Troop Meeting this Thursday, May 18th - Battis Field, 6:30pm

Hello Troop 20!  I hope everyone has a great week so far.  We have a lot of announcements this week so please read them carefully!

1)  Our troop meeting this week will be held at Battis Field from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.  Please Park at the Jackson street lot near the field.  Note that parking can only be accessed via Jackson Street.  Please see map below.

We will be holding an orienteering course for younger scouts that need these skills for rank advancement and it would be a really good refresher course for older scouts that may be a little rusty with their compass skills.  Scouts should have read the relevant section(s) of their handbook beforehand and be familiar with the concepts.  Please arrive for 6:30pm and we will wrap up at 8:30pm as usual.

Uniform for the night will be Class B and we ask that everyone please bring water (it will be warm) and bug spray!



2)  Deck Staining, Saturday May 20:  Mr. Gilson will be staining the decks at the Parish Hall and St. Joseph House on Saturday and he needs some scouts to help get the work done.  If you are available, please meet at the Parish Hall at 9:00am.  The plan is to have younger scouts help with the ramp at the Hall from 9:00am - 12:00pm and then older scouts to help with the deck from 1:00pm - 4:00pm.  Please bring water, snacks, sunscreen, some snacks, a hat, and most importantly, wear clothes you don't mind getting covered in stain!



3)  Preston Brown Eagle Project:  Preston will be attempting to wrap up his Eagle project this Saturday, May 20th, at the Middleborough Bus Depot in front of the town hall.  Time is planned to be 9:00am - 1:00pm.  He will be painting the building and finishing up the work to replace any remaining damaged wood.
Below are a few more pictures from this past Saturday when we replaced the old roof.  Enjoy!

4)  Camping at Murdock Street:  We are planning a brief camping trip to Murdock Street for Friday May 26 - Saturday May 27.  Drop-off and pickup times will be announced soon as we finalize details.  This is a great opportunity for scouts to complete requirements that they may need for rank advancement, such as patrol cooking.  We have also extended an invitation to the Pack so it's possible we may have some cub scouts there with us. 

If you are interested in attending, there will be a signup sheet available at the meeting Thursday.

5)  Memorial Day Parade:  Just a reminder that Troop 20 is a participant in the Middleborough Memorial Day Parade to honor those people who died while serving in our country's armed forces.  We ask that all scouts please plan to participate in this event.

The exception is for those scouts who are members of school bands.  Band participation is part of your grade so we understand that must take priority.

We will be lining up behind the town hall at 9:30am.  Parking and getting to/from the town hall can be a challenge the closer you get to the parade time because the police will start closing off roads so please plan accordingly.

Uniform is full class A with hats, neckerchiefs or bolo's, and merit badge sash if you have it. 

6)  Shakedown Bike Ride:  We are planning a shakedown ride for Sunday, June 11th at the Cape Cod Canal, weather permitting.  Times and further details will be posted to the blog in the coming weeks.  This is not a requirement to participate in the Nantucket Trip but it is a great opportunity, for the younger scouts who are planning to attend the Nantucket trip, to make sure their bikes and gear are in shape, they know the rules of the road, and they won't have any problems riding some moderate distances.  We strongly encourage it.  Even older scouts, who have been to Nantucket before, can benefit from this ride to make sure their bikes are still in serviceable condition.

Please note that all scouts must have a CPSC approved bike helmet....no exceptions.  Parents are also welcome to ride with us but you must also have a helmet.

7)  Nantucket Trip:  Our trip to Nantucket is fast approaching.  (Friday June 16 through Sunday June 18).  Please note that at this time, the list of participants is locked down.

We will be loading bikes onto Mr. Holt's truck at the Troop Meeting on Thursday, June 15 so anyone going on the trip needs to be sure you have your bike there that evening so that it will make the ferry ride over.  We will be meeting Friday morning, on the 16th, at 6:00am at the Parish Hall and will be departing the hall at 6:30 to head to the ferry.

Please be sure to watch the blog over the next several weeks for any updates/changes to departure time, details regarding ferry times/schedules,  and plans for pickup Sunday evening.