Boy Scout Troop 648 Scottsdale, Arizona

Good morning T648!

I hope that you had a glorious weekend wherever you were in the great southwest.  As the northeast prepares for the scary Frankenstorm Sandy, it is difficult to imagine our area being more beautiful and welcoming for outdoor activities.  I’m certain our backpacking crew had a most excellent trek in central Arizona, and the Honor Patrol trip to Disneyland was a huge success – 15 hours straight of loops and death-defying drops and fireworks and water shows.  Hopefully everyone came home and crashed (after doing their homework), and will be bright eyed and bushy tailed for a week of school, scout meetings and Halloween!

Speaking of scout meetings, this week is our bike check for our upcoming mountain bike outing / base camp in the Granite Basin area up by Prescott on 11/10-13.  Please take the opportunity to bring your bike to tomorrow’s meeting, as we will do the once or twice-over of all bikes to make sure they are in tip-top condition for the trail.

This coming weekend we have Mr. McFetters Eagle Project at a church ministering to the very needy in central Phoenix.  On Saturday, 10/3 at 8:00 AM, we will meet at 3444 E. Van Buren Street to undertake a very ambitious restoration project of the organization’s back yard.  Young Mr. McFetters has multiple projects planned in this excellent opportunity for service to those less fortunate than us.  He will have need of as many of us that can assist as possible in order to accomplish all he has planned, so please pull on your class B uniform, and pull together your gloves, rakes, shovels, picks, hammers, and just like Mike Rowe, prepare to get dirty!

We are planning to turn in our recharter materials for charter organization signature this week, and then for subsequent submission to council.  Please finalize all youth protection training (leaders) and payments (youth and leaders) for recharter for another year of fun and fellowship with your T648 family.

See you tomorrow at 7PM for the troop meeting!

Mr. Cole

From young J. DeAngelis, here is an update for this weekend’s outing

Weather: clear, high 77, low 41

Bring pants, hat, swimsuit and towel, extra socks, flashlight or headlamp too. Your own food for 2 breakfasts, one lunch and one dinner, bring your backpacking stove if you have one and at least 3 liters of water. Brook water is there but it’s not clean. We will have purification tablets and a filter.

Bring day pack and water bottle for exploring water holes.

Meet at church at 5:00 Friday with permission  slip, 15$ gas money plus dinner money. We’ll have a great hike see you there!

Good morning!

We return to scouting in full force beginning tomorrow night.  We have had a bit of a lull, but we have a packed agenda coming our way the next few weeks.

Tomorrow’s meeting will be essentials to get you prepared for a backpacking trip, like this upcoming weekend’s to Algonquin Trailhead.  It looks to be sunny and beautiful right through the weekend, so there isn’t a better time of year to be out enjoying a part of central Arizona.  In addition this weekend, a number of the Honor Patrol from 2011-2012 will be experiencing southern California’s weather on their award trip to the coast and Disneyland.  Please note that we will be leaving for California at 4PM, so plan on meeting at the church between 3:30-4:00PM this Friday afternoon.

Items of note for planning purposes:

• Recharter 2013 dues payments were due to Mrs. Traynor last Tuesday.
• Young Mr. McFetters’ Eagle project is in south Phoenix on 11/3
• All PLC members should attend 6PM on 11/6, and bring updates for their areas
• Our next outing is a bike outing to Granite Basin – we will be camping at Lynx Lake.  We will have a bike check during the October 30 meeting, so bring your bikes that night to have them tuned for the ride.
• November 12^th is our next adult leader meeting at Scottsdale Worship Center
• Young Mr. Finnegan’s Eagle Court of Honor is scheduled for 11/17.  Stay tuned for further details on time and location
• Mr. Benyi has signed us up for summer camp in Colorado.  Please note his earlier post, and put those dates in your 2013 calendar – it is a camp you will not want to miss!

Busy times are ahead for T648.  I hope that you participate fully in all the opportunities presented.  Honor Patrol competition is back in full swing for 2012-2013, so complete uniforms and participation in as many events as you can will help your patrol stay competitive.

See you at the troop meeting!

Mr. Cole

Greetings…

We are confirmed for a return to Camp Alexander in the Pikes Peak Council near Colorado Springs for summer camp 2013. The dates for camp will be Saturday, July 20 – Sunday, July 28. Please save the date!

The cost of camp this year will be $450. The payment schedule is as follows:

Deposit – $50 – Dec 1, 2012

Payment #2 – $100 – Feb 1, 2013

Payment #3 – $100 – Mar 1, 2013

Payment #4 – $100 – Apr 1, 2013

Payment #5 – $100 – May 1, 2013

There will be numerous fundraising opportunities through the year to help cover these expenses. We will follow up with additional information about Merit Badges and camp related programs after the First of the Year.

If you have any questions about camp or wish to confirm your intent to attend, please let me know.

Thanks!

Jacob R Benyi

Good evening,

Many of you have completed your fall breaks, and are back at school.  Others of you are just beginning the freedom of a week without daily math homework.  Either way, we rarely take a break from scouting!  We’ll see you tomorrow night for the troop meeting!

Tomorrow is the cut-off for aligning on your method of completing your dues, and continuing with the amazing calendar the Patrol Leader’s Council compiled for 2013.  If you are a scout or a scouter who has not made arrangements with Mrs. Traynor, tomorrow night is the night!  We will be completing the recharter paperwork for T648 this month, so if you have a check, please bring it on Tuesday.  If you are planning to use scout account funds to make your payment, please let Mr. Cole or Mrs. Traynor know no later than the troop meeting.

Calling all Charles Dickens wannabees!  We are looking to begin the troop newsletter, and we need submissions.  Each ASPL has content that the troop needs to know every month – upcoming fundraising, service projects, outings.  The scribe can contribute details of upcoming meetings for next month.  The historian can ask for submissions, or describe the photos which have been recently added to the photo gallery.  The librarian can submit requests for merit badge books that are needed, or describe the process for checkout.  The SPL can provide an overall troop update, or the quartermaster describe what he needs from each patrol in the way of cleanup, shed organization, or ask for equipment needs from the patrols.  The chaplain could have a blessing or reading for the month.  Scouts could submit jokes or puzzles.  Adult leaders can advertise upcoming merit badges, or provide insight on educational opportunities.  There are a ton of ways that we all can get involved – let’s make this a fun new way to update and educate the troop.

Double your fun – the weekend of October 26-28 we will be doubly busy as a troop.  The Honor Patrol will be attending their award trip to Disneyland.  However, the alternative offering is an exceptional backpacking opportunity up by Crown King on the Algonquin trail.  This is an ideal time of year to be out exploring Arizona (or California Adventure!).  I hope that if you do not have a school activity that weekend that you are able to attend one or the other.  Some parts of the country will be under snow – enjoy our magnificent southwest weather!

Please also mark November 3^rd on your calendar.  We have a terrific service project with Streets of Destiny in south Phoenix.  Young Mr. McFetters is developing an excellent Eagle Project, and we will have need of a large contingent to handle the wide variety of things he has planned for the morning.  If you have yet to attend an Eagle Project, this would be an excellent one upon which to become experienced.

One final calendar update – we have changed Webelos weekend from January 25^th-27^th to the weekend of January 11-13^th due to facility scheduling issues.  The PLC has determined that we will utilize December troop meetings to prepare (as we will have no troop meetings during the holiday this year, as Tuesdays fall on 12/25/12 and 1/1/13).

See you for scouting tomorrow night – food safety and first aid basics are planned to be on deck.

Mr. Cole

In honor of our honor patrol trip to Disneyland forthcoming, this past week had a T648 version of all the hoopla which normally surrounds something like the Disney Choice Awards.  The troop went through pomp & circumstance, flashing flashbulbs, gleaming award hardware and red ribbons, film clips of notable moments,  delectable cuisine, and ultimately later in the week, enough drama for a troop to wish for a return to Mayberry-like normalcy.

Many thanks to all who contributed to our excellent Court of Honor – Mr. Harness for leading the evening, Mr. Benyi for framing the script, Mr. McFetters for the massive undertaking of tracking and coordinating the awards, Mrs. McFetters for organizing the dinner, Mr. Weinhold for the slide presentation, Mrs. Cole and her committee for the ribbons, Mr. Gingrich for his incredible number of years of supporting scouting, all of you who brought the wonderful food and provided an awesome cheering section, but most especially the scores of scout award winners.  Congratulations to each of our scouts on the excellent progress made this summer on their pathways towards leadership and the goals they have set for themselves in scouting.  The pot-luck dinner court after summer camp is always a highlight of the year, and I’m glad so many of you were able to share in it.

Subsequent crime and medical dramas that then played throughout the rest of the week had very happy endings.  We are thankful that the Traynor family are safe and healing after a very scary home invasion episode.  Being trained adult and scout leaders apparently does help one to always be prepared – sometimes for things a bit more daunting than a sudden change in the weather.  And the Coles have finally had their fill of getting personal first aid training from the medical staff on the 4^th floor at Scottsdale-Shea hospital for both of their boy scouts.  Many thanks for your thoughts and prayers for both families during these trying times – it has meant a lot.

Tonight is the adult leader meeting at Scottsdale Worship Center, and tomorrow is the Patrol Leaders’ Council at 6PM and the troop meeting at 7PM.  Please finalize your payment plan (check or scout account) for 2013 dues – $100 per scout, $17 per adult leader within the next week.  And begin planning for our upcoming backpack outing and the honor patrol trip to Disney – both on the 26^th.

We’ll see you at the scout meeting!

Mr. Cole

Good evening T648!

Good evening,

Our two dozen weekend warriors have closed the books on yet another outstanding outing – this time exploring volcanic activity from above and below in the glorious pines west of Flagstaff.  The weather couldn’t have been better, and the trip was enjoyed by scout and adult leader alike – whether climbing one of the San Francisco Peaks, or crawling on their bellies or marveling at the vast river caves below the hardened lava.  Please make plans to join us for our next outing, this one a backpack in the Crown King area on the Algonquin trail the weekend of 10/26-28.

Tomorrow night is the troop meeting, and if memory serves me correctly, it will be the culmination of backcountry games month with the final patrol competitions.  Tomorrow is also the last night to turn in blue cards for merit badges, or to finish your latest board of review for our upcoming Court of Honor on 10/2.  Please also ensure that Advancement Chair Mr. McFetters has been notified of any advancements you have achieved since the last COH in June.  This Court should be one that you bring your whole family – it will be the annual troop pot luck dinner.  What better way to honor your scouts, meet your troop family, and taste everybody’s favorite recipes.  Yum!

On a personal note, many thanks for the warm thoughts and prayers this week during our eldest son’s very scary bout with myocarditis.  We felt surrounded and supported, and we are now feeling very blessed as he is back home with us – albeit still under many restrictions.

See you tomorrow night!

Mr. Cole

Good afternoon,

Many thanks to those who helped C. Williams with his Eagle Project for Save the Family foundation this weekend.  A couple dozen from our troop family trekked out to east Mesa, and did a T648 makeover of an apartment for this charity in preparation for move-in today of a family with children struggling to get back on their feet.  It was amazing to see the overgrown backyard, moldy refrigerator (is that bologna?), grungy walls and bathroom fixtures transformed.  Incredible what a full morning of elbow grease, cleaning products and fresh paint will do to make a run-down rental look cozy!

Included in tomorrow’s meeting will be preparation for this weekend’s trip to the Lava Tubes base camp up west of Flagstaff.  Let your patrol leader know if you are planning to attend the outing, but cannot be at the troop meeting, so your patrol can plan appropriate quantities into the menus.  For those who have been before, you remember that headlamps are recommended for the caves in order to keep your hands free.  Warm clothes will also be the ticket – we will be camping at 8,000 feet, Kendrick peak will be over 10,000 feet, and inside the lava caves is also less than 40 degrees year round.  This will be an outstanding outing in the forest, and above it, and below it!  I hope the majority of you will be able to take advantage of this marvelous opportunity.

Congratulations to the Wolves patrol for their runaway win in the Honor Patrol challenge for this past year.  The award trip to Disneyland this year will be the weekend of October 26^th, 27^th and 28^th, and will also include the top three individual finishers who were not a part of the Wolves patrol.  Those invited to attend will be receiving a letter later this week with the details.  Our Honor Patrol challenge with our new patrols begins anew October 2^nd.  You will be all starting with a clean slate going forward into the new Honor Patrol year (October through summer camp).  Best of luck as you participate this year in upcoming uniform inspections and troop events as a patrol!

And speaking of October 2^nd – that is the date of our next Court of Honor.  Please plan to attend as a family, and stay tuned for details on the pot luck dinner.  Please also confirm with Mr. McFetters if you have had a rank advancement since the last Court of Honor in June.  You will be receiving all merit badges you have earned at summer camp or in working with our adult leaders, but we also want to ensure that all rank advancements are properly acknowledged.

I will not be at tomorrow’s meeting – Mr. Butler has graciously offered to provide the Scoutmaster role for this week.  Please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers as our oldest son is in the ICU with a virus affecting his heart.  The support of extended family is always a comfort at times like these.

Mr. Cole