Scouts and Scouters,
We now have a sign-up genius posted for our next campout, which is to Luray Caverns the weekend of Nov 3rd. We will be departing from CoF after dropping off Scouting For Food notices in the morning.
The Luray Campout will include a tour of the caverns and museum, as well as some time on their ropes course. The ropes course is a condensed, friendlier version of what you experienced at Sandy Springs.
After Luray we will come back halfway home and camp out at Camp Snyder. This will be the last tent-campout of the fall! So scouts trying to get their camping nights in should try to make this.
We will be back at CoF on Sunday the 4th around 10am.
To sign up, go to www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0A4DA9A62FA46-luray
Costs per scout is still being determined. We will update the sign-up genius when we have that info.
Meal planning will be held on Wed Oct. 24th.

In order to be a Merit Badge Counselor there are a few things required:
– 18 or older – Able to work with Scout age boys – Registered with BSA: Link to the Adult application ( www.scouting.org/resources/info-center/forms/) – Take the Youth Protection Training ( www.scouting.org/training/youth-protection/) – Complete a Merit Badge Counselor Form ( www.scouting.org/resources/info-center/forms/)
Background checks are run on all volunteers.
Once you have completed the above requirements please give your completed paperwork to Charlene Meny or Tony Crowley.

I hope you had a great summer!  The troop is spinning back up and there are a lot of important things to go over, so please read this through.

First, this week we will transition back from summer meetings to the first of the regular scheduled meetings of the fall. As it is the first Wednesday of the Month, it is Class A.

We are only one week a way from the Troop Fall Kickoff Picnic and Court of Honor!  If you have not signed up, please do so ASAP! Help the planners plan! www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0c48a4ae238-2018 The picnic/CoH is at CoF and goes from 5pm to 7:30pm on Sunday, Sept 9th.

IMPORTANT: I have received reports that there was only ONE advancement (increase in rank) reported to Mr. Tucker since the last Court of Honor.  I know there are more than that! That means that scouts who advanced over the summer did bring their books back to Mr. Tucker to get it entered into Toopmaster. Scouts are reminded to do this at everymeeting. If you think your scout moved up in rank since the last CoH, please contact me immediately. We need to get patches, and add them to the program. Your scout must also bring their scoutbook to Wednesday’s meeting.

We have a busy, and exciting September. Our first campout is the Flying Circus Fall camporee. This is the weekend of September 28th. We will leave Friday at 4PM, and return Sunday Morning. We will use the September meetings to get our trailer and chuckboxes ready ahead of the camporee. So scouts should try to attend the next few meetings to help out. The camporee is not only a fun time, but an opportunity to reach out to webelos from nearby packs, as well as work on Merit badges. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4AACAE2CA7FA7-powhatan   More details on the camporee and merit badges offered will come out soon.

YIS, Gregg Dorn

More details on the camporee and merit badges offered will come out soon.
YIS, Gregg Dorn
…Sent from my Raspberry Pi

Has your Scout recently returned from camping and now has time on his hands? The summer is a great time to work on some Merit Badges. Parktakes and other local places offer a variety of badges at a reasonable cost.
To help guide your Scout with earning a Merit Badge: 1) Decide with your Scout what badge(s) he would like to work on. If he would like to go through a badge on his own, please get with me on who the Merit Badge Counselor is for the badge.
2) Get a blue card from Mr. Ed at Wednesday night’s meeting.
3) Fill in the blue card.
4) Have Scout Master Gregg Dorn sign the blue card.
5) Keep the blue card in your Scout binder.
6) Work on the Merit Badge or attend the Merit Badge class.
7) Once a badge is completed the blue card is to be given to Mr. Ed.
8) Congrats on finishing a Merit Badge.
For more information check out the Troop’s website: troop158va.org/wp/?page_id=30 – Charlene Meny

What makes any good organization Great? It is the help of you – a Volunteer (a person who freely offers to be a part of an organization). As a volunteer you are not investing time into our Boy Scout Troop but you are also spending time with your son. A volunteer can be a dad, mom, grandpa, grandma, uncle or aunt. We have various positions available such as:
– Roadside clean up (once a quarter) – co-equipment manager – Merit Badge Counselors – and many more that do not require much time to organize
Some of the positions only require an hour or 2 a month; we are working on descriptions for each job, and the best part you are NOT doing it alone but joining a team.
While the boys are away next week, please think about how you can help the Troop to be a Great Troop for your son to continue attending.
– Charlene Meny