There has been a lot of e-mail traffic via our troop lists lately so I will combine several things into one.

Some Heavy Work Needed Tonight

The church has asked us to move some of the Pancake Breakfast equipment out of the boiler room and across to Keilty Hall.  I have expected this for some time because storage in a boiler room is frowned on by building inspectors.  So we must move four very heavy grills and some much lighter warming ovens out of the boiler room and at least temporarily stow them across the street.

We will need some adults with backs which are in good shape.  Bring work gloves and wear an old shirt that will look good with a little grease on it.

Big Movie Premiere

Saturday at The Flick will be the premiere of First Shot, the movie 119 and 160 helped make.  If you check the poster, you will see that we got a credit!!!!  And I hear we are in the How The Movie Was Made short which will also be shown on Saturday.

Tickets are just $5 at the Lexington Historical Society.  Call them or visit in person.  The tickets are going fast so don’t depend on buying them at the door.

Last Meeting and Court of Honor

The last meeting is traditionally held at the Old Res with a cookout and COH.  It is not a meticulously planned affair.  Just show up and we’ll toss another hamburger or hotdog on the grill for you.  There is some planning going on, but if you hear nothing, we wouldn’t say no to a salad or a dessert.  We will have firmer word at the meeting this evening.  Stay tuned!

We know that there will be conflicts and not all will be able to attend.  As I have said before, there are no perfect dates in June and not a lot of perfect ones in May, either.

Of course parents and siblings are invited to the cookout as well as to the COH.

Parent Ribbons and a Quick Guide to COH Protocol

When ranks are recognized, a parent usually comes up with the Scout receiving the rank.  This is a recognition of the importance of parental support in Scouting.  As a physical recognition of that, the Scout will pin a smaller version of the rank emblem on the parent standing with him.

To make that task a little easier for the Scout, each family should have a red ribbon with a pin attached to it.  As the Scout advances, the ribbon fills with pins showing that advancement.  If you have not already received a red ribbon, you will get one at the COH.  You do not have to make it yourself.

Come Early for Advancement

If you need to talk to the Scoutmaster or get something signed off, consider dropping in to the meeting early.  I am usually there by 7:00 PM.  If I am not upstairs, look for me downstairs in the Scout Room.  But don’t show up at 7:25 expecting to get 20 minutes worth of work done in the five minutes before the meeting.

T*ed.com

We have about beaten this to death, but just in case you have been away, a good course of action is to simply delete any mail which comes from this site or promises pictures from a friend via this site.  Most agree the site is mostly about phishing and spamming so they can send out lots of notes to the people in your address book.  Read more at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagged

This site was started by Harvard graduates.  Guess they never took that course in Social Responsibility I had to take at a state college …

Electronics

One more time–your Scout will have a better time at camp and at all events if he is electronics-free.  There is no cell signal at camp and Scouts with earphones or earbuds will look decidedly odd.  I mean NOBODY does it.  Not even leaders.

If there is any question about telephone call-home policy (it is discouraged), please talk to me about it.  Even I don’t call home.  Nor do I call work.  If I did it would blow my cover story that there are no telephones.  And that is very close to true.  At Camp Bell the telephone servivce is pretty close to zero and Hidden Valley is not much better.  Around Wednesday of each week you will get an e-mail letter with pictures from me and I will not tell you how much trouble that will be.

What Should I Bring to Camp?

There is quite a bit of information on our Web site, but ask if you are not sure.

The accomodations are the same at both camps.  We will camp as a troop in two-person tents with canvas cots.  Mosquito netting is felt to be necessary by some some although in the several years I have been going to Camp Bell and Hidden Valley, I have never used it and never had a rough night because I didn’t have it.  YMMV, of course.  Showers are available and their use is encouraged.  This year the Camp Bell showers will be on top of the hill rather than at the bottom.  I guess I am excited about that …

Each Scout should have at least one set of pants, shirt, and old gym shoes that he can afford to get incredibly dirty.  Think Challenge Valley.  If you don’t know what that is, you have a wonderful surprise waiting for you!

Keep in mind that some merit badges will be impossible to complete without some pre-camp work at home.  Check the merit badge classes you are planning to take and study just a little bit.  It wouldn’t hurt to bring worksheets, a merit badge pamphlet, and your Scout Handbook to camp with you.

New Scouts will participate in the New Scout program at either Camp Bell or Hidden Valley.  If a Scout is planning to attend both weeks, then he will only do the program once.  The program will give him much of what he needs to be a First Class along with much of the Swimming and First Aid merit badges.  Troop 160 considers these two merit badges as essentials since they mean that a Scout is prepared to safely participate in outdoor events.

There will be more information as the departure date for camp approaches, but the one thing I will say now is that if you plan to drive to camp, be there on time.  Late arrivals delay check-in since we must check in as a troop.  Late arrival can also cause problems with transportation of luggage to the campsite.  It is a stiff walk from the parking lot to the campsite.