Saturday, September 11, 2010 at 9:00 a.m., Troop 39 will be setting up their grills, and flipping burgers and scorching red hots and brats in front of Unity Lutheran Church during the Lakewood-Balmoral Yard Sale. Scouts should be there at 9:00 a.m. to set up. We will also have Trails End Pop Corn to sell. Almost as important as trying to raise funds for the troop, scouts will learn to work together and show a positive presence in the community. Everyone should come in their class A uniforms complete with neckerchief and slide. On the weekend of September 18, 2010—Troop 39 will participate in ScoutFEST 100 on Northerly Island (a.k.a. Meigs Field). ScoutFEST 100 is a festival to celebrate the centennial year of the Boy Scouts of America for the Scouts of Chicagoland. All the details are in, and it's time to register. The Chicago Area Council (CAC) has posted on its website answers to some frequently asked questions about the event. Key is that there are only 7,500 spots available, and the event is open to all scouts, not only scouts in the CAC. The cost is $35 for the day or $40 for camping (Saturday night to Sunday morning). This does not include food, which will either have to be purchased from vendors at the event or brought in. Food brought in cannot be cooked by using open flames of any sort. In the evening, there will be a band and fireworks over the lake. During the day, scouts can take part in activities such as rock climbing, fishing, obstacle courses, exploring Sea Scout ships and more. There are camperships available.

Ages 10 to 18 and a registered Boy Scout Complete all requirements for the Chemistry Merit Badge in a two session workshop. The first session includes laboratory experience. Choose one of three locations, the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn or Oakton Community College in Des Plaines or College of Lake County in Grayslake. The second session will be held on October 23 at Loyola University in Chicago and is necessary for completion of this merit badge. It will include an opportunity to talk to industrial chemists as well as completing the remaining requirements. Register with the Chicago Section American Chemical Society on their website www.chicagoacs.org and indicate which location you will be taking the 1st session at. Registration opens August 1. Instructions will be sent prior to the workshop for each boy registered. There are a limited number of scouts allowed each location so please register early.

Deadline for registration is October 1 (no exceptions this year).


Cost: NO CHARGE

Please call the Chicago Section American Chemical Society office for any additional questions at 847-391-9091. The Order of the Arrow has put together a great resource titled, "Where to Go Camping Guide." Use it, share it and thank Owasippe Lodge #7 for the thorough job of putting it together. Youth Protection Training is required for all registered volunteers. New leaders are required to take Youth Protection Training before they submit their application for registration. The certificate of completion must be submitted when the application is made and before volunteer service with youth begins. Youth Protection Training must be taken every two years. If a volunteer’s Youth Protection Training record is not current at the time of recharter, the volunteer will not be reregistered. Read more about the changes to BSA's Youth Protection and how to complete the training.

A scout is trifty, which means you learn to manage money. Our troop has committed to going to Owasippe for summer camp in June 2011 for two weeks. Cost for one week of camp was $250 in 2010. We sell Christmas Wreaths and Trails End Popcorn to help pay for those two weeks. More information will be coming about wreath and popcorn sales, but the money earned by a scout goes into his troop account that can be used only for that scout's scouting activities. We also are looking for other ways to raise money. Finally, all the equipment (tents, trailer, merit badges, cooking stoves, and propane) all comes from the money we raise. A portion of the money a scout earns goes into that troop fund. Parents are welcome to attend the monthly Troop Committe meeting to learn more. There is a great mystery out there lurking about Troop 39 just waiting for its story to be told. An outing, a meeting or a personal experience about a scout's adventures in our troop. Who will step up and tell the tale? (Articles from leaders are welcome, too.) Email them to Mr. Mroczkowski. While the date for this adventure isn't until November 5-7, we received a call from wonderful people at the Oshkosh Aviation Museum asking us to confirm our reservation of 15 scouts for the trip. The costs are as follow: $10 to earn the Aviation Merit Badge and $25 for room and board (you supply the sleepig bag), adults the cost is $10. From the moment we arrive on Friday evening until it's time for us to leave, scouts, your feet will barely touch the ground. There are flight simulators, movies and projects scheduled. This is a very popular event, we had to reserve a date 11 months in advance. There are other groups who would jump on the opportunity to take the date, so please tell your parents now and ask them if you can attend. (Adults do are not included in the reservation count for the scouts.) It takes about three hours to get from Chicago to Oshkosh. We have yet to set a departure hour, but activities begin on Friday evening. Plan on being ready the night before, so we can leave immediately after school on Friday. You don't want to miss a moment of fun. Payment of $35 by our September 27th meeting is required and the completion of this scouting permission form by a parent or guardian is necessary for a boy to participate. Scouts have begun the First Aid Merit Badge. To those scouts working on the merit badge, Mr. Lamble has requested they download and print the worksheet. Scouts who have already earned this merit badge are encouraged to review the requirements, because of all the merit badges we earn and learn the First Aid Merit Badge is perhaps the most vital to know. Additionally, some scouts have requested work on the Music Merit Badge. Print off a copy of the worksheet and talk with Mr. Mroczkowski about the requirements. April 1, 2010—Our headline is a quote from the BSA Online Magazine. It's true. The requirements for the four Historic Merit Badges are now available. They are: Signaling, Tracking, Pathfinding and Carpentry. Talk to Mr. Kryl about merit badge counselors for these badges, which can only be completed by the end of 2010. However, all but Pathfinding will be offered at Owasippe this summer. Program participants will earn recognition for making a difference in their communities due to their dedication to five of Scouting's core values: Leadership, Character, Community Service, Achievement, and the Outdoors. Through that commitment, participants can earn each of five award ribbons to display from our 100th Anniversary commemorative patch. A Year of Celebration will take place from September 1, 2009 through December 31, 2010. The program is open to all Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venturers, adult leaders, and Scouting alumni. Learn more.

As of March 7, 2010, here is the progress chart for earning the ribbons that are added to the pocket rocker. You, a scout or leader in Troop 39, may have completed and earned more requirements than we have posted here, which means it is your responsibility to let Mr. Mroczkowski know what you have accomplished. Keep up the good work, and plan ahead to complete the necessary requirements. The second option to complete the Outdoor requirement for the Year of Celebration ribbon (above) is: Attend a Scout overnight campout and practice the principles of Leave No Trace. But what is Leave No Trace? Well, Leave No Trace (LNT) was conveniently developed by The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, an educational, nonprofit dedicated to the responsible enjoyment and active stewardship of the outdoors by all people, worldwide. Their putting forth a challenge, a big challenge, the Bigfoot Challenge! Asking you to take a look at your imprint on the environment, LNT is raising awareness about how to enjoy nature by making the smallest impact on it. Ask Mr. Lamble about LNT and how you can complete the requirement for the Outdoor ribbon. Bring in your menus for the three types of cooking: Camp Cooking, Trail Cooking and Home Cooking. Camp Cooking needs to be two straight days of breakfast, lunch and dinner. Trail Cooking needs to be one day (three meals): breakfast, lunch and dinner. Home Cooking needs to be three full days of breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Use the Cooking Merit Badge help page provided by Mr. Mroczkowski to complete your requirements. Keep in mind that you will need to cook the meals as well, but there is plenty of camping coming up and plenty of opportunities at home. Hint: there are some great menus in the Cooking Merit Badge book. Tuesday, September 28, Troop 39's Adult Committee will meet to discuss upcoming events and plan logistics. There will be plenty of information from our Fort Dearborn District's Roundtable about Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 activities to discusss. All parents of scouts are welcome to attend this meeting, bearing in mind that all decisions are made by registered adult leaders of the troop. Our meeting will take place at Unity Lutheran Church at 6:30 p.m. All committee members are invited to attend. The Scoutmaster and any parents are welcome to come to join in the discussion. For more information, please contact our Troop Committee Chairman, Mr. Scruggs.