Troop 734 - Hilliard, OH

Once again, it’s time for us to choose the summer camp we’ll attend this year.  Voting will occur at next week’s meeting (Feb 8), and we’ll be picking from the following options.  If you don’t know anything about these camps, please check out the web sites below, and come prepared to vote next week!

• Chief Logan Reservation.  This was our summer camp destination last year.  Chief Logan (or CLR) is an open program, which means that Scouts are free to roam wherever they want to earn badges.
• Woodland Trails Scout Reservation.  We went to Woodland Trails in 2007 and 2008.  Woodland Trails is a closed program, and our experience is that we (as a Troop) tend to complete more badges at closed programs.
• Crooked Creek.  This camp is just outside of Louisville, KY.  Although we’ve never tried the summer camp program, we’ve stayed at this camp a couple of times and the facilities are very nice.
• Blue Ridge Mountains Scout Reservation.  Known as the “Philmont of the East”, this 16,000-acre camp has some fabulous high-adventure opportunities for older Scouts, along with normal Merit Badge programs for younger Scouts.  This camp is in Virginia, and we’d expect about a 7-hour drive to get there.

• Tonight’s Program patrol: Taco Bellers; Scout skills: knots, safe hike, and First Class carries.
• Also tonight: Patrol Leader elections, Order of the Arrow elections, and PLC.  The PLC will also be narrowing down a list of potential summer camps from six to three or so.
  
  

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• Next week: Winter Court of Honor – check link for assignments.
• Upcoming events:
  • [R]Communications Merit Badge class – Jan 19 (week one).  Please review your syllabus and be ready to go!
  • University of Scouting – Jan 23.
  • Winter Court of Honor – Jan 25.  Be sure to check the link to see the food assignment for each patrol.
  • [R]Communications Merit Badge class – Jan 26 (week two).
  • Klondike Derby – Jan 29-30.  Click the link for details about what’s going on there.
• Announcements:
  • We discussed the May horseback riding campout tonight.  Follow this link to see more information about the campout, including fees.  Please give some thought to whether you’re going to attend this campout; we’re going to ask for a commitment on this campout next week.  We need to get everyone’s commitment early on this campout because we need to put down a deposit.

• Tonight’s program Patrol: Froggies; Scout skills: Heimlich maneuver, safe swim defense, safety afloat.
• Next week’s program Patrol: TBD (pending PLC); Scout skills: TBD (pending PLC).
• Upcoming events:
  • Vertical Adventures – Jan 15.  If you haven’t already turned in your permission slip and waiver, please take care of this asap!
  • [R]Communications Merit Badge class – Jan 19 (week one).  Note: the syllabus that was passed out last week indicated that we’re doing requirement 2b, but we’re actually doing requirement 2a.
  • University of Scouting – Jan 23.
  • Winter Court of Honor – Jan 25. 
  • [R]Communications Merit Badge class – Jan 26 (week two).
  • Klondike Derby – Jan 29-30.  We’re going to camp at Church Friday night, then head up to Camp Lazarus on Saturday.
  • Merit Badge College 2010 - Session 1 – Jan 31.
  • [R]Communications Merit Badge class – Feb 2 (week three).
  • [R]Communications Merit Badge class – Feb 9 (week four).
  • Skiing / Tubing – Feb 12.
  • [R]Communications Merit Badge class – Feb 16 (week five – if needed).
  • Merit Badge College 2010 - Session 2 – Feb 20.
  • Skills Campout – Mar 12-14.
• Announcements:
  • Tonight was the last night to complete a Board of Review in order for an advancement to be awarded at the upcoming Winter Court of Honor, but please keep working on your advancements – we don’t want Mr. Martin to get lonely, do we?

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the 2009 Popcorn sale.  Between individual sales and our group show-and-sells, we sold $11,970 of popcorn!  As you know, this is a big fundraiser for boy's’ individual accounts as well as for the Troop in general, and $4,439 of that total is going straight into Scouts’ accounts.

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Special congratulations go to our top seller for 2009, Marshall Johnson, and to Grant Rogers, who recorded our Troop’s first Internet sale!

Thanks to all the adults who helped with the sale this year: Scott Lane, Lynnette Bryan, Zach & Rick Bolyard, Lori Perkins, Lisa Steiner, John Estep, Debbie Johnson, Mrs. Glassburn, Mr. Cooper, and especially Mike Steiner!

• This week’s program Patrol: Taco Bellers; Scout skills: knots, knots, & lashings
• Next week’s program Patrol: tbd; Scout skills: tbd (pending PLC meeting)
• Upcoming events:
  • Vertical Adventures – Jan 15.  Permission slips and waivers were passed out tonight.  We’re going to meet at the Church at 9pm, leaving at 9:30, and we’ll wrap up and head home around 8:30am on Saturday.  Please click the link for more details.
  • [R]Communications Merit Badge class – Jan 19 (week one).  Click the link for more information about the class.
  • University of Scouting – Jan 23.
  • Winter Court of Honor – Jan 25. 
  • [R]Communications Merit Badge class – Jan 26 (week two).
  • Klondike Derby – Jan 30.
  • Merit Badge College 2010 - Session 1 – Jan 31.
  • [R]Communications Merit Badge class – Feb 2 (week three).
  • [R]Communications Merit Badge class – Feb 9 (week four).
  • Skiing / Tubing – Feb 12.
  • [R]Communications Merit Badge class – Feb 16 (week five – if needed).
  • Merit Badge College 2010 - Session 2 – Feb 20.
• Announcements:
  • Note: Next week (Jan 11) is the last date you can have a Board of Review if you wish to have your rank awarded at the Winter Court of Honor (Jan 25).  Please turn in any merit badge blue cards by next week, as well, so they can be included in the COH.
  • Mr. Wobser gave us an update on our race volunteer fund raising activities.  In 2009, we worked 21 races and raised $7080 - almost $3000 more than 2008.  Thanks to Scouts, adults, leaders, and especially Mr. Wobser and Mr. Cooper.  Our goal for 2010 is to have every Scout in the Troop work at least one race - it's a great way to earn money for the Troop, and especially you!
  • Chris Wobser (our Troop Librarian) reminded us that if you have merit badge books you're not using any more, we’d like to have you consider turning them in to the Troop library. 
    
    

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  • There’s a new Scout handbook out, and it’s got new rank advancement requirements.  We’re officially in transition now.  If you're working on a rank right now, you're allowed to finish that rank under the old requirements, but everyone must transition to the new book for new rank advancement.

The Simon Kenton Council just released their "Scouter" newsletter for January / February, 2010.  There's all sorts of information in the newsletter, and you can download it (PDF) here.

• Tonight’s program Patrol: Taco Bellers; Scout skills: knots; game: knot relay
• Next week – no meeting!  Next meeting is Jan 4, 2010.
• Upcoming events:
  
  • Vertical Adventures – Jan 15-16. We’ll meet at the Church around 9pm, and stay overnight at Vertical Adventures, leaving there by 8am Saturday morning.
  • University of Scouting – Jan 23.
  • Winter Court of Honor – Jan 25.
  • Klondike Derby – Jan 30.
  • Merit Badge College 2010 - Session 1 – Jan 30.
  • Skiing / Tubing – Feb 12.
• Announcements:
• Subscription to Boy’s Life – if you’re interested, please let Mr. Graves know so he can do this with our rechartering.  The rate is $12, which is cheaper than you can get on your own, and it can be taken from your Scout accounts.

• Tonight’s program Patrol: Wolves; Scout skills: first aid carries.
• Next week’s program Patrol: TBD; Scout skills: TBD
• Upcoming events:
  • Committee Meeting – Dec 9
  • Colin O'Connor - Eagle Court – Dec 12
  • Dublin Snowflake 5K – Dec 13
  • Northern Tier Merit badge class sign-ups due – Dec 14
  • University of Scouting – Jan 23
  • Merit Badge College 2010 - Session 1 – Jan 30
• Announcements:
  • If all goes well, this update and all subsequent posts on our web site, should be forwarded to the “Sunnydaze” list.  If you’re reading this in your inbox, everything’s working fine.  Don’t forget to click the links in this message for more information on any of those items, and don’t forget that everything you’re reading here (and lots more) can be found on the web site.
  • We had a great time at the 2009 Christmas Cabin campout, and we saw some great examples of leadership.  Thanks to our leaders for leading well, and thanks to those who followed, too – no leader can lead without followers.