ASM162

How about Pidgeon Raising MB?

I earned this as a youth, about 1976-77 time frame. My grandfather raised and bred pidgeons for many years. He tried to pass the tradition on to his grandsons, and while we helped him out with the day-to-day chores, the spark never really caught on.

Trev-- I believe that masonry is now a part of Home Repair(?) MB. You may want to investigate that further

I used to be an EAGLE, and a Good Old EAGLE too,

But now I've finished EAGLING and I don't know what to do.

I'm growing old and feeble, and I can EAGLE no more!

So I'm going to work my ticket if I can!

Back to Gilwell, Happy Land, I'm going to work my ticket if I can!

Eagles Soar....

NE-IV-164

I can only speak for what the boys in my Troop think about popcorn sales---They dislike it. At the district''s popcorn kickoff, they give the scouts an order form and the adults/parents an order form. The price of the popcorn is obscenely high! We live in a small town, and the region is borderline economically depressed. My son sold only one popcorn tin in his sales effort. No one wants to pay $9.00 for a few ounces of popcorn.The Troop participates in the popcorn sale because we want to help our boys who sell and the council also gets a portion of the profit. (Some money is better than none.)As a Troop we are lucky to sell about $1000.00 worth of popcorn. I don''t know how some of these kids in other units, sell thousands of $$$ worth of the stuff themselves.

Anyway, our dues for the Troop are $25.00 for the year. We do several fundraisers throughout the year, to raise money for outings and summer camp. Those that participate in the fundraisers get their portion placed in their respective scout account.

Thank you all for your input. It is certainly nice to have this forum to get answers to not so common questions.

As I mentioned, the young man in question was working torwards the Star rank when he decided to leave the Troop. He was not holding a POR at that time. Our advancement chair in the Troop has EVERYTHING archived! As far as sevice hours and time camping, I know the SM of the Troop keeps those records archived as well. This particular young man was well liked by everyone, very mature for his age, and above all was an excellent scout. I do hope that he decides to return to Scouting.

Thanks again for all the input. It certainly opened my eyes to the many other issues to consider.

Hi Everyone,

We had a scout in our Troop who had attained the Rank of First Class Scout. He was 13 yrs. old and had most of the requirements for Star Rank completed. He left the Troop to persue other activities that he was interested in. I had the opportunity to talk with this young man about a week ago. He is now 15 yrs. old. While we were catching up, he expressed an interest in rejoining the Troop. I of course told him that he would be welcomed back, just stop by the meeting house when he has a chance, and we''ll get him signed up again.

My question is, can he resume his scouting career where he left off, or does he have to start as a Scout all over again?

I had the distinct privilege of being a member of Troop 168 in Vanderbilt, PA, in the mid to late 1970's. My Scoutmaster was very patient with us, and let us learn from our mistakes.I think that experience was what made me and the rest of the guys in the Troop what we are today.

We certainly had our fun, but we learned alot about planning and organization. We learned how to cooperate and compromise. Most of all, we learned about respect for the individual. We didn't realize it at the time, but our SM was helping us to build character.

That is what Scouting has done for me.

FYI, about a week and a half ago, we had a special reunion for our wonderful SM of Troop 168. The memories that we shared, and the stories of how our live's unfolded were certainly highlights of this special time that we were fortunate enough to spend together.

Alexsma~

One thing that I'm glad that I brought along was a small battery powered lantern. This came in handy during the evenings, as we finished the day's activities.

A water bottle and coffee cup also came in handy.

As mentioned in the other posts here, your course director should have provided a checklist of items to bring to camp.

Have fun and enjoy yourself while taking the WB Course!

I can honestly say that WB was the most meaningful scouting experience I've had.

EAGLES SOAR!!!!

NE-IV-164

Gonzo~

Sounds like you have your work cut out for you. I agree that the committee should get trained. Just sounds like apathetic leadership in the adult ranks.

Anyway, we usually do two night camping trips. Our exception is an early spring backpacking trip, where we camp for only one night. This is done more for safety than anything else. When backpacking at night, it becomes difficult to find trail markers,(Lost scouts?), and there is always a tripping hazzard when hiking in Eastern PA. Too many rocks!!! We usually leave early in the AM and get to the trailhead by daybreak. The boys then have all day to take in all that nature has to offer while on the backpacking trek.

I've never heard any of the boys complain about setting up camp at night. Heck, they've even set up camp in a downpour! It was amazing to see that they actually set up the canopy first and then set up each tent, one by one, under the canopy, and then stake it in the chosen location. They can really show you something when you let them learn and experience things on their own.

Our Troop has participated in the following fundraisers:

Night at Pizza Hut. Pizza hut allowed us to choose a night for our fundraiser, and provided us with flyers to distribute to family members, friends, co-workers, etc. The flyer had the info concrning time, date, place, etc. Everyone that showed up and presented the flyer to the cashier allowed us (the Troop)to recieve a donation of 20% their bill. I forget the legalese, i.e.tax not included in the total, things like that. Painless fundraiser and we made a couple of hundred bucks.

Our local grocery store sells gift cards in several denominations. The Troop being non-profit,set up an agreement with the store that allows us to earn 5% on every dollar for gift cards that we order. The gift cards are purchased by the Troop at the discounted rate (Face value less the 5%)and then sold to the families of the troop at full value(Hey, you have to eat, right,and you're going to the grocery store anyway). The Troop gets it's money back plus the 5%. The 5% then goes into the general fund. We earn roughly $800-$1000 a year. Again, another painless fundraiser.

Our Troop has traveled to Ohiopyle State Park in Ohiopyle, PA.

There is world class white water rafting (Class III and IV rapids)

as well as oppotunities to bike ride and do some climbing.

We used Wildernes Voyagers as our outfitter for these events, and camped at Scarlett Knob Campground. Scarlett Knob provides favorable rates for Boy Scout Troops!

If you use Scarlett Knob as your base when you arrive, there are several other places of interest to check out.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water

Laurel Caverns (Cave exploration)

Fort Necessity National Battlefield (G.Washington's first command and defeat during the French and Indian War)

As with any trip, planning is essential!

If you GOOGLE these places, you will find additional information to help your boys plan the trip.

We had to address this issue within our troop about 3 years ago. Family Night/Campfire is on Friday night.After the Campfire and purchasing refreshments from the Trading Post, several of the scouts wanted to leave and go home with their parents. While the boys let the SM know their intentions, and he agreed to let them depart early, we soon realized the folly of having several scouts leave camp early.

On Saturday Morning,we had to disassemble our Gateway (Usually 2-3 boys). (This includes packing the Troop Flag, U.S. Flag and any other accesoories that were part of the Gateway)

Our Troop Trailer needed to be re-packed with propane tanks,lanterns, stoves and anything else that was utilized during the week. (Min.2-3 boys).

Personal gear needs packed and stowed away.

Tents need swept out, Latrine needs cleaned one last time and the campsite needs policed.

Breakfast falls in here somewhwere...

Camp Commissioner does one final inspection before we are permitted to leave camp.

Out of 15 boys for the week, we had 6 boys who remained on Saturday for final cleanup.

I certainly don't think that it was fair for these six to clean up for the nine who departed camp early.

After discussing this with the Troop Committee, it was decided that all scouts and leaders would stay until Saturday. Any exceptions would have to be addressed with the SM PRIOR TO CAMP!!!!

Since this policy implementation, and with the understanding of the parents and scouts, we have lost only 2 or 3 on Friday nights.

There are several hiking staff medalions that are available from parks with hiking trails. I have purchased medalions from Valley Forge NHP, Gettysburg National Battlefied, C&O Canal, and Several state parks. These are not "scout related", but are mementos of hiking, backpacking outings that we participated in as a Troop.

I found out about a tradition that some of the hikers on the Appalachian Trail take part in on the day of the summer solstice. It is known as "Hike Naked Day". The boys planned a backpacking trip on the AT, and we ran into a couple of hikers with strategically placed flags and such. After a couple of laughs, we continued on with the trip. I don't know how things would have turned out if we came across a girl of the female persuasion taking part in the tradition :-0

John-In-KC, You hit the nail on the head.

I have worked with some great gentlemen, who have earned the Eagle Award , and have taken the required training, mainly because they see the bigger picture of how it makes the program for the scouts that much better, as well as the helping the unit achieve quality status.

They understand that it's not what they've done, but what is expected of them, now and in the future.

Now with that said, I've also worked with gentlemen who have earned the Eagle Award, and don't have a clue as to how the unit is to function. The "Know it all" mentality really causes some concern for those of us in the troop who are trying to instill the values of scouting in the boys that we serve.

I'm not trying to bash Eagle Scouts. The accomplishment is to be commended.Just don't overlook a former Star or Life Scout, in favor of an Eagle Scout,when trying to fill an adult leader position in the unit. You may be surprised :-)

Our Troop holds OA elections about 3-4 months before summer camp. The scouts that meet the requirements to be eligible to be elected are nominated by the SM. (This includes scout spirit!) The OA Election committee runs the election and tallies the votes. I must say that the boys do a good job of selecting those who are deserving of the honor of becoming an OA member. Now that we have several scouts in the OA, we as adult leaders are trying to encourage them to pursue the additional opportunities that the OA has to offer.

I am an electrical engineer. I've worked for a small mfg. firm in central PA for 20 yrs. now. While the job demands much time, i still manage to be an assistant scoutmaster and the committee chairman for our Venture Crew.

adc-

I'd recommend that you GOOGLE the topic of interest, and that way, you will have several sources of info available to you.

Whenever the change in CSE happens, I would hope that National does some advertising.

The promise of Scouting is our product, and to successfully reach the masses, we have to advertise.

I'm sure most of us do local recruiting at school nights, and assemblies.

I just think that if the boys "see" what the program delivers, they will be more interested in joining.

Summer Camp as a Scout:

Camp Conestoga 1975-1979

Somerset, PA

AS an aside, I believe that Eamonn was on staff and also the International Scout at Conestoga for one of those years.

Summer Camp as a Scouter:

Bashore Scout Reservation 2003-2007

Jonestown, PA

Other Camps:

J.E. Mack Scout Reservation

Hawk Mountain Scout Reservation

Hey Peewee,

One thing I would like to see is more instruction on backpacking stoves, the kind that use several types of fuel such as white gas,unleaded gas, etc. I just think that if these types of stoves are being used, proper instruction on fueling, set-up, lighting and maintaining would make for a very practical roundtable discussion.

I certainly wouldn't dismiss any of the items that you have listed, since they are very unique and also a lot of fun.

Our Troop had a similar situation with the Troop trailer. A lot of stuff the boys never used, searching thru boxes and totes for items that never could seem to be found, and some extra "luxury" items. After several outings of unloading the entire trailer, just to find a few things,the SM, ASM's and the PLC decided to have the trailer completely unloaded, and each piece of equipment evaluated for it's purpose in the Troop and on outings. It was amazing how much stuff the boys in the Troop didn't want to haul around. The chuck boxes are now better organized,our Troop tents and canopy are stored where they can be retrieved quickly if the weather is not the most desirable, and everything now has it's place. Since our Troop is relatively small, we do not have a QM position. It is up to the SPL to assign a boy as QM for any given outing, and each boy now knows what the contents of the trailer are, and how it is organized.

As for the equipment that we no longer store in the troop trailer, the troop committee decided to allow the troop to sell it to interested parents/friends of the troop.Some of the larger pieces of equipment, that we normally take to Summer Camp, or a council/district event are stored among the SM and ASM's, with the SM having a record of who has what. The equipment always is the property of the Troop, and everyone involved acknowledes this.

1 SM WB Trained

5 ASM 1 WB Trained

5 Committee members, including committee chair

20 Boys registered

2 patrols of 9 each

SPL/ASPL

10-15 boys attend weekly meetings on a regular basis

2 boys Eagle/Eagle Candidate

Typically 8-10 boys on monthly outings. Therefore on outings, we create just one patrol, with SPL developing the duty roster.

SM and ASM's take turns working with the patrols on the monthly activity.

So far it is working out OK. We work in community service as the need arises.

If we continue to grow, additional adult help will be needed, to help with any new patrols that will be formed.

Lisa,

Most people who present "live" training are volunteers, who have jobs, kids, unit meetings, etc. They are usually asked to do the training because no one else is available, and in my experience,it is always requested at the last minute.

As for Troop Committee Challenge, I'd rather take it on-line. The course that I had originally taken was 3 hrs. long, spread over two district roundtables. The trainers were good, but I thought that 3 hrs was entirely too long for this type of course.

gwd -

I admire the fact that you wish to be an active participant on the outings. One thing I would like to add is that each ASM (there are 6 ASM's in our Troop),is responsible for doing the "leg work" for at least one outing a year. (i.e. tour permits, setting up transportation, etc.) and be the "SM", if you will, for that particular outing. The boys plan the outing and do the necessary preparations,while the adults make sure we have two-deep leadership, (at least one trained SM/ASM, and follow the "guide to safe scouting". We have found that this takes some of the burden off of the SM, so that he will not suffer from burn-out.

You should be proud of your accomplishments, and I'm sure the boys will understand the reasons why you may not be accompanying them on every outing. Don't forget that a "Scout is Helpful", and if you find youself needing some assistance on an outing, a good scout will be there to offer a helping hand.