Backpacking Gear Demonstration – January 19
There will be a backpacking gear demonstration on Tuesday January 19 beginning at 7:05 p.m. This meeting will be for any Scout or dad who has not gone backpacking with the troop previously and who wants to attend the February trip to Jordan's Ranch on February 20-21. This trip is known as a '101' and is required in order to go on 201 level trips. Parents or guardians are asked to attend as well. This meeting will cover the items the participants will need to pack as well as how to borrow equipment from the troop. It will take place as a 'breakout' session during the troop meeting and will last 45 minutes. The link to the equipment list is here: Gear List for Backpacking
Upcoming Virtual Merit Badge Offerings
The Chickasaw Council is offering more virtual merit badges. Please call Scoutmaster Issing for approval to begin the merit badge and register at the links below. Scouts need to submit their work individually.
1. Dog Care merit badge, Sunday, January 24, 2021, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., registration link: https://www.chickasaw.org/dog-care-mb-virt
2. Mammal Study merit badge, Friday, January 29, 2021, 5:00-7:00 p.m., registration link: https://www.chickasaw.org/mammal-study-virt
3. Art merit badge, Monday, February 1, 2021, 6:00-8:30 p.m., registration link: https://www.chickasaw.org/virt-art-mb
4. American Heritage merit badge, Tuesday and Wednesday, February 2-3, 2021, 6:00-8:00 p.m. (Scouts must attend both sessions), registration link: https://www.chickasaw.org/am-heritage-virtual
5. Public Speaking merit badge, Sunday, February 14, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., and Friday, February 19, 2021, 5:00-7:00 p.m. (Scouts must attend both sessions), registration link: https://www.chickasaw.org/pub-speak-mb-21
6. Geocaching merit badge, Saturday, February 27, 2021, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., registration link: https://www.chickasaw.org/virt-geocaching-mb
Survey Results
Thanks to all who completed the survey. We had 23 responses. Based on these responses, we had enough interest to continue with our plans to attend Skymont summer camp this year, although most parents were not yet comfortable with Scouts traveling with those outside their family. Therefore, the troop will not be arranging any transportation to Skymont, but if individuals are willing to carpool, they can arrange that on their own.
Skymont Summer Camp – June 12-19 – Promotion Meeting on February 2
Parents, please plan to attend the troop meeting on Tuesday, February 2 at 7 PM to hear more information about Skymont summer camp and to sign-up. The first Skymont deposit is due February 2 and is $75 for Scouts and $30 for Adults. Please make PayPal or Plastiq payments prior to Feb 2, or pay with Scout Bucks if you have enough. The total cost for Skymont this year will be $150 for Scouts and $75 for Adults. These costs are being subsidized by the Troop by $155 per Scout and $85 per Adult, so we encourage everyone to consider attending summer camp to take advantage of this great deal and make some progress on earning merit badges. Please note that any adults attending Skymont need to be registered with Scouts BSA. Parents and adults attending will need to provide or arrange transportation to and from Skymont. More information will be provided at the February 2 Skymont promotion meeting, and you can check out their website at this link: Skymont
Washington DC Trip Postponed
Due to several factors related to COVID-19, we have decided to postpone the Washington DC trip to 2022. We will plan a substitute 2021 Summer Adventure activity at a closer location for fewer days – more to come.
Thank You to our Adult Volunteers!
We wanted to say a big THANK YOU to these parents who have volunteered to help the troop:
· Toni Nygren will be our greenery sale coordinator for 2021.
· Tremaine Spencer is working on training to become an assistant Scoutmaster.
· Chuck Utterback has become a Troop Committee Member and is working on training to become an assistant Scoutmaster.
· Nakita Spencer is our new Facebook site coordinator.
We still have openings for several leadership positions. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Kim Ridenhour. The next Troop Committee meeting will be on February 1 at 7 PM on WebEx. All parents are welcome to attend Troop Committee meetings. If you are not a Committee member, but would like to attend the Committee meeting, please let Kim Ridenhour know and she will send you the WebEx invitation.
All Troop 48 in-person activities are cancelled until the church informs us that we can return.
Upcoming Events
Jan 19 – Backpacking 101 gear demonstration for new Scouts and parents
Jan 21 – Patrol Leaders’ Council meeting 7 PM
Jan 23-24 – Campout at Arkabutla State Park 9AM drop off 2 PM pickup
Keep up-to-date on Troop activities by visiting our Troop 48 Website and Facebook page:
www.Troop48.org - Facebook: Troop 48 Germantown
Our Troop activity calendar is updated frequently: Troop Calendar
Please visit our Facebook page and 'like' it.