Boy Scout Troop 648 Scottsdale, Arizona

Hello Troop

It was a weekend to remember at the 2014 Four Peaks District Camporee! Our troop attended the annual district Camporee held at a new Grand Canyon BSA facility.  Located about 6 miles west of I-17 outside of New River, Little Grand Canyon Ranch was recently bequeathed to the Council. This beautiful facility is a working horse ranch situated in the desert along the Agua Fria river in a canyon setting.  2 1/2 weeks ago 12 scouts in the district were registered for the Camporee, but the flood gates opened and over 420 ended up attending!  Great job and kudos to the planning committee.

The Camporee is a celebration of scouting skills and showcases two competitions.  The Ultimate Scout competition emphasizes the basic scouting skills necessary to earn First Class and is applied in a series of high-adventure activities in the field.  The three-mile, multi-event course requires teamwork, cooperation, knowledge and skill.  Drum roll please…our Ultimate Scout team placed 2nd overall!  Well done T648!

The Patrol Competition evaluates scouts on their demonstration of scouting skills, teamwork, leadership, and scout spirit. This competition features a variety of events the scouts rotated through during the day and included campsite inspection, first aid, knot tying, scout trivia, tomahawk throw, archery, chicken launch, orienteering, shotgun shooting, fire building and more.  The result? Troop 648 — first place! A fantastic job by the troop!

Finally, our troop was given the honor and distinction of performing a U.S. flag retirement ceremony during Saturday evening’s campfire program. The troop performed a moving, beautiful and respectful retirement showing honor and paying respect to our flag and country. It was the best retirement we have performed in a long time and the scouts are to be congratulated for the work they put into it. Very proud of our scouts and the results showed how committed they are to excellence.

Up next? A backpacking trip on December 5-7.

Scoutmaster T648

Hello Troop

This past weekend a large contingent of troop 648 scouts, family and friends descended upon the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration area.  Along the historic Salt River, this 600-acre park is located less then two miles from downtown Phoenix and is a lush Sonoran riparian habitat used by over 200 species of birds and other wildlife—beavers, muskrats, coyotes, jackrabbits, cottontails, and javelinas—to name a few.

Alex’s project consisted of building 100 feet of split rail fence and laying down heavy gauge chicken wire necessary to keep the beavers from entering a specific section of the habitat.  It was back breaking work but the crew, led by Alex, did a great job and provided a much needed upgrade to the area.

Alex will conclude his trail to Eagle with a few more requirements to complete over the next few weeks and we are confident he will succeed.  Congrats and a big THANKS to all who attended.

Scoutmaster T648

A reminder that we will have our monthly PLC meeting Tuesday, November 4th at 6:00pm.  We will be meeting at Blessed Sacrament in our usual room.

If you are in charge of a meeting this month, please be prepared to discuss the details of your meeting’s activities.

See you then!

Scoutmaster T648

Hello Troop 648

Some additional details from Alex regarding his Eagle Project:

• Saturday, November 8th
• Starting time 8:00am
• Location – Rio Salado, 2439 S. Central, Phoenix
• We will be adding to the fence line at the Rio Salado facility
• Bring a hat, work gloves, shovel, rake, pick axe, hammer, post hole digger
• Refreshments will be provided

See you there!

Scoutmaster T648

A reminder that Alex DeAngelis’ Eagle project is coming up, this Saturday, November 8th.  Some last minute details from Alex:

If any scout needs a ride to the project site, please let Alex know.  Can anyone can help Alex with a pick up truck on Friday night to
load the wood and bring it to the site on Saturday morning? Alex has the supplies at his house, but he needs help hauling the materials to the site on Saturday.

If you can help with driving and/or hauling materials, please let me or Alex know.

See you Tuesday!

Scoutmaster T648

Hello Troop

A reminder that we have our ‘Summer Cout of Honor,’ Tuesday, October 28th.  We will have a full slate with all merit badges, ranks and summer camp awards among other items earned over the last few months during this ceremony. As we have a lot to do, we will NOT be having a pot luck or other food. The COH will start promptly at 7:00pm, so please plan on arriving around 15-20 minutes early to help set up. We will be meeting in the Social Hall at Blessed Sacrament.  The Social Hall is next door to our regular meeting room.

See you soon!

Scoutmaster T648

As mentioned in Tuesday’s troop meeting, Troop 648’s Alex Demski is starring in Spotlight Youth Theatre’s production of Annie Get Your Gun.  Alex will be playing one of the lead roles – Chief Sitting Bull.  Come on out and support your fellow scout and have a great time doing it! No work gloves or Class A/B required!

And right now, get your ticket at 50% off or only $7  here at Goldstar.com.

Some additional show info:

If you like great music, big production numbers, and lots of laughs, you’re going to love Annie Get Your Gun. This tuneful Wild West show-within-a-show shines the spotlight on rough and tumble Annie Oakley, a backwoods gal who’s plucked from obscurity, becomes the toast of Europe and falls in love with Frank Butler, the leading man of Buffalo Bill’s traveling show. Annie may be quick on the trigger, but she soon learns you can’t get a man with a gun! Boasting a score that includes Irving Berlin gems like “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” “I Got Lost in His Arms,” and “I Got the Sun in the Mornin'” this classic American musical is sure to hit the bulls eye!

“A musical for the ages, and one of the Broadway Theatre’s most enduring triumphs.”
– The New York Post

Show Dates: October 24 – November 9, 2014
Show Times: Fridays at 7:00 PM
Saturdays at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM
Sundays at 2:00 PM

Director: Kenny Grossman
Music Director: Mark 4man
Choreographer: Madison MacDonald

Spotlight Youth Theatre info: 10620 N. 43rd Ave, Glendale, AZ, (623) 521-8093

Scoutmaster – T648

Josh Grisa, former Troop 648 member and Eagle Scout has organized a 5k to raise awareness for Alport Syndrome, a genetic kidney disease. Kevin Weinhold from the troop is helping to organize Troop 648’s participation.  We need a few adults and scouts to help during the race.  Each volunteer will receive a FREE T-SHIRT!

Kevin will be contacting all the boys who signed up and will let us know if transportation will be needed.

The race is this Sunday, Oct. 26th, 2014 and will be help at the Reach 11 Sports Complex @ 2425 E Deer Valley Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85050

J0sh has asked volunteers to arrive around 7:00am.

This is a great cause and will be a lot of fun.  A couple of the T648 scouts will be running in the event as well, so come on out and cheer them on!

For more info: http://www.active.com/phoenix-az/running/races/the-broccolini-5k-run-walk-and-1-mile-fun-run-2014

Thanks,

Scoutmaster – T648

***REMINDER***

We need a few scouts to help man an Arizona Scouting Museum exhibit at the Arizona State Fair Saturday, October 18th. This is a great opportunity for the Grand Canyon Council to promote and market Scouting and your participation will help spread the Scouting message. We will unpack a truck with a few buckets of museum items, help set up, man the booth, then pack up at the end of the day. Some additional information:

– Need to cover from 9:00am – 6:00pm
– Get into the fair for free!
– Wear Class A
– Counts as service hours

Please let me know if you are interested in helping out. Also, we need a few adults to help including driving the scouts to the fair. If you have a truck, we need help hauling a couple easy ups and a few tubs of museum items.

Please email me at dmcfetters@gmail.com or call me at (602) 793-1058.

Thanks!

Scoutmaster T648

As we mentioned in the Troop meeting, we need a few scouts to help man an Arizona Scouting Museum exhibit at the Arizona State Fair next Saturday, October 18th.  This is a great opportunity for the Grand Canyon Council to promote and market Scouting and your participation will help spread the Scouting message.  We will unpack a truck with a few buckets of museum items, help set up, man the booth, then pack up at the end of the day.  Some additional information:

–  Need to cover from 9:00am – 6:00pm

–  Get into the fair for free!

–  Wear Class A

–  Counts as service hours

So far, the following scouts indicated they would be willing to help:

Jacob, James, Joe, Cullen and Kevin

We need more, so please let me know if you are interested in helping out.  Also, we need a few adults to help including driving the scouts to the fair.  If you have a truck, we need help hauling a couple easy ups and a few tubs of museum items.

Please email me at dmcfetters@gmail.com or call me at (602) 793-1058.

Thanks!

Scoutmaster T648