Boy Scout Troop 1001

Hello Scouts and Scouters,

During our last meeting the Scouts worked on advancement and preparation for the Court of Honor. Congratulations to all the Scouts who advanced in rank this week. We had 11 Scouts advance during this meeting alone!

Troop 1001 wins First Place at the Richardson Christmas Parade!

On Saturday, Dec.5, Troop 1001 participated in the Richardson Christmas Parade. When the judging was over, Troop 1001 won first place in their division for best float. Thanks to all the Scouts and Scouters who came out early Saturday morning in the cold to help out with this fun event.

Six Flags/Service Day - December 12

Saturday, Dec. 12, will be our day of service and fun at Six Flags. Scouts should wear Class B uniforms and bring work gloves. The cost is $20 per person, which covers ticket cost and parking for those who drive. If your Patrol Leader hasn't contacted you yet make sure to contact him ASAP and RSVP. Family is welcome to attend. Parents must accompany non-scout children and youth. Be sure to bring a signed permission form.

Parents - We need your help to make this event possible. At this time we have transportation for only 7 of the 40 Scouts who have signed up. Please contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or call my cell at 972-880-6706 if you can help drive.

Itinerary for Saturday, December 12

• 9 a.m. Arrive at Cottonwood Park
• noon Break for lunch
• 1 p.m. Leave for Six Flags
• 2 p.m. Arrive at Six Flags
• 10 p.m. Park closes

Drivers may leave the park early with their Scouts but must contact our Senior Scouts, who will be monitoring attendance. Contact information will be provided.

Court of Honor - December 15

Our Winter Court of Honor will be held at Trinity Bible Church on Tuesday, Dec. 15. There will be dinner, a slide show, skits, and awards honoring the "Boys of 1001." Dinner starts at 6:00 followed by the CoH at 7:30.

Next Meeting - January 4th

Our next meeting is Monday, January 4, where the boys will be working on their orienteering skills. The compass work portion of orienteering takes patience and practice but is an essential skill for all Scouts to master. We will also be welcoming two new Scouts - Austin H. and Anton R from Pack 2007.

Yours in Scouting,
Scoutmaster Payette

We have two immediate needs for help. The first one is for adults who can participate in Boards of Review on Monday, December 7. Any leader or parent who has taken Board of Review Training can participate and by doing so, will help us get through a very busy evening. If you are available at 6 pm, there will be a few early BORs. Otherwise, show up at 7 pm.

The second need is for drivers willing to take a car load of scouts to and from Six Flags on December 15. Departure is at 1 pm and return is by consensus of small groups, but no later than 10 pm when the park closes. Lots of scouts are signed up, so we need lots of drivers. Contact Rick Goad ASAP to volunteer.

Hello Scouts and Scouters,

Our last meeting focused on Patrol flags, personal fitness, and Trail-to-First Class advancement. Many of our Scouts completed the second half of the Tenderfoot fitness requirement and are ready for rank advancement. Congratulations to Ben R., Caleb S., and Westin S. for advancing to the rank of Scout!

Richardson Christmas Parade – December 5

Saturday, December 5th Troop 1001 will participate in the Richardson Christmas Parade. The staging area is at Richardson square mall, between Sears and Lowe’s. Troop 1001 will be in row A unit 105. Parade organizers request dropoff occur on the northeast side of Sears. All Scouts should arrive by 8:00 am in FULL Class A uniform. Make sure to dress appropriately for the weather. Parents, pick up your scout in the front drive of Apollo Junior High School, just east of Huffhines park where the parade ends. The troop may finish long before the parade is over so please make yourself available to pick your son up as soon as the boys finish. Make sure your scout knows how to get hold of you.

Six Flags Service day – December 12

Saturday, December 12th, will be our day of service and fun at Six Flags. Scouts should wear Class B uniforms and bring work gloves. The cost is $20pp, which covers ticket cost and parking for the drivers. If your Patrol Leader hasn’t contacted you yet make sure to contact him ASAP and RSVP. Family is welcome to attend. Parents must accompany non-scout children and youth. Permission forms and money are due at the Money Monday™ meeting on December 7.

Itinerary for Saturday, 12/12:

• 09:00 Arrive at Cottonwood Park
• 12:00 Break for lunch
• 1:00 Leave for Six Flags
• 2:00 Arrive at Six Flags
• 10:00 Park closes
• Drivers may leave the park early with their Scouts but must contact our Senior Scouts, who will be monitoring attendance. Contact information will be provided.

Court of Honor – December 15

Our Winter Court of honor will be held at the Trinity Bible Church on Tuesday, December 15th. There will be dinner, slide show, skits, and awards honoring the “Boys of 1001”. Watch this site and look for an e-vite with details.

Next Meeting – December 7 – Schedule your Scoutmaster Conference and Board of Review NOW!

Our next meeting is Monday, December 7th. Make sure to bring your handbook so you can have requirements signed off.

I will be on-site at 6:00 for Scoutmaster Conferences. All Scoutmaster Conferences and BORs MUST be complete by the end of this meeting to receive your advancement at the December Court of honor.

I will also be available for Scoutmaster Conferences after 6:00 each night this week and also this weekend. Please contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it if you are ready for your conference and would like to do it before Monday.

Yours in Scouting,
Scoutmaster Payette

Troop 1001 will start with a service project on Saturday, December 12 and finish with an exciting time at Six Flags. For the service project, we will clean up Cottonwood park, home of our favorite arts festival. After some good, hard work, we will reward ourselves by spending the remainder of the day at Six Flags Over Texas. Scouts will depart directly from Cottonwood Park for the theme park.

Times for both activities are still TBD, so stay tuned to the troop newsletter and this Web page to get the details as they firm up. Plan for the activities to take all day, morning until late evening.

Tickets for Six Flags and a contribution for driver's parking expenses add up to $20. Even though this does not include food or drinks, it is a great deal. Permission forms and money for Six Flags are due at the Money Monday™ meeting, December 7. 

Parents and siblings of scouts are welcome to attend at the same price. All non-scout children and youth must be accompanied by a parent.

We are in need of drivers to Six Flags and back. Please contact Rick Goad to offer yourself and your vehicle.

Parents and adult leaders, your work experience and hobbies make you uniquely qualified to counsel scouts who want to earn one or more of the following merit badges. Look through the list. You probably know enough about several of them to be an effective merit badge counselor.

But before you can take on that role, you need to know how merit badges are earned and what is expected of counselors. Not to worry! In one short hour, you can learn everything you need to know. Come to the November 30 troop meeting for merit badge counselor training. We will explain the BSA merit badge system and help you identify all the badges you can counsel. The training will start at 7:15 pm.

Happy Thanksgiving Scouts and Scouters!

This Thanksgiving marks 388 years since 50 Pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag Indians celebrated their bountiful harvest of 1621 with a three-day feast and fellowship in which they gave thanks to God for their many blessings.

While this was the start of our modern-day tradition, it wasn’t until 1933 that president Franklin D. Roosevelt began celebrating thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November, prompting Congress to later proclaim this to be the official Thanksgiving holiday we celebrate today.

I would like to wish each of you a wonderful week of good food and great times shared with your family and friends while we give thanks for all of our many blessings.

Backpacking Campout

Our backpacking campout at camp Meisenbach was a lot of fun.

Over 30 Scouts and a dozen Scouters made base camp at Ram’s Bluff Friday night. There was a light drizzle but the Scouts had all their tents set up, a great cracker barrel, and were in for the night before the rain picked up.

Saturday morning the Scouts set out around the Governor’s Trail with the Trail-to-First-Class Scouts leading the way using a compass and topo map. Nearly five miles later they arrived at Kodiak camp where they built some very impressive shelters, cooked on backpacking stoves, and learned about water purification from Ben J. The Saturday Campfire was one of the most spontaneous, hilarious campfires I have seen in a long time.

Sunday morning the Scouts had an inspiring Sunday Service in the wilderness led by Mr. Roy C. and his Chaplain Aid, Will S, before a short hike back to base camp.

Congratulations to Ray P. and the Merv Patrol for being awarded Honor Patrol for their shelter, cooking, and patrol spirit.

Thank you to all the Scouters who helped make this campout a success!

Richardson Christmas Parade – December 5

Saturday, December 5th Troop 1001 will participate in the Richardson Christmas Parade. Watch your newsletter and this site for details.

Six Flags Service day – December 12

December 12th, will be our day of service and fun at Six Flags. We will start the day with a service project at Cottonwood Park. After a quick lunch we will head out to Six Flags for a day of fun. We will have a special group rate of $16.50 pp if we sign up this week. If your Patrol Leader hasn’t contacted you yet make sure to contact Mr. Goad ASAP and RSVP. Family is welcome to attend but parents must accompany non-scout children.

Court of Honor – December 15

Our Winter Court of honor will be held at the Trinity Bible Church on Tuesday, December 15th. There will be dinner, slide show, skits, and awards honoring the “Boys of 1001”. Watch this site and look for an e-vite with details.

Next Meeting – November 30 – Schedule your Scoutmaster Conference and Board of Review NOW!

Our next meeting is Monday, November 30th. Make sure to bring your handbook so you can have requirements signed off. The Scouts plan to work on Trail-to-first-Class requirements, including personal fitness – Part II.

The Scoutmaster will be on-site at 6 pm for Scoutmaster Conferences. Don’t forget to schedule your Board of Review ASAP with the Committee Chairman. While Mr. Miller will always try to accommodate each Scout, it takes planning to make sure there are enough committee members available to sit on each BOR. All Scoutmaster Conferences and BORs MUST be complete by December 7th to receive your advancement at the December Court of honor.

Yours in Scouting,
Scoutmaster Payette

Den Chief training will be offered before each of the next two troop meetings, at 6 pm on November 30 and December 7. If you have achieved First Class rank (or are about to) and are interested in becoming a Den Chief, you should attend. Place the following on your calendar:

• Nov. 30, 6 to 7 pm at TBC
• Dec. 7, 6 to 7 pm at TBC

Troop 1001 poly t-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, caps, and water bottles are available by filling out an order form and turning in with payment to the Uniform Coordinator.

Scouts, are you planning to advance in rank before the December Court of Honor? If so you will need a Scoutmaster conference and a Board of Review. Schedule yours early to avoid disappointment. Contact Scoutmaster Payette to schedule your conference and contact Committee Chairman Doug Miller to schedule your Board of Review. Note that scouts trying for First Class and above must take the initiative to request a BOR. No one will make that request for you.

Hello Scouts and Scouters,

Our last Troop meeting was kicked off with a uniform inspection by our District Commissioner, Mike Reisinger. I was very happy to see so many scouts in FULL CLASS A. Great job!

After uniform inspection and campout menu planning the Scouts learned how to use backpacking stoves and then went outside to practice cooking with the stoves.

The last few meetings have focused on the skills the Scouts will need for our backpacking campout this weekend. They’ve learned about backpacks and what to take with them (this isn’t car camping!), Shelter building, and cooking on the trail. Now it’s time to put those skills to use!

This weekend, 11/20-22, is our backpacking campout. We will travel to Camp Meisenbach Friday night and set up base camp. Saturday, we will hike most of the Governor’s trail and set up camp along the trail. Capture the Flag and Trail to First Class activities are on the agenda for Saturday. Sunday morning we will pack up and hike back to the base camp. Remember – always be prepared for rain. Bring rain gear and build rainproof shelters. Those who want to can sleep in tents. The Saturday and Sunday hikes combined will be roughly five miles. For details of this campout, see the link on the page.

Only two weeks left before the Court of Honor

The next CoH is coming up on December 15th. That leaves less than two weeks to schedule your Scoutmaster conference and Board of Review. Don’t wait until the last minute!

Christmas Parade

The PLC has voted to take part in the Richardson Christmas Parade Saturday morning, December 5th. Watch your newsletter for details.

Six Flags/Service Day

Saturday, December 12th is our Service project / Six Flags day. The Scouts will perform a service project and then finish the day at Six Flags Over Texas. Watch your newsletter for details.

No Troop meeting Monday, November 23

Due to our campout this weekend, there will be no regular Troop meeting on Monday, November 23. The PLC will meet at 7:00, as usual.

Yours in Scouting,
Scoutmaster Payette