Category — Announcements

Just a quick reminder that some of our Scouts still have Troop equipment that needs to be returned.  Among other things, we are missing one of the 2-man Troop tents which may be needed for the upcoming outing.

It would be nice if we could ask the equipment to return itself, but we do need to rely on our Scouts to take the responsibility to clean, pack and return any borrowed equipment.

It is important that equipment be returned to the Troop at the first opportunity following an outing.  This gives us a chance to make sure the equipment is clean and in good repair for the next outing. We may need to replace any missing parts such as tent stakes or pull cords (which are easy to lose) and repair any damage that may have occurred.  Some of our equipment also needs periodic maintenance and we need the time to make sure this happens on a regular basis.

Please check your closets, basements and garages for any equipment that belongs to the Troop and make sure it is returned at tonight’s meeting.

Mark your calendars!  Summer Camp dates have been confirmed!!!

Due to the timing of the 2010 Jamboree, we have had to move up our Troop Week at Yawgoog from the last week in July to the last week of June.  The dates for camp are from June 27 through July 4, 2010.

Camp fees for 2010 are $375 per Scout (which is still an exceptional bargain for a week of camp!).  Camp fees are due by April 14, 2010 and should be made payable to Troop 591.

Last year we enjoyed root beer floats and french fries; flew the Giant Wiener of Science; rang the Troop Bell (a lot!); and gave out vast quantities of Pickles and Ketchup Bottles.  We also had the only Scoutmaster brave enough to dress up (in a grass skirt no less!) for the Scoutmaster Splash

This year Troop 591 (the best, biggest, loudest little Troop in camp) will be arriving early and we intend to shake things up again (before Staff knows what hit them!).  Stay tuned for details, but Be Prepared for another year of fun, mayhem and lots of good things to eat!

For those of you who missed the snowshoe hike because you thought there wouldn’t be any snow, check out the photos I just posted on the website.

We were breaking trail in up to 3′ (yes that’s FEET) of untracked powder for our hike on Mt. Cardigan this past weekend.  It was snowing for most of the trip with a fresh 2-3″ on the ground by the time we got back to the cars.

If you’ve never broken trail on snowshoes, let me assure you that we were a group of really tired hikers by the time we were done.  Winter may be on the wane in Westford, but it’s still going strong up north.

Keep that in mind as we gear up for the Freezeout coming up this month and Be Prepared for some more winter adventures!

While Scouts are happy to be out in almost any weather, getting them to and from an event safely is a very important consideration.

Although Westford is on the northern edge of the forecast storm track, we could still experience a significant snow event.  As the brunt of the storm is forecast to hit in the late afternoon and early evening hours, I am going to err on the side of caution and cancel tonight’s meeting.

Please let your fellow Scouts know about the cancellation just in case they did not check email.

Next week is Winter Break, so our next Scout meeting will be Wednesday, February 24.

Our February trip is scheduled for the last weekend of the month, which gives us only the one meeting to prepare.  Please check your email and watch the website for announcements on the trip.

Enjoy the snow (and the 1/2 day at school) and please drive safely if you need to be out in the storm.

A reminder that this Saturday is the date for our 1st Annual SnowBall!

The event will run from 9:00 until 1:00 at Jack Walsh Fields on Rt. 225.

At the heart of the event will be the pioneering catapult launch.  The patrols have been practicing their lashings, and should be prepared to assemble the catalpults on Saturday.  (Follow the link to the Pioneering Catapult Plans)  If we lack sufficient snow for making real snowballs, we’ll provide tennis balls as a substitute.

Snow conditions will dictate what other events we can hold … The snowshoe race, for example, may need to be canceled as the shoes will damage the field.

If you know any Webelos Scouts in the local Cub Scout Packs, please let them know they are welcome to join us.

Regardless of the conditions, we will have lots of hot cocoa and plenty of fun!

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Scouts & Parents,

I’ve been remiss in getting this announcement out to the mail list, but we have made the announcement at the meetings so hopefully everyone is already aware of the date change for the Court of Honor.

Originally scheduled for this coming Wednesday (1/27), we are moving the Court of Honor to Saturday, January 30 at Noon.

Along with the usual rank advancement, we will be honoring 2 new Eagle Scouts during this Court of Honor.  As you all know, this is a very special honor and we are changing the date to accommodate out-of-town guests as well as to allow us the time for this special ceremony.

Immediately following the Court of Honor, we will be serving a Lasagna Luncheon – so come prepared with your appetites!

I hope to see everyone this Saturday for what will be a very special Court of Honor.

Just a quick reminder that the permission slips and payment for the ski trip is due at tomorrow night’s meeting.  Please return the cost worksheet with your payment so we know who needs rentals, lessons or will take advantage of the 1/2 day ticket on Sunday.

We need to pre-order the tickets and I need to call in the final headcount Thursday.  If you have not reserved tickets/rentals/lessons ahead of time, you will be responsible to purchase your own tickets or lessons at the full weekend rate.

Don’t be late … Make sure to reserve your spot and take advantage of the group rates!!

The permission slip for the January ski trip has been posted to the website.  Because lift ticket costs vary by age and there are several optional expenses (rentals, lessons, 2nd 1/2 day of skiing), we have included a cost worksheet with the permission slip.  Please fill out and return the cost worksheet with the permission slip.

You will need to login to access the Outings section and download the forms.

Permission slips are officially due next Wednesday, but it would be appreciated if you can get them in this week.

This week is the start of a brand new year, a brand new decade, and the first Troop meeting of 2010!

I hope everyone had fun during the winter break and enjoyed the holidays with your families. I know we’re all a bit sad to return to work and school, but there are some fun things to look forward to on the Scouting calendar.

Our annual ski trip is coming up this month (Jan 22-24) and we’ll be returning to Waterville Valley where we had a fantastic trip last year.  We’re finalizing a couple of details and will have the permission slip out later this week.  I do want to get a head count at tonight’s meeting, so please come prepared to indicate whether or not you will be coming on the trip.  If you can’t make tonight’s meeting, please send me a quick email to let me know if you’re coming on the trip.

Our Winter Court of Honor has been scheduled for Jan 27, 2010.  Please mark your calendars as this will be a very special event.  We have lots of Scouts who have been working hard on advancement and expect a large number of rank awards.  We also have two Scouts who were recently awarded the rank of Eagle.  This is the highest honor in Scouting and we will be introducing our two new Eagle Scouts at the Court of Honor.

Finally, I am postponing the 1st Annual Snowball that was scheduled for this Saturday (Jan 9).  This event was intended as an opportunity to demonstrate pioneering and winter skills, have some fun and introduce ourselves to some of the local Webelo Scouts.  Unfortunately, it’s taken a lot longer than expected to get some of the materiel for the pioneering projects and sort out dates with the local Packs.  Rather than trying to rush through this event, we’ll postpone it until Feb 6 to give us time to better prepare.

Please check the Calendar page for recent updates to the schedule.

Just a reminder that we have still not received annual dues from a few of our Scouts.

I know it’s just an oversight, but I encourage you to get those payments in as soon as possible.

If you’re not sure if you’re paid up or not, please see me at the meeting.

Thanks!