Court of Honor Apr 30 6:30pm@BPUMC

We had well attended meeting last night with a couple of issues:


After storing and packing all the recently used Troop gear we have come up short three sets of poles for our back packing tents.....please check with your son to make sure they weren't  taken home after the back packing trip and left on his pack.


Rather than pass out the Troop composite pictures last night,  we decided to hold them until the Court of Honor where there will be more room for their laying out, recognized, and picked up compared to the congestion in the Hut last night.


Congratulations to Mr. Greg Stocks for earning his CDL in order to drive the Troop Bus,  to Mr. Crabtree for completing his first weekend of the Wood Badge requirement for leaders, again to Mrs Russell, Mr. Horne, Mr. Dinella, Mr. Ponder, and Mr. Fox, for attending and  completing the OLS( Outdoor Leadership Training) recently at Camp Sequoyah.  Congratulations to Ben Chaney for recruiting (earning the BSA reucruiting patch)  his brother Liam into the Troop,  and not finally,  thanks and congratulations to Nick Bolding for planning to attend the up and coming National Youth Leadership Training given by the Council this coming Spring.


As is a growing tradition, we will need the names of the Scouts who will be able to place small  American flags on 1400 grave sites at the Montevallo National Veterans Cemetery.....if we have twenty or so we will take the bus, leaving the Hut at about 8:00 AM on Sunday May 26, in the Class A Plus uniform and return around 10:30 AM. All the Troops in the Shelby, Birmingham, Three River, and Vulcan Districts are being notified of the event....talk this over with the Scout and if he can attend, please reply so we can get an idea of our numbers....personal transportation for families living out that way works and joining us there will work also.


The Troop  will also be assisting,  as we do every year,  with the memorial service for Veterans at the Veterans Memorial  Park Exit on 459 (same exit as the Scout Service Center) at 3:00 PM on May 27th..the uniform will also be Class A Plus and the Troop normally carries the flags and read the dedication for the Men and Women who have served. We normally meet there with individual means of transportation.   If your family will be in town,  talk this over with the Scout and send a reply that he will be attending.


Please consider taking time for both of these events with the Troop. They are excellent vehicles to express his recognition of the living and deceased veterans who have served their country.  


We will normally meet a half hour early at the location  for the activities set up.


Troop Court of Honor:

The Troop's annual,   Spring Court of Honor is scheduled this coming Monday, April 30th,  at 6:30 PM in the Reid Crotty Fellow ship Hall of the the Bluff Park United Methodist Church. Uniform is Class A Plus, or the khaki shirt, Scout Shorts, Scout socks, Scout belt, Merit badge sash, and Troop Neckerchief.


This is a "three times a year"  "family affair" recognizing the Scout's advancement in rank, the awarding of merit badges, a guest speaker concerning the "Friends of Scouting" campaign, an on-going slide show in review of past Troop activites,  Scout and leader announcements,  personalized remarks about Troop, team,  and individual activities,  all accompanied  with a meal of more than you can eat.


The Venture patrol is the host patrol and will  arrive at 6:00 PM to assist with the set up..


The meal format remains family Pot-Luck dinner style:


Venture:  entre and salad or bread side dishes
Fox:        entre and vegetable side dish
Shark:     entre and a desert dish
Phoenix:  entre and  a desert dish
Eagles:    entre and salad or a bread side dish
Crocs:      entre and a vegetable dish
Scorpions: entre and  a salad, or  a bread, or a desert, or a vegetable dish


The Troop provides the condiments and iced lemonade and water


The Agenda is attached..please make a copy for your son as well and assure he brings it to the Court, especially if he is speaking.


Thanks for all your support, assistance, and for encouraging attendance..


YiS  Dan s                       "Delivering the Promise"

Troop News

Thanks to Mrs. Regina Young and Mrs. Cynthia Poole for assisting her, our Troop first aid kit is being refurbished and updated.....A future project will be the backpacking first aid kits based on the Philmont model. Thanks to Mr. Hill for picking up the job specialty of completing our Troop BSA tour permits from Mr. Larry Young whose son Logan just completed his Eagle. Thanks to Mr. Wes Smith we are replacing the broken roof ventilator/skylight on the new Trailer. Thanks to Mr. Simon for his quick and comprehensive work with our Troop Web site...especially his quick work with posting all the pictures. Make sure your son is opening it on a regular basis and taking a look at all he was part of as well as staying abreast of Troop activities. If you are on a trip and take pictures..forward them to Mr. Simon or give him your chip to copy them into the Web Site. Congratulations to Mr. Branin on his quick recovery from his meniscus repair on his right knee last week.... And certainly again a congratulations to Mr. Bolding for earning the Ph.D. a month ago, freeing him for more time with the Troop again, and to Stephen Presley for becoming a member of the Board of Directors for the Hoover Board of Education....heading us to all sorts of possibilities for future activities. We need to purchase new tarp bags(or utilize older spares) in the immediate future, as the newest bags aren't large enough with all the rope attachments. Each tarp should have six ropes on it: a fifty foot guide rope (braided nylon 1/4 inch) four corner ropes, and two drip lines. We'll keep working on these as we go. We need a leader/ coordinator to arrange for the putting up the metal wire mesh fence w/gate we've acquired for the back of the Hut where it remains. We need a leader/coordinator to arrange for installing the two purchased motion detector security lights on the hut to replace the current ones on the front and side of the hut to continue to discourage vandalism. We need to clean and paint the exterior of the Hut and repair a couple of areas in the upper siding to prevent varmint/bird invasion near the chimney area and the front sector over the entrance. Thanks to Mr. Eggers, we are updating the size of the wooden name and rank structure hanger/platform inside the hut, due to our size in out-growing it. And thanks again to Mr. Eggers, he is building three collapsible hand washing stands for our blue hand wash water containers. Another project we will be working on is to color code and number the lantern container (s) with each patrol lantern to assure patrol ownership and to appraise our plastic drop cloth/ground cloth for the tents to replace the worn and torn with new and sized replacements for both back packing and the regular sized tents. We will plan on working these projects up with the Scouts as time and scheduling permit and as discussed in up coming PLC's and Committee meetings. Thanks for all your support, assistance, and for encouraging attendance at Troop activities. YiS Dan S "Delivering the Promise"

Troop News

Tonight is a Quartermaster night for the entire Troop to assure we are in good shape for equipment coming trips...The patrols will be going through and inventorying all their gear for service, if required, and repacking as necessary to assure it all there. Please encourage attendance to make sure we get this done by all. Class C is the uniform (any tucked in Scout T shirt with Scout Shorts and socks). Scoutmaster's minute is Mr. Turner. NOTE: We will be passing out the Troop Composite pictures tonight at the end of the meeting for those who ordered pictures from Mr. Snow in January. Congratulations to all who went on the Order of the Arrow Conclave at Camp Ben Hawkins near Macon, Ga. this last weekend...the ceremony team (S and S Hardy, J Melton (Troop 312), and N Bolding) were honored with a medal as judged in competition and the Drum team played among the best for the afternoon competition (S and S Hardy, J Melton, H Elmore, E Kidd, and N Bolding). Thanks to Mr. Elmore for attending and riding over with us in a GAC van and trailer. We left at 5:00PM from the Scout Service Center on Friday and returned Sunday at Noon. The Alabama National Cemetery in Montevallo is asking Troops such as ours to assist in placing flags in the 1400 graves on Saturday May 26, 2012. Please look at your family calendars, since it is a holiday, and see if it will be open for the Scout to assist with this on that date..I'll ask for hands tonight at the meeting and if enough will consider taking the Bus for those who can go...will last an hour or so (starting at 9:00 AM) if they get enough volunteers (Scouts, girl Scouts, and veterans). We will dress in the Class A uniform in honor of the Veterans and the holiday set aside for them. She will need to know to mention the Troop..This is growing into larger even every year. We will also be asked, I am sure, to assist with the flag ceremony at the Veteran's park as we do every year, near the Scout Service Center either on Sunday or Monday. Thanks in advance for encouraging attendance. Thanks to Mr. Hutchens, April 28th Swim tests at Samford The 30th will be our Court of Honor. More details and the agenda to follow in the next day or so. May 5th will be the Troop Junior Leader Training..Crocs and Eagles and all new Scouts or Scouts who have not attendened this in the past should plan on attending now. This course is the foundation of basic leadership in the Troop and his personal life in interacting with others. It is required in order to attend the National Youth Leadership Course, which lasts about a week...(very similar to the adult Wood Badge Course for leaders). The Scorpions will attend next Spring (2013) after gaining some experience in the Troop for a year. The Course will be taught by the Senior, the Asst Seniors, and the JASM's (Junior Assistant Scout Masters). If your son is a First Class Scout, passes the course, and will run for senior patrol leader, and if elected, will serve, the Troop will pay on-half of the NYLT tuition. On May 7, we will make a field trip to the one of the largest O Scale model train set ups in the US (Mr. Joe Fiori) located here in Hoover. This will be the last year it will be available for viewing in it's original condition before being taken down and possibly sold. We have visited it several times in the past. May 14th regular meeting in preparation for the May Canoe Trip. Scoutmaster's Minute is Mr. Branin. May 18-19...Cahaba canoe trip..Details to be announced. Thanks in advance for all your support, assistance, and for encouraging attendance. YiS Dan s "Delivering the Promise"

Troop News

Congratulations to J McKinney and his family for his passing his final Eagle Board tonight....thanks also to Mr. Morrow for assuring Board requirements are met and routinely scheduled for members of the Troop w/their families.

As you know, members of the Vulcan District Eagle Boards are made up of volunteers who take the time, once a month to sit on board of three, and as assigned, by the the Director, who sit as a Board to take the time to assure Life Scouts are submitting their Eagle Projects according to the guidelines set forth by National. Once the project is initially approved, by Mr. Morrow, the Troop Eagle Guide and Coordinator along with the Board's approval, the project is implemented by the Scout, then submitted for final approval again by Mr. Morrow and the Board. Scouts should be thinking about a project by the time they earn the Life rank.

Troop 21 has had strong majority membership on the Board over the past twenty years and longer with the current members sitting: Mr. Mark Branin, Mrs. Cathy Kidd, Dr. Stephen Smith, Mr. Wes Smith, Mr. Winn Jones, and Mr. Randy Watts...their work advice and recommendations have added much depth and character to Troop projects that have been completed in the past.

As a leader, your membership on the Board would further increase the depth and knowledge of Eagle projects as they are given thought to and proposed by our own Life Scouts...please think about taking the time and volunteering to assist as a Board Member.

We had an excellent turnout tonight for quartermasters in preparing our gear for the trip to Troy this weekend..thanks also to the leaders who assisted in making work complete in less than an hour....

Thanks to Mr. Presley and his Corporation for taking care of our ice requirements, and for Mr. Young and Mr. Kok for our towing needs this weekend.

We will need a driver and shotgun for the Frank Tank, and probably vehicles to assist in transportation to Troy if we fill the bus...as usual the Troop will underwrite the cost of fuel. We will ride the Venture and older scouts with leaders, giving priority to the younger Scouts for access to bus seats.

Scorpions and older new Scout parents are reminded that if a parent will not be present on the trip, that the Troop is provided with as complete a copy possible of the BSA medical form for the Scout along with a copy of the Family medical insurance card in case of an emergency.

He should be at the Hut at 5:00 PM, in uniform, ready to go.

As usual, we will not be stopping the bus enroute to Troy, less restroom requirements, so make sure he packs a lunch/dinner (open drink containers, other than bottles are not permitted on the bus.

Please Note: Uniform for the trip (BSA travel requirement) for Scouts and leaders requires the Scout uniform, in this case is the Troop 21 Red T shirt, Scout trousers, Scout socks, and belt....if he is out of uniform, he will have to stay on the bus for the meal stop on Sunday (brunch) at McDonalds. He will wear the Red T shirt enroute, setting up camp, and for the return trip back...so he should have either two red Troop t shirts and two pair of Scout socks, though one of each will work. We recommend leaders wear the uniform to conform to BSA guide lines and to set the example for the Scouts.

The uniform for Saturday's activities is casual wear for the Zip Line and Rope Challenges. The red T shirt and Scout Shorts/trousers should not be worn. It may be cool Friday night when we leave and Saturday and Sunday morning, so a jacket or pull over is recommended...if rain is forecast, he should be prepared for it.

This will be the Troop's first trip to Troy for the Zip Line and rope challenge adventure..Thanks again to Mr. Kyle Horn for making it possible.

Thanks for all your support and for encouraging attendance.

YiS Dan s "Delivering the Promise"

Troop News : Swim test

Thanks to all who came out and assisted S Hardy with his Eagle Project on Sat April 7 (28 Scouts and leaders). he was able to finish the project.

If you are coming on the Trip to Troy April 13-15, attendance is required at the meeting on Monday April 9, along w/the $70.00 or $30.00 fee and to take a final head count. If the Scout is not going to be there, his patrol leader must know to arrange for meals..same for a leader planning to attend with his/her son.

Remember........Mr.Hutchens (below memo) has arranged for us to use the Samford pool to take the BSA swim test..on April 28th...this is for any scout or leader who is coming on the May canoe trip on the Cahaba River and has not taken the BSA swim test previously at summer camp or elsewhere.

The BSA swim test will also be available at summer camp and during the the July water ski trip in the lake and will be required for the Troop canoe trip on the Bartram Canoe Trail in Mobile when we go in October...Mr. Cox will also offer the Canoe merit badge at the July water sports trip.

.If you and the Scout are planning on coming with us in May on the Cahaba, you or the Scout must have taken the BSA swim test earlier, if not and you have not taken or cannot take the BSA swim test in a pool, or body of water, then the Scout or leader cannot come on the May trip. unless passed, at an earlier summer camp or as taken elsewhere.

Sorry to appear to be strict, but along with youth protection, the BSA does not skip requirements for water sports or water activities.... and the swim test is one of the anchor requirements.

If a leader or Scout will not be at the Samford pool on the 28th, to take the test at summer camp, or in the lake when we are water skiing in July, that may be the last chance if you are going to Mobile with us in October for the Barttram Canoe Trail there. You can read in the BSA Scout Guide what the swimming requirements are if you have not taken it before...not really bad if you are swimmer....the test will be required for all swimming activities as summer camp also..with instruction for beginners as required.

We have not had the opportunity to use the Samford pool in the past..so take advantage of the chance particularly for those coming on the May trip on the Cahaba.

Thanks in advance to Mr. Hutchens for making this possible for us.

YiS dan s "Delivering the Promise"

Hardy's Eagle Proj this Sat 7:30am @BPUMC

Troop 21,

I will be having my eagle project on April 7. The project will be
building a bridge at Bluff Park United Methodist Church. We will meet
at the play ground at 7:30am on the 7th.

The project will cost $300 for supplies! I am asking for donations of any amount. Donations will be greatly appreciated. I still need some more donations of any amount.

For the project y'all will need to being gloves, water bottle. (it is
not a 20ft bridge) Also we need a few drills!

Also if you need service hours this is a great way to get some more
hours or for grist class you need 10 events this will count for one of
those.

S Hardy
Troop 21 J.A.S.M.
NUNNE HI chapter chief

Troop News

This weekend was one of our busiest this year with all the activities
going on:

D Lepianka completed his Eagle project in the Moss Rock
Preserve..several of our Scouts assisted building two benches,
completing them the same day (March 31).....

Thanks to Mr. Horn's efforts, Ten Scouts and leaders went on the Troop
bus to the Air Show in Tuscaloosa where the Blue Angels performed
during the day.They
left the Hut around 8:30 AM and returned around 6:00 PM. Four leaders
and Scouts joined them at the Show. They were shuttled in from the
parking area and got a hand's on experience with many parked planes to
include being able to sit in or walk through many with questions being
answered by some the crews.

Several of our Leaders attended the OLS training at Camp Sequoyah: Mr.
Horn, Mr. Ponder, Mr. Dinella, Mrs Russell, and Mr, Fox...They left
Friday, March 30th and returned on Sunday completing the required
training for the Boy Scout Leader training "Trained" patch. Thanks for
taking the time and effort to complete the course.

As you know, attending this training (SMLT/OLS) along with Youth
Protection Training is required to be a registered Troop Assistant
Scoutmaster......serving as a Troop Committee Member requires Youth
Protection and the Committee Challenge (also found along with Youth
Protection on Scouting.org) Active, new leaders recently joining the
Troop should be planning on either or all three training in order to
assist the Troop on activities and trips.

This past weekend was also the Troop's New Scout weekend...We left the
Hut and arrived in personal cars following the Frank Tank at Primitive
site #2 at Oak Mountain State Park..There were about eight new Scouts,
each with a parent, and a good number of Troop leaders and Scouts (for
total of about 30), who stayed most of the day, into the night, and
returned to the Hut by 9:30 AM Sunday. The weather held out with some
light rain and some wind in the evening.

Congratulation to the new "Scorpion" patrol for their flag and formally
painting their patrol chuck box. Each present did their physical
fitness requirement, earned the Tote and Chip, Fireman and Chip. Leave
no Trace card requirement, and have a good understanding of the BSA
"outdoor" Code, as well as several other Scout and Tenderfoot
requirements.

There will NOT be a meeting at the Hut on April 2...rather as many
scouts and leaders as well as all the patrol quartermasters and Troop
quartermasters as possible should be present at 6:30 PM, uniform not
required, to take down all of the back packing tents, tarps, plastic
ground cloths, and regular tents that were used during the Pinhoti
backpacking trip and on the new Scout Campout...The hut is full of
drying tents and scattered equipment making a good turn out required.

Following the clean up, and stowing of Troop gear, there will be a PLC
(Patrol Leader's Planning Conference to plan out Troop activities for
April) All patrol leaders and Asst Patrol leaders should plan on
being there..uniform not required.

The next Troop meeting will be April 9.....we will be briefed by Mr.
Horn for the Zipline trip to Troy, Alabama on the weekend of April
13-15 and the Scouts will plan their patrol work rosters and meals.
There may be a guest speaker. The cost for the trip is $70.00 for full
activities and $30.00 (leaders) for meals and fuel..payment and parent
consent forms both for the location and the BSA should be brought in
Monday April 9 so we can assure a headcount...due to the popularity of
the trip we will more than likely require vehicles to assist in
transportation (fuel will be reimbursed with a receipt to Mr. Elmore at
the Trips end, or by use of the Troop credit card while on the Trip).
Troop pictures are scheduled to be present for those who purchased them
with Mr. Snow. More Zipline details will be discussed on April 9.

Since the Troop Committee Meeting occurred on March 26 following the
WEBELO Crossover, there will not be Committee meeting following the PLC
on April 2.

If you have not paid your first payment of $75.00 for summer camp
please do so to Mr. Simon on April 2 or on April 9.

Thanks to Mr. Simon, pictures taken by he and other leaders of the
recent Troop activities are all posted on the Troop Web site. Take at
look at them and enjoy the Scout's efforts and adventure.

Thanks for all your support and for encouraging attendance...

YiS Dan s "Delivering the Promise"