St. Mary’s Service Project – Forsythias

Some of the Troop’s scouts (and families) helped out at St. Mary’s church on Sunday, by planting some Gold Tide Forsythia plants. The church provided 20 plants, some potting soil, and tools, and the boys provided the labor! From 1pm until a bit after 3pm, they cleared mulch, dug holes, deposited the shrubs, and filled in some nice soil to help them grow.

It was an absolutely gorgeous spring day, and the scouts took advantage of it, and worked hard to complete the project.

Due to other commitments, some scouts had to leave early, while others arrived late, but that’s OK! Everyone who contributed did a really great job – check out the results next time you’re at St. Mary’s!

Spring “shooting” Camporee at Treasure Valley

Despite some challenging weather conditions, the Scouts of Troop 106 had an awesome time at Treasure Valley on April 19th through the 21st. The first night was mild but VERY windy and rainy, and all of us were surprised that all of the tents survived the night. There were some damp tents, but the boys maintained a cheery disposition throughout!

On Saturday, the weather was cold but beautiful, and they had a ton of fun engaging in all of the shooting events that were offered. They shot .22 rifles, shotguns, threw knives, spears, and tomahawks, and engaged in a little archery, too. It was (pun intended..) a blast!

It turns out that Mr. Cadman is a pretty good shot, too! He was hitting bulls-eye after bulls-eye, and managed to sink a tomahawk in a target, too!

Saturday night was clear, but below freezing. The boys quickly learned the value of stacked wood for a fire, and we sure needed it Sunday morning! They tried their hand at a bit of fishing, but due to the cold conditions, decided to come back on a warmer day.

Overall, it was a great time, and they all really enjoyed it.

Here are some pictures from the event:

Isaac Davis camp-out and hike

Hunter W, Chris H, and Jacob P celebrate the completed 7-mile hike.

Hunter W, Chris H, and Jacob P celebrate their completed 7-mile hike.

Three of the boys camped out last night in Acton at the Isaac Davis Camporee, and got up very early to hike the Isaac Davis trail. Dinner was very chilly and windy last night, and the temperature fell below freezing, too. So, the 4am wake-up call was not greeted enthusiastically by anyone. But, they scarfed down some breakfast to make it onto the 4:30 bus to the trail-head, and then waited an hour before setting off towards Concord. The hike was about 7 miles, and was mostly on paved roads. I was planning on mapping it on my smartphone, but forgot about it until it was too late!

There were some pretty neat stops along the way, with the Acton Minutemen providing some cool narrative to the hike’s meaning. It’s an interesting read if you are curious about the figures and events leading up the revolutionary war – check it out.

Anyway, the weather remained chilly until about 8am, when the boys started packing their jackets in their backpacks.

We ended up at the Concord Battleground around 9am, where we watched a ceremonial reenactment of the North Bridge Battle.

The boys got a cool patch to wear, and as we were leaving, all agreed that they wanted to come back next year! I suspect they’ll do a better job of planning their clothing, though!

Troop 106 Fire Pit project

Today, many of the Troop 106 boys gathered together to build an awesome fire pit at Lions Field. Several Pack 106 kids and some of the town’s Girl Scouts helped out, too. Starting a bit before 2pm, a perfectly round (4′ 7″ diameter) fire pit was dug out, complete with a 3′ keyhole pointing directly north. A lot of work went into laying down the “floor” of the pit using flat pieces of rock – we even broke out the level to make it perfect! The keyhole should be fantastic for throwing a grill down or dutch oven cooking.

The southern end of the pit had to be raised up a bit, too, to make the entire fire pit level, top to bottom. The folks who helped out really worked as a team, with different responsibilities doled out by the Troop’s SPL, Chris H. Boys were put to work either shoveling, collecting rocks, or gathering gravel. And when it came time to light it, everyone pitched in collecting wood. The wood was a bit damp from last night’s rain, so we had to cheat a bit to get it going, but once it finally took, we had a nice warm fire in no time!

We celebrated the completion of it in the only acceptable way: with s’mores! It was a beautiful day for the project, and I am amazed at how well it came out. Everyone involved should be proud of the work they did – it’s an excellent fire pit that I’m sure will be used by the town’s scouts for years to come! Well done to all who helped, and a big thanks, too!

Here are some pictures of the project:

New roles and promotions – April 4, 2013

Scoutmaster Paquin swears Keiggan O. in as the Troop Historian

At last night’s meeting, a number of boys were promoted into new ranks:

Chris H. (Senior Patrol Leader) was promoted to First Class
Jacob P. (Patrol Leader – Eagle) was promoted to Tenderfoot
Hunter W. (Assistant Patrol Leader – Eagle) was promoted to Tenderfoot

Also, the following scouts assumed some new leadership positions:

Keiggan O. was installed as the Troop Historian
Rahul H. was installed as the Wolf Patrol Scribe
Nick S. was installed as the Eagle Patrol Scribe

They joined several boys who’d already taken on duties. So, after last night’s meeting, our leadership group consists of:

Chris H. (First Class) – Senior Patrol Leader
Keiggan O. (Tenderfoot) – Troop Historian
Matthew L. (Scout) – Patrol Leader – Wolf Patrol
Cam C. (Scout) – Assistant Patrol Leader – Wolf Patrol
Rahul H. (Scout) – Patrol Scribe – Wolf Patrol
Jacob P. (Tenderfoot) – Patrol Leader – Eagle Patrol
Hunter W. (Tenderfoot) – Assistant Patrol Leader – Eagle Patrol
Nick S. (Scout) – Patrol Scribe – Eagle Patrol

Please congratulate these boys on their new ranks and roles.

The boys also discussed the upcoming outdoor activity options. Please get back to Scoutmaster Paquin by THIS FRIDAY, April 5th, if you want to attend either or both. There will be skill and advancement requirements covered at both events. Please DO NOT register your son using these forms – we will register as a Troop. They are for information purposes only.

Lions Field Camp-out – March 2013

The Troop had a blast at its first real Troop 106-hosted camp-out! We took advantage of the great camp site locations at Lions Field. All of the boys succeeded in selecting good sites and setting up their tents (including ground cloths!) & rain flys. The scouts did a fantastic job with clearing and making an awesome fire ring, too! They then gathered fire wood and a few of them started small fires using a flint & steel plus some petroleum jelly-coated cotton balls.

Two of Troop 110′s older scouts joined us for the campfire, and their experience and assistance was greatly appreciated! I think the Troop 106 boys were very impressed with how much Peter and Chris knew about scouting skills!

Before too long, they had a very nice campfire going, and had a nice dinner of hot dogs. We completely forgot about the baked beans, so we’ll use that for another upcoming outing!

The campfire was fun, too, with several not-so-scary stories, some not-so-mom-approved jokes, some trivia questions, and some songs. S’mores and cheese & crackers were enjoyed by everyone. Lights out was at 10pm, but several boys were so excited at being on the camp-out they were awake talking until the wee hours of the morning – but they kept the noise levels down, so everyone who wanted to sleep could do so.

It was a very cold night, but the boys really enjoyed it. Some scouts had paid better attention to the tips of the adult leaders and slept warmly, while others shivered a bit through the night.

The next morning, several of the Troop’s scouts watched a beautiful sunrise while keeping the fire going. Some of the boys have already discovered some talent in cooking (Tyler B. makes some excellent bacon) while others appreciated making their own “eggs in a basket”. Next time, we need a bigger pot though – and some more burners.

After breakfast was finished and all the plates were cleaned up, we jumped right into flag-folding, flag-raising and flag etiquette. The scouts all learned about some cool knots, had some first aid training, and had a nice hike. They also worked on their “Totin’ Chip” requirements, and can now carry and use pocketknives, hand axes, and wood saws on scouting excursions.

So, overall, it was a very successful camp-out, and they boys are looking forward to what they’ll plan and do next month!

Here are some pictures from the event:

The Troop has chosen a logo!

After quite a few discussions, the boys all decided on a new logo! They were intent on incorporating the Scout rank patch as well as the Eagle patch – their sights are set on their goals, that’s for sure! The “Be Prepared” smile and knot on the bottom are constant reminders of their duties as Scouts. They also really liked the “electric blue” base color, and have chosen that as their color for t-shirts and neckerchiefs.

We’re actively looking at options for obtaining neckerchiefs with a tan border. So far, some of the businesses I’ve contacted have been very unresponsive, but I do have to give some serious praise to Stadri Emblems in New York. They have a low minimum order amount (12), and the people I spoke with on the phone were very professional and knowledgeable.

So, soon, we should have neckerchiefs and maybe even troop activity t-shirts!

Cachalot Campout

Some of the Scouts of Troop 106 attended a really cool camp-out hosted by Troop 110 in Millbury (codename: Scout Ops!) and had a ton of fun competing in an obstacle course, shooting “mega slingshots”, and generally having an absolute blast! We joined 110 at Camp Cachalot in Plymouth, which is a great reservation with some very friendly and accommodating rangers. The scouts all slept out in cabins and withstood some sub-freezing weather cheerfully! They also learned about some skills such as map & compass, fire-starting, cooking for themselves and (of course!) cleaning up their mess-kits!

Here’s a video from a part of the action:

And some pictures:

Patrols formed!

eagle

We’ve had the first couple of meetings, and the Troop is coming along nicely! The boys have played some really fun team-building games, and learned some important scouting skills. Plus, they have formed Patrols and chosen Patrol names!

The Patrols are ‘Eagle’ and ‘Wolf’. The cheers are coming along nicely, too! In the coming weeks, they’ll be designing flags, and choosing the Troop colors and logo.

wolf

They’re also getting ready to go on their first camp-out at the end of March. It should be a fun-filled experience for them – and I’m sure they’ll learn a lot too!

Making great progress!

BoyScout-217x300 The Troop’s “working committee” met recently, and made some go-forward decisions!

Troop meetings will be the first 3 Wednesdays of the month, starting on February 20th. They will be from 6:30-8pm at St. Mary’s. Due to it being the first month, we’ll have 4 meetings right out until March 13th.

We’ll also have our Boards of Review on the 3rd meeting of the month. For the first two months, we will have a Board of Review on February 27th, and one on March 13th.

The 4th weekend of the month will be our Outdoor Activity weekend! It will be up to the boys to decide on what they want to do for March 30th, and each month after that.

Lastly, our Courts of Honor will be held on months with 5 Wednesdays, on the last Wednesday of the month. The CoH’s will be at St. Mary’s, from 7-8pm.

Other decisions, like troop logo, patrol numbers, etc. will be decided after our first meeting on 2/20. The boys who are in the Troop on day-one will have the unique opportunity to decide on the “brand” of their very own Troop!

It’s going to be great! If you’re interested in joining, or getting involved, please get in touch.

Regards…Scoutmaster Paquin