Troop News

Monday night was well attended by the Quartermasters and assisting Scouts and our gear was dried, packed, and stored except for the ground cloths we had to continue to air.

Welcome again to the Lewis, Blackstone, and Miller families.

The PLC and Committee meetings were also well attended heading us to some active times in the coming weeks.

September 30-October 2

Fall Fellowship for Order of the Arrow members: there are about ten of us leaving from the Hut at 6:00 PM on Sept 30 Friday and will return Sunday. The Scouts are all on the Nunne-Hi Drum team and will be playing this weekend in the Arena at the Powwow/dancing arena at Camp Comer.

Bluff Park Art Show, Saturday 1 October

This is our annual service project for the Community and all Scouts and Leaders who can attend form 6:00 AM to 4:30-5:00 PM should help out.

The uniform is the Class A with Scout Socks, shorts, belt,and Tan Shirt...the Troop neckerchief is optional....

The Set up will start at 6:00 AM with Mr. Madison and crew setting up the two tarps for the BPUMC bake sales w/tables and chairs brought from the Church, hanging our water sales banner, putting up our tables and setting up the coffee/Geezer box.....Scouts can set up a tent along side the chuck box for a recruiting demo as the Hut will be open to visitors.

Scouts will sell the water brought over by Mr. Simon and iced by Mr. Morrow. If available, ice cream will also be sold by the Scouts at the same table or the designated vehicle, if present.

The Scouts and leaders set up cardboard trash boxes and pick up trash bags as they fill and take them to the dumpsters for disposal on a periodic basis throughout the day with the heavies from lunch onward (need the most Scouts from 11:00 AN to 3:00PM for this reason).

This year we will also be picking up designated glass/plastic/paper disposal bags as the fill in the park and taking them to designated drop-off points.

The more uniforms we have present and assisting with litter and present in the art building, the higher our visibility will be in terms of the image of Scouting and the environment/service. Thanks in advance for encouraging attendance. It's normally a fun day and a good projection of Scouting at work. The Show usually ends at 4:30-5:00PM. There is no parking except for service vehicles...there are, as advertised, bus pick up points from several sites throughout the city with buses that run on a regular basis. If you are dropping the Scout off, let the street officer know that by pointing out his uniform and assuring him you are just dropping or picking up.....

October 3 Regular meeting with Mr. Paul Mancel as a guest speaker...he is a local, successful bee keeper whose wares are sold at the Bluff Park Hardware store among other locations. Scoutmaster's Minutes in Mr. David Gunn.

October 10 Regular Meeting with Mr. Butler from the Cahaba River Society as we begin prepping for the Cahaba River Trip Scoutmaster's Minute is Mr. Simon Ng.

October 13 Quartermasters pack and load at the Hut at 6:30 PM Uniform not required

October 14-16 Cahaba River Canoe Trip (details and fees TBA)

October 17 PLC and Committee Meeting Uniform not required.

October 24 Troop Court of Honor at the Reid Crotty Fellowship Hall in the
BPUMC (same location as always).

Host Patrol: Phoenix: Arrive at 6:00 PM to assist with set up
Pot Luck dinner
Venture Family Entre/w/extra bread
Shark Family Entre/w/extra desert
Phoenix Family Entre/w/extra salad or bread or vegetable
Crocodiles Family Entre/w/extra bread or desert
Eagles Family Entre/w/ extra vegetable

October 31 Troop is deciding whether to have a meeting on Halloween night or not at this time.

Other Activities:

We are going to need two leaders and three or more Scouts to attend the annual flag ceremony at the Hoover Library on November 8. They should arrive in uniform at 4:00 PM for the 4:45 PM ceremony where they will lower the American Flag and fold it in honor or our veterans. Please call/reply to the Scoutmaster to work with this and Mr. Scott.

The Troop will be marching in the Annual Veteran's Day Parade on November 11 in downtown Birmingham as we do every year. WEBELOS are welcome to join us. We will leave from the Hut at 10:30 AM in the bus to have lunch at the Golden Corral in Hoover and from there go to the parade, returning around 3-4PM. Uniform will be Class A with Troop Neckerchief and merit badge sash. More details as announced.

Leaders: if you are active or inactive and assist w/merit badge counseling you need to attend the training at the Hut that Mrs Kidd has arranged for about an hour. (this Thursday, Sept 29th at 7:00 PM) Bring your folding chair. This is for merit badge counseling and is required annually if you assist with MB counseling at any level....they are tracking us at the Council level for compliance, so like the mandatory Youth Protection which is required each two years and before you can register as a leader, please plan on helping us out with this requirement also. Please pre register with Cathy as to have handouts prepared as required.

Youth Protection: As stated above, this is required in order to register as an adult and it is required as a class/Internet certification each two years in order to stay registered. We normally conduct this class each January at the Troop's Annal Planning Conference.

Scoutmaster Leadership Training (SMLT) and Outdoor Leadership Training (OLS) If your are an active Assistant Scoutmaster, you should have or plan on taking this training. It is available each Fall and Spring locally. It is an eye opener for understanding what the program is all about and where we are heading. Any camping gear for the OLS portion is supplied by the Troop. Email Mrs. Kidd for details (czkidii@aol.com). You receive and wear a patch for this one.

We will have one crew going to Sea Base (just north of Key West in Islamoralda) in June, 2012. Call Cathy Kidd for more details if you and/or you son(14 and older) hasn't signed yet.

YELLOWSTONE! Mr. Hardy is proposing a 15 day high adventure trip to Yellowstone National Park with sites before and after during July 2012 (or so). There will be no age restriction for Scouts. We will need a hauler for the Troop Trailer and one follow on car. We will be in the bus and anticipate a reasonable cost per person if we fill it. We will announce this to the Scouts at the next meeting and will start looking at numbers and commitment shortly after that as the details become known.

NOAC National Order of the Arrow Convention in Michigan will be held in the late July early August, 2012 time frame and the Troop will be sending our ceremony and drum team to compete.

Summer Camp 2012: the dates we are attending are June 10-16...at Camp Sequoyah.....All Scouts are recommended to go particularly incoming WEBELOS and Scouts who have not earned the First Class rank. There will be about 70 or more of us there for the week. It serves as one of the highlights of the year for spirit, camaraderie and esprit.

The USS Yorktown Trip (Charlestown, SC) is coming in January. As we have to make a down Payment for this in advance..we will be asking for the fee during the next few weeks from families as our numbers will be too great for the operations budget to carry.

LIFE SCOUTS: If your son is a life Scout, he needs to be thinking about an Eagle Project and not wait until his 17th year or more to consider it. If he is not as active as he should be with us, now, and missing the program, he should know it won't be less busy in the immediate future:

Go to Woodbadgeman.com and make a copy of the Eagle Rank requirements booklet that is available there that he will be held for at the time of his own project to serve as a guide for him now. This booklet is what the Eagle Board will use as the guidelines for the Eagle project he will work on.

Attendance: and uniform: Troop 21 is fully uniformed troop, except as announced, and all the parts are required as expected. Please make sure he is dressed on the way out of the house and has the parts he will need while on the trip..Some boys are only bring one pair of Scout Socks and one red shirt....It's hard when they have to put them on wet and dirty on the way home because he forgot his extras for that purpose.

Attendance: We recognize that time is more valuable than ever, especially today, and even more in the near future...The Troop requires that he attend a minimum of 50% of activities during the year in order to meet the purpose of the program and to satisfy the requirement of "demonstrating Scouting Spirit." Thanks in advance with your assisting with this to assure he gains the most out of the program.

Thanks for all your support and for encouraging attendance.

YiS Dan s

"Delivering the Promise"

USS Yorktown, WePay

In January 2012, the troop plans to travel & tour the USS Yorktown (http://www.patriotspoint.org/exhibits/yorktown/). While the final costs for fuel & meals won't be due until January, the ship requires that we pay-in-full for each attendee that will stay with the troop on the ship. That tour/camp fee is $90 per person & we must pay the final amount by 11/17/11.


To that end, if your scout (and others in your family) plan to attend the January outing, we're asking that you pay the Yorktown fee ($90/person) by November 11. You're welcome to pay the amount in a single $90-payment or break it up into two payments (i.e. one in October & the second by November 11). You may pay by check, cash, or online via WePay.com (WePay requires a membership log-in & a confirmed bank account). WePay.com members can pay at the following web address after having logged in:


WePay payments - https://www.wepay.com/group/deposit/22489


Incidentally, if you're a WePay member, you can create a shortcut on your desktop & copy/paste the aforementioned link into that shortcut. If you do so, double-clicking on that link will prompt you for your log-in info, then take you directly to the Troop 21 payment page.


If paying by cash, please include it in an envelope with the name(s) from your family that are covered by the payment. If you're paying by check, please make the check out to "BSA Troop 21" & list the names on the check. If paying online, you can notate in the comment box that the payment is for the Yorktown & list the appropriate name(s) there.


Also, the troop received a few cash payments for the most recent trip horseback riding, however the cash wasn't attributed to individual scouts. I want to make sure that the proper scouts get credit for having paid for the trip. If you paid by cash, please email me & let me know the name(s) & amounts that you paid.


As always, please let me know of any questions. Thank you.


Jay

Horseback riding trip

Please don't forget the Release Form (Mystic Farms) mailed several days ago as an attachment...he needs to bring it in tonight along with his BSA Consent form and his check as described in the September 1 and September 15th memos in the Troop Blog Section of the Troop Web Site.

The fee is still 43.00 per person if he rides the horse (includes leaders) and completes the Horsemanship merit badge. The fee is $20.00 if he does not ride (includes leaders)He should bring a check tonight rather than waiting until Friday. Special required gear is a bicycle helmet and long pants for the horse riding.

If he has to come late or leave early, the address for the the program is 13762 County Road 42, Jemison, AL 35085.....going south on 65 take exit 218 and head east toward Jemison on Highway 42 crossing one intersection and continuing until you see the large, blue water tower on the left of the entrance to Mystic Farms. You can call me a 516-7161 to get to our site or continue into the site through the gate staying on driveway/road when you will see a big gate on the right and the bus down in a field as the road leads to it. We will either be there in tents or camping a bit farther down the hill. You can see the site in satellight version on Bing or Mapquest.

There are two large., well stocked lakes so he should bring his fishing pole and live bait (Walmart or whatever he prefers) and complete the fishing merit badge also as an option. The Troop has about five fishing poles/reels donated by Mr. Wes Smith he is welcome to use.

Popcorn Sales

Boy Scout Popcorn sales have begun for Troop 21. Order forms were given out at last week's meeting. More forms will be available this Monday night, September 19th.

For those of you that are new to the troop, popcorn sales provide a way for T21 scouts to earn money for summer camp. The troop does not get any of the proceeds.....

The entire 35% commission of sales goes back to the scout in an account for summer camp.

Additional rewards include:

$300 Club. Scouts who sell $300 in popcorn will receive a $25.00 gift card.

$600 Club. Scouts who sell $600 in popcorn will receive
Two free tickets to the Saturday April 2012 Barber Indy Car race, and
1/2 off the GAC Boy Scout Summer Camp fee

$1000 Club. Scouts who sell $1000 in popcorn will receive
4 passes to Friday night April 2012 VIP meal with Boy Scout Indy Car Driver,
Two free tickets to the Saturday April 2012 Barber Indy Car race, and
1/2 off the GAC Boy Scout Summer Camp fee

Dates to remember:
Orders & Money are due Monday, October 24th, at the Court of Honor dinner.
Delivery date is around November 8th or 9th.

If you missed last week's meeting, you will be able to pick up order forms at tonight's meeting.

Be prepared to sell!

Elaine Eggers
T21 Popcorn coordinator

Troop News

Please make a copy of the attached consent form., complete it, and have the Scout bring it on Friday (23rd) (or better Monday-19th) when we depart for the trip to Jemison (address on an earlier email if he must join us there). The cost of the trip is $43.00 per individual...Fee for riding a horse per person and the horsemanship program is $25.00..Troop meals are $12.00...fuel is $8.00 for Bus/Frank Tank/trailer/follow-on.

If you are a leader, and not riding a horse, the fee is just fuel and meals ($20.00). Please remember that he will need long pants and a biking helmet to ride and he should dress for the weather.

We will announce more details at the Monday (19th) meeting. As usual we will meet at the Hut on Friday (23rd) at 5:00 PM....and will return before Noon on Sunday ( 25th). Mr. Elmore asks for those going on the trip to bring the fees on Monday (19th) so as to quicken our departure time.

We have an exceptional speaker lined up for the 19th (Monday Meeting): Chief Charles Trucks, an icon of the Birmingham Police Department for more than 20 years, a US Special Forces veteran, and former Chief of Police of the City of Homewood, speaking to personal leadership and success in career fields of choice.

Thanks for your support and for encouraging attendance.

YiS Dan s "Delivering the Promise"

Troop News

Congratulations to H Elmore, N Ng, Mr. Elmore and COL Kidd for earning their membership in the Order of the Arrow this weekend at Camp Comer. Congratulations also to S and S Hardy, J Elmore, and M Gunn for their excellent job in serving as the Pre-Ordeal team for the candidates at the Ordeal this weekend. Pictures, thanks to Mr. Simon on on the Troop Web Site covering it all.

Thanks to Mr Simon and Mr. Elmore for making their vehicles available for the Trip.

Thanks to Mr. Stocks and B Stocks for attending the program at the Lakeshore Rehab Center in honoring veterans..there were about twenty Scouts and leaders present for the ceremonies.

Thanks to Mr. Morrow and all our leaders who serve on the Vulcan District Eagle Boards, the Eagle Boards last Thursday went well... Congratulations to L Young and his family for passing his final Board for his Eagle rank and congratulations to Karl Berry and family for having his project approved by the Board the same night.

The Board is always looking for members to help out and the Troop outnumbers most others in participation in the District....Ask Mr. Mark Branin, Mrs. Cathy Kidd, Mr. Wes Smith Smith, Dr. Steve Smith, Mr. Randy Watts and Mr.Win Jones for more details. Membership on the Board is not demanding and most importantly gives the Troop the depth we need for understanding Eagle Projects and their requirements for their success.

There is a regular meeting tonight at the Hut at the regular time (7:00PM). Thanks to Mr. Gunn we have an excellent speaker tonight addressing the Red Mountain Park in Birmingham with emphasis on available Eagle Projects.

We will also be completing the Schedule for the up and coming Bluff Park Art Show on Saturday Oct 1. Please encourage attendance to help out with this. Mr. Hill will give the Scoutmaster's Minute.

The Art Show coming up on September October 1 is a an annual event over the years which the Troop serves as the Service Troop for the event...we sell water, ice cream, coffee, and whatever else we can think of and is approved by the Board. So..all Scout leaders should be present all or part of the day to help out and earn their service time for the community.

One group will come in at 6:00 AM to do our set up and set up the Tarps for the Bluff Park UMC Bake Sale. Everyone else will man shifts during the day to pick up trash and litter in during the event, assist the artists as asked, take stations in the club house to watch over the art, and sell water, ice cream, and whatever else we choose for the day.

The final shift assure we are cleaned up. Please encourage attendance to assure our usual success in giving this annual service. The uniform during the entire day is Class A w/out merit badge and neckerchief.

We also have the Fall Fellowship weekend at Camp Comer on the Art Show Weekend. The Drum Team will be going there along with any other Scout or Leader wishing to participate. We will most likely require additional transportation for the Scouts and leaders, as well as for carrying the Drum for the performance they will be giving for all the dancers during the evening show at the arena. If you and/or the Scout are members, please think about attending. Details are found on the Coosa50.org web site.

The Nunne-Hi Chapter of the Coosa Lodge Order of the Arrow Drum team is one of several in the lodge..Thanks to Mr. Ben Putnum, Chapter Drumming Advisor, members of Troop 21 are the Nunne-Hi Team at present. They just performed excellently last year at the Regional conclave in Georgia and just this last weekend for about 250 Arrowmen and women at the Fall Ordeal....Thanks to S and S Hardy, E Kidd, P Kidd, N Bolding, M Gunn, and J Elmore they are only getting better as they move along....all the Order of the Arrow members of the Troop are invited to attend the practice sessions and join the team. The next session will be on the 18th and 24th (Sundays) of this month from 1:30 PM to 4:00PM..they will be learning and playing four additional songs and drum sequences at the Hut.

For the up and coming Horseman ship trip to Jemison..please make sure the Scout, and if attending, leaders, who will be riding, to bring head protection (Bicycle Helmets). As the Scouts will be earning the Horsemanship merit badge, he should go to the web site merit badge requirements list and start completing the written requirements, if any prior to his arriving for the trip so he won't have to worry about it later as well as to get an earlier start for understanding the required skill sets.

Thanks again for all your support and for encouraging attendance.

YiS dan s "Delivering the Promise"