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