Those of you who attended this weekend's campout knows how rainy it was. Tents that were taken home are likely still wet from the rain.

Each Scout who takes home a tent is responsible for making sure that tent is cleaned and dried before bringing it back to the troop.

Remember, when you use a tent, you are borrowing it from the troop. And, this is your troop; therefore, each tent is your tent to use. Respect the tents as you would respect your own property! 

It is not someone else’s responsibility to clean up your mess, or your tent. You don’t want to open up a tent on the next campout you attend to find it wet with leaves, wrappers and dirt inside of it, do you?  Ok then – let’s make sure we put back clean, dry tents into the trailer!

So, in an effort to make sure all tents are cleaned properly and that no harm is done to the tents while cleaning them, please follow the following steps.

PLEASE FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS WHEN CLEANING/DRYING A TENT

Rockets soared in Hampton, Virginia on Sunday the 21st of February.  Troop 799 showed up at Trinity Church at 2:30pm on Saturday to start off our trip to the Langley Air and Space Museum.  After a brief, yet delicious stop at a Picadilly cafeteria, we reached the museum around 7:00pm.  We had a brief tour around the museum before beginning the Space Exploration Merit Badge.  This will be the first Merit Badge for several new Scouts, while some of the older Scouts will be receiving their second iteration of the badge.  To fulfill the requirements for the merit badge, we discussed occupations in space, challenges faced in space and the physics of space.  Most importantly, we built rockets.  After the explosives were finished, we had free time to wander the museum until we had to bed down on the floor of the museum.  The next morning, after we had breakfasted, we drove to a nearby parking lot to fire our rockets.  Most of them went off without a hitch, until Kenny Jones, Jr.'s rocket simply exploded in midair.  The trip was enjoyed by all - and we scored another merit badge!

- Bennett Hanes, Troop Historian

At the January Troop Committee eetign two neew polices regarding financial practices were adopted. They are as follows:

1. Effective March 1 reimbursement requests will only be honored if received within 60 days 
of incurring the expense.  When submissions are submitted belatedly they can create difficulties for our budgeting and accounting.  After March 1 any requests that are beyond the 60-day limit will require a justification that will be reviewed by the Troop Committee.

***ALL LIFE SCOUTS TAKE NOTE!!!***

 

The Cardinal District Advancement Committee has decided to improve the way Eagle Scout Service Projects and Eagle Scout Boards of Review are conducted within the district. For several years, two gentlemen have served as the "go-to guys" in both reviewing Eagle Scout Service Projects and sitting on Eagle Boards of Review as the Distrct Representative, required by National BSA Advancement Policy. As you can imagine, they have been inundated wiith projects and board of review dates to the point that changes must be made to allow the process to run more efficiently for Scouts and Troops, alike, in the Cardinal District.

Below is a letter from Scott Davis, Cardinal District Advancement Chair, that outlines the changes that will go into effect as of DECEMBER 1, 2009:

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Greetings Cardinal District Scout Leaders,
　
In following our long tradition of quality and fairness, the Cardinal District Advancement Committee has been reviewing the national procedures and policies used to approve Eagle projects and conduct Eagle Scout Boards of Review. The committee is very excited to provide the district with some updates and changes that will improve the consistency and integrity of our Eagle Scout procedure. These updates will keep our district in line with the standards of the National Eagle Court of Honor.

 

As we begin the 100th Anniversary Celebration, new awards and programs are unfolding - including new merit badges.

The Boy Scouts of America recently announced the release of some new merit badges. 

1 - Scuba Diving merit badge became official as of December 1, 2009 - http://usscouts.org/mb/mb138.asp

2 - Scouting Heritage merit badge is currently in development and is timed for release in the first quarter of 2010.

3 - Inventing merit badge has been approved and is currently in development and is timed for release in the second quarter of 2010.

There will most likely be more information on new awards and programs as we cruise through 2010 and the 100th Anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America.

The Boy Scouts of America has started a new program called "A Year of Celebration", in which 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.

Participants will be able to earn the 100th Anniversary commemorative patch and individual patches for each core value for which they are recognized. There are five patches in all. Each patch is 3” square and fits in a standard plastic temporary patch holder. They are different colors based on the official 100th Anniversary emblem.

Yes, even adults can earn patches for a change. There are five requirements for each age group for each patch. All you have to do is accomplish at least three of the five requirements to earn the patch. You may want to do all five requirements, but three is all that you’ll need to qualify for the 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, and Scouting alumni.