Troop News

....The adult training SMLT will be held on September 21 at the Scout Service Center...the companion course OLS will be held at Camp Sequoyah during Nov 1-3....if you have not attended  these courses..this will be good opportunity to get them behind you.

There will be an opportunity for Scout service on September 22 at the Birmingham Railroad Park with more information to be announced on the GAC Digital Eagle ...The program is oriented on world poverty awareness. The program is be sponsored by the AGA Khan Foundation.

The Vulcan District "Dutch oven Cook Off" being offered on September 28th is detailed on the Vulcan District newsletter located on the 1BSA.org information sheet.  There is a cost per Scout, not including purchasing meal ingredients for two dutch ovens.  We will discuss the details at the next meeting for those interested.

Mr. Crabtree presented the results of his Wood Badge project to the group in his effort to increase the positive effect of a strong Trp 21 alumni organization in terms of legacy continuity and fund raising. It was discussed by all the Troops in their effort to utilize the same in their own areas.

There is an Order of Arrow Ordeal this weekend (9/6-8) with about ten in the Troop heading out to Camp Sequoyah  Friday evening and returning Sunday.  The Troop provides a  pre-ordeal team for the Council/Lodge. Two of our Scouts will participate in the ordeal and several will complete their brotherhood requirements.

There will be a regular meeting Monday (September 9)  with two guest speakers, both careerists and Eagle Scouts, who will discuss the career fields in Engineering..the presentations will  correlate with two additional Sunday afternoons to complete the Engineering merit badge.

Have your Scout go to meritbadge.org and look at the requirements for the cooking merit badge.This badge will be required for the Eagle rank starting January 1, 2014. If he is a member of the Venture patrol,  he needs to start picking up the requirements as soon as possible if he has not taken a look at the requirements yet...all of the requirements  are necessary for completion on camping weekends.   Younger Scouts need to start thinking about it now as to avoid a rush for it's completion down the line.

We also keep touching on backpacking requirements....if we have time..in planning for the up and coming walls of Jericho tip in Northern Alabama coming up this fall (Troop Calendar/Activities on the Troop Web Site).  If your son is a first year scout or older and more than a first year scout, and working on his next  rank,  back packing experiences with the Troop are part of the advancement process..he should plan on attending.  As w know..backpacking, canoeing, hiking, biking and all other outdoor forms of  physical fitness and challenge are part of  the adventure in Scouting.

In the last news letter,  Star Scout B Chaney spoke to refurbishing the Troop's  merit badge library...he is asking that Scouts and leaders return, and donate if purchased, all merit badge books for re-shelving so that others may use them...age (date of publication)  makes no difference....just bring them in tonight or any meeting  so we can make use of them if they are just collecting dust or in a pile not being used somewhere.