Troop 734 - Hilliard, OH

• Tonight’s program Patrol: Froggies; Scout skills: campsite selection, lashings, and poisonous plants and the buddy system for Tenderfoot.
• Next week: no meeting (summer camp).
• Next meeting (July 12): program Patrol: Pedros; Scout skills: safe swim defense, safe hiking, and WMD’s.
• Upcoming events:
  • Summer Camp – July 4-10.
  • Whitewater Rafting – July 31 – Aug 1.
  • St. James Brat Fest – Aug 6-8.
  • Wilderness Survival Campout – Aug 20-22.
  • Rappelling Campout – Sept 10-12.
• Announcements:
  • Mr. Bryan conducted our first Youth Protection training session.
  • Mr. Bryan also presented a short informational slideshow about Crooked Creek.
  • Zack Bringman is still working on his Eagle project, so if you can help with that he’s going to be at the Hilliard Davidson wood shop on Tuesday and Thursday from 1 to 4:30 both this week and next week.  The wood shop is on the back of the school, facing the bus garage.  Please bring gloves, safety glasses and tape measures if you want them.
  • Summer camp is next week!  Tent assignments should be taken care of tonight.  Summer camp info sheet sent to the Sunnydaze list.  The driver list should also be all set at this point.  We’ll meet at 8am by Burger King (not the Church lot).  Be sure to have your Class-A uniform on (not packed)!  Bring $5 cash, because we’ll be stopping for lunch on the way.  It’s not necessary to have your swim trunks on – we’ll have a chance to change when we get down there.  Anyone who wishes to participate in any water activities will need to complete a swim test!
  • Welcome back, Northern Tier Scouts!  We’re very proud of our two crews; both completed around 50 miles (80 km) of paddling and portaging.  Watch the website for for pictures (coming soon!), and be sure to talk to some of the crew members to learn all about the trip.
  • We have a fundraising opportunity coming up in conjunction with Red, White, and Boom.  We have an opportunity to make 2-3 times what we normally make for races (around $10-15 / hour).  We’d work for 2-3 hours at a time passing out flyers for an upcoming sale.  Mr. Hansford will be coordinating this fundraising opportunity, so please contact him if you’re interested.

BSA National Policies regarding adult training have recently been changed. Troop 734 will implement these policies right away. The Troop places a great emphasis on protecting our Scouts and will implement some additional requirements. If you are a parent/guardian or an adult with a Scout in Troop 734, please read the changes in the attached PDF file in their entirety and very carefully.

Congratulations to Alex Lloyd and the #19 BSA 2010 car - they finished a solid 4th in today's Indianapolis 500!

• Tonight’s program Patrol: Taco Bellers; Scout skills: poisonous plants, directions (day & night), and how to use your compass.
• No meeting next week (Memorial Day).
• Upcoming events:
  • Shooting Campout – June 4-6.  Since tonight is the last meeting before the campout, menu planning and tent assignments need to be finalized.  Menu planning started last week, and Mr. Hansford passed out a signup sheet in Patrol meetings for tent assignments.  For those who haven’t joined us for a shooting campout, it’s one of the most popular campouts for the boys.  They’ll have a chance to shoot .22 rifles, shotguns (12 & older), and archery (new this year).  Mr. Tighe reminded us that we’ll need lots of targets, so start saving cans, plastic bottles, and so on.
  • Spring Court of Honor – June 7.  Watch for invitations (with Patrol assignments) via email (they’ll also be posted here on the web site).
  • Northern Tier 2010 – June 12–23.
  • Summer Camp – July 4-10.
  • Whitewater Rafting – July 30-Aug 1.
  • St. James Brat Fest – Aug 6-Aug 8.  Each boy will be expected to work a shift during the weekend.
• Announcements
  • Thanks for those who came out to Chick-Fil-A to help with fundraising for his Eagle project.  If you can help with work on the project, please let Zach know.
  • Elections for Senior Patrol Leader (Trent, Kyle, & Reeve) and Patrol Leaders were held tonight.  Remember, we’re changing to a 4-month rotation, so these leaders will serve until September.
  • Scott Lane is going to offer an Orienteering course on June 19 (sometime in the morning).  If you’re working on your First Class rank, this is requirement #2.
  • Mr. Martin reminded the boys that since we’re voting for Patrol Leaders, doing menu planning, and so on as Patrols, it’s important that all new Scouts are settled into their permanent Patrols at this time.   If there’s any doubt about which Patrol you (or your Scout) is in, please see Mr. Martin as soon as you can to work that out.
  • Mrs. Jones has an opportunity for some service hours at Cub Scout Day Camp.  July 12-15 (right after summer camp).  There are opportunities for individual volunteers, or organized (Troop) opportunities.  Right now, they need help with activities like kickball, water stations (including a dunking booth!), and other water games.
  • Music merit badge students will meet on Tuesday (5/25) at the Church at 7pm to work on your badge.  Please contact Mr. Estep if you have any questions.

• This week’s program Patrol: Wolves; Scout skills: Tenderfoot knots, hurry cases, and carries.
• Next week’s program Patrol: Taco Bellers; Scout skills: poisonous plants, how compass works, and directions during the day and at night.
• Upcoming events:
  • Boy Scouts 100th Anniversary Days at the Columbus Zoo – May 22, 23.  Scouts (and parents) in Class-A uniform get into the zoo free.
  • Memorial Day – May 31.  No meeting!
  • Shooting Campout – June 4-6.  Planning is underway for this campout.  We have to get moving on this a little early, since we’re going to miss a meeting on Memorial Day, so permission slips were distributed tonight.
• Announcements:
  • This coming Wednesday is another Chick-Fil-A fundraiser for Zach Bringman.  Pick up a flyer tonight, or just tell the folks there that you’re there to help Zach’s Eagle project.  Work should begin the week after the shooting campout.
  • Mr. Estep held a short meeting for the kids working on the Music merit badge.
  • SPL elections are coming up next week, and tonight, we heard from our three candidates:
    • Kyle wants to use the SPL position as a growth opportunity and to help other Scouts.
    • Reeve wants to help things run smoothly and to help everyone advance and be more “boy-led”.
    • Trent wants to help the Troop be more organized, and he plans to attend as many meetings and campouts as he can.

• This week’s program Patrol: Froggies; Scout skills: game night.
• Next week’s program Patrol: Wolves; Scout skills: Tenderfoot knots; hurry cases; carries.
• Upcoming events:
  • Horseback Riding Campout – May 14-16.  Meet at St. James Friday at 6:00 p.m.  We will need to be at Marmon Valley at 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning and will return to camp at 4:45 p.m. Lunch will be at Marmon Valley.  Permission slips and Waivers must be signed by a parent and given to Mr. Bryan.
  • Aviation Merit Badge Event – May 15.
  • Northern Tier prep canoe trip – May 15 (tentative).
  • Shooting Campout – June 4-6.
  • Spring Court of Honor – June 7.
  • Northern Tier 2010 – June 12-23.
  • Summer Camp – July 4-10.
  • Whitewater Rafting – July 30-Aug 1.
• Announcements:
  • Next Monday is the last night to turn in completed merit badges and scout master conferences for the next COH.
  • If you’re interested in the music merit badge please see Mr. Estep tonight to add your name to his list.
  • The SPL training scheduled for tonight has been moved to next week.  See Mrs. Kirke for information.
  • There’s a card to sign for Kieran Davidson and wish him a speedy recovery.
  • Thank you to all scouts and adults who helped with this past Saturday's Cinco de Mayo race.
  • Thank you to Chris Wobser for filling in as your SPL for tonight's meeting.

Troop 734 will be conducting a Horsemanship Merit Badge Camp Out May 14th through 16th.

We will be camping at the BSA Otter Run Facility and commuting over to Marmon Valley Farms on Saturday to attend classes, trail rides and hopefully finish our merit badge requirements.  We should be having lunch at Marmon Valley Farms.

Marmon Valley merit badge counselors have established Requirement #2 (the 15 major parts of a horse) as a prerequisite prior to classes.  To help all attendees, attached please find two items:

1. A PDF file showing all the parts of a horse
2. A Word file showing the same diagram and the associated page from the Horsemanship Merit Badge worksheet

Scouts can use either or both of these items, together with a Horsemanship Merit Badge Handbook from the Troop Library or purchased at the Scout Store to work on their merit badge.

• Tonight's program Patrol: Vikings; Scout skills: poisonous plants, weapons of mass destruction, and five signs of a heart attack.
• Next week’s program Patrol: Froggies; Scout skills: game night.  Wear class-B’s tonight, and we’ll have our flag ceremony outside if weather permits.
• Upcoming events:
  • Cinco De Mayo 4 Miler – May 8.
  • Horseback Riding Campout – May 14-16.  Menu planning is tonight, and Mr. Hansford passed out permission slips.  There are still three spots open for this campout, so if you’re interested, please let Mr. Bryan know asap!
  • Aviation Merit Badge Event – May 15.
  • Spring Court of Honor – Moved from May 24 to June 7!  Note the new date!
  • Shooting Campout – June 4-6.
  • Spring Court of Honor – June 7 – this is the rescheduled date!
  • Northern Tier 2010 – June 12-23.
  • Summer Camp – July 4-10.
• Announcements
  • Thanks to those who helped Zach last Wednesday to help raise money for his Eagle project.  He’s still looking for volunteers to help with the project - – the sign-up sheet is at the back of the room, so be sure to find it and help out where you can.
  • Next Monday (May 10), there will be a training session for any Scouts interested in becoming Senior Patrol Leader – now or in the future, or even if you want to know more about the position to help you decide if you want to run.  This training will cover the expectations and duties of the position, and you’re not committed to run if you take the training.  See Mrs Kirke or Mr. Graves if you’re interested in participating.  If you're planning on running for SPL, you should plan on attending this training session!
  • If you are interested in running for SPL, please see Mr. Graves this week or next to set up an interview.  This (along with the SPL training) is required in order to run for this position!
  • Discussion about schedule for upcoming COH – per the email from earlier today, we talked about a new date for the COH and moved it to June 7.
  • Mr. Estep will be conducting a class for the music merit badge.  Please see him to sign up if you’re interested.
  • Muirfield is looking for some paid “volunteers” to help plant flowers.  Please see Mr. Hansford if you’re interested.