Troop 398 News - May 7

EAGLE SERVICE PROJECT
Joey Falana  will be working on his Eagle Project Saturday 5/10/08 from 8:00 -12:00. Bring shovels, rakes and gloves. Any changes due to weather will be posted via e-mail.

CUMBERLAND MERIT BADGE UNIVERSITY
Cumberland MBU  was cancelled March 8th due to weather - it has been rescheduled for this Sat May 10th. Participants will meet at McDonalds at Memorial and Northfield between 6:00 and 6:30 AM Sat. Wear class A uniforms.

PLC MEETING
PLC will meet at 6:00 PM Monday, May 12th prior to the troop meeting .  Make sure your patrol is represented!

SERVICE OPPORTUNITY
The weekend is approaching and the conservation effort is on in Rutherford County.
They  need adults, boys and any other family members who would like to participate.
The REQUIRED waivers for both M'boro and Smyrna are posted at www.totscouting.org
Each participant must have a waiver.
Angela Jackson is coordinating the Murfreesboro efforts. We have helped Angela in the past and her staff is great to work with for the Cub Scout Clean-up (Oaklands/Maney Springs) and the Boy Scout efforts along the Stones River. Her contact number is 615-893-2141. If you have any further questions please call her direct. Angela Jackson's email is ajackson@murfreesborotn.gov
Greg Upham is going at this for the first time! The District is asking that those who live in Smyrna and LaVergne help his effort. This effort for the first year will combine Cub and Boy Scouts in a joint operation. Please feel free to call him at 615-459-5701 Ext. 5701 for any additional questions. Greg Upham email is greg.upham@townofsmyrna.org

EAGLE SCOUT COURT OF HONOR
Jake Shaw  will receive his Eagle at a special Court of Honor on Sunday, May 18th at 2:00 PM at the Worship Center at St. Mark's. All troop members are invited to share in this special event.

SCOUT ACCOUNTS
It's a good time to review  how scout accounts work  with regard to campouts, etc. When you pay Mr. Holtman for an activity or campout. He will make a deposit to your scout account. He will total the expenses for the trip and then he will determine how much participants owe for food, camping fees or  whatever.  He will then charge that amount to each  participant's scout account. Any excess money stays in the scout account. We generally try to give you an estimated cost.  It's hard to determine exactly how much food will cost ahead of time, because we don't place an order until after the Monday night meeting. This method ensures that we charge each scout the correct amount. It also provides a record of transactions in and out of scout accounts. Mr. Holtman can tell you what your balance is at any time.

KROGER CARES
We are getting a lot more participation and we are now getting a monthly check  for about $250. That's about $3000 annually that's split between the troop and participating scouts' accounts. See Treasurer Mike Holtman if you want a card.

FLAG PLACEMENT
Flag placement is scheduled for Saturday, May 24th at the Stones River National Battlefield.
A sign up sheet will be posted at the troop meeting.

COURT OF HONOR
Our next troop Court of Honor will be Monday, June 2nd.  New scouts will be assigned to permanent patrols at that time.

SUMMER CAMP
Summer Camp dates are Sunday, June 8 - Friday, June 13. Fee balance is due Monday, May 19 to the Troop Treasurer, Mr. Holtman.  Be sure to have your parents update your Class I  Medical  History  form. Take this with you and a blank Class II form if you plan to get a camp physical from your regular doctor.

Mr. Doliana will administer the BSA Swim Test again on the following Thursdays at 7:00 PM at SportsCom: May 22 and May 29.  He has to cancel the May 1st test due to a business trip. If you have not done any swimming since last year, we recommend you practice a couple of times before the test - especially your floating.

Let us know if you want a mosquito net or any other items from Campmor.  We will be placing an order around May 20th.  Campmor gives us a 10% discount and we pay no tax. Check out the on-line catalog at www.campmor.com.  By the way, there's a good deal going on now until May 15 on the BSA Switchback (zip-off  leg) pants. For a limited time you can buy two pair for the price of one. They do not have to be the same size, so grab a buddy and head for the Murfreesboro scout shop or order on-line from www.scoutstuff.org.  (You save about $5 in shipping by getting them locally).  These can be worn with a Class A shirt and they are perfect for camping year round as  they dry quickly. I find them much more comfortable than the uniform pants. We'd  really look sharp at camp if we could get everyone a pair of these.