Roy259

Our troop is traveling to Vicksburg, MS on May 4. We have requested lodging at the National Guard Armory. However, I have not received confirmation on it yet. As the Scout Motto is "Be Prepared" I am thinking of a plan B if this arrangement doesn't work out. Is there a unit in the area that could put us up for the night if we need to go to plan B? We usually sleep on the floor in a church or scout building when we do have to depend on others to put us up. We normally don't camp on these trips because of convenience and space limitations. (Don't frown on me for that last sentence.) Thank

My Troop recently took our older boys, aged 15 and up and Life rank, and formed a Venture Patrol. This patrol meets on its own, and does its own outings. Then only time they meet with the rest of the troop is if they are requested to help teach a skill. I have an ASM that is their leader, and a committee member is his assistant. NOW, my question. Does anybody else have such an arrangement in their troop? If so, what are the guidelines and regulations for them? The reasons I wanted this seperate patrol is because these older boys were board stiff with the regular meetings, and were disrup

I have a technical question concerning the American Flag used in a ceremony. For an upcoming Eagle C.O.H., I wanted to have a flag corp., as we usually do. However, this time, I wanted to bring in the state, troop, and pack flags first, and post them on stage. Then, the American Flag will be brought in with a drum cadence, then a soloist singing the national anthem. Is is okay to bring in the other flags before the American???

A few afterthoughts....the price on the tires that was mentioned by nidscout. $700??? Man, someone is getting to y'all. I know that we buy our bus tires, 11R22.5 for under $200 each. We have many resources for discounted parts. Like I said before, if we do end up with this particular bus, I know the ins and outs, and know that it is in good shape. Granted anything could happen, but so is the case with my 1999 pick-up I haul the boys around in. I agree with everyone that this is a big decision and a BIG responsibility. Our committee has carefully looked at it, and is ready to start diggi

I see some realistic observations about the bus situation. As far as the drivers, that is not a problem. I plan on being in the troop from now on, and I love to drive. Our Troop Committee is outstanding, and support this. They do not help too much on transportation now unless we get in a pinch. They jump through hoops everywhere else. We have looked at maintenance. The one bus I have my eye on belongs to our school, and I KNOW the condition, and how it was maintained. It has low miles,it is a 1987, and when the district gets rid of it, I hope we can jump on it. Our committe has review

Our CO is in no position to help with a vehicle. They provide us with a wonderful scout building, and pay the insurance and utilities on it. On our trips that are more than 3 or 4 hours, we do rent vans. We might spend close to $2,000 a year on rental fees. I agree that this is the easiest way to go. However, we do something every month, sometimes twice a month. Transportation always seems to be a problem. I am a licensed bus driver, and other members of my unit are CDL licensed as well. We have access to a heavy duty mechanic. The only problem seems to be the insurance. I know that

I think that every adult leader is in Scouting for the same reason...to watch these young men grow, learn, have fun, and become better citizens. Let's face it...not every troop is going to be perfect, not every troop is going to follow every rule to every letter. I am not saying that they shouldn't. Situations arise where the adults do have to step in. As far as the SPL topic, there was a situation where I had to appoint an SPL. My SPL at the time resigned, leaving me with no one that was qualified to run. (Our troop has qualifications for SPL, such as age, rank). I had to ask one of my

You may check with the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler. This is a NO ADMISSION FEE zoo, and they MAY have such a program for little or no cost. It is comparable if not better than the zoos that charge a fee. I'll keep thinking and will let you know if something else hits me.

NJ, I gave the boys the reason for this particular rule. It IS dangerous during certain activities, and plus that does eliminate the risk of their items being lost or stolen. You are correct; it applies to everyone, and does not single out anyone. I think that if you give your boys a good reason on the rules, they are more willing to follow them. I have found that works better than "because I said so!"

Paul, we took 8 boys/3 adults in '99, and 10 boys/3 adults in '01. In '99, our itenerary was set to be in a different place each day, with the exception on a 3 day stay in Durango, CO. In '01, we traveled to Denver in 2 days, and stayed 5 full days in Denver, and 2 days driving back. All of our events were in Denver. We raft, tour museums, visit natural attractions, and just have a great time. Last time, we even visited another troop's scout meeting. In '01, we paid nothing for lodging, staying in Army barracks, and 6 nights at an Air Force Base. I found that all you have to do is look

In 1998, our boys expressed how board they were with going to summer camp. So we planned a 9-day touring road trip. Thanks to fund raisers, it didn't cost the boys any more money than summer camp. In 1999, we spent 9 days going to the Grand Canyon and back. In 2001, we spent 9 days going to Denver, Colorado and back. I can't tell you the life these trips have breathed into our troop. We have started a tradition of summer camp one year, road trip the next year. We are looking forward to summer road trip 2003. I would be happy to share any information with anyone wanting to try this with

It is written into our troop handbook, "During scout related activities, scouts are asked not to wear jewelery. This includes rings, earrings, necklaces, and wallet chains. A wristwatch may be worn in most cases. Also, scouts are not to wear any type of clothing that advertises alcohol or tobacco products." Our boys have not had a problem with this policy. We go along with the school handbook as much as we can when establishing our policies.

We are a small troop, and really need a bus or van. We have the money for the initial purchase, but the insurance is posing a problem. What have other units that own vehicles done to overcome this obstacle? We previously owned a box-truck, but it was registered and insured in my name, with minimal cost. Any suggestions appreciated. My e-mail address is: roy259@hotmail.com