Updates

I posted to the blog the other day but later found out that the email feed was broken and needed reset. Please go to the blog and read the last post.

Upcoming events and news

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. A couple of upcoming events, and important information for you.......

Merit Badges:

Citizenship in the nation:
Riley Mastovich, Gavin Miller, Brendon Petrell, Mike Reynolds and Eli Sakmar need to write a summary of five national news headlines from five different days. This should be a national story, not local or world news. These need to be turned in by the meeting on January 4th or they will have to start over on the merit badge which may include new requirements.This badge is required for Eagle Scout. Any questions can be directed to the merit badge counselor, Paul Miller.

Personal Fitness:
We have started the personal fitness merit badge, anyone participating needs to keep a fitness log for 90 days. Please make sure your son has started to do this. This badge is required for Eagle Scout. Any questions about this can be directed to the merit badge counselor, Paul Miller.

Parents Meeting:
Monday January 4th, there will be a brief 15 minute parents meeting. The focus of this meeting will be to briefly discuss the troop finances. Paul will have an envelope for each of you that will include, if you owe money, how much you owe, and for what.As our troop continues to grow this will be an increasingly important issue. As a heads up, I (Dan) will be making a motion to the committee in February that as of March, if you owe the troop money, you cannot participate in any camping trip or outing until arrangements for payment have been made.

Board of Review:
At the meeting on Monday January 4th, we need 2 or 3 parents to stick around and help with boards of review so that boys can advance.

Blog:
We have now successfully signed up at least one parent from every family to the blog. A couple of things to mention:

You can add as many email addresses as you wish so you can get updates at work, or home, or on your phone.

Moving forward I urge you to have the boys enter their email and follow the blog as well. That way, you can put the monkey on their back. If they see an event and want to go, they can ask you and sign up for it themselves.

Klondike Derby, Comment if interested!!

2016 Klondike Derby

Keystone District, Laurel Highland Council

Saturday, February 6th, 2016

Quemahoning Family Recreation Area

Quemahoning Dam Road Hollsopple, PA 15935

 

Hosted by Boy Scout Troop 2025, Richland Twp. Fire Department

Open to Boy Scouts and 2^nd year Webelos

Outdoor primitive overnight camping available to Boy Scout Troops only (reservations required).

Cost and Registration Online:

$7 per youth/ $3 per adult early bird fee paid by 1/15 $12 per youth/ $8 per adult late fee paid after 1/15. Registration closes 1/30.

Schedule:

7:00 – 7:45      Arrival, Registration

8:00 – 8:15      Flags, Instruction – Pass out Orienteering Directions.

8:15 – 9:50       Skill Station 

9:00 – 9:35       Skill Station 

9:45 – 10:20    Fire Building in Troop Site, start Dutch Oven cooking.

10:30 – 11:05 Skill Station 

11:15 – 11:50 Prepare Lunch and start cooking

12: 00 – 12:35  Live Demonstration

12:45 – 1:20     Submit Dutch Oven and Lunch Samples, Eat Lunch.

1:30 - 2:05       Skill Station

2:30                 Great Race – Staggered start, timed race, check point cards.

Questions: Eric Lindrose – (814) 241-3532

General Rules:

Sled Teams will navigate to each Skill Station using compass bearing and distance.

Each Sled Team must cook a dutch oven item and hot lunch item and submit a sample for judging.

 (Meals may be prepared in advance but must be cooked on site during the event in the time frame slotted.)

Troops must supply their own firewood for cooking.

No Wheels / Roller allowed on Sled.

All equipment must be on the sled; no back packs or day packs will be worn, they must travel on the sled.

“Leave No Trace” (garbage in – garbage out).

Sled Teams will be scored at each skill station, food samples and the Great Race, max. 10 points each. During the Great Race, sleds must pass checkpoints by showing specific Sled equipment items. Adults are observers, this event is for Scouts.

Skill Stations:

Lashing

Fire Building

Rescue and First Aid

Cooking

Team Skills

Great Race

Eqiupment:

Patrol Flag

Compass

Boy Scout Handbook

Lashing rope – 6 ft. min. length (15 pcs.)

Patrol First Aid Kit

Blankets (2 ea.)

6’ staves (2 ea.)

5 gal. bucket with natural (as it comes from the tree) kindling, tender and fuel wood (lid must fit). 2 Styrofoam Cups per Patrol Member

Water for drinking

Fire Starter (no matches)

Large Garbage Bag 

Change of Plans for Wednesday

The Deacons program at Westmont Presbyterian has had overwhelming support from the community, has thanked us for our service on Monday but does not need our help on Wednesday. Thanks to all of you that showed up on Monday.

Troop 217 Boys and Parents donate over 30 man hours to Deacons Program!!

Thank you to all of those who participated in the Deacons Program at the Westmont Presbyterian Church on Monday. The turn out was an overwhelming success and took a lot of strain off of the volunteers from the church.

Reminders

Mondays Meeting will be at the Westmont Presbyterian church at 7 pm for service hours, please comment on the service hour post to make sure he gets credit for being there

Rechartering is due and will be 30 dollars, please comment on the recharter post if your boy will continue

We are still looking to see who all is interested in the cross country skiing on Jan 10th. Please comment on the skiing post if your boy, or family would like to attend

Just to Recap, sign ups and responses NEED to be posted on the blog. This is the way that the troop is communicating. It is up to you to make sure that this is done. If you are having problems with the blog, or have questions about it, or would like something posted on the blog, my contact info is on the front page of the blog and it is your responsibility to get the help or answers you need.

I realize this is new to some of you but I believe this is going to be the most effective way for the troop to communicate. As a side note, feel free to have the boys sign up for the blog using their email addresses as well.

Please respond

Failure to respond to the rechartering and service hour posts will result in your son not being rechartered or receiving service hours.  With the change in the requirements staring January 2016 every scout needs to have service hours to advance.  To respond to the e;mail click on the boy scout troop 217 link at the bottom of this message.

Next Mondays Meeting

Please take note that next Mondays Meeting will be at The Westmont Presbyterian church at 7pm for service hours. Also please let me know by commenting below if your son will be there. It would be nice to have a good turn out and show support in our community.

Rechartering

Recharting is now due.  The cost will be $30.00 due now.  If your son is going to continue with the troop please let us know as soon as possible so we can get things going.

Cross country skiing and orienteering, what a fun mix!!!

To all orienteers and potential orienteers:

On January 10th at Laurel Ridge Ski Area, WPOC will offer a ski-orienteering event.  This is orienteering on cross-country skis.  There will be three courses:  one for beginners, one for experienced and one in between.  Registration and starts for the orienteering go from 10 am to 1 pm but the ski area will be open for skiing all day.

If you haven't tried cross country skiing before, Naomi Jarvis will be there to teach beginners starting at 10am.  Ski equipment will also be available to rent from the concession at Laurel Ridge.  I am sending this early notice because I want to give you time to think about coming, and perhaps to pass the word around.  I will send out the usual kind of reminder about 2 weeks before the event and at that time I will ask you to let me know if you plan to come and you want to rent equipment - this is so I can tell the concession people how much equipment is needed.

Laurel Ridge Ski Area is on route 653 between Donegal and Somerset. It is at an elevation of nearly 3000 feet; so I am hoping we will have snow.

Please comment below if you are interested in participating and we can get it organized!!

UPDATE!!! Cost would be 20 dollars for boys and 35 dollars for adults

Service Hours Available

Troop 217 will once again be participating in the Deacons program at the Westmont Presbyterian church on Luzerne St. We will need boys to help pack boxes on December 14th at 7 pm and we will also need people to help on December 16th at 530 pm to serve dinner and carry boxes to cars. Please sign up in the comment section below to schedule your son to help out.

Rada Knife orders are due!!!

For any of you that are going to England, The RADA knife orders are due tomorrow, Nov 30th. There is not a scout meeting so they must be to Pauls house by tomorrow evening. If you have questions or need directions, contact him at 243 6320. The address is 700 goucher st and is right across from the elementary school.

A successful, warmer than usual, campout

November 28th, 5 boy scouts, 2 webelos, and 3 adults(term used loosely) made our way out to the Adirondack shelters for a night of fun, mess kit pizzas and doughnuts. A good time was had by all and the boy scouts learned that if you build a fire for winter camping, but its not winter, your shelter turns into a sauna!!!

Campout on November 28th!!

The boy scouts will be taking the Webelos camping for a FALL  campout on November 28th at the lean to shelters that we all know and love!! It should be a great chance to meet the boys that will be joining our troop in February. Please comment below if you and/or your boy will be attending. Cost will be 5 dollars per person attending. Please see the overnighter page for a list of required as well as recommended gear for the trip.

Welcome!!!!!

Welcome to the new age of Troop 217!!!
Please make sure that you subscribe to the blog. Any posts or important information about upcoming events will be posted here. To sign up for events, just leave a comment.