SSScout

Ernest fan , too. Grand daughter Julia Seton has a website, and has republished his autobiography. A good read, I enjoy well used English.

Check with Heritage Scout Reservation, in Laurel Highlands Council, (used to be Greater Pittsburgh). Very nice, up in the mountains, so no Poison Ivy !

The times do change. People have different attitudes and desires. How to raise money for worthy causes? Raffle a goat? HA ! Back in my Neolithic childhood, my dad's Lions Club sponsored a Horse show (!) at a local dairy farm. It was a community BIG DEAL. The fence for the show ring had to be repaired and painted every year, An all day affair, 6am thru dark, dressage, six and eight horse team demo, riding clubs judged, hunter jumping, we Scouts helped out a lot. Before the Horse show, we went to (among other places. Talk about selling popcorn outside the Safeway....) the county fair and sold Lion Club raffle tickets . The prize? A Shetland pony. My friend Henry R. and I went to the county fair with the pony in Mr. Stabler's big boat of an Oldsmobile, pony sitting in the back seat (!!). The pony had a banner over his back, extolling his virtues and the price of the tickets. Henry and I took turns leading the pony, Mr. Stabler and dad sold the tickets. People bought tickets , sometimes by the dozen, sometimes by the single. Did they have a fenced yard for the pony? I never did get a firm answer from my dad what would happen if we won. We had three acres, could accommodate a pony, but would need a fence. I knew a pony would be a definite asset to the family. The winner was announced at the Horse Show. Sometimes the winner was there to claim it, sometimes not. Ho hum. The dairy is long gone, the property now a shopping center and McMansions on 1/2 acre lots. The milk in our stores is from, I think, maybe, Pennsylvania and Virginia (I think). The Lions Club is having a hard time recruiting "younger" folks to join. They still do good work and "We Serve" is still the motto, but it is harder to serve the way they used to. Sic Gloria mundi.

This is always a big question mark for me. I always choose the train if I can. It is comfortable, relaxing, "knee room" a-plenty. Every time I have taken a train somewhere, it has been , to my eye, fully loaded, at capacity. In my experience in Europe, the trains are THE way to travel between cities. Are they nationally subsidized? Absolutely. Asphalt roads are subsidized. Airports are built with public money, why not the rails?

Nice resuscitated thread. Training , if done right, has only one real goal: to open up new possibilities. If you already have the skill, the talent, training reinforces it. If you haven't been there, done that, good training allows you to see another way, it allows you to avoid having to discover, all over again, what previous generations discovered , often at risk to their lives and limb. The Scouter that has had only ONE experience may think THAT"S the only way to do it. It can be seen as going back to our own parental upbringing. How do we first think "how to deal with kids" except to remember, even unconsciously, how our parents dealt with ourselves ? The Scouts he/she meets and deals with may (or may not?) benefit from that experience. This is why we are REQUIRED to take the YPT... WB is only an option. But it gives the Scouter a chance to gain and give . Any time I train folks (IOLS, CSL Specific, SL Specific, even WB staff), I have also learned from the course takers. How many ways can you tie the bowline? How any different types of SCOUT will you meet? Do you do the same in each situation? There is a story thread on a FB that I follow, concerning a Cub that has been asked to leave a Pack because the DL cannot "deal" with him. The family (mom?) expressing the story tells how much the Cub loves Scouting , that he is "on the spectrum" and did well at summer camp and with previous DLs. Why this particular DL? Perhaps this DL knows no other way to be a DL than in one way. The DL that has many tools in his/her DL Cub tool box is truly blessed. Could WB help this DL ? probably not, but why make the Cub suffer for the lack of training/ability/experience/patience of the adult? We hope the Cub in question can find a way to continue his trail in Scouting. And perhaps the DL can gain a new appreciation and find a way to help EVERY boy/girl be a "good Scout".

It might help to know where on the uni these patches were mounted. pocket, sleeve, etc.?

I was the first Eagle in my Troop. I inched out a Scout, much younger, who had announced "publicly", that he would be Eagle in so many months (he did the math, so many months required in each rank), which would have made him the first Eagle. Us older Scouts (who had been having fun camping and hiking , not so much worrying about ranks), got together and said "we can't let this happen". So we cooperated with Merit Badge classes, service projects, activity planning. The young Scout was good, but "life happens", and he had family issues and did not meet his schedule. He became the third Eagle in the Troop. Each of us had a nice CoH. Back then, they were not so gala, mostly cookies and soda after the regular Troop CoH. Nice special candle ceremony, but not over the top as some are today. For the Troop, thru the Committee, to refuse to officially, publically, acknowledge this Scout's accomplishment borders on the criminal. Either he earned it (thru the regular channels or by appeal ?) or he did not. Either he met and fulfilled the requirements or he did not. The Scout knows, if no one else does. My self effacing Scoutson earned his Eagle, was complimented by everyone who knows him, and he said "naw, don't do anything special". That wasn't sufficient for his family and friends. So, at the tail end of a usual Troop CoH, he had his time in the spotlight, his SM made a speech, his dad made a speech, his mom pinned on his medal, and then we all went outside and ate too much BBQ. Your Scout needs his time in the spotlight. If you are not too far away, I'd even be willing to come up and speechify some encouragement. See you on the trail.

in One of the good things about Scouting (at least it is SUPPOSED to be one of the good things) is that a Scout can earn the next rank at his own speed, in his own way, how he wants... The requirements are what they are. If there are truly mitigating circumstances (physical, emotional), the requirements can be adjusted. But to what extent? The Scout Leaders (even the District and Council) need to consider seriously how those requirements should be eased or adjusted. Hiking? Is the Scout wheel chair bound? Swimming? Nature ? Is the scout visually impaired? It is the summit of judgement calls how the Scout Leader makes that call. If a Scout earns a rank, a badge, he/she should realize that every other Scout earned that rank, that badge, by demonstrating or accomplishing the same skills and goals. The Troop and the Scout in question need to remember that "A Scout is Trustworthy". Nothing is learned or gained if the requirements are short changed or earned by "blackmail" or behind the scenes "deals". The Scout in consideration (and his parents?) here need to be reminded of the above. If the Scout cannot, for whatever reason, camp by himself or with another Scout, a peer rather than an adult "partner", than he has not fulfilled that requirement. (next thing, is that a requirement?) . He may (MAY !) earn that rank later than other Scouts. So be it. I know of a Scout that bridged from Cubs, joined the Troop, had lots of fun, camped, hiked, and was not awarded First Class Rank (won't go into the details) until he was 17. He did not earn Eagle, but he was a Scout in every sense of the word. He is now a cashier in a local bank. Is it possible that too much is being made of this one Scout's possible immaturity problem? It is , ultimately, his problem , and not the Troops. All we , as Scouters, have is a responsibility to create and encourage OPPORTUNITIES. Not every kid will avail themselves of those opportunities. So?

Chesapeake Bay, Sea Nettles. A small jelly, but painful still. If we met with a Nettle's tentacle, we were told to keep actively swimming, and get to shore; unless we were on the Mile Swim, in which case, keep on swimming, unless we were really disabled.In that case, climb in the escort boat. I do not remember (fifty plus years ago, wow !) if vinegar was mentioned. Vaseline was mentioned for prevention, rub it all over, but I never knew a Scout that did that.

10 x 12 tarp, rope, stakes. Clean an area of ground from sticks, rocks etc. (especially those etcs. they can be mean...) . Lay tarp out and stake down the 10' side, and 4 ' wide. Fold over the remainder, two tallish stakes, 3' high. rope stretch out the tarp, fold over again the remaining 5' to cover the original 4' on the ground, two more 3' tallish poles, stake and rope and pegs, voila, shelter for your bag, and pack. Groundcloth, tent in one.

We had been told that "there really is no firewood in the area. It's been picked clean by all the tourists and Scouts". This by a Ranger at a Nat Park. So the Troop lashed two or three logs to each scouts pack....

""Blazing Saddles""? Haben sie gesehen ?

Shortridge, Camp Theodore Rooooosevelt , no longer there....

The only thing I use snickers for is baiting the ground hog trap. Braces kept me from a developing a taste for gooey candy (not to say any other kind isn't fair game !). In my ordeal, it RAINED (apres moi, le deluge...) Friday night and they put everyone in the dining hall. Saturday was for work and ceremony. Saturday night , the sky was clear over the Chesapeake....

At face, this is bizarre. The Unit, District, Council all must give their imprimatur to the Eagle rank. If the Scout met the requirements, all the signatures are there, there can be no argument. The Troop and the family design and hold the Court of Honor. It can be as formal and ornate as desired or as simple and intimate as wished. One of my favorites was a campout on the grandparents' farm. Participants/audience had to hike in several hundred yards to the campfire ring. Tables and candles and smiling Scouty people all around. Camp food. At the conclusion (singing Scout Vespers), the adults departed, the Scouts remained for the weekend. The Council has no say in the CoH. Why would they? The District is a volunteer construct and , again, what say would these Scouters have in this? The Charter Org may have a say in this, I suppose, but why deny the celebration of what has already been earned and awarded? By all means your Scout and you need to courteously and politely ask the Institution Head and Charter Org Representative and the Committee Chair and the Scoutmaster for the truth of the matter . If you can find him/her, include your Unit Commissioner and/or District Commissioner, who are dedicated by their positions to the benefit of the Scout and his Troop. You might also include the District Executive. Any willing intermediary might be useful. The light of day is never a bad thing in matters like this, but be respectful and go in jumps, so to speak, not all at once. Give people "permission" to do the right thing, rather than outright DEMAND it. Some years ago, I served as a Staff Chaplain at the National Jamboree two times . On the third time, I was denied Staff status. Both I and my faith community politely beat the Scout bushes until we found someone who could explain this aberration.. It was worth the effort, as the procedure was changed . I attended again, to good effect. Good luck to your Eagle and you. See you on the trail.

Pretty neat. "This Old House" of late is welcoming apprentice carps and masons to the crews, and females are prominent among them. Question not addressed in the article: Are these just "projects", or will these Tiny Houses be used in the camp? Storage? Scout cabins (barracks)? snack bar? Anything?

Hello ? Do we need to start another thread about the risk/illegality/inappropriateness of "Scout Accounts"? Any other Scouter dot commers out there with stories about this? UNIT Fundraising is the idea, not Individual Scout Fundraising Thru A Scout Unit Fundraiser, yes?

A good question, one I had not heard or considered before. When I teach Woodtools in IOLS, I always talk about how a Boy Scout teaching Whittlin' Chip is an excellent recruiting tool . I then progress thru pocket knives (WC) to hatchets and axes and saws. I would think, as has been noted, if the Scout has the WC (not a badge to wear on the Boy Scout uni), I would still expect (That's the word !) the Scout to operate his tool safely. He/she (!) would not be allowed to operate an axe or saw until he/she had passed the Totin' Chip, but they could still cut rope to length as needed, make Fuzz sticks and necker slides. Question for the audience: What constitutes " demonstrate safe handling" in your Totin' Chip? Around here , the tradition is the creation of a really good tent peg. Selection of a appropriate stick/limb, Sharp four sided point, nice neat notch with "wings", pruned off relief over the notch and chamfered head edges, maybe about 2 or 3" diameter, 12 or 20 inches long.... In it's creation, is a knife "allowed" or only hatchet/ax? Could you saw it? I once had a boy make a really nice one with Three Notches ! Two "natural" notches (trimmed branches left in situ) and his created notch.

I like this page's chart: https://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Eagle_Palms It's kinda like the "New Math" I was subjected to in high school. Take total number of MBs earned , (six month limitation taken into account), Subtract Silver Palms (15 MBs) until you are down to less than 15, then subtract either a Gold (worth ten) and/or a Bronze(worth 5 or less). Go to Scoutstore and buy palms.

MattR, there ya go.

Scout activity.... So the Scout registered mom and dad drive the Patrol (two cars, eight Scouts ) to the trailhead. In deference to modern communication possibilities, the PL and some others have cell phones. The Scout registered mom and dad show up at the trail end, twelve miles later, to pickup the Scouts, 5 hours later. Picnic, cookout, watermelon in the cooler. I say that fulfills the idea of "at a Scout activity", no?

Assume the worst, prepare for the best.... What is his "legal" status vis a vis the Scouts? Does he have "guardianship" of the boys? I think you need a lawyer's opinion here more than some Scout Loyal internet opinions. Regardless of your ex's status, and you do need a lawyer to clarify that, in an emergency your "live in", no matter how he is accepted by the boys, may have no say in what needs to be done. Knock on your lawyer's door.

"Fifth Graders Form Wagon Train, Recreate Old Frontier Pioneers" http://www.gazette.net/gazette_archive/2002/200219/olney/news/103770-1.html ""Children would get caught in stampedes, or drown," Rachel (age eleven) said. "They had some hardships."" It is unclear if this event has happened again recently. I could find no internet relatable item.

The three words no Scoutmaster likes to hear: "Hey, watch this ! !"