members? Remember, the advancement report the Troop turns in requires 3 signatures for a BOR, and nowhere on the form does it say that those signatures have to be those of BOR members, or even REGISTERED members for that matter. (Only one signature requires a "title."). Of course it's always preferable to use MCs, and I never have a shortage of 'em, lucky me! But the BOR is merely a formality to double check the completion of the requirements. The boy has actually already "passed" upon completion of his SM conference. The one thing that should be verified are POR time-served requirements. We actually had to turn a boy down because he was short on that requirement, but his agitated dad understood that if his son were going for Eagle, this would be double-checked by Council, and the Eagle app. would be rejected! (He DID make Eagle, BTW) What I'm trying to convey, in summary, is that in a "pinch", I feel using a parent is OK. Git 'er done! But IMHO, it shouldn't be a common occurrence. Make sure the advancement report is signed by three MCs, and that will certify things "upstairs". Meanwhile, if you find yourself in this position frequently, recruit some more MCs!

The American Legion offers an "American Legion Scout/Scouter" patch which AL sponsored troops can wear. Quite sharp, too.

For the past several years our pack comes up with an award for every car! Every car is given a "most-something" award. If it doesn't fit into any traditional categories, we think of a special one for it. Sure, it takes some extra paper and ink for the certificates, but the boys love it, the parents appreciate it, and there are never any disappointments! Also eliminates the "ego-dad" syndrome too!

Ask your council office!! In ours, no tour permit is required for any outing within town limits. Beyond that, we file.

Our Troop and Pack is sponsored by an American Legion Post. We always participate in the Memorial Day parade, and Veterans Day observances (a gathering, not a parade.) We also do a "spring cleanup" of the Legion grounds after helping place geraniums on Vets' graves the Saturday before Memorial Day. The cleanup takes 2 hours max, and the Legion provides burgers, dogs, chips, and soda for lunch. They are perfectly happy with all this and rarely ask for anything more.

HEY! My Scoutmaster in the 70's had long hair AND a pierced ear! (Hi Tom!) He smoked and drank endless cups of coffee too! Look at what happened--I've been in the troop since 1973, I'm the CC, and have no criminal record...amazing. Now if I can just kick the evil COFFEE HABIT!

In the past few years, I've shown the troop & adults the benefits of white gas. One is that it's economical; and two, it works in the cold New England winter where propane runs slow or sometimes not at all!

I just wonder what they'll go after next? I know! COFFEE DRINKERS! That EVIL DRUG, Caffeine! Give it time, it'll happen! Forward to the year 2020: Hear that? It's the sound of a Troop not meeting!

Thanks Meglamatic! Yes, I was using firefox and experienced exactly what you described! Maybe I'll try it again sometime.

I really like this series. Thanks for posting! I'm going to share it with our SM, ASMs, and committee members!

I recently tried filing a tour permit via myscouting.org, and I gave up after about 45 minutes. I find the process difficult (impossible!) to navigate, and I do consider myself to be a fairly computer-savvy type. The local council agreed with me that it's a mess, and it's best to just keep "kickin' it old-school" (fax or in-person). Anyone else sharing my frustration? I finally filed a tour permit entitled "THIS IS FRUSTRATING, FIX IT PLEASE!" in hopes that someone notices.

Sure, anyone who wants to come to one of my committee meetings is welcome to do so! However, as a proper committee, we operate to SUPPORT the troop program, not micro-manage it. If a parent wants to come to the meeting to start a B&M rant about little Johnny, I tell 'em they need to take it up with the SM,it's troop business; it's not committee business. They learn "how it works" after attending one meeting. They either want to join and help, or are bored silly.

Found out tonight what the problem was! Option "A". Although the team had the phone numbers of the SM and SPL, they claimed they didn't know where we were meeting. (they were told). SM says he's in no hurry to reschedule.

I ask the SPL to come to the first committee meeting of the year (August or September) for one and only one reason: to present the initial yearly program to the committee along with the SM. This way the SPL gets to see the adults interacting and discussing the boys' ideas, and even has something to take back to the troop meeting. ("They really liked our idea about a day hike to the top of Mt. Whosiwhatis!!..but they said our November trip needs a little more planning, let's get going on that!"). Helps get the SPL motivated at the beginning of the Scout year. He is not required to attend any more committee meetings after that, or even encouraged, as they can run late sometimes, and in the past, those who attended voluntarily found them "boring". Every month thereafter, the SM reports on the troop, and brings the boys concerns to us.

Beardad-- We use the disposable aluminum pizza tins, one pizza at a time, and charcoals above and below to get the inside of the oven about 425. (Preheating the oven on a wood fire is a must!) Having more than one oven going at a time is a plus of course. Tin can rest against the edge of the oven if a little too big for it, but should NOT touch the bottom..it'll burn to a crisp! Some flat rocks or an inverted pie plate will keep it off the bottom. Hope that helps! There might be a little trial and error involved to get it just right, but you'll figure out your formula based on your oven/type of pizza, etc. Our boys actually entered into a dutch oven competition at an American Legion Camporee a few years ago, and the judges were convinced that we ordered out! We brought them back to the site and showed 'em how we did it! We got second place that year, losing to a peach cobbler (which was REALLY good, BTW)

Pizza!! Just get the ready made pizza dough (keep it cold until ready to use!) Have the boys roll it out and go nuts with whatever ingredients they want! It's ok if the edges of the pizza tin rest against the wall of the oven (if your oven isn't big enough)--takes about 12 minutes per pie, and our boys LOVE it! Quick, and economical, there won't be a morsel left.

Our camp breaks the boys up into groups, each with a Staff Guide, to conduct the tour. The tours are started in different places in different order, so each group gets to Waterfront at a different time. While there may be some back up, it's not that bad. Camp does not accept pre-camp swim checks, but we check our boys anyway. Granted, a pool is NOT the same as a lake, but we can gauge a boy's ability pretty well by duplicating the test in a pool or other lake which is probably not the same as the Camp lake. With some knowledge of swimming ability beforehand, we can easily help a boy who is a non- or weak swimmer get motivated to spend more time at waterfront during the week for instructional swim. Parents are usually thrilled to see their son come home an "official BSA swimmer," and many have commented it was well worth the camp fee just for that!

xlpanel said: "People in the OA do many other things in life, and may not have time to fit you in." I'm surprised to hear that....wait, no I'm not. Through 30 years and seven scoutmasters, I have seen the local OA do this kind of thing many, many times. Not the dance team, but the Election and Camp Promotion teams! Example: This week's troop meeting. The OA Election team was supposed to show up to do an election. Two new First Class scouts are very disappointed. (The team had CONFIRMED with us 4 days before.) I just looked at the Scoutmaster and shrugged as if to say "yup..again." I consulted with the COR on this (I'm CC) and he said it wasn't worth getting upset over, it would be "like trying to shake acorns out of an oak tree." I did direct the SM to follow up and find out WHY they didn't show up, or even call to reschedule. I expect one of the following excuses: A.We couldn't find the place. (Oh? in 2010, we have mapquest, GPS, and cellphones. I would have bought this excuse in 1982, but not now) B.One member of the team was sick/had a lot of homework/a family committment, blah blah blah. (don't even know what to say here, we have telephones and email.) C. We didn't have transportation. (see excuse B. Our troop meeting is only 20 minutes from council HQ. We could have arranged a ride to and from, if necessary. No telephone? No email?) It will only be a matter of time before Scoutmaster #7 learns what the other 6 have and tells the OA rep who calls him "Hmm, we don't have anyone eligible right now, sorry." I have my stash of "Honor Camper" patches at the ready for when the SM decides he's had enough. I can think of 9 Scout Laws that were dishonored here. Can you?

Shop around your local sporting goods supply stores! I use a local shop here, All Sports Heroes, in Lowell, MA. There was a one time setup fee of $25 for the logo, and 6.50 per shirt (sometimes as low as 5.00! Prices change almost daily among vendors). The only downside to doing it this way is that if you want to change or add anything to the shirt, it's an additional setup charge, but they keep my original logo on file, and you have to order in lots of 12, but you can mix sizes. Not a problem, since the shirts are never "outdated".

Yes Phips, I started with the same unit as a Cub Scout on their startup day in 1970, and crossed to the troop in 1973! I just never left! Thanks all for the welcome!

OMG Oldwildernesstrail...yer killin' me!!!! And now, ladies and gentlemen, for your consideration: Beverage to have with pie: Coffee vs. Hot Chocolate vs. Milk vs. Soda vs. Anything-I-Haven't-Mentioned. Discuss! Personally, I prefer coffee with pie. (perked, not drip, milk & 2 sugars.)

Thought I'd chime in on this one, as a school bus driver, and member of a troop that has owned 2 buses over the last 40 year period: 1) Where is the best place to obtain a bus (which also begs the question new or used)? What kind of costs am I looking at to obtain one? We got ours through private schools that have their own fleets, usually they have a few that are not "schoolworthy" (too old), but just fine for private use. New full size school buses can cost $50,000 + (WITHOUT A/C and stereo!), so I think we know to go USED! ) 2) What are annual maintenance costs associated with a bus? I'm not sure of the actual costs, but I can tell you that there are a multitude of filters that need to be changed regularly, exhaust, springs and tires must be safe and perfect. Bus parts are commercial quality, so you would pay much more than you would at your local Auto Parts store--you have to get them through a truck parts/heavy duty dealer. 3) Has anyone tried to have the CO pay to maintenance for the bus with the right to use it when you are not, but the scouts get first priority. I am aware every CO is different, but I am interested if this relationship can work. We have not. 4) What is the size that seems to work best for scouting functions? It depends of course on the size of your troop, there are generally 73 to 81 passenger full size buses...now by "passengers" they are referring to kindergartners/first graders, three to a seat. 5) Should you try and pull a trailer with it or not? Absolutely NOT! Visibility can be enough of an issue to the rear of the bus, not to mention "rear end swing". May even be illegal in some states. 6) Do parents or leaders ever have a problem with the lack of seatbelts that buses sometimes present. You'll always have that issue come up with some parents. Do whatever your state laws say for School buses in regard to seat belts or lack thereof and you'll be fine. 7) Do we remove some of the backseats for gear storage or leave all the seats in and use a trailer Remove the last 3 or 4 rows of seats and put the gear there. Don't pile it so high that the driver can't see out the rear windows though. 8) With the fuels costs going up like they are, do you find you have more adult volunteers since there isn't wear and tear on their car or fuel costs? Never saw a difference there. What else do I need to be aware of or consider before moving forward. Insurance of course, and most importantly, STORAGE! Where ya gonna keep it? This became a problem for our second bus, the police station let us keep it in the back lot, but eventually we had to get it out--no one wants a big yeller bus in their back yard! Also, make sure the words "School Bus" are removed/covered (we changed it to "SCOUT BUS") and that the flashing red and yellow lights/stop sign are removed or at least disabled. You may be able to change the lenses to all yellow and be legal, but no reds since it's not an "official" school bus! You can still keep it yellow and black though Hope this is of some help to those considering a troop bus. I wouldn't recommend it unless you have a special fund for the insurance, maintainance (constant), and fuel!(This message has been edited by FrankScout)

Nope. Nowhere. Wasn't quoting the G2SS, only stating my interpretation. Do something contrary to G2SS, file a claim or get sued, and see what happens! Seen it before; been around a long time!

You got it Scoutfish!!! The whole "pointing and shooting" thing was just a theory, but plausible huh? I remember at our summer camp an "Action Archery" course where the targets were pictures of deer and other small game that you would "bow hunt" as you traversed the course. One year, all the targets were changed to bulls-eye targets! When I asked why, I got the expected answer, "BSA doesn't allow shooting at pictures of living things" (same rule implemented at the rifle range too, same year.) Political correctness run amock? Yes! Someday perhaps someone will come to their senses and realize that when one goes hunting, they will not be looking for brightly colored targets in the woods...