Troop 398 News - June 26

July 4th Fund Raiser
Once again, Troop 398 will be serving barbeque pork and chicken with trimmings, hot dogs and Mom-Made desserts at the Eagle's Nest on Saturday, July 4th from 4:30 till 7:30 PM. Just make a donation and eat yore fill! Proceeds traditionally go to help offset the cost of our High Adventure Trips. We urge all troop family members to attend and tell all your friends. We normally have a nice cool breeze and some great fellowship. You will still have time to make the fireworks at 8:00 PM at SportsCom.

Gary Wiser is heading up the effort again and he will need lots of help. So Gary won't worry too much, email him at bratwiser@aol.com if you can volunteer time or a dessert.

Cooks check in with Gary for starting time
Volunteers for table and chair set up need to be there starting at 1:00 PM
Serving line volunteers need to be there at 3:30 PM
Bring your Mom-Made dessert and a 2 Liter drink by at 3:30

Service Opportunity
St. Mark's has requested that Troop 398 do an Independence Day flag presentation at 8:45 AM on Sunday, July 5th. We will need five sharp volunteers. We will practice Sat. afternoon before the BBQ. Please reply to this email if you are interested.

Bissett Contingent Meeting
Try to have at least one family member in attendance at an important meeting at 6:00 PM this Monday June 29th. It looks like we finally have all travel arrangements confirmed – I will be sending more information in a separate email.

Summer Camp
Just wanted to tell everyone how proud I am of our scouts who attended Summer Camp. They stayed in good heath by drinking plenty of water, endured the heat, the ticks and the rainstorm in good spirits. They did a lot of work on advancement and everyone stuck it out.

Now, be sure to follow up on your advancements:  See Mr. Ervin for copies of your merit badge advancement sheets from Summer Camp. He will let you know which ones you've completed and for the incompletes, he will help you get lined up with a merit badge counselor.

For you scouts who were enrolled in Green Bar, see Mr. Bridgers, Mr. Gray or Mr. White about your Second Class or First Class advancement, they will be working out a schedule so you can complete any remaining requirements.

If you owe any camp registration fees, please settle up with Mr. Holtman as soon as possible.

July Camp Out
The July Camp Out will be July 17 – 19 at the Smyrna National Guard Base. This will be an easy, laid back weekend. Activities will include Tenderfoot, Second Class cooking and camping requirements. There will also be canoeing, kayaking, fishing, swimming and the laser rifle range if it is available.

New Eagle
Congratulations to Matt Jones who successfully completed his Eagle Board of Review last week!    Good job, Matt!

Thanks from St. Mark's Bible School
We had a really good turn out of scouts and adults Thursday to help with the games and activities of the Bible School Family Night. Everyone did a super job and received a lot of thanks and praise from all involved. AT-A-Boy!

Youth Whitewater Paddling Clinic
We are approaching the registration deadlines (July 1) for the 2009 Youth Whitewater Clinic which will be held July 31st thru August 2nd on the Hiwassee River. This is two full days of skill building taught by certified whitewater instructors. Many of our troop leaders will be participating as instructors or in support. This is a great opportunity to be better prepared to enjoy our own Whitewater Weekend August 14 thru 16. You must register individually online at:   http://mtcbsa.org/YouthWhitewater.htm

Philmont High Adventure 2010
Recently, I have had several inquiries about the dates of our 2010 Philmont Backpacking Trek.  This is a once in a lifetime adventure and I consider it the high point of the scouting experience. You will be a different person by the time you earn the right to wear the Philmont Arrowhead.  The cost will be about $1,200, but we hope to offset some of the cost by cooking at the Bell Buckle Craft Fair in October.  We have already made a $50/person deposit in January. Subsequent payments to Philmont are due 9/14/2009, $285.00 and 2/15/2010, $285. These are non-refundable unless someone takes your place. You must remain current with payment to retain your slot on the contingent. Check with Mr. Holtman for the current roster. Scouts must be 14 years of age by 1/1/2010 or have completed the 8th grade and be 14 by July 5, 2010.

We'll probably charter a bus for the trip. We will depart Murfreesboro July 2nd; spend a night at Tinker AFB in Oklahoma, then the next two nights at either Taos, NM or Colorado Springs. We check in at Base Camp on July 5th. We hit the trail on July 6th and return to Base Camp on July 16th. We will start home on July 17th, overnight at Tinker and arrive in Murfreesboro in the afternoon on July 19th. We have reserved 3 crews – crew size is 7–12 members including leaders. We must have a minimum of two leaders per crew but no more than four per crew (18 to 21 year olds do not count against our leader count).

KEY DATES
July 4                           Fund Raiser at the Eagle's Nest before MTSU fireworks
July 6 – July 14             High Adventure Canoe Trip to Bissett, Manitoba 
July 12-18                    National Youth Leadership Training
July 17-19                    Troop Camp out at Smyrna Air Base
June 15                        Planning Meeting – only Troop leadership attends
July 31-Aug 2               BSA Youth Whitewater Paddling Clinic
Aug 7-9                       OA Conclave
Aug 14-16                   Troop Whitewater Weekend at the Hiwassee River
Aug 14-16                   OA Fall Ordeal at Camp Boxwell
Aug 24                         Troop Court of Honor (Tentative)
Aug 28-30                   Adult Wood Badge Session # 1
Sept 7                          Labor Day – No Troop Meeting
Sept 11-13                   Adult Rappelling Certification
Sept 18-20                   OA Fall Fellowship
Sept 25-27                   Troop Camp Out (Tentative)
Sept 25-27                   Adult Wood Badge Session # 2
Oct 17-18                    Bell Buckle Craft Fair Fund Raiser