With fitting brass accompaniment from a solo trumpeter, T648’s 40th Eagle scout was welcomed into the pantheon of the top 2% of scouting, as yesterday afternoon our troop gathered to celebrate young Mr. McFetters’ Eagle Court of Honor. It was terrific to again see and hear from two of the ministers from the inner-city church recipient of his Eagle project. Reliving that wonderful event, and visualizing the joy of the children who now benefit from the playground we constructed through pictures and the testimony of the Streets of Destiny ministers made for a marvelous afternoon. Three delicious sheet cakes and an afternoon of humorous remembrances didn’t hurt, either! Congratulations to young Mr. McFetters and his entire family on their son’s achievement, and for the beautiful afternoon created to commit it all to memory.
During last week’s troop meeting, Mr. Huston led a lively discussion on the effects and dangers of the various drugs and alcohol available in our society today. This session qualifies as a 2nd Class skills requirement, so if you attended the session and did not get 8a) signed off on Tuesday, please bring your book to an upcoming meeting and discuss what you learned with an adult leader. Saturday night a dozen of us assisted the Knights of Columbus in their family Bingo Pizza night fundraiser. From the ‘You can always teach an old dog new tricks’ category: The Knights had paint daubers available for purchase to mark the bingo sheets. Now after all these years I finally know what a dauber is from my grandmother’s saying – ‘Don’t get your dauber down.’ Amazing the things you learn from scouting!
We also had a committee meeting and parent night last Tuesday, with a focus on summer camp. Mr. Benyi handed out a sheet for you to begin thinking about merit badge selections for you to take at camp. If you did not obtain one, please see or write Mr. Benyi for your copy. It lists the almost 50 merit badges available, and any additional cost or pre-requisites to take the class. As with any time we go out of council to camp, there are some fantastic new ones which aren’t available at Camp Geronimo, so get your sheet and start planning today! Merit badges will need to be selected by 4/2/13, so that we can reserve your spot in the classes. Select your top six, and we will aim to sign you up for four merit badges each.
Our season of spring breaks starts this week, with Scottsdale School district families beginning the mass exodus out of town. For those of you remaining in town, Tuesday night at 6PM will be the next installment for those of you meeting with Mr. Butler on Citizenship in the Community. For anyone taking Camping or Personal Fitness, remember to check in periodically with Mr. Benyi and Mr. Conrad. Looking ahead, we have Towel Creek backpack coming up the 22nd through the 24th. It is just south of the Wet Beaver Creek and West Clear Creek trails we have frequented in the Camp Verde area. This hike will be approximately 13 miles round trip, and will include the Verde River, an active cow trail and some Anasazi ruins throughout the adventure.  Anybody like pie?
Our newsletter deadline is coming up again, so those of you in charge of the Verde River canoe trip in April, and the pancake breakfast fundraiser on April 27th – please get some informational articles in to Mrs. Traynor. We will not be having an adult leader meeting tomorrow night, but the troop meeting on Tuesday will be on Emergency Preparedness, and such important techniques as the fireman’s carry.
Have a great week!
Mr. Cole