jpstodwftexas

After Ordeal Around here 95% just pay the yearly Dues...Sash and Dash is where the Money is....

Best of Luck

Condolences on your loss

Whew, had all my transportation and carpooling worked out, and poof, one of my drivers got into an accident last night, they are OK, but we are now short a vehicle.  Fortunately, I had already decided to take my wife's minivan to transport the two youth members who I had already planned to drive.  Looks like I'll have three more.  The lodge will give me transportation funds now in the form of a gas card because I'll be transporting at least 4 youth.  I think I'll spend that buying the youth lunch on the way home on Sunday.

 

I knew it was a good idea not to go down early.  My son caught a ride with some other scouters who were leaving this morning to help get things set up with some good weather. 

And 1 other Adult  

Sorry for the Late Condolences. 

Don't swing by the Forums every single day.

my lodge has never had chapters

yes.

The South Route offers a Cantina where you can sit around sipping Root Beers and Sarsaparillas.

No matter what route you take, you will love it....

Philmont needs a 30 Day Adventure...Travel at your Leisure pace. 

They will have fun until someone points out that Boys and Girls can't play well together and starts handing out Guides to Safe Outdoorsmanship

 

 

 

I can almost guarantee the first meal cooked by the NSP will not pass muster at any sleazy diner anywhere in the world.  Heck, I've seen some troops where their Eagles can't even start the campfire let alone cook on it.  They cook on a gas stove at home and at camp.  What's the big deal.  Cook me pancakes and bacon on a wood campfire and I'll be impressed and I'd even pay money for it!  Toss in a cup of camp coffee and I'll double the tip!

You would have owed me some money

Being a Country Boy I knew how to Camp prior to Boy Scoutsand more importantly how to cook..

I was taught by my Great Grandmother.

After my First Camp out..I was the permanent Troop Cook...

After My first Council Camporee..I was the "Unofficial" Staff Cook...staff always came to our campsite to eat

I was known for Steaks, Pheasants, Quail, Cornish Hens, Pork Chops, Fried Catfish....Cobblers and Cakes...sometimes even venison, duck and rabbits

Breakfast always had Pancakes, Bacon, Hot Links, Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage, Fresh Biscuits, Peppered Gravy, Hot Oat Meal, Grits and Scrambled Eggs and sometimes Breakfast Burritos...

I literally need a Chuckwagon...for flour, sugar, baking Powder, baking soda, starch, beans, noodles...no mixes in my box

I can tell the Majority of yall were or are involved in Big Troops....

Said this Before..I Grew up in a Troop where we were lucky to have 8-12 Scouts at the Max and usually had around 8 at the Most at any given time...

Our ages ran from 11 to 18 at any given time. 

We were a Troop and a Patrol at the same time...When we competed at Council events I don't think we ever had to worry about a Patrol Size limit causing us to be split up.

Perhaps I missed it, but I have found no BSA documentation stating that a scout MUST wear MB's on a sash, sleeve, or anywhere else? Could a scout just keep his merit badges in a box and skip the sash?

There is no Mandatory Rule...

However if your troop Does "uniform" inspections ....You would lose 5 Points in the Insignia Section because you were not wearing a Sash.

A Boy Scout could toss Merit Badges in the trash right away if they wanted to after receiving it..or tell troop save ya money.

There is no "Law" that you have to have a Boy Scout Collection of Memorabilia to pass down when you die. 

Some things are just tradition...Such as Wearing the First 6 Merit Badges on the right sleeve. Just off the Cuff...and the 7th and beyond on a Sash..

Now Days with so Many "earned" every Merit Badge but retain no knowledge Days I am surprised they have not gone to a Digital Sash..or made special Eagles to fit all the Palms

Man ! ! How Active are your Lodges?

Troop Activities Vs Lodge Activities... These days around here it is 2 OA Activities..Winter Ordeal and Summer Ordeal...

Same Scouts go to Philmont and Jambo...as NOAC..most are all in OA..

Every OA Fundraisers last few years Boy Lead .... Canceled

The Other Major Fundraiser is Adults due to what we did...Haul Water Tanks on Trailers for a Major National Bike Ride...

They Canceled the Adult driven "Super Bowl Ribs" due to several issues.

double post. How does this happen?

Hiccups 

 

 

 

"2. Lifesaving or meritorious actions performed as part of the lineof duty of a trained lifesaver-i.e. doctor, nurse, lifeguard, first responder- will not be considered."

 

 

 

Were they there as paid Medical Staff?

If not they were not performing life saving actions in the line of Duty.

Sorry to hear that the efforts were unsucessful

Actually the BSA has never, except perhaps early on and unofficially, run B-P's Wolf Cub program. For example, BSA Cub Scouts have always been segregated by age (initially - Wolf, Bear, Lion - hence WeBeLoS).

WeBelos....Stands for WE BE LOYAL SCOUTS

 

 

Scouting is built into our constitution, with our President as it's leader. It's important. It's not what I want, it's what the youth want. 

 

 I missed that in the Constitution...can you point me in the right direction to finding it.

I believe we did it right...

Our Ordeals went something like this..

Friday Night Check in 7 pm check in Candidates...Sunset Pre Ordeal Ceremony.. Stake out.. Friday Night Cracker Barrel....for members Spades and Dominoes Tournaments (Youth and Adults)....and Vigil Ordeal

Saturday

5 am Candidate Breakfast ( Raw Egg, 2 Slices pint of Milk, 1 Match and a sheet of Tin Foil)/ Vigil Ceremony

6am Saturday Steak Vigil Breakfast

7am Everyone else Breakfast

8 am Work Project

12 Noon Lunch Candidates first ( 2 Slices of Bread and a Slice of Baloney...Water only) everyone else nice lunch.

1 pm Work Details..

5 Pm Dinner Candidates first ( 2 Slices of Bread and a Slice of Baloney...Water Only)....everyone Else nice Dinner

6 pm-Sunset ...candidate Meditation/lodge Orientation (History of OA and Lodge,  ..Lodge Members free time Spades and Dominoes. Brotherhood Candidates review and testing . Sunset Candidates Stake out again...Brotherhood Ceremony...Free Time for Non eligible Members

Sunday

5 am Candidate Breakfast ( Same as Saturday)

6am Vigil and New Brotherhood  Steak breakfast

7 am Everyone Else Breakfast

8 am Church

9 am Work projects

12 Noon Lunch Candidates first..(4 Slices of Bread 2 Slices of Baloney)..everyone else nice Lunch

1 PM Work projects...

4 pm Work Stop ...Everyone...(Open Swim in Summer for an Hour)...followed By Showers >>>EVERYONE

5 Pm Ordeal Ceremony

7ish...Dinner New Ordeal Members first....( 2 Baloney Sandwiches for Show)...Steak Dinner for New Members (including  Baked Potatoes, Red Beans, Salad, Iced Tea, and Cherry Cobbler and Ice Cream and a mess of other Goodies) ..seconds of New Members...

8ish...Lodge Business...New Vigils announced, New Brotherhood Announced, New Ordeals Announced and received lodge Flap. Awards for Spades and Dominoes....lodge Elections were done at Winter Ordeal since it got Darker sooner..so times were adjusted for earlier Sunset,

9ish Cleaning up and Went home

We had a fellowship once a month..Be it a Camp out, Movie, Pizza Party..or Work Projects...Lodge Dancers made every Campfire in Regalia and Closing Camp Fire at all Council events

We averaged 50 Youth at every activity....And about as many Adults.

We never read from Books

Our Lodge Flap was a 1 in Lifetime

No Matter how Hard you try.... these days just don't compare to the old days...

Hard to tell where it went wrong...

When I left the Lodge..We had a Great Dance team..We had Tepees..We built Arbors for the Drummers and Singers. ...Guide  would lead the Visitors along a Trail to the far end of Camp through the Woods...to be Challenged by Spirt Warriors along the Path...in the distance Drums and singers could be heard...They would be welcome to the Circle..Scouts sat in a Half moon on the Ground...Elders and Siblings sat on log Benches. Chief would welcome everyone...Medicine man would offer a prayer....Dance team would perform....just before sunset Medicine man would offer a blessing to the Spirits to welcome new members...Fire would magically light... Dancers would be out in the Scouts...and On Drum Beat...Candidate would be swooshed out of Crowd and Tapped out...Receive a Block of Wood and a willow wreath...To Bring Back to ordeal ( to be burned...Block of Wood was to be carved into an Arrow..) At Ordeal if you Violated silence you got a Notch...3 you were out of Ordeal..

We had Pre-ordeal memorized. We had Ordeal Memorized, We had Brotherhood, Memorized Vigil...We had Regalia. As Soon as a Ceremonies team member made the Next Level they started learning the Next Ceremony to step in...We knew all Parts...

When I came Back..everything was gone..No Dancers, No Regalia, No Tepees, No Arbor...not even a Tap  Call out ring anymore

They were not escort from Closing Camp fire before Call out Ceremony any more..Now They Danced for a few minutes...Then Called out the Candidates..No Swoosh..just called out. Given No Wood no willow wreaths

And the Worst Part...They were reading everything...

And then the same thing at the Ordeal....and Flash lights to read by...

Ordeal went from Friday Night to Sunday Evening to Saturday Night to Sunday Morning..

:( :(

And it was allowed because OA is Boy Lead...

Around here....Soaked over night in Cold water...Rinsed Twice and then Get slow Cooked with..Ham Hock/Salt pork, A Dash of Sea Salt, Coarse Ground Black Pepper, Spanish Paprika, A Dash of Chili Powder and Cumin, A Whole Large Diced Sweet Onion and a Healthy Heaping of fresh Sliced Jalapeno (seeds included) and some fresh Diced Garlic 

I got a Simple rule about Activities..If you have to ask if something was prohibited or think it would conflict with BSA rules don't do it as a Scout Activity...When I was a Youth...at one point my Whole troop were also members of Red River Renegades...We shot Muzzleloaders, We carried Bowie Knives, We Threw Axes and Tomahawks...And when it came to Camporee time Everyone in the Council was always amazed that we stomped  all the other troops so badly in the Mountain Man events.

I am surprised that some rules lawyers have not jumped on how that would violate the "Leave No Trace" rules.

Wanna make sure 100% get trained 100%,  pay 100% of the Cost for them..

I don't pay to volunteer

As an Adult I wore the 5:11 Tacts also..Much better than the Official Pants...and unless you point it out 99% of the Scouters around you will never Know....The pants are close enough in color. I had an Official Pair of Scout pants..lasted 2 Months.. I found the 5.11 more comfortable than the BSA Pants...

I hate any Switchback style Pants..

.

Bit of an Irony...I was approached by several youth....Who in years never wore anything but Blue Jeans to scouts...asked were I got them and after they got a pair they started wearing them. Seems they felt they were no longer ashamed of the Scouting Uniforms.

Something else I have Noticed around here at least...the vast Majority of troops do not do Uniform inspections anymore...Scouts in the last troop with all the parents on Committee did not show up in Uniform for a Board of Review and did not have a Scout Handbook. Yet they never were turned away or turned down, And the Board of reviews were held each week. On a walk in basis. I remember when I was growing up, you had to schedule a BOR and had to be 100% Uniform and have your Handbook...I remember my first BOR in my troop. I had no Pants..I was asked why I was not in Uniform...I told them My Mom could not afford a complete Uniform. I was told to reschedule when I had a pair of pants...I was about to quit on the spot. My family did not have a lot of money after my dad died..The Reviewers asked me if I was a hard worker..I said yes..I got jobs offers to mow their Lawns...For 3 weeks I mowed Lawns...I got 4 pairs of pants and past my rescheduled my BOR a month later....Only worn at Meetings and Worn to and from Camp...Immediately after Flag ceremonies each day...they were taken off, replaced with Blue Jeans and Hung up in a "suit" bag to keep them clean

I Grew up In Texas...Never wore shorts as a youth....Blue Jeans every day...Went to Philmont twice..Wore Blue Jeans everyday on the Trails and cowboy boots...Only wore BSA Pants to and from during travel...Still Never wear shorts...Each person has their own style..

Cotton is Rotten??? Not around here....Someone has drank kool aide

Got my first OA newsletter in 10+ years this past week.  It included a 4 page printout on the OA elections, too.  Must be hurting for members.

Wow what are those...My old lodge doesn't have a newsletter, it does not have a website, not even a Facebook page.....

No Announcements about OA on Council's Site, No Mention about that "Centurian" Award for last year...No Lodge history book which was suppose to have been ready for NOAC....

Record Setting at NOAC? 

Well It was the 100th Anniversary...They got all Kinds of SWAG that no one else could get. and being Sold all over by the lucky one who could attend....The Attendance set records, sure it did...Lets see how much attendance drops at the Next one. Lets see if we see 101St NOAC Cookies for sale on EBAY like we are seeing the 100th Cookies. There won't be a 101th Special Addition Sash, that only attendees get. There Won't be a 101st Patch you get to wear on your Sash..I doubt that Lodges won't be turning away Attendees at the Next one...For many Lodges it will be back to the Normal trying to get people to go.