Good morning!
I am still basking in the afterglow of a very fun and successful Webelos weekend put on by the scouts in T648. We had 26 guests including a dozen Webelos I’s and II’s and a couple of non-scouts who spent the afternoon and evening with us. It is always amazing to me to be aware of some of the chaos going into the weekend, and then be witness to the creativity and character of our boys as they come through with yet another coordinated and fulfilling event. As I talked in the evening individually with the cub scouts, it was not the traditional campfire, monkey bridge or the roping the steer game they mentioned as their favorites, but the actual learning events in the afternoon delivered with humor and ingenuity by our scouts (fake blood, delusional pretend hikers running away from the search and rescuers, fire, fire and more fire in the firepit). The parents were uniformly impressed by the poise, patience and effectiveness of our scouts with their sons, and a terrific time was had by all. Many thanks to the youth for their numerous contributions despite the cool temperatures and wind , to Mr. Traynor for the outstanding meal preparation and delivery, and to the 20 adult leaders who performed many heroics and other balancing acts in the background to assist the 27 boys who set off on Friday night to deliver a truly memorable weekend for our guests.
As noted in yesterday’s post, we will not be able to hold our winter court this Tuesday due to a conflicting church event in the social hall. We apologize to those who were working hard to finish advancements or merit badges by that deadline, but we will look to reschedule within the  next month.  This gives those of you who are close to finishing another week or two to button up those last requirements. Additionally, stay tuned for:
- Mikey’s Eagle project – the attack of the killer invasive species in McDowell Mountain Park on 1/28
- For first class and above scouts, the beginning of the Citizenship Merit Badges on 1/31 with Mr. Clapp
- Begin planning for our 7/7-14 adventure at Camp Geronimo. We will begin having orientations soon, and the initial reservation payment of $100 is due 1/31
- Our annual ski outing 2/3-5 at Sunrise in the White Mountains. Come to our next couple of troop meetings as planning begins, and stay tuned to the website for further details
- What’s better than an Eagle sighting? Seeing double! Please plan to attend a very efficient Eagle Court of Honor for young Mr. Frank and young Mr. Andrews on 2/11 in celebration of their reaching the pinnacle in scouting.
- An adult leader meeting on 2/13 to further plan on supporting our boy leadership, and Mr. Benyi’s next installment of our troop committee meeting on a Tuesday in mid February.
We are blessed to have you and your families in scouting, and particularly in support of T648. There are so many lives intertwining in an organization of this size, and we would not be who we are without each one of you and all the ways you support the patrols, the leadership, and the adults in making this troop the best we can be.
See you on Tuesday night!
Mr. Cole