Troop 479 and Troop 77 joined forces to form a group of 13 scouts and 6 adults who went on an extended “camping trip” at the beginning of Spring Break. We were gone from Saturday, March 15th until Wednesday, March 19th. During those five days, we traveled 1,300 miles sleeping in churches and a WWII Aircraft Carrier.

Saturday was spent driving from Edmond, OK to Corpus Christi, TX. We arrived at our host church late in the evening. Sunday morning we made the short trek to the USS Lexington (CV-16), the historic WWII Essex-Class Aircraft Carrier permanently docked in Corpus Christi Bay. There we spent Sunday, Sunday night, and Monday morning. After lunch Monday, we made our way to our host church in Houston. Tuesday morning we headed out for a day at the NASA Johnson Space Center. Tuesday evening we returned to our host church to rest up for our trip home Wednesday.

Our trip was featured in the March 27th issue of Edmond Life and Leisure. You can also enjoy a tremendous archive of USS Lexington photos at NavSource Online: Aircraft Carrier Photo Archive. Finally, there is a two-part video posted to YouTube last year from a scout troop whose leaders got a “secret” midnight tour just like we did: Part 1 and Part 2.

A total of 1,225 images were collected from six different cameras on the trip. Numbered, limited-edition keepsake DVDs containing all high-res images are being distributed to each person who went on the trip. Our Photo Gallery now contains 167 images representing the highlights.

• Mar 15-19, 2008 ~ USS Lexington / NASA, Corpus Christi / Houston, TX, Pics
• Feb 29 - Mar 1, 2008 ~ Omniplex, Oklahoma City, OK, Pics
• Jan x-y, 2008 ~ Place, City, ST, Pics
• Dec x, 2007 ~ First Christian Church, Edmond, OK, Pics
• Nov 16-18 2007 ~ Camp Kickapoo, Canadian County, OK, Pics
• Oct 12-14, 2007 ~ Had-Wel Stables, Edmond, OK, Pics
• Sep 21-23, 2007 ~ Alabaster Caverns SP, Freedom, OK, Pics
• Aug 3-5, 2007 ~ Cook Cabin, Lake Eufaula, OK, Pics
• Jul 15-21, 2007 ~ Hale Scout Reservation, Talihina, OK, Pics
• Jun 22-24, 2007 ~ Camp Kickapoo, Canadian County, OK, Pics
• May 18-20, 2007 ~ Red Rock Canyon SP, Hinton, OK, Pics
• Apr 20-22, 2007 ~ Quartz Mountain SP, Altus, OK, Pics
• Mar 16-18, 2007 ~ Roman Nose SP, Watonga, OK, Pics
• February 10, 2007 ~ St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Edmond, OK (JLT with T1 and T77)
• January 26-27, 2007 ~ First Christian Church FLC, Edmond, OK (Webelos Extravaganza)
• December 8-9, 2006 ~ Omniplex, Oklahoma City, OK (Merit Badge Classes)
• November 17-19, 2006 ~ Camp Kickapoo, Canadian County, OK (COPE Low Course)
• October 13-15, 2006 ~ Central Oklahoma Christian Camp, Guthrie, OK (Webelos Woods)
• September 8-10, 2006 ~ Great Salt Plains SP, Cherokee, OK (Crystal Digging & Svc Proj)
• August 4-6, 2006 ~ Cook Cabin, Lake Eufaula, OK (Planning Retreat)
• July 14-16, 2006 ~ Falcon Floats, Tahlequah, OK (Illinois River Float Trip)
• June 18-24, 2006 ~ Slippery Falls Scout Ranch, Tishomingo, OK (Summer Camp)
• May 19-21, 2006 ~ Northwest Christian Church, Arlington, TX (Six Flags over Texas)
• April 21-23, 2006 ~ Camp Kickapoo, Canadian County, OK (Eagle District Camporee)
• March 24-26, 2006 ~ Red Rock Canyon SP, Hinton, OK (Pioneering)
• February 24-26, 2006 ~ Camp DaKaNi, Oklahoma City, OK (Scout Trek)
• January 13-15, 2006 ~ Camp DaKaNi, Oklahoma City, OK (Junior Leader Training)
• December 09-11, 2005 ~ Cancelled due to health/safety (non-stop sub-freezing temps)
• November 18-20, 2005 ~ Alabaster Caverns State Park, Freedom, OK (Catapult Building)
• October 14-16, 2005 ~ Deer Time Ranch, Guthrie, OK (Webelo Woods)
• September 23-25, 2005 ~ Chickashaw Nat’l Rec. Area, Sulphur, OK (Rank Advancement)
• August 13-15, 2005 ~ Cook Cabin, Lake Eufaula, OK (Planning Retreat)
• July 9-17, 2005 ~ Camp Alexander, Lake George, CO (Summer Camp)
• June 24-26, 2005 ~ Hanging Rock, Tahlequah, OK (Illinois River Float Trip)
• May 13-15, 2005 ~ Lake Liberty, Guthrie, OK (Canoe Practice)
• April 22-24, 2005 ~ Camp Kickapoo, Canadian County, OK (Scout Trek)

The Eagle District 2008 Merit Badge College was held in early February at Summit Middle School in Edmond. We had 324 registered scouts and only six that didn’t show. So our scout attendance was 318. This number has grown each year, so we may look for a larger venue like Santa Fe High School for next year’s event.

Twenty-seven Merit Badge counselors taught over 40 classes. Most were either morning or afternoon. A few took both sessions to make one class. Everyone is grateful to Mr. Griffin for organizing this year’s MBC. Among other notable achievements, Mr. Griffin established and maintains the Eagle District website which has it’s own section for Merit Badge College.

Troop 479 kicked-off the opening ceremony by serving as Color Guard. After a briefing by Mr. Griffin, everyone headed off to their morning classess. Lunch was the traditional pizza in quantities so large that hand trucks were required to wheel in the stacks of boxes. With lunch out of the way, scouts and counselors headed back to the classrooms for afternoon sessions. It all wrapped up around 5pm.

Pictures from the event have now been uploaded to our Photo Gallery where you can see all sixteen images from Webelos Extravaganza and Pin College 2008. There would have been more pictures, but the normal photographer was busy teaching merit badge classes.

Troop 479’s annual Webelos Extravaganza and Pin College was held recently. Webelos from several different Packs participated in our two, big Readyman and Showman sessions.

During the check-in process, Webelos assembled in the gym where they were free to play basketball and run around. After a couple of fun songs, Webelos and their parents were introduced to Troop 479 boy and adult leadership. The opening ceremony was capped off with The Ravioli Song led by Mr. Griffin. Then it was off to class!

In Readyman class, Webelos learned all about first aid, how to get help, what to do if someone is poisoned, and swim safety. Between classes, the boys had time to take a break and enjoy drinks and cookies. Showman class brought a chance to construct puppets, learn about stagecraft, sing songs, learn music theory, and put on a puppet show.

Webelo parents and adult leaders were treated to tempting baked goodies in the Leader Lounge. Troop 479 adult and boy leadership were available to answer questions and talk about our troop and Boy Scouting. We also had a slide show running on the big screen featuring thousands of troop photos taken over the past three years.

The ending ceremony concluded with everyone forming a circle in the center of the gym for closing thoughts and the singing of Scout Vespers. After our guests departed, Troop 479 stayed the rest of the night for a “lock-in” filled with pizza, video games, and a mind-numbing cartoon called Invader Zim. Cleanup came early on Saturday morning and we were gone.

Pictures from the event have now been uploaded to our Photo Gallery where you can see all twenty-five images from Webelos Extravaganza and Pin College 2008.

Today, we launch our new Brotherhood Bridge page. This addition to our website is intended to document the bridge and celebrate those who have given their time and effort to maintain it. Brotherhood Bridge is located in Camp Kickapoo south of Eagle Lodge and the old swimming pool. It connects the “new” part of Kickapoo with the “old” part to the south. Several years ago, Dr. Bruce Cook took on the bridge reconstruction as a Wood Badge ticket item. At that time, the existing bridge was deemed unsafe and slated for removal. Thanks to Dr. Cook’s vision then we have Brotherhood Bridge today.

Troop 479 spends a workday each year maintaining the bridge and the pathways that border it. Those who work on the bridge have the opportunity to add a board to the bridge which bears his or her name. If you start at the bottom of our new Brotherhood Bridge page and scroll upward, you will be able to “walk” across the bridge from north to south and read all of the names. So the next time you see a Brotherhood Bridge workday coming up on the calendar, don’t miss your change to pitch in and become a part of the bridge!

Troop 479 scouts and leaders made their annual pilgrimage to Lake Eufaula in August. Thanks to the kindness and generosity of the Cook family, we once again enjoyed the opportunity to plan our camping for the next year in the fun and relaxing atmosphere of a lake cabin. There were a couple of activities outside of the planning process that took place as well.

First, as is our tradition, we performed a service project for the Cooks in gratitude for their hospitality. There were two large mulch piles that were near the corners of the property. Each was overgrown with grass, but T479 scouts collected all of it (sans grass) and used it to mulch flowerbeds in front of the house. We were glad to do it and thrilled that it helped out so much.

Next came the process whereby camping locations were nominated for the upcoming year. Once a list of candidates was developed, scouts (one vote each) and leaders (half vote each) showed their favor or disfavor for each one. Eleven weekend camps and one summer camp made the cut. Dates were assigned at a subsequent PLC.

Now with a service project, planning, and lunch behind us, it was time to hit the water! Snapping pictures of everyone on the water is often difficult due to a number of factors not the least of which this year was the photographer nursing a necrotic Brown Recluse bite received at summer camp. That aside, the other major challenge was having one photographer and two boats carrying scouts. Suffice it to say that we did our best, and we regret omission of any individual(s) in the pictures. If it happened, it was wholly unintentional.

The weekend’s pictures have now been uploaded to our Photo Gallery where you can see all twenty-nine images from Eufaula 2007.

Today’s reason to be proud of the Scouting movement comes to us from Henderson, NC courtesy of WRAL.com:

Boy Scouts Give Up Disney World to Help Rebuild Church

Henderson — Time at Disney World could not compete with helping others for three Boy Scout troops in Vance County.

Every year, Boy Scout Troop 691 in Henderson joins with two other troops for a chicken cook-out fundraiser. The proceeds go to pay for a trip to Disney World for the boys.

This year, however, the scouts volunteered to donate money they will raise Saturday to help Union Chapel United Methodist Church rebuild its sanctuary.

Lightning likely sparked a fierce fire on Aug. 10 that burned most of the 178-year-old church to the ground. Among many other items, the church lost its stained glass windows, which were brought from Europe and dated to the early 1800s.

Larry Medlin, described how his 11-year-old son, James, who so far has earned his second-class scout rank, came up with the idea on his own after hearing about the fire.

“James said, ‘Daddy, let’s raise money to help them build their church instead of going to Disney,’” Larry Medlin said.

Pastor Robert Hammond said he was deeply touched by the boys’ unselfish offer.

“We’re amazed, because they don’t have any relationship with the church,” Hammond said.

James Medlin said he simply heard what had happened to Union Chapel and felt that he and his buddies should do their part, “because everybody should have a place to go to church.”

“You don’t hear that much from little children,” Larry Medlin said.

Church members said they hope to start building a new sanctuary by late spring 2008, but still have a lot more fundraising to do. Rebuilding will take one to two years and cost about $1 million. Insurance will probably only cover about $400,000, church officials said, because they couldn’t afford a policy that covered the church’s worth.

Those challenges make the donation by the Boy Scouts all the more special, church leaders said.

Troop leaders said that the Scouts seemed to have inspired unselfish behavior throughout their community.

“People throughout town have called us, (saying), ‘Hey, what can I do?’” Troop 691 scoutmaster Tomie Patrick said.

The Boy Scouts will hold the chicken cook-out Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Union Chapel United Methodist Church, 6479 Raleigh Road, south of Henderson. Each dinner costs $6, and all proceeds go to rebuilding the sanctuary.

Troop leaders said they hope to cook up and serve at least 1,200 chickens.

Teaching young men how to make life-long moral decisions — I can’t think of a better legacy to leave than that.

Where has 2007 gone? It’s the beginning of Autumn, and that brings with it Webelos Woods! Troop 479 gathered Friday evening for the easy drive to Had-Wel stables. We arrived with plenty of daylight to set up camp. We were offered the opportunity to serve as Color Guard which we gladly accepted. So Friday night, we erected the flag pole to be ready for Saturday morning. Around 9pm we enjoyed a cracker barrel with the other troops before heading back to our own campsite and turning in for the night.

Saturday morning we cooked breakfast and assembled our 10′ x 20′ canopy. The burn barrels and other equipment were made ready for the many Webelos who would visit from after lunch until supper time. Over the course of the afternoon, we were visited by approximately 10 groups of Webelos who were all interested in learning how to build a fire. We hope that the Webelos also left with a desire to learn more about Troop 479 and the fun that we have learning and growing. At Saturday evening’s campfire, the T479 SPL recognized the three teams of Webelos who had managed to burn their length of twine in two faster than anyone else.

Sunday morning was spent with a brief breakfast and breaking down camp. We wound up with some spare time on our hands due to the close proximity of camp to our church, so T479 joined in with Scouts from other troops to play a little soccer. We ate lunch, made one final sweep of our campsite, then headed for home.

Troop 479 sincerely thanks all the Webelos, leaders, and parents who took the time to experience our fire building instruction and visit with us. If you have any questions, please email the scoutmaster. We would love to have you come visit one of our troop meetings. And please visit our Photo Gallery to see all forty-nine pictures of Webelos Woods 2007. Also, we now have our 2008 calendar available in PDF format for those of you who asked during your visit with Troop 479.

Eagle Scout Changes Stupid Rule

From the New Hampshire Union Leader, we have this bit of good news:

FOR FOUR YEARS the architect of the U.S. Capitol has censored letters from constituents by removing political and religious messages. That outrageous policy was halted by a 17-year-old Ohio Boy Scout originally from New Hampshire.

Andrew Larochelle of Dayton, Ohio, whose grandfather Marcel is an Army veteran from Manchester, wanted to celebrate his attainment of the rank of Eagle Scout by giving his grandfather a flag that had been flown over the Capitol. He wrote this message to go on the certificate: “In honor of my grandfather Marcel Larochelle, and his dedication and love of God, country, and family.”

Well, Stephen Ayers, acting architect of the Capitol, removed “God” from the message. Rules prohibited any mention of politics or religion, you see.

Larochelle contacted his representative, Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, who got more than 100 members of Congress to petition House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to change the rule. Amazingly, Pelosi at first refused. But as the campaign got national attention, she relented.

Ayers rescinded the rule, saying, most correctly, that it was “beyond the scope of this agency’s responsibilities to censor messages from members of Congress.”

And so a 17-year-old Eagle Scout scored a win for free speech, religious tolerance and faith.

Well done, young man, well done.

Had-Wel Stables will host this year’s Webelos Woods. We’ll leave from First Christian Church at our usual time.

September gave us a beautiful weekend for camping at Alabaster Caverns State Park in Freedom, OK. We had a fairly easy drive up on Friday evening and got our camp set up with little difficulty. Everyone enjoyed some conversation and relaxed before turning in for the night.

Saturday was the big day with hiking, a tour of the main cavern, and some afternoon fun. After a hearty breakfast, set set out to do some hiking before our scheduled cave tour. We observed many sights on our hike including rocks, more rocks, cliffs, caves, reptiles, and running water. The guided tour of the main cavern was interesting as always. Since it was warm outside, we saw very few bats in the cave. This is in sharp contrast to when we had a winter campout at Alabaster Caverns previously. Then it was warmer in the cave than outside, and there were numerous pulsating masses of bats clinging to the roof of the cavern overhead. Saturday afternoon was set aside for catapult building. There were some interesting designs to say the least.

Sunday was uneventful. We ate breakfast, cleaned up, packed up, and headed home. As with our last trip to Alabaster, we stopped behind a gas station in Watonga and had lunch. Please visit our Photo Gallery to see eighteen pictures of Alabaster Caverns 2007. While you’re in the gallery, feel free to explore the dozens of other event photos available there. Just use the drop-down menu near the top left of the page to switch to a different gallery.

All good things must come to an end, and so it is no different with Troop 479’s 2007 Summer Camp at Hale Scout Reservation. After a week of no rain whatsoever, the skies opened up over the Ouachita Mountains for about 45 minutes just before supper Friday night. Although the rain was gone before supper was finished, oppressive humidity greeted us for the remainder of the evening.

Hey, it’s our last full day at Hale! Regular merit badge classes are over. Friday morning was time for finishing up merit badge requirements for those who still needed to do so. The afternoon was free time for campers to swim, shoot, or snow ski.

This was our last day of regular merit badge classes. We believe every Troop 479 scout here completed all requirements for scheduled merit badges. The Scoutmaster will have the opportunity to verify this with camp records tomorrow and rectify any discrepancies.

Wednesday marked the home stretch for merit badge classes. They finish up tomorrow with Friday being a make-up day. Friday gives those campers who need it extra time to complete some of the more troublesome merit badges.

Fewer pictures today due to heat, every destination being uphill, and the webmaster neglecting to give Mr. Cook and Mrs. Werp their camera memory cards back last night.

Twenty-four new images have been uploaded to our Photo Gallery. Today’s link should start you out at the first picture for Tuesday. Thanks to Mrs. Werp for the amphitheater pictures of cinematography class.

We finished our first day of merit badge classes. It was hot again, and occasional thunder teased us all day. We felt a few raindrops while we were in line for supper, but that was about it.

We made it safely to Hale Scout Reservation. Picture uploads are taking a very long time.

Friday evening we joined a group of kids from the Millwood School District. They were at Camp Kickapoo to experience scouting in the hopes of getting a new Pack and Troop started at Millwood. We did some skits for them then watched their talent contest.

Saturday morning we ate breakfast then waited for the Webelos from Pack 91 to come join us. When they arrived, we all went down to Brotherhood Bridge to make needed repairs and clear overgrown vegetation from the path on either side. Things were so overgrown from all the recent rain that we had to search for a while before we even found the bridge. We trimmed away grass and weeds, removed a couple of dead trees, and replaced three bridge planks. New boards were placed by Mrs. Frederick, Mr. Turner, and Jared. Hot, tired, but happy with our work, we returned to camp for a late lunch.

We had planned on a flag retirement ceremony Saturday evening, but the weather had different plans. In the middle of the afternoon, we were hit with a drenching rain. The Campmaster came to tell us that there was a possibility of 60 MPH winds and large hail. We decided to pick up our camp a piece at a time and move the whole operation to Boyce Pavilion. It took about a dozen trips with the webmaster’s truck and scoutmaster’s SUV, but we moved the entire camp from Jamboree Hill to Boyce Pavilion — tents, chuck boxes, stoves, supplies, everything. Besides getting us to safe shelter, our move had the pleasant side-effect of giving all our gear a chance to dry before we packed up Sunday morning.

After loading out and restoring Boyce Pavilion to its condition prior to our arrival, we held a brief chapel service. Brandon G shared a very thoughtful message about how we each burn as a coal individually, yet the fire is greater than the sum of the parts when we are together. We ate lunch before heading out for home. Please visit our Photo Gallery to see all fifty-nine pictures of our camping adventure.

The aging Coleman stoves that our patrols have been cooking with sadly have reached the end of their useful lives. We’ve been reluctant to clean them because we’re afraid that the rust and soil are the only things holding the old stoves together. Boiling water for dishes has been taking quite a long time on our old stoves as well — so much so that we’ve actually had to delay the start of camp activities due to prolonged cleanup.

The troop committee decided to replace the old stoves with larger, hotter Camp Chef Weekender stoves. We were very fortunate to find them for much less that the regular price. We now have four new stoves, and plans are in the works to build two “ammo box” style crates to house them while in the troop trailer. One of the new stoves was on display at our last troop meeting, and the boys who were there got a chance to begin familiarizing themselves with it.

Some preliminary testing has taken place. Ground beef cooks quickly on the “Low” setting, and the “High” setting brings a large pot of water to a rolling boil in under twenty minutes. The boys should have a much easier time cooking and cleaning. Please visit our Photo Gallery to see all five pictures of one of our new stoves.