First—thanks for all the help on Saturday from both 119 and 160 on two events. We whipped through the fire engine brass polishing in short order and took a few stabs at Fire Safety merit badge. As promised, I will arrange a class with the Fire Chief to finish up the requirements. More on that later. And then we cleaned up Tower Park from those very messy British and Colonial soldiers. The commanding officer of the Tenth Regiment of Foot, the British re-enactors, is a former SPL of Troop 160, by the way. Both the Minutemen and the Tenth have already told me how much they appreciate the help as did the police captain on site.
Second—there have been a couple of changes to the pumper pushing for the parade on Monday. I want to emphasize that we are not pushing a vehicle like the fire engine we polished. Rather, we are pushing an antique pumper designed to be pushed by people. It was pointed out to me that last year the average age of the pushers was 65 although they are not, of course, in the same top physical shape as your Scoutmasters. J I tried pushing the unit myself yesterday and was able to move it by myself with very little trouble.
But it turns out that Munroe Cemetery as a starting place was no good. Because the pumper had to be delivered by truck, it had to be done Friday evening. There is no security at Munroe and leaving out an antique like that for three nights seemed a bit too tempting. So the apparatus is currently at Wilson Farms. That is a little longer push, but not all that much. I walked the route after the Tower Park cleanup and found it to be an easy journey. The ending will be the same. Walk through the center of town, then turn right on Hancock and push the pumper to the Hancock-Clarke House.
So here are the changes:
- Meet at Wilson Farms in the overflow parking lot on Pleasant Street across from the farmstand.
- Try to be there by 1:00 PM on Monday so we can move the pumper into position by 1:30 PM. I will be there by as soon after noon as I can get there and I may even have some snacks for early arrivers. Remember though–bathroom facilities may be a bit hard to find.
- If you get to the overflow lot and find us gone, walk to Mass Ave and look for spot #34. It will probably be closer to the Center so you will make a left turn onto Mass Ave and check the spot numbers which are usually on sticks in the ground. Looking for the big engine and the smaller pumper would be a good idea—we should show up nicely.
- Wear either a Class A or B shirt. It would be nice to get at least a few Class A shirts since they are more recognizable. If the weather is not warm or if it is wet, dress appropriately. Wear boots if you have them and bring a water bottle.
We will be ending up at the Hancock-Clarke House. All Scouts should have a plan for where they are going from there. Traffic will still be tied up, of course, and some streets may still be closed so work out a plan with your parents.
An advantage of the change is that it should be easier to get to the parking lot on Pleasant Street than to Munroe close to parade time. If you are stopped at the fork with Concord Ave , tell the detail officer that you are delivering a Scout to Wilson Farms. They usually let you through, but if you are late and they won’t, it is an easy walk to the parking lot from the fork.
So be sure to come because the more hands we have, the better. Adults are invited as well. I will have some extra Class B T-shirts for those adults who want to help. I will probably pack along a couple of Class A shirts as well.
My cell phone number is 617.620.5011. Keep it handy through the end of the parade on Monday.
Bring a water bottle!
-Hank Manz