Boy Scout Troop 1001

Scouting for Food helps many DFW food banks including Network Ministries in Richardson and is the largest single day food collection event in DFW. Scouting for Food is an excellent opportunity for scouts to earn service project hours for rank advancement. This year's Scouting for Food will be Saturday, February 16. Please meet at the church at 8:30 AM. We also need 6 adults to drive and assist the scouts. Depending on the number of scouts and adults we should be done by 10:30.

Be Prepared! 

• Bring a permission form signed by a parent
• Wear your Class A uniform including neckerchief, belt, and socks
• Eat dinner before boarding the bus or bring a sack meal
  
• Check the weather forecast

 Troop 1001 will be camping in Inks Lake State Park northwest of Austin, Texas, for the Report to State parade (details) and a tour of Longhorn Caverns on the weekend of February 1-3, 2008. Scouts should be at the church parking lot no later than 5:30 p.m. on Friday evening in Class A uniform. We will be returning about 1 p.m. Sunday to the TBC parking lot.

  The troop will be traveling by charter bus. We will set up camp at Inks Lake State Park Friday night. On Saturday, we will travel by bus to downtown Austin to participate in the annual Report to State parade. Following the parade, we will again travel by bus to Longhorn Caverns for a 3 hour tour guided by a geologist and then return to Inks Lake for the night. Sunday morning we will break camp and return on the bus.

Be sure to wear your full Class A uniform. We want to look sharp for the parade. Also be sure to eat dinner before you board the bus Friday night or bring a sack dinner as the bus will not be making any stops.

Scouts will have the opportunity to work on their Citizenship in the Nation and Geology merit badges during this trip. If you want to participate and have not already obtained the scoutmaster's signature on a blue card for each merit badge, be sure to do so Friday at departure.

If you have not already signed up for this trip, there are a limited number of slots still available. Contact Mr. Coon or Mr. Watts as soon as possible. You will need to bring the $50 fee with you Friday.

The Report to State campout is this weekend. Everyone that is going must be at the church at 5:15 or earlier on Friday. The bus leaves at 6:00, leaving behind anyone who isn't on the bus at that time. Saturday morning will be spent on the parade to the capital. The afternoon will be spent spelunking. This campout is great if you want to knock off the Geology or the Citizenship in the Nation merit badge (Citi. in the Nation is Eagle Required). We are planning to return from 12:30 to 1:00 on Sunday, just in time for the Super Bowl.

Remember to bring all your camping gear, since we will be camping in tents this campout. Also, bring your FULL CLASS A!! This is very important because we want the whole troop to look good, and if there is one person without a neckerchief or Scout pants, they will stand out. There is a DVD player on the bus, so anybody can bring an appropriate movie if they want to. And do not forget a sack dinner for the bus ride because the bus will not stop anywhere until we get to Austin. Remember: FULL CLASS A! Pants, shirt, socks, belt, and neckerchief. Do not forget it.

Coming up soon is Camporee, but before then, we must have our Camporee Prep campout and meetings. The Monday after the campout is a PLC only at 7:00, but the following Monday is going to be a round-robin with all the activities that we must do at Camporee.

Remember to be at the church at 5:15 sharp and don't forget your full Class A! See you there.

Hello all Scouts and Scouters,

We are off to a fantastic start in 2008. The turnout was great for Derby day. The Autobots took the speed contest, The Knights of the Round Table took the distance and style award. While a new patrol made up of troop guides showed off a custom jeep complete with headlights and a PVC gun turret. Although it did get a bit cold overnight we survived it and we had a great time on Saturday racing the custom made patrol cars. Thank you to all that participated.

We had so much fun last year that we are going to Austin again to march in Scouting's parade up Congress Avenue the weekend of February 1-3, 2008. So that makes this week's meeting 'MONEY MONDAY'.

Each Scout and Scouter planning to ride the bus to Austin should bring $50 to cover all fees. The cost is higher for this trip due to the additional activities planned.

The fee includes the bus fare, parade patch, all meals and a special guided tour into Longhorn Caverns. This is one of the few river formed caverns within the state . It has an interesting history dating back to the Comanche Indians and to its use during the civil war. Apparently, it was a Confederate stronghold where gunpowder was manufactured in secret during the Civil War.

We will have a registration table setup on Monday night to sign up for this exciting trip. Scouts can use scoutbucks to cover the cost of this excursion. All youth and adult troop members planning to ride the bus must sign up and pay Monday night. Please contact Scoutmaster Coon or Committee Chairman Miller if the additional cost creates a hardship. We want all scouts that are able to attend to have this special opportunity.

Scouts can work on Citizenship in the Nation and Geology merit badges during this outing. Please sign up Monday night if you plan to begin either merit badge. The First Aid merit badge class will continue as planned Monday night at 6:00pm.

I look forward to seeing you at TBC Monday night.

Yours in Scouting,
Scoutmaster Coon

One spot remains for the June 21-28, 2008 SCUBA Liveaboard.

Any slots not filled and paid for by March 1, 2008 will be filled through Florida Seabase's Lone Scout Connection website. Currently, there are over 100 individuals seeking a spot and if we open ours up, it will be gone right away.

Monday Jan. 21, 2008 6-8 PM, Trinity Bible Church

• Finalize air transportation and bring or email itinerary to Mr. Scott Bartolome
• Update on what to bring and not to bring.
• Update on my 90 min. conversation with the captain of the Conch Pearl, dive spots, PADI specialty certifications (why have 'em?)

TBA

• Decide on Scuba Cert. class dates.
• Decide on hotel & ground transportation arrangements.

Saturday March 1, 2008 - Payment and Paperwork Deadline

• The second and final Liveaboard payment of $430 is due to the Troop Treasurer Terry Watts. Please make sure to meet this deadline.
• Medical (2) & waiver forms(3) must be returned to Mr. Scott Bartolome by March 1, 2008 - completed and signed by your Doctor.

May/June 2008

• Open water certification @ Clear Springs SCUBA Park, Date TBA

Trip Dates

• Friday June 20, Early AM, DFW Aiport, Depart for Seabase
• Sunday June 29, PM, DFW Airport, Return from Seabase

If you are not able to attend any of the scheduled meetings, please let Scott Bartolome know.

Links:

• Florida Seabase
  
• Schooner Black Pearl Conch Pearl - Our liveaboard vessel
• Scuba Toys - Certification classes
  
• Clear Springs SCUBA Park - Open Water certification
• Scuba BSA Award Guide and Application
  

The next Philmont payment of $255.00 is due to the Troop Treasurer by February 1, 2008. Please make sure to meet this deadline.

Medical Forms must be returned to Mr. Mike Reisinger by March 1, 2008 - completed and signed by your Doctor.

The link to sign up for the Backcountry Advanced Training course is http://www.northtrail-ata.org/data/backcountry_advanced.php . Please sign up soon, this course is mandatory for all crew members.

Philmont Crew Meetings (These are usually nights when the PLC meets and there is not a Troop meeting)

• Monday Jan. 21, 2008 6-8 PM, Trinity Bible Church, Dining Fly Setup, Smellables
• Monday Feb. 4, 2008 6-8 PM, Trinity Bible Church, Map and Compass orientation, Trek Selection
• Thursday Feb. 14, 2008 7-9 PM, Waterview Church of Christ, Backcountry Advanced Training
• Thursday Feb. 21, 2008 7-9 PM, Waterview Church of Christ, Backcountry Advanced Training
• Monday Mar. 10, 2008 6-8 PM, Trinity Bible Church, Stoves, Cook Dinner, Clean-up, Final Trek Selection
• Monday Apr. 7, 2008 6-8 PM, Trinity Bible Church, Gear check
• Monday May 12, 2008 6-8 PM, Trinity Bible Church, Agenda TBA
• Monday Jun. 2, 2008 7-9 PM , Trinity Bible Church, Final Pre-trek Meeting with parents

Philmont Crew Shakedowns

• February 29 - March 2, 2008, Camp Meisenbach, Athens, TX - Backcountry Advanced Training Campout
• March 28 - 30, 2008, Camp Wisdom - COPE (Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience) and Crew shakedown
• May 9 - 11, 2008, Camp site TBA - Crew Shakedown and Conservation project

Tentative Trip Dates

• Tuesday Jun. 10, 2008 Early AM, Trinity Bible Church, Depart for Philmont
• Tuesday Jun. 24, 2008 Evening, Trinity Bible Church, Return from Philmont

Attendance at all events is expected, please let me know as early as possible if there any conflicts that cannot be changed.

There is a campout this weekend, though the length is different this time. We will leave at the usual time on Friday and come back on Saturday at 7 pm. Everyone must be at the church on Friday at 5:30 pm so that we can leave on time. This is our derby car campout, so make sure that your patrol's car is finished and that you have transportation for it. [Editor's note: adult leaders will provide transportation of the derby cars from TBC to the campsite.]

Derby cars will start after lunch. We will be spending the dead time between breakfast and lunch to play capture the flag and go over Camporee Prep, so remember to bring your Scout book. For the younger scouts, many of the Camporee Prep things that we will do are also advancement requirements.

Do not forget that there is no meeting the following Monday. There will only be a PLC, and people that go to the PLC should wear their Class B. There will be a regular troop meeting on the 28th of January, which will be our only meeting before the Report to State campout.

Don't forget to be on time this Friday and do not forget your derby car. The weekend would be very boring without it.

Update January 17, 2008: Friday night is forecast to be very cold, so Be Prepared: if your sleeping bag is not rated to 20 degrees or below (if you're not sure, it probably is not), bring along a heavy blanket or a sleeping bag liner for extra warmth. Thick socks and sweat shirt and pants wouldn't hurt either. Cold weather tip: don't go to bed in your daytime clothes; the body moisture trapped in them will suck the heat right out of you. Change clothes just before you climb into your sleeping bag. You can do this! Even with the wintry temperatures, you will have fun as long as you are prepared.

The January 18-19, 2008 campout will be to Erwin Park near McKinney, Texas for Derby Day. As usual, we will meet in the TBC parking lot at 5:30 pm Friday to form up and load up. However, this is a one-night campout; we will return Saturday about 7 pm to the TBC parking lot.

Friday night promises to be cold, so be certain to pack a warm sleeping bag and warm clothes. 

All scouts and parents participating or thinking of participating in Troop 1001's week-long sail and scuba liveaboard at Florida Seabase in June, 2008 are asked to attend a short informational meeting Monday, January 14 at 6 pm at TBC.

One or two berths are still open, but not for long. If not claimed by members of Troop 1001 within the next few weeks, they will be opened up to scouts from other troops. Note that half of the full $860 fee is required to secure your spot and the remaining half is due in February.

Those who have already signed up and paid the first half of the cost will owe the final payment of $430 is due in February. 

For more information about the trip, see Florida Seabase: Troop 1001 has Won the Lottery! or contact Scott Bartolome 214-923-1026.