Greetings 160:

I am the coordinator for the December 13, 2008 Rock Climbing event.

Enjoy a fun skilled 2 hours of indoor rock climbing at one of the best gyms in New England.  Whether you are an avid climber or novice, you will be challenged!    All participatants will have many opportunities to belay and improve their skills for the low price of $20.00/scout.

We will leave from  St Brigid’s parking lot at 12:30PM that Saturday.  Forms have been available for the past 2 weeks at the Thursday Troop meeting.  You will find attached those handouts and waiver forms which must be mailed to me with $20.00 by November 26th.   I will bring the waiver forms to Woburn on December 13th.  Only scouts with the proper documentation will be allowed to climb.

If you have any questions please email me or call our house 781-674-2053.  This should be a fun 2 hours.  The Rock Gym manager has assured me that there multiple wall choices.  There are many difficult walls to climb to keep the more experienced scouts challenged.    I hope we have a great participation from our troop.  December can be a month of little physical activity-not enough snow and too little warm weather.  This will be a day you can sweat!

Rita Ross

I did not mean to make my original e-mail into an appeal for funds, but rather an answer to those who had asked why I didn’t have my act together with a real date for stringing the bandstand lights.

However, some people and a company have stepped forward to help with funding the bandstand lighting.  While we are not at 100%, we are at a level of funding where I feel comfortable with ordering the lights.  It remains to be seen if they can get here quickly enough.  I will let people know what date we will be stringing the lights as soon as I know.

Now if I have just measured the bandstand correctly …  Stay tuned!

-Hank

This is not intended as an appeal for funds, but rather as an explanation to those who have written me asking why I don’t have a set date for doing the work.

A few years ago, Troop 160 started decorating the bandstand in Hastings Park for the holidays.  It started very much spur-of-the-moment with various people throwing money in the hat.  Typically, Alan Wrigley has provided the tree.  Peter Kelley kicked in some big lights and a tree stand.  I think I have mentioned that before.  No troop funds were used.  We did miss one year when the bandstand was being rebuilt.

So why not this year just as we have every other year?  Historically, we have done it Thanksgiving weekend so there is no pause between decoration and lighting.  We have found it keeps vandalism at bay a little better.

Just when it will be done is up in the air this year.  For several reasons it has been decided that LED lights will be used this year.  The town is going to that type of light for all holiday lighting so I think it is appropriate for us to do the same.  I had intended to do so for next year, but the decision by the town has pushed us into it a year early.  The town lighting effort is also a volunteer effort, by the way.  No town funds are used and the town is reimbursed for any use of DPW labor.

Unfortunately, I have a funding source for only $200 for the new lights which are expected to run about $600 at last projection.  That projection is being refined, but it will probably not drop below that figure.  I am also running out of time to actually get the lights.  Although LED lights are sold locally, they are not the same quality.

The holiday lighting has become one way we thank the town for their support of Scouting and Troop 160 so I am hopeful of finding a source of funding for this year.  If I do, we will be doing the decoration of the bandstand on short notice.  So stay tuned!!!

And if you have any ideas for funding sources, please let me know.

-Hank

VETERANS DAY PARADE AND CEREMONY

Thank you to all Scouts who showed up!  I have been given the following list of participants.  If somebody was there who is not on the list, let me know.

-Nathan C.
-Charlie C.
-Willie P.
-Harry A.
-Sam W.
-Brady G.
-Sam E.
-Ian D.
-David K.

By the way–seeing four Kirbys up on the stand leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance was a very uplifting moment.  I hope somebody caught it with their camera.  If you did, let’s put it on the Web site.

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MEETING ACTIVITY FOR THIS WEEK

The famous 10-10-30 seems to be a popular activity so as announced last week, we are going to have one this week.  Except it is now the soon to be even more famous … hold onto your hats …

5-5-30-4-1-1-1-1 (Entree)

What?  Are you kidding?

The object is to:

- Feed 5 Scouts
- For $5 or less
- With a main dish made in 30 minutes or fewer
- Cooked with no more than 4 ounces of fuel
- With 1 liter or less of water
- Using no more than 1 pot
- To be served in 1 dish per Scout with one utensil per Scout to eat it with

Continue reading →

There are three service hour opportunities coming up and not only do they benefit the town, but they are fun to do as well.

Tuesday, November 11th.  Veterans Day.  The Town Celebrations Committee is trying to make more of a ceremony out of it.  We will gather at the White House (the dumpish-looking building next to the police station) at 9:30 AM for a parade and ceremony on the Battle Green.  Wear your Class A uniform.  If it is raining, we will go to Cary Hall instead.  This is a joint 160-119 event, of course and this year the master of ceremonies promises to remember that there are two troops and may even get the names of both Scoutmasters correct.  One can only hope of course …

Thursday, November 13th.  This is the twice-yearly Book Migration to help the Friends of Cary Library.  Not only do you get service hours, but you also satisfy a requirement for Reading merit badge.  On top of service hours, and merit badge requirements, you get pizza and soda in the library.  Nobody else gets that!  We will be joined by a Den of Cub Scouts.  Come at 5 PM.  We will plan pizza for 6 PM and you will be able to walk to your meeting by 7 PM.  This is another 160-119 event and the nice people who volunteer for FOCL think the world of Scouts.  Plus you will get your name in the paper and maybe even your picture if I remember to bring my camera.  By the way–with the increase in energy costs, all town departments have been asked to freeze spending.  That means that the Library cannot spend approximately $15,000 of the money set aside for new books.  And that means that the money the FOCL book sale brings in is REALLY important.  So let’s come
on down next Thursday, get those books moved, and stuff ourselves with pizza.

Date uncertain.  Bandstand holiday lighting.  This will occur late in November. The date is uncertain because we are trying to work out a last-minute wrinkle.  We have been asked to go to LED lights this year.  Bev and Peter Kelley have donated quite a bit of money to help the Chamber of Commerce switch over to LED lights.  Because the lights look a little different, we have been asked to switch over as well.  There are two reasons–a uniform look to all lighting, and a general committment to energy conservation.  I am scurrying around trying to find a funding source for the lighting so we might be a little late this year.  I had planned to switch over next year as had the town, but then the gift caught us all by surprise.  The early LED lights were somewhat disappointing, but the 4th generation lights which I was shown recently look very good and should last a long time.  In the end we will save money on replacement lights and the town will save money
on energy.

One last thing.  Troop 119 actively supports our Pancake Breakfast.  Their own fundraiser is a holiday wreath sale.  I have been buying a wreath from them for some time and can vouch for the quality and reasonable price.  A Scout from 119 will be at our meeting closing for the next couple of weeks in case you would like to order a wreath.  Sales may also be arranged through the 119 Web site.

-Hank Manz