Boy Scout Troop 1001

Hello Scouts and Scouters,

During our September 29 Troop meeting we began practicing our campfire building skills. The most important part of building a campfire is proper use of your tinder, kindling, and fuel wood. Congratulations to Ben J.’s patrol for having the winning campfire structure.

North Trail to Adventure this Saturday, October 3

Troop 1001 is staffing the archery range at NTTA at Camp Wisdom this weekend. If you are interested in helping out make sure to be in the TBC parking lot by 7:50 am Saturday morning, 10/3. We will return by 6:00 pm.

Do you want to be a Patrol Leader next year? Oak Leaf Training – October 10-11, Camp Cherokee

Oak Leaf leadership training will be held Saturday through Sunday, October 10-11, 2009, at Camp Cherokee. Any Scout at least 12 years old and First Class can attend this leadership training. Oak Leaf is one of the training requirements for Scouts who plan to run for Patrol Leader next year. Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it if you are interested in attending. There will be another session March 27-28, 2010 at Camp Wisdom.

See the North Trail District web site for details.

Troop 1001 has been asked to staff this session. Please contact me at the above email address if you can staff the October session of Oak Leaf.

No Troop meeting on October 5. Next Troop meeting – October 12.

There will be no Troop meeting after the Cottonwood weekend. Our next Troop meeting will be held Monday, October 12, 2009. We will continue to practice fire-building skills in preparation for our October campout featuring “24 hour” Capture the Flag and fire building.

Yours in Scouting,
Scoutmaster Payette

The presentation from the Philmont informational meeting held September 28, 2009 is available here.

Photos of the September 18-20, 2009 canoeing and first aid campout at Beavers Bend State Park in Oklahoma have been uploaded to the Troop 1001 area at Shutterfly.

Hello all Scouts and Scouters,

Our first campout of the year was a hit!

We had a great weekend at Beavers Bend State Park. Our campsite was a very spacious, wooded area with plenty of room for the nearly 70 campers that attended. In spite of the forecast calling for rain the entire weekend, we had beautiful weather.

The canoe trip down the Mountain Fork River was the highlight of the campout. The four-mile trip included the “rock garden” where nearly 60 paddlers navigated through a maze of large rocks (and gave up any hope of staying dry), rapids, and even a waterfall!. Many “thanks” to all the Scouters who waited by the waterfall with cameras to capture the moment for unsuspecting paddlers going over the falls. While we didn’t have rain, there were very few dry campers by the end of the four miles.

 

The Scouts completed their first aid rotations as planned. Some of the skills practiced will count toward rank requirements for those Scouts working on their Trail to First Class.

Congratulations to Jared’s patrol for earning Honor Patrol this month and to Walker’s patrol for their creativity in building a wilderness oven out of cardboard and tin foil and actually making pizza for dinner.

Special thanks go out to all the Scouters who made this campout possible. Lots of planning, preparation, transportation, and support during the campout made the weekend a success. Dinner was fantastic and the Scouters had breakfast for 70 ready by 6:15 Sunday morning.

Do you want to be a Patrol Leader? Oak Leaf Training – October 10-11, Camp Cherokee

Oak Leaf leadership training will be held Saturday through Sunday, October 10-11, 2009, at Camp Cherokee. Any Scout at least 12 years old and First Class can attend this leadership training. Oak Leaf is one of the training requirements for Scouts who plan to run for Patrol Leader next year. Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it if you are interested in attending. There will be another session March 27-28, 2010 at Camp Wisdom.

See the North Trail District web site for details.

Troop 1001 has been asked to staff this session. Please contact me at the above email address if you can staff the October session of Oak Leaf.

Order of the Arrow Brotherhood Walk, September 27, Flagpole Hill, White Rock Lake Park

The Yanush chapter is holding a special Brotherhood walk on Sunday, September 27, 2009 at 4:30 pm in White Rock Park at Flag Pole Hill. If you are an OA member who has not completed the Brotherhood Walk please consider attending this event. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Chapter Chief Ethan Ward at 214-674-1191 or our Chapter Advisor, Paul Stauffer, at 214-893-4744. There is a $15 fee for the Brotherhood sash.

Next Troop meeting – September 28

Our next Troop meeting will be held Monday, September 28, 2009. We will be practicing fire-building skills in preparation for our October campout featuring “24 hour” Capture the Flag and fire building. During this meeting all scouts 13 and up are encouraged to step into room 2 for a Philmont kickoff. Philmont veterans and those not planning to participate in this summer’s treks will remain in the Troop meeting to help the new scouts hone their fire-building skills.

Yours in Scouting,
Scoutmaster Payette

It is time for the Troop's semiannual service project supporting the City of Richardson, artists and the whole community at the Cottonwood Art Festival. From experience, we know we need about 500 adult hours for our Cottonwood activity to be successful, which equates to about 9 hours of adult help per scout. We need 100% participation!

Please consider the following opportunities to help:

Thursday, October 1:

5 - 10 pm: Help set up the troop tent and assist local artists in setting up their booths.

Friday, October 2:

10 am - 9 pm: Help artists move their materials and setting up their booths. We need lots of adults during the day and more adults and scouts in the evening.

6 - 9 pm: Adults monitor the gates at the beer garden to keep alcoholic beverages inside. 

Saturday, October 3:

Festival hours are 10 am to 6 pm. Adults sit in booths when artists need a break. Adults also monitor the gates at the beer garden from 11 am to 6 pm. Scouts sell water and run errands for the artists.

The booth sitter role is an excellent opportunity to for those who enjoy shopping for art to mix a little shopping with fulfilling this important requirement. This role is responsible for watching an artist booth during breaks and various other artists’ tasks.

The beer garden role is one of the easiest roles at the show and that is to make sure no alcoholic beverages are taken out of the beer garden. We require 2 uniformed adults at each of the two exits.

Sunday, October 4:

Festival hours are 10 am to 6 pm. Adults sit in booths when artists need a break. Adults also monitor the gates at the beer garden from 11 am to 6 pm. Scouts sell water and run errands for the artists.

5 pm - 9 pm: Everyone needed for artist tear down. We've got lots of carts and need all adults and scouts on hand to keep them and the artists moving.

Sign up now. Review the status above and decide when you can help. Please give serious consideration to the Friday daytime hours and Sunday evening. Contact Roy Carnes at 214-223-3817 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it to sign up.

Hello all Scouts and Scouters,

Our September campout is this weekend!

We leave this Friday for our Canoeing and First aid campout at Beavers Bend State Park. If you haven’t turned in your permission slip and money for food you must do so before we leave. As with all campouts, we could have rain so make sure to bring rain gear! We will not be stopping for dinner on the way to the camp site. Make sure to eat dinner before you arrive at TBC or bring a sack lunch with you. Please see the link on this web page for all campout details. Don’t forget your camping essentials!

Parents please note – We have a record number of Scouts attending this campout. Between the scouts and 6 trained adults that will act as supervisors on the water we will use nearly every canoe the outfitter can provide. We are planning to bring two canoes owned by the troop as well, but we may not have enough canoes for all adults. This will be especially true if more Scouts turn out Friday than have already committed to go. We will put Scouts in canoes before adults. Remember, as an adult attending a campout, you are there in support of the Scouts. We encourage all new parents to visit a campout with us. If you plan to get involved in the outdoor program regularly, we require that you take the adult leader training so that you will understand the Scouting program and are better equipped to support the Scouts as an adult leader.

There will be no regular troop meeting Monday, 09/21. The PLC will meet as usual at 7:00 pm.

Calling all Den Chiefs

There will be district-led Den Chief training from 9:00 to 4:00 on 09/26 at the First United Methodist Church of Richardson. If you are a Den Chief this year or are interested in being a Den Chief please plan to attend the training. See http://www.northtrail-data.org/data/den_chief.php for details.

Oak Leaf Training

Oak Leaf leadership training will be held Saturday through Sunday, 10/10-11, at Camp Cherokee. Any Scout at least 12 years old can attend this leadership training. Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it if you are interested in attending. There will be another session March 27-28, 2010 at Camp Wisdom.

See http://www.northtrail-data.org/data/oak_leaf.php for details. Don’t forget, Scouts who have already attended Oak Leaf are encouraged to become Oak Leaf Staffers!

NYLT

All Scouts age 13 or older are encouraged to attend National Youth Leadership Training. This is a requirement for all Troop 1001 Patrol Leaders. Many or our Scouts are planning to attend the December 26-31 training at Camp Wisdom. Another session will be held March 14-19, 2010 at Camp James Ray.

Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it if you are interested in attending. See http://www.c10nylt.org/ for details. Past NYLT and NAYLE graduates are encouraged to staff these training events.

Yours in Scouting,
Scoutmaster Payette

If you are not camping this weekend, consider helping Russell and Sue Haas furl the nearly 200 flags that were collected in the rain Wednesday evening. Meet at TBC Saturday, September 19 at 10:30 am. For more information or to assure Russell and Sue they won't be working alone, call them at 972-783-8412 or email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

As usual for the Monday following a campout, there will not be a regular troop meeting and the PLC and the Troop Committee will meet instead. The next regular meeting is Monday, September 28. 

PLC Meeting

The Patrol Leader Council will meet at 7 pm in room 1 or 2 Trinity Bible Church. Patrol leaders, the Senior patrol, other Scouts in leadership positions, and the Scoutmaster should attend in Class B uniform.

Troop Committee Meeting

The Troop Committee, comprising all adult leaders and all interested parents will meet at 7pm sharp, probably in room 1 or 2. All parents and adult scouters are encouraged to attend. Uniforms are not required.

New Parent and Adult Leader Alert!

All Scouts deserve trained leaders

If you are ready to begin Adult Training, but are unfamiliar with the process, please consider the following.

There are a handful of on-line training certificates you can accomplish from your personal computer at your convenience. Two starters are mandatory for all adult leaders: Youth Protection Training and Fast Start Training. After those, the District recommends This is Scouting (formerly New Leader Essentials) and Boy Scout Leader Specific Training. There are typically a group of classroom sessions available once each Fall and Spring. Additional opportunities are available at some campouts.

To begin, use the online training available at www.northtrail.org to complete Youth Protection Training, Fast Start Training, and This is Scouting. (Note: After any training is completed, please bring or send a copy of your dated certificate of completion to the Troop Training Chair, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .)

Further, the Troop Committee strongly encourages our newer parents to attend Adult Leader Specific Training.  This gets you the coveted "Trained" patch along with bragging rights and real skills to bring back to the Troop. Ask adult leaders wearing the patch about this experience. You can do it!

Taking these courses does not commit you to any leadership role, but will greatly increase your understanding of the Troop structure and the work the committee does. The North Trail District does a good job at these sessions and it is worth the time spent.

Hello all Scouts and Scouters,

Monday, September 7, was our first regular troop meeting of the year. The boys had elections for two new Patrol Leaders and made appointments for several other positions of responsibility. These positions will be announced soon. In line with this month’s campout theme of canoeing and first aid, the boys went over boating safety and then went outside for a stretcher relay. The older scouts did a good job teaching the younger scouts, who actually built the stretchers and carried their “victims” to safety. In spite of a full agenda, the boys started on-time and finished very close to their target. For their first meeting of the year this was a fantastic example of planning and execution by the PLC and the troop.

Scouts needed to fill Positions of Responsibility

We need Scouts to volunteer for positions of responsibility. Positions still open include Scribe, Historian, Den Chiefs, Instructors, and possibly more. Please help out your troop by signing up for one of these important roles. This will be brought up in our next troop meeting and you will have a chance to sign-up.

Scouts and adults needed this weekend for Flag Service

This Saturday, September 12, at 9 am is the second half of our Labor Day Flag Service. We will be taking down the flags we set up last weekend in the Canyon Creek neighborhood. We need your help. Adults with pickup trucks are needed as well as lots of Scouts. Please contact Russell or Sue Haas at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 972-783-8412 ASAP. This is a Class A event, but neckerchiefs are optional. Last weekend very few scouts turned out to help. This flag service benefits Trinity Bible Church, our troop’s neighborhood, our community, and the troop. Please take the time to pitch in and do your part. With plenty of help, the Flag Service takes about two hours. A Scout is helpful.

Everyone needs to pass the BSA Swimming test

The September campout will include a 4-hour river canoe trip. If you plan to go canoeing during this campout you need to pass the BSA swimming test. Scouts and Scouters – contact me This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ASAP and we’ll try to put together a time to finish the tests. See Campout: Canoeing and First Aid - September 18-20, 2009 for details of the campout.

Next Troop meeting – Money Monday

Our next troop meeting will be held September 14 at 7 pm sharp. This is the last Troop meeting before our campout so you know what that means – Money Monday! Make sure to bring $10 for your campout food, a permission form signed by a parent and, as always, your handbooks. You are in charge of planning and cooking your meals so be creative! During this meeting we will also have a canoeing demo, more first-aid training, and popcorn kickoff! See you there.

Yours in Scouting,
Scoutmaster Payette