No Troop Meeting this Monday, 12/28

Hi Everyone!

Just a reminder that there will not be a Troop meeting this Monday, 12/28.  We will resume Troop meetings on Monday, January 4th.

We hope all of our Scouts had a wonderful Christmas and will have a Happy New Year!

See you all next year!

Leaf Raking Time Change - Sat 12/12 at 10:00AM

Leaf Raking:  Due to the weather, the start time for leaf raking has been moved up to 10:00AM on Saturday, December 12th.

The address is 46 Renwick Drive, Norton, MA.

Troop Meeting - Monday, 12/7 6:00-7:30pm at Reedy's Archery

 Hello Troop 20 & 96!

We will have our regular Troop Meeting this Monday, December 7th, 6:00-7:30pm at Reedy's Archery in the downstairs range.

Please remember that we line up for our opening ceremony at 6:00pm so plan to be at Reedy's 10 minutes earlier.  Please arrive wearing your Class A uniform.

Reedy's Archery is located at 121 Wood Street, Middleborough.  When you pull into Reedy's, there's a (hard to see) dirt road to the right that will bring you around back.  You can park anywhere along the wood line, away from the building. There's a door under the deck, on the left, that leads inside to the range.  We will try to put out a sign to guide everyone to the right entrance until everyone get's used to the new routine.  If you come in the main entrance, there's a stairway to the right, near the wood stove, that leads downstairs.

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Reminders:

• Merit Badges:  We'd like to remind everyone that Mr. McKinnon is available to be a merit badge counselor for the Citizenship merit badges, American Heritage, and Coin Collecting.  If you haven't yet earned the 3 Citizenship merit badges, and you're planning to pursue the Eagle Scout rank, the Citizenship merit badges are all required, so take advantage of this great opportunity. If you are interested, please let one of the leaders know at the Troop meeting and we can help make arrangements with Mr. McKinnon for a Zoom class.

• Leaf Raking:  Due to the weather, it was decided to postpone leaf raking until Saturday, December 12th, at 1:00pm.  The address again is 46 Renwick Drive, Norton, MA.

We look forward to seeing our Scouts on Monday!

Troop Meeting - Monday, 11/30 6:00-7:30pm at Reedy's Archery

 Hello Troop 20!

Starting this coming week, we will be holding our regular Troop Meeting on Monday's at Reedy's Archery from 6:00-7:30pm.  We will be meeting in the downstairs range.

Please remember that we line up for our opening ceremony at 6:00pm so plan to be at Reedy's 10 minutes earlier.  Please arrive wearing your Class A uniform.

Reedy's Archery is located at 121 Wood Street, Middleborough.  When you pull into Reedy's, there's a dirt road to the right that will bring you around back.  You can park anywhere along the wood line, away from the building. There's a door under the deck, on the left, that leads inside to the range.  We will try to put out a sign to guide everyone to the right entrance until everyone get's used to the new routine.  Please try to not park directly in front of the barber shop door as we want to make sure we leave room for his paying customers.

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Reminder:

Anytime that you need to reach out to an adult leader or volunteer, like Mr. McKinnon, it's OK to do so, but please remember that you need to follow the two deep leadership rules. This applies to all forms of contact.

• For in-person meetings, another adult or parent must be present.
• For email or text, always copy another adult or parent.
• If a phone conversation is required, you need to arrange for a conference call where another adult or parent can hear the conversation.

All of the leaders and volunteers are here to help you achieve your goals in Scouting.  We just need your help to make sure we're all following BSA policies.

We look forward to seeing our Scouts on Thursday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello Troop 20!

No Troop Meeting this week......The Troop leadership would like to wish everyone a very Happy, Healthy, and Safe Thanksgiving.

Troop Meeting - Thursday, 11/19 5:00-6:30 at 29 Eldon Road, Middleboro

 Hello Troop 20!

We will be meeting again at 29 Eldon Road, in Middleboro. We will meet at 5:00pm in Class A's.  As always, please remember to bring your Scout Handbooks.

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Reminders / Notices:

Possible new Troop Meeting Location:

Reedy's Archery, Middleborough, has offered the use of their facility for us to use for Troop Meetings as the weather gets colder.  They have an indoor basement range with bathroom facilities that we can use.  They also have plenty of outdoor room and a firepit.

In order to use the indoor facility, we would need to move our Troop meetings from Thursday's to either Monday's or Friday's 6:30-8:00PM.  We would like to hear from everyone to gauge interest in one of these days.  We can discuss at the Troop meeting or if you would like, you can email one of the leaders.

Medical Cards:

If you have not already done so, please return your completed medical cards to Mr. Holt at the Troop meeting.

Remind Service - Contact Information Form:

The Troop is thinking about making use of the Remind service as a means to contact Scouts with late breaking or time sensitive information.  In preparation, should we decide to move forward, we are asking that all Scouts please complete a contact information Google form at the link below.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNCMaJtXg2086_Iirwi2BRUdAW2PZpGtNnQy4KL1YipxO0KQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

We look forward to seeing our Scouts on Thursday!

Nick Clayton - Eagle Scout Service Project Saturday, 11/14 at 9:00AM

 

Hello All,

This Saturday, 11/14, Nick Clayton will be working on his Eagle Scout Service Project and he would greatly appreciate any help he can get from our Scouts. The work on Saturday will consist of trail clearing at the Soule Homestead, 46 Soule Street, Middleborough, MA.  We will be meeting in the main parking lot at 9:00AM.

Each Scout is asked to bring the following equipment if you have it available:

• A pair of loppers
• A leaf rake
• Work gloves
• Plenty of bug spray as ticks are still active
• A full water bottle
• A face mask is required to comply with COVID regulations

Please remember to dress appropriately and boots are really a must as we may encounter nails on the ground.  No sneakers please.

Additionally, this is hunting season and even though our Scouts will be safe, as hunting is restricted at Soule Homestead, we recommend wearing high visibility clothing if you have it available.  Think bright colors like red, bright orange, yellow, etc.

Additional water will be available on-site and Nick will plan to have pizza available for lunch around 11:00.

Appropriate first aid supplies will be on-hand if needed.

Nick is looking forward to a fun and productive day!

Thank You!

Troop Meeting - Thursday, 11/12 5:00-6:30 at 29 Eldon Road, Middleboro

 Hello Troop 20!

We will be meeting again at 29 Eldon Road, in Middleboro. We will meet at 5:00pm and will be finishing the painting needed for the large plywood arrows. Due to the painting that Scouts will be doing, we remind everyone to leave your Class A uniforms at home and wear clothes that you don't mind getting paint on.  As always, please remember to bring your Scout Handbooks.

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Reminders:

Medical Cards:

If you have not already done so, please return your completed medical cards to Mr. Holt at the Troop meeting.

Remind Service - Contact Information Form:

The Troop is thinking about making use of the Remind service as a means to contact Scouts with late breaking or time sensitive information.  In preparation, should we decide to move forward, we are asking that all Scouts please complete a contact information Google form at the link below.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNCMaJtXg2086_Iirwi2BRUdAW2PZpGtNnQy4KL1YipxO0KQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

We wish all of our Scouts and their families a happy Veterans Day!

We look forward to seeing our Scouts on Thursday!

Troop Meeting - Thursday, 11/5 5:00-6:30 at 29 Eldon Road, Middleboro

 Hello Troop 20!

This week, our Troop meeting will again be held at 29 Eldon Road, in Middleboro. If you weren't able to attend last week, Eldon Road is just off of Rocky Gutter near the Rodeway Inn on Route 28. The house and barn are red and are to the right of the public boat launch area at Tispaquin Pond. We will meet at 5:00pm and will be doing some painting and possibly working on Nick's project.  We will also be working with Scouts on their rank advancements and working with the younger Scouts on their Totin' Chips. Please remember to bring your Scout Handbooks.

Due to the evening's activities, we are asking Scouts to wear Class B's for the evening so that we don't get your Class A's dirty.

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Reminder:

The Troop will be participating in a leaf raking fundraiser on Sunday, November 8th at 46 Renwick Drive, Norton, MA.

Scouts need to bring their own rake and a full water bottle.  Work gloves are recommended as well.

This is a great opportunity for those Scouts who show up, to earn money in their Scout accounts as well as earning important community service hours needed for rank advancement.

Thank You!

Medical Cards:

Just a reminder that we are asking all Scouts to please return your completed medical cards to Mr. Holt at the Troop meeting.

Remind Service - Contact Information Form:

The Troop is thinking about making use of the Remind service as a means to contact Scouts with late breaking or time sensitive information.  In preparation, should we decide to move forward, we are asking that all Scouts please complete a contact information Google form at the link below.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNCMaJtXg2086_Iirwi2BRUdAW2PZpGtNnQy4KL1YipxO0KQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

We look forward to seeing our Scouts on Thursday!

Update: Leaf raking postponed

 Update:

Due to the inclement weather, we have decided to postpone the leaf raking in Norton until Sunday, November 8th. The coming week looks to have improving weather and warmer temps so everything should dry out nicely for raking. The leaf raking will take place at 46 Renwick Drive, Norton, MA.

Scouts need to bring their own rake and a full water bottle.  Work gloves are recommended as well.

This is a great opportunity for those Scouts who show up, to earn money in their Scout accounts as well as earning important community service hours needed for rank advancement.

Thank You!

Medical Cards:

Just a reminder that we are asking all Scouts to please return your completed medical cards to Mr. Holt at the next Troop meeting. These are important so please do your best to remember to bring them.

Troop Meeting - Thursday, 10/29 5:00-6:30 at 29 Eldon Road, Middleboro

 Hello Troop 20!

This week, our Troop meeting will be held at 29 Eldon Road, in Middleboro. Eldon Road is just off of Rocky Gutter near the Rodeway Inn on Route 28. The house and barn are red and are to the right of the public boat launch area at Tispaquin Pond. We will meet at 5:00pm and will be helping Nick with his Eagle Project. All Scouts should bring their books to log service hours.

Please remember that we hold the opening ceremony at 5:00pm so plan to be there a few minutes early.  Please arrive wearing your Class A uniform but bring a class B for working on Nick's project.

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Reminder:

The Troop will be participating in a leaf raking fundraiser on Sunday, November 1st and Sunday, December 6th.  Leaf raking will take place at 46 Renwick Drive, Norton, MA.

Scouts need to bring their own rake and a full water bottle.  Work gloves are recommended as well.

This is a great opportunity for those Scouts who show up, to earn money in their Scout accounts as well as earning important community service hours needed for rank advancement.

Thank You!

Medical Cards:

Just a reminder that we are asking all Scouts to please return your completed medical cards to Mr. Holt at the Troop meeting.

We look forward to seeing our Scouts on Thursday!

Troop Meeting - Thursday, 10/22 5:00-6:30 at Pratt Farm

 Hello Troop 20!

We will have our regular Troop Meeting again this Thursday, October 22nd, at 5:00pm at Pratt Farm.  We will meet in the parking area just as we did last week.

Please remember that we line up for our opening ceremony at 5:00pm so plan to be at Pratt Farm 10 minutes earlier.  Please arrive wearing your Class A uniform.

Pratt Farm is located at 110 E. Main Street, Middleborough.

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Reminder:

The Troop will be participating in a leaf raking fundraiser on Sunday, November 1st and Sunday, December 6th.  Leaf raking will take place at 46 Renwick Drive, Norton, MA.

Scouts need to bring their own rake and a full water bottle.  Work gloves are recommended as well.

This is a great opportunity for those Scouts who show up, to earn money in their Scout accounts as well as earning important community service hours needed for rank advancement.

Thank You!

We look forward to seeing our Scouts on Thursday!

Troop Meeting - Thursday, 10/15 5:00-6:30 at Pratt Farm

 Hello Troop 20!

We will have our regular Troop Meeting again this Thursday, October 15th, at 5:00pm at Pratt Farm.  We will meet in the parking area just as we did last week.

Please remember that we line up for our opening ceremony at 5:00pm so plan to be at Pratt Farm 10 minutes earlier.  Please arrive wearing your Class A uniform.

Pratt Farm is located at 110 E. Main Street, Middleborough.

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Reminder:

The Troop will be participating in a leaf raking fundraiser on Sunday, November 1st and Sunday, December 6th.  Leaf raking will take place at 46 Renwick Drive, Norton, MA.

Scouts need to bring their own rake and a full water bottle.  Work gloves are recommended as well.

This is a great opportunity for those Scouts who show up, to earn money in their Scout accounts as well as earning important community service hours needed for rank advancement.

We are in need of at least two trucks to help transport the leaves about 2 miles away to the farm that collects them.  If any adults can help out, it would be greatly appreciated.  Please see any of the leaders if you can be available on those days to help transport leaves.

Thank You!

We look forward to seeing our Scouts on Thursday!

Leaf Raking Fund Raiser - November 1st and December 6th

Hello Everyone!

The Troop will be participating in a leaf raking fundraiser on Sunday, November 1st and Sunday, December 6th.  Leaf raking will take place at 46 Renwick Drive, Norton, MA.

Scouts need to bring their own rake and a full water bottle.  Work gloves are recommended as well.

This is a great opportunity for those Scouts who show up, to earn money in their Scout accounts as well as earning important community service hours needed for rank advancement.

We are in need of at least two trucks to help transport the leaves about 2 miles away to the farm that collects them.  If any adults can help out, it would be greatly appreciated.  Please see any of the leaders if you can be available on those days to help transport leaves.

Thank You!

Troop Meeting - Thursday, 10/8 5:00-6:30 at Pratt Farm

 Hello Troop 20!

We will have our regular Troop Meeting again this Thursday, October 8th, at 5:00pm at Pratt Farm.  We will meet in the parking area just as we did last week.

Please remember that we line up for our opening ceremony at 5:00pm so plan to be at Pratt Farm 10 minutes earlier.  Please arrive wearing your Class A uniform.

Pratt Farm is located at 110 E. Main Street, Middleborough.

We look forward to seeing our Scouts on Thursday!

Stephen MacDonald - Eagle Service Project, Saturday, 10/3

Eagle Scout Service Project

Stephen MacDonald will be working on his Eagle Service Project this coming Saturday, October 3rd.  He's looking for help building new dog beds for the Humane Society and Shelter South Coast, 31 Ventura Drive, North Dartmouth, MA 02747.  He plans to be working between 1-5 pm.

He's looking for some younger Scouts to help build the PVC bed frames and older scouts/adults can work on attaching the fabric to the beds (it takes 2-3 people to do this so if parents are present, then a parent/scout team could work on 1 bed together due to social distancing).  He's asking older Scouts to please bring safety glasses and their own drills for attaching the fabric.

All Scouts should have an appropriate mask with them.

Troop Meeting - Thursday, 10/1 5:00-6:30 at Pratt Farm

 Hello Troop 20!

We will have our regular Troop Meeting this Thursday, October 1st, at 5:00pm at Pratt Farm.  We will meet in the parking area.

Please remember that we will line up for our opening ceremony at 5:00pm so you need to plan to be at Pratt Farm 10 minutes earlier.  Please arrive wearing your Class A uniform.

Pratt Farm is located at 110 E. Main Street, Middleborough

We hope all Scouts who participated in our opening Troop meeting this past Saturday at camp Norse had a great time being outdoors and searching for geocaches!  A big thank you to Mr. Cassady for setting up and running the course!  Remember that you need to show Mr. Cassady a completed workbook if you wish to receive the geocaching merit badge.

We look forward to seeing our Scouts on Thursday!

2020-2021 Opening Troop Meeting

 Hello Troops 20 & 96!

We hope everyone has had a wonderful and safe summer.  We would like to let everyone know that we will be holding our opening Troop Meeting for the 2020-2021 Scouting Year on Saturday, September 26th at Camp Norse.

We are asking all Scouts to please arrive at Camp Norse for 9:30 AM sharp in Class A's with a Class B t-shirt.  If you do not have a Class B t-shirt, any Scouting appropriate t-shirt will be fine. Our current plan is to have a quick opening and then the Scouts will work on a compass course and the Geocaching merit badge.

We are planning to run two sessions.  In the morning, one Troop will work on the compass course while the other works on the geocaching course. We will have a break for lunch and then the Troops will switch so that everyone gets to complete both the compass course and the geocaching course.

IMPORTANT: Immediately following our opening ceremony, Mr. Holt would like to meet with all parents briefly to give everyone an update on what to expect this year while we navigate the ongoing COVID regulations.

Some important requirements to be aware of:

1. All Scouts must have an appropriate mask.
2. All Scouts must bring a full water bottle.
3. All Scouts should have a day pack to carry gear.
4. The Troop cannot provide food so every Scout must bring a lunch in their day pack.
5. Wear appropriate footwear.
6. Dress for the weather. Wet weather gear, sweatshirt, etc. as appropriate.
7. Bring bug spray.

If you wish to earn the geocaching merit badge, there is some prerequisite work you will have to complete before you arrive at Camp Norse on the 26th. Below are links to three videos we would like you to watch.  These explain how to use the GPS devices that will be used for this course.  There is also a link to the Geocaching Merit Badge worksheet.  You should print out the workbook and complete as much of it as you can before the Troop meeting.

1. Introduction to the GPS unit

2. How to set a way point

3. Going to the way point

4. Geocaching merit badge worksheet

For help answering the merit badge questions, a version of the merit badge pamphlet is available as a pdf here:  Geocaching Merit Badge Pamphlet

      We look forward to seeing our Scouts on September 26th!

Opportunity for Community Service Hours

 Hello Troop 20!

We hope everyone has been doing well, staying safe, and enjoying the summer months.  As we get closer to starting up the Scouting year, we wanted to let everyone know about an opportunity to pick up some community service hours.

The Stewardship Group for the Pratt Farm will be out at the Farm on Saturday, September 12th, from 8:00 - 11:00 AM to do clean-up and trimming of the trails.  This is a great opportunity for all of our Scouts to earn some Community Service hours while performing a valuable service that's really appreciated by all who enjoy Pratt Farm.

If you're interested, please be at the Pratt Farm on the 12th for 8:00 AM.  Remember to bring plenty of bug spray (Recommend 40% DEET), wear long pants and long sleeves weather permitting, bring a full water bottle, and some work gloves would be a good idea as well.

Pratt Farm is located at 110 East Main Street (Rt. 105) in Middleborough, MA.

We hope to see a lot of our Scouts on the 12th to help clean up Pratt Farm!

Best,

Troop 20 Leadership

REMINDER: Citizenship Merit Badge Zoom Meeting - July 30, 2020, 7:00-8:30PM

Hello Troop 20!

There's still time if you would like to participate in our Zoom merit badge meeting this Thursday.  If you would like to participate, please email Mr. Pierce asap so that he can send you the Zoom meeting details. Remember, the Citizenship merit badges are Eagle required merit badges so this is a great opportunity to get them done ad off your to-do list!

Mr. McKinnon would like to hold a Zoom meeting next Thursday, July 30th from 7:00 - 8:30PM for any Scouts working on the Citizenship Merit Badges. We don't want to post the Zoom meeting details online so if you would like to participate, please email Mr. Pierce with your intention to participate and he will send you the Zoom meeting details via email.  As always, please be sure to include a parent on the email as we need to be sure we are observing 2 deep leadership rules.

To anyone attending, please be ready to present your material for Mr. McKinnon to review.  Eagle Scout candidates will be addressed first, followed by everyone else.


Thank You!
Troop 20 Leadership

Summer Camp 2020

Hello Troop 20!

There We just wanted to reach out one more time to see if we have any Scouts interested in attending Summer Camp at Camp Squanto this summer.  As a reminder, we had set aside July 12 thru July 17 for camp.  There are a few Scouts from Troop 96 who will be going and if we can get a few from Troop 20, we would be able to have our own site.  If anyone is still interested, please reach out to Mr. Holt right away.

Thank You!

End of Year Camping Trip - Update

Hello Troop 20!

It's been a while since we last connected. We hope that all of our Scouts and their families are doing well and staying safe and healthy. As we had originally anticipated having an end of year camping trip 6/19 - 6/21, we wanted to reach out to everyone to let you know that, unfortunately, we will be unable to have our trip as planned. The state/DCR is cancelling all group camping reservations for the remainder of 2020, which means the weekend we had reserved for Myles Standish has been officially cancelled. The state/DCR will only allow individual site tent camping for the rest of 2020, starting July 1st, but only after re-configuring what sites will be available for camping to allow for sufficient distancing between campsites. There will also be no camping allowed on Washburn island for the remainder of 2020.

We will continue to try and update all of you as new information comes to us. The leadership of Troop 20 wishes all of our Scouts and their families a healthy and happy summer vacation and we hope to see all of you in the fall.

Have a wonderful summer!

Summer Camp and Merit Badges! - 4/2/2020

Hello Troop 20 & 96!

We hope this note finds you and your families healthy and successfully coping with the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 crisis. We certainly understand how tremendously disruptive of everyone's lives and plans this has been, on so many different levels. We hope the impact to our Scouts and their families has been manageable and that you all continue to fare well until this is resolved.

That said, we wanted to reach out on a few topics to keep everyone in the loop and to make sure we're all keeping Scouting in our thoughts and using this time to take advantage of some opportunities.

Summer Camp:  Mr. Holt is still looking to see if there is any interest in attending Summer Camp.  If there is, can you please reach out to Mr. Holt as soon as possible via email, rholtelectric@yahoo.com.
We need a minimum of 5 Scouts to commit before we send a $250 check to reserve a spot.

Herring Run Festival:  This likely isn't a surprise but unfortunately, the town has had to cancel this years Herring Run Festival.

Citizenship Merit Badges:  For those Scouts that have been working with Mr. McKinnon on the Citizenship, and other, merit badges, we would like to know if you would like to keep working on these while we're all socially distancing ourselves. If you would, we can look into some Zoom conference calls to help everyone continue making progress.  Please reach out to any of our leaders and let us know.  We'll work on the arrangements and get back to everyone.
Mr. Holt: rholtelectric@yahoo.com
Mr. Cunningham: dcunningham56@verizon.net
Mr. Pierce: larry@pierce-family.net

Virtual Scouting Program: On Sunday, March 29th, Narragansett Council sent out an email, 'Virtual Scouting Programs Announcement'. In that email, there was a section on Virtual Merit Badge classes. One of the offerings was Citizenship in the World.  If you still need this merit badge, and the class hasn't filled up, you may want to consider this option. 

Virtual Merit Badges

Registration Is Now Live for Salesmanship, Chess, Citizenship in the World, Geocaching, Fish & Wildlife Management!

More than 24 Badge Offerings Are in the Works!

 Our team is working hard at organizing dozens of virtual merit badge workshops for troop members over the next several weeks.  We already successfully offered Personal Management and Law.  Registration is now live for Salesmanship, Chess, Citizenship in the World, Geocaching, Fish & Wildlife Management.  20 more are in the works!  

Badges are limited to 12 Scouts in order to provide an INTERACTIVE and QUALITY experience.   All badges will have an instructor and a staff moderator to assist with technology and questions.  Staff will be updating Scouts' advancement records via Scoutbook. 

Our first badge offerings filled up in 24 hours-Register quickly!

To keep abreast of new badge offerings, follow us at FaceBook or visit Virtual Scouting Page or Online Calendar.  



That's all for now. We hope to see everyone again soon. Stay safe.
 
Yours in Scouting,
The leadership of Troops 20 & 96
  

Troop Meetings Suspended Until Further Notice

Hello Troop 20 & 96!

We hope that all of our Scouts and their families are doing well and adjusting to being out of school for an extended period.
 
In accordance with Governor Charlie Baker's announcement, schools are closed in Middleborough for at least the next 3 weeks.  It is Troop 20 & 96's policy that when school has been cancelled, we will not hold Troop meetings either. In addition, the BSA has issued guidance suspending all Unit Meetings in an effort to comply with the social distancing requirement while the country tries to get a handle on the spread of COVID-19.
 
We don't know how long this will continue but we will try to get information out to everyone, via the Troop Blog, as it comes to us.  In the near term, our camping trip on the 28th will have to be re-scheduled and we will have to see what impact there may be to the Herring Run Festival in a few weeks. Beyond that, we really don't know yet.
 
It is always disappointing to the leadership, as we know it is to our Scouts, when we have to postpone or cancel events that everyone has been looking forward to. We assure you that we are eager to get our Scouting program back into full swing and to be able to provide all of you the Scouting experience you deserve. We simply want to do so in a manner that keeps our Scouts, Scouting Families, and our Community safe.
 
So, over the next few weeks, please stay on top of any school work you may have, take advantage of the time to work on requirements for merit badges that you're working on, and above all, stay safe.
 
We hope to see everyone back at our Troop events and having fun very soon. Keep an eye on the blog and be well.
 
Yours in Scouting,
The leadership of Troops 20 & 96

Committee Meeting / PLC and Troop Meeting this Thursday, March 12th, at Sacred Heart Parish Hall - 6:00pm Committee / 7:00pm Troop

Hello Troop 20!

There will be a committee meeting and PLC this Thursday at 6:00pm at Sacred Heart Parish Hall.  We will have our regular weekly Troop Meeting from 7:00 - 8:30pm.

Please remember that we line up for our opening ceremony at 7:00PM so you need to plan to be at the hall about 10 minutes earlier.  Please arrive wearing your Class A uniform.

Citizenship Merit Badges:  Please remember that if you are working on the Citizenship merit badges, Mr. McKinnon should be available at the Troop meeting to go over any completed work you have to show him.

Upcoming Events:

3/12	Order of the Arrow Elections
3/21 or 3/28	Possible camping trip to Camp Norse on the 21st or Murdoch Street on the 28th.  Details to follow soon.
4/18	Tentative troop activity to help setup for herring run festival
5/9 – 5/10	White water rafting, Maine.  Details to follow
6/19 – 6/21	End of year camping trip at Myles Standish
7/12 – 7/18	Summer Camp
TBD	Possible camping trip to Camp Sayre in the Blue Hills
TBD	Reedy’s archery night

Order of the Arrow Elections:  On Thursday, March 12th, both Troop 20 & Troop 96 will be holding our Order of the Arrow (OA) elections for this upcoming year. The OA was founded in 1915 as the BSA's National Honor Society and Scouts are elected by their fellow Scouts for membership. A representative from the OA will be showing up to give a short speech about the Order of the Arrow and an election will be held. Election requirements are:

• You must be a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America, Sea Scout, or Venturer.
• You must hold the rank of at least First Class Scout in a BSA Troop.
• You must have experienced 15 nights of Scout camping while registered with a troop within the two years immediately prior to the election. The 15 nights must include one, but no more than one, long-term camp consisting of at least five consecutive nights of overnight camping such as summer camp. Only five nights of the long-term camp may be credited toward the 15-night camping requirement; the balance of the camping (10 nights) must be overnight, weekend, or other short-term camps of, at most, three nights each.

If you believe you meet the requirements, please see Eric Grady a few minutes before the start of the Troop meeting on March 12th, to collect some information before the OA election.  We encourage all youth to attend this meeting and if you are already an OA member, we encourage you to please wear your OA sash.

If you have any questions about the OA or the upcoming election, please email Eric Grady at: ericgrady21@gmail.com


White Water Rafting:  The weekend of May 9-10 will be the Maine White Water rafting trip.  More details to follow.

End of Year Camping Trip:  The weekend of June 19-21 will be our end of year camp out at Myles Standish State Forest.  We will be biking the trails in Myles Standish and we will have easy access to Charge Pond for swimming and boating/kayaking.  Since school should be out, we plan to leave earlier on that Friday so that we will be at Mules Standish by lunchtime to enjoy the afternoon there.

Summer Camp:  The Troop has blocked out the week of July 12-18 for summer camp.  We are presently working with the Scouts to finalize where we will be going.The Troop is entertaining thoughts of attending Camp Bell in Gilmanton, NH.  We have leaders who are willing to volunteer their time to attend camp so that our Scouts can go together as a Troop.  What we need is a commitment from at least five (5) Scouts to allow us to register and reserve a spot at camp. This commitment will come in the form of a $100 deposit made by the end of February, which will allow us to obtain the early bird pricing ($50 discount off of the standard cost for camp) which is due at council by March 16th. Final payment of the balance due will be needed by May 15th. There are sibling discounts and camperships available to help Scouts afford the cost of summer camp, parents just need to speak to the Scoutmaster to get things started.

Tentative Activities

Herring Run Festival:  The Troop is tentatively planning to help with setting up for the annual Herring Run Festival at the Oliver Mill Park, on Saturday, April 18th.  The Troop is also considering using this event as a way to publicize the Troop and recruit some new members. One activity the Troop might consider, in conjunction with this event, is offering canoe rides in the area of the Nemasket River, just below the fish ladder/dam area adjacent to the park.

Camp Sayre:  Another idea that's being considered is a weekend camp out at Camp Sayre in the Blue Hills to include a Blue Hills hike to the observatory at the top and a possible tour of the weather station at the observatory.

Reedy's Archery:  We are looking into scheduling an off-site at Reedy's Archery in Middleborough for the Scouts to spend some time at Reedy's indoor range, learning to shoot a bow and arrow.  We need to coordinate a time that works with Reedy's and line up enough adult coaches to be on hand.  Stay tuned.

We look forward to seeing everyone this Thursday, the 12th!