Saturday, November 11, 2006

Great job today!

You guys did a super job and I'm very proud. It meant an awful lot to the Veterans to have such a super turn out.

Tomorrow morning Ethan and I are going to be meeting w/ Dr. Waltz to pick up the remaining grave markers at cemeteries around the Valley. We are meeting at the N. Conway Catholic Cemetery at 10am. Any and all that would like to join us would be quite welcome.

Thanks again to all!
Andy C

Tuesday Nov. 16th

On our regular Troop meeting night we will be assembling early to attend the local performance. This is a special event. Please arrive at 5:45pm the show begins promptly at 6pm. Scouts must wear their uniform. The cost of the performance is $5 for each registered Scout/ Scouter (student price is normally $10).

YOU MUST HAVE SIGNED UP FOR THIS PERFORMANCE IN ADVANCE AT ONE OF THE LAST TWO TROOP MEETINGS.
If you didn't make the meeting and get onto the sign-up sheet you must e-mail me by Tuesday
We will have a brief Troop meeting after the play to go over last minute planning for our Scouting for Food drive.

Scouting for Food


Mr. MacLeod is still looking for Scouts to fill the Saturday, Nov. 18th
Noon to 2:00pm and the 2 to 4:00 pm slots.

PLEASE contact him ASAP
csetraining@aol.com or at 356-8129


This is a very important community service project. All of the food that we collect stays with local families.

Friday, November 10, 2006

COMMITTEE MEETING

Wednesday, Nov. 15th @ 7:30 pm
Pike/ Conway Dahl office (old AD Davis location) 3277 Wht. Mtn Highway
This meeting is open to all parents and Committee members, please make every effort to attend... this is your Troop.
Agenda;
  • Calendar
  • Fund Raising
  • Chair Positions
  • Troop Handbook
This should be a very productive meeting... I'm looking forward to lots of great ideas and hoping to come out of this meeting with and even stronger Unit and a Committee that is ready to further the aims and goals of Scouting in the Valley.
We'll see you all Wednesday night.
YIS,
-AC

Thursday, November 09, 2006

VETERANS DAY

Does anyone know the significance of the phrase “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month"?

It's the time, day, and month when, in 1918, the peace treaty was signed bringing an end to the conflict we know today as World War I.
People notice and remember unusual coincidences like this.

In the years following 1918 many nations chose to honor those who fought and died in the War with special ceremonies held on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
In England , an Unknown Soldier was buried in Westminster Abbey. Westminster Abbey is the sacred and hollowed place where the people of Great Britain honor their heroes.
In France an Unknown Soldier was buried in Paris beneath the Arch de Triumph, a sacred place to the French.
In the United States , on November 11, 19 21, we created the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery .

Over time, other nameless heroes have been added to our Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Today, there is an unidentified soldier from WWI, WWII, The Korean War, and the Vietnam War. This sacred place has come to symbolize all those who have fought and died in the service of our country.

Our Congress made this day a national holiday, originally known as Armistice Day - to honor the end of the "war to end all wars".

Unfortunately, there were other wars. Armistice Day has been renamed Veteran's Day.

For a brief time, Veteran's Day was moved from November 11th.
Congress turned it into one of those Monday - 3 day weekend holidays. People, however, remembered the coincidental date. Fate or the hand of God perhaps, had marked forever the 11th of November - Congress had to change it back.
Veteran's Day should be a time when we remember, and honor, all that have served in these nations armed forces.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Veterans Day


This year Veteran's Day, as I'm sure you are all aware, falls on a Saturday.

The schedule of events are as follows;
11 am church service at the North Conway Congregational Church (across from Your Paws Only).
We will leave the church following the service and march to the JHF School.
From the school we will parade to Schouler Park (in front of the train station).
At the park there will be a flag ceremony w/ two Scouts from Troop 150 aiding the Legionnaire's in folding the flag. The flag will be presented to a local widow to commemorate her husbands service to our country.
Following the service, around 2pm, the Scouts will be invited to attend a luncheon with the members of the Legion. This, from my understanding, will be a ticketed event. You should see me immediately following the ceremony at the park if you plan on attending the luncheon.

The boys and leaders will be expected to be in 'Class A' uniform.

Please remind the boys about the reverence that is due to the men and women that have sacrificed for our country. They are expected to be on their best behavior.

Saturday, November 04, 2006

FULL MOON HIKE

What a night for a hike... Absolutely beautiful! The moon was as bright as I have seen it. Cloudless and calm, what a treat!
Twenty-one joined us for our jaunt around the moon lit pond. I kick my-self for not bringing a camera... In reality this is not something I will forget for quite a while. It was gorgeous.

Total wild life count:
SPL- 1
Indian Patrol- 6 members
King Chickens- 3 members

Mountaineers- 1 member
Huskies- 1 member

Adult leaders- 3
Family members- 6

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Troop 150 takes 2nd place at the District's Fall Camporee!


Great work guys. I saw a lot of encouraging things during this Camporee. You guys are really beginning to work well together. The 'Trick out my Scout' was a great NEW skit.

A special thanks to the Dads that ran stations for the boys... it wouldn't have happened without you!
Thanks to Mr. Steesy... you, your truck and your dedication to the Troop is greatly appreciated.

Again a GIANT THANK YOU to all of the guys that gave up their weekend to come share it with us at the Camporee.

Hope to see you all at Thursdays meeting.

-AC

Monday, October 02, 2006

The Scout Outdoor Essentials

The Scout Outdoor Essentials

This is the minimum list that I would expect all Scouts to carry, to this I would add;
  • pen and paper
  • a LNT toilet kit

Friday, September 22, 2006

S100 50/50 Premium Heavyweight T-shirts from ClassB.com

S100 50/50 Premium Heavyweight T-shirts from ClassB.com

Prior to Committee Meeting last night we were talking about t-shirts.
Class B will do our shirts. No artwork or shipping fees, print (one color) front and back... free shipping for $9.99 per shirt (40 shirts)... check it out at the link above.
-Andy

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

GREAT JOB!

Kudos to the guys that gave up thier Sat. to take part in the classroom portion of the Adult Leader Training. Great job; Steve, Scott and Ted!
It's not too late for everyone else... you can still join these guys durring the Outdoor portion of the training in October. Check out the calendar for details.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Meetings 9/7/06

Happy Thursday... looking forward to seeing everyone tonight!

Patrol Leaders Council for Patrol Leaders Assistant PL's @ 6pm
Month's Agenda

Troop Meeting @ 7pm

POPCORN... We need EVERYONE on board for this. Last night the Popcorn Committee has ordered almost 3 times the amount of popcorn from last years Show n' Sell. They know you can sell this.
Mrs. Steesy is leading the charge with this and will be at tonight's meeting. Bring your calendars and be prepared to commit to selling lot's of POPCORN!

Prep for Open House

New Leader Training... this Saturday in Littleton. There is a link on the BLOG with info. I'll bring a copy of the flyer from the web site to the meeting. So far I have commitments from Mr. Laliberte, Mr. Steesy and Mr. Mannik.

See you all tonight,
Andy

Link to the District Training Calendar

For the leaders attending this Saturdays training here is the link to the District training calendar. Click the 'HERE' for the flyer. Dennis Murphy is the contact person for this event.

Thanks for your commitment to providing and excellent program for the boys.

-Andy

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Fall Camporee 2006

When; Sept 29th- Oct 1st

Where; Palmer Brook Scout Reservation, Broomstick Hill Rd., Littleton, NH

You will need to turn in your permission slip to your Patrol Leader by Thursday, the 21st, if you are planning on attending.
Registration cost is $8 per person. If this is to come out of your Scout account remember to write a 'check' and turn it in with your permission slip (you are responcible to make sure you have funds available).
Please use your Scout Handbook as a reference source for the personal items that you will need to bring. If you have any questions as to what is appropriate please see your Patrol Leader or Senior Patrol. We will be hiking our gear into our camp site.

We will be departing from our Troop shed Friday evening at 5:00 pm. We will be carpooling to this event.
We will be returning to the shed by 12 pm on Sunday, Oct 1st. Scouts will need to be picked-up @ noon.
There is no cell service on this site... in an EMERGENCY you may contact 447-1393; every effort will be made to get word to the camp site.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

What a day!




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Prepping the 'blaze'




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More from the Pond




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Sawyer Pond




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Sawyer Pond Trip




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What a GREAT weekend for a backpacking trip!

A much reduced version of the Troop went on a backpacking trip to Sawyer Pond this past weekend.
Saturday morning, after a little pack fitting, we left parking lot on the Kanc behind us. Promptly we shed our hiking boots and put on our water shoes to wade across the Swift River. We reviewed proper water crossing techniques and then jumped in. The water was COLD. Upon reaching the other side we dried off, re-laced our boots and donned our packs. We were off following the Sawyer Pond trail. The trail is fairly well marked and we met several other hikers either coming from or headed to the pond. We stopped for a very nice lunch on the trail... it's amazing how good a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich can taste when enjoyed on the right location with the right company.
We had a fairly flat hike for the first half of the trip. Once we hit the the halfway mark we started a slight elevation gain, the trail became rockier with more exposed roots. We started thinking about how much fun it was going to be when we hit camp. In true Scout fashion the guys broke out into marching songs while on the trail. After SEVERAL verses I had to be the wet blanket and beg them to stop... there would be a brief pause (out of respect, I'm sure) and then they'd set off singing again.
Upon reaching the pond we made another water crossing and found the tent platforms. We gave some brief thought about staying in the shelter, but, the boys decided... "we lugged the tent... we're going to sleep in it"... there was no arguing with that logic.
It was fun to watch the guys set up camp... they attacked it like real pros. They set up their tent and stowed their gear. Then they went about the task of gathering firewood... this is no easy job as this area sees a ton of traffic. Using teamwork they built one of the best log cabin fire-sets I think I have seen. They set this beauty a blaze using flint and steel. Their next task was cooking dinner. We prepared spaghetti and carrots on the backpacking stove. We enjoyed some ginger snaps and chai tea for dessert. The fire was timed perfectly we enjoyed it thru dinner and then it burned out. After dinner was cleaned up we set-up the requisite bear bag and then went off to filter some water out of the pond.
As the sun set the guys broke out the LED Frisbee and had a blast tossing it about the camp site, as the throws got wilder we decided to call it a night. We got cleaned up and ready for bed, after a long day we turned in around 8:30... I must have been out as soon as I hit my pad. The next morning the boys reported to me the shenanigans, from the college aged group, going on at the site adjacent to us... I don't know how I missed it. Tough being an old dog!
Sunday morning I was up early to enjoy the pre-sunrise dawn. I took my cup of tea down to the edge of the pond and watched the mist rise off the pond... Truly beautiful. The boys rolled out and we cooked rather lumpy, slightly charcoaled, apple pancakes on the stove... looked rough, but, tasted great. We washed them down w/ hot Tang... it get's no better.
We broke camp and cleaned the whole campsite (it's amazing the garbage that people leave behind). The guys did a super job with following the Leave No Trace principles.
We made an impromptu bush-wack around the back side of the pond before taking the Sawyer River trail back to the parking lot and civilization.
All in all a GREAT weekend. The guys joining me are real troopers... this was their first backpack outing... I would not hesitate to take them anywhere.

Here's to more trips into the backcountry.
-Andy