Spring "Winter" Camporee

            On May 13th Troop 321 set out to host their Winter, I mean Spring camporee. When they arrived they started to set up their tents and meet the other scouts coming. Until 10:00 pm the scouts ran around, and played some games. But, at 10:00 pm they started the events. At their first event, they had to set off 4 mouse traps from 5-15 feet away by lashing multiple sticks together and extending it to the traps. On their second event they had to knock down bowling pins with a tennis ball, and a tennis ball hand launcher. On their third event they had all the scouts blindfolded except one who would give directions to the others on how to set up the tent. On their fourth and final event they tested how prepared they were by seeing how many of the ten essentials they had.

On day two of their campout,  Willard K woke up last and earned "Hollywood" for the day. (Hollywood is a game they play where whoever wakes up last is called Hollywood, and must take out the trash.) For the rest of the day the boy scouts invited the cub scouts to their camp and hosted a bunch of games for them! The camp was getting so much attention, even TV6 showed up and interviewed a few scouts about it!  After the cubs finished their games they were served a wonderful lunch by the older scouts. At the end of the day everyone sat down for a campfire and a performance of skits. Following the camp fire Caleb H made a wonderful dinner for the troop, and Nick M made a perfect marshmallow for the first time and earned a package of bacon from Robert Lawton, and Nick M generously shared his prize with his fellow scouts for a perfect ending to the day.

On their last day, Danny P earned "Hollywood" and they had a breakfast of donuts and oatmeal. And at the end of the day the boys all left with a smile on their face, Gary had all his clothes, and surprisingly Darryl had all his arm hair.

Cub Winter Games

Now that we've (finally) shaken off winter... the Scouting tempo has picked up. Along with several other Troops, Troop 321 helped support the area's Cub Winter Games - and squeezed in a bit of fundraising, too.

Lots of happy Cubs!

Nick, Jacob, and DJ helped run a game for the Cubs. Darryl served as Master of Ceremonies. He does a fantastic job every year, though he's never worn a tutu.

Willard and Phoebe helped Grace run the bake sale table. The table was loaded with goodies, and we raised $200 to help buy new Pinewood Derby track parts (we could use a trailer to store it in, too).

Gary and Robert sold chili and Frito Pies (Fritos and chili with cheese) as a hasty Troop fundraiser (the Crew bailed out the night before). Robert also made Cajun cornbread, but he promised to try something the kids will actually like next year instead.

As for the "winter" games, we got our last sticking snow just in the nick of time to keep the event from turning into a "spring fling" instead. Lucky us.

Winter Campout

This year's winter camping was a blast. On the first day we arrived out to camp and those that had cars were almost submerged to because of the huge holes (lakes). Some of us had to wait for Darryl to come back and rescue us. We got to camp and stayed up for a couple of hours having a fire and eating pudgy pies. Then we all settled in for the night.

Saturday Night's Campfire

On the second day we got up and had some bacon, eggs, and toast. Then all of us campers started to build our winter shelters. After that we took a hike to Snowshoe Village and then back to camp. That night some kids slept in their shelters and the rest of us slept in cabins.

On the last day we woke up and had donuts. Then we began to pick up the campsite and left Camp without a trace. Although we almost burned the cabin down with a pair of socks, everyone had a good time. ~ Beau M

Winter Klondike 2016

We started the day by meeting at the United Methodist Church in Ishpeming at 0800 and stared off to Lakenenland. We arrived around 0830 and we got the sled ready to go. We were given a map and a decoder strip. At every event we received three letters to add to our strip.
The kids there were Nick M, Jake M, Robbie R, Gary L, and Willard K. They all had lots of fun going from event to event. At one we had to build a fire and melt as much  snow as possible in ten minutes. Darryl made sure to stand far back so he could keep his arm hair. At another event we carried Darryl in a stretcher that we put together in about one minute. We dropped him a few times, but he made it.

Overall, all the boys had a great time, even though Robby got them lost a few times. The Troop came home with many awards, including the "Laughing Patrol" award and Gary even won an award for solving the decoder strip the fastest!

We would like to say thank you to Lakenenland and the other troops that put it all together making it a very fun day!

"Hessel" International Scout Rally

Beau gets it right

Scouting isn't just an American activity. Scouting began in England and came to the U.S. one-hundred and five years ago. It has since spread internationally - including to Canada. That leads us by circuitous segway to this year's "Hessel" International Scout Rally (held this year near Trout Lake). The rally this year included over 500 Canadians, Girls Scouts, Venture Crews, and Boy Scouts. While the weather looked pretty dismal, it didn't spoil the event, and it wasn't as bad as last year.

Darryl, Carl, and Todd arrived Thursday night to stake out a good location and set up camp. Their efforts paid off. Ours was the first camp past the entrance, and not far from the center of action. We were also able to stake out sites for our local Crews and Troops. Robert arrived late and heated up some shrimp egg rolls to share. The weather overnight was cold, rainy, and windy. That's pretty standard for the rally, and it didn't pose any problems, though Darryl took a few sleeping bags into town to run through a dryer. The rest of the Troop would arrive Friday.

Friday started with an easy morning with French toast and a toasty fire. The day progressed to a steady stream of arrivals. Our Scouts quickly settled in to their established duty roster: cooking, cleanup, and campfire. Through these activities, Scouts are able to check off more promotion requirements. Friday night it rained.

Some years attendance to the International Scout Rally hits over 1,000. This year we saw about half that, and the weather may be to blame - or the change in location, but wherever Scouts gather, there's fun to be had, and the boys had plenty.

On Saturday morning the weather cleared up and the real fun began. The rally's theme was "holidays". Naturally our Troop had settled on Administrative Professional's Day. The boys dressed in professional attire, donned taped glasses, wore pocket protectors, and carried briefcases. Halloween costumes couldn't have been more frightening. Once dressed, the boys raced from campsite to campsite to participate in whatever activity the unit had planned. Prizes went to the Patrols that visited the most campsites. Our boys made it to the bottom of the top ten - a good showing in the face of serious competition. Pete produced an excellent entry for the Dutch oven competition. Though he failed to place, his dish was a big hit with the rest of us.

The activities continued with dinner, prizes, and a dance. Rumors quickly followed that Beau was a hit with the girls, and thus ended the day. I've posted an album for the event if you'd like to experience a bit of it for yourself.

The weather held out for the Sunday morning pack-out, and we put away most of the tents dry. The ride home felt a lot quieter than the ride out - even with all the snoring in the back.

Next year's theme will be "Around the World in Three Days". Already the ideas are bubbling...

Veterans' Fishing Day Picnic

Nick helping clean up

The annual Veterans' Fishing Day picnic rolled around again, and thanks to Amy, the Troop received another invitation to help out.

An invitation you might ask? Yes. These men and women served our country, and it is always an honor to serve them.

The boys made a very good impression last year and aimed to do so again this year, too.

Our Scouts and a volunteer from Crew 356 (yay Molly!) helped the veterans carry their plates and bus tables. The veterans, in turn, asked the volunteers to join them for a really wonderful pig roast. The organizers even let the Scouts take back the returnable cans and bottles.

After cleaning up, the Scouts helped the National Guard load hundreds of folding chairs and scores of tables back into their trailers for the trip back to the armory. After such a great lunch, the exercise felt good, and the weather was absolutely perfect.

You can check out the rest of the event's album online, too!

Bell Hospital Raised Flower Boxes

Power Tool - or Automated Screwdriver?

Amy reports:

Julie Solka, volunteer services supervisor at UP Health System, Bell, contacted me in late March to ask if the Scouts would be interested in building four planters for the community garden sometime in April or May.  One of Julie's volunteers donated the materials.  Darryl and Carl cut the lumber, and the boys built the planters with great enthusiasm.  The only "funny story" I saw was the feat of strength and cooperation required to move the four very heavy boxes from the driveway into the garden area.  It was an all-hands-on-deck moment.  :)

Commentary from the Troop Blogger:
Didn't someone mention that maybe the boxes should be built closer to the garden? And didn't someone not listen? Do tell!

I sure wish I could have been there!

Pancake Breakfast Ticket Sales Event

Sweet Sales Success!

Our ticket sales event got off to a great start with 17 Scouts selling 213 tickets. Many buyers donated tickets to St Vinny's and to the Salvation Army. As a result, we'll be feeding a lot of hungry people on May 9th.

All Scouts who participated will split the evening's proceeds evenly. Great work guys! 

After tonight, Scouts are encouraged to continue selling right up until the 9th. The Troop will credit a Scout's scholarship fund $3 for each ticket they sell. These funds can be used for Scout related purchases and for camp tuition. Interested Scouts should also plan ahead for a trip to the National Jamboree next year. 

And don't forget to sell to family, friends, and teachers. Always remember, though - sell safely! Always go with a buddy and an adult, and don't carry large amounts of cash with you. 

Project Feed a Neighbor part 1

Young and Old Working Together

"Project Feed a Neighbor" is an annual community event with the aim to restock our local food bank pantries. Dick Derby, our Troop's Charter Organization Representative, heads up this annual initiative and asked for the Troop's help.

The project consists of three parts:

• prepare bags for distribution
• distributing bags throughout the area
• picking up bags

Today the Troop gave our community volunteers a real boost when we showed up to help out with bag preparation. We cut down a task that usually takes three hours to two hours. Dick was very impressed and appreciative. I suggested he keeps are meeting dates and times in mind for future service opportunities. Our boys are enthusiastic volunteers, and we should be very proud of them. 

Hopefully the weather holds out for Saturday's distribution event. The event will run rain or shine (or snow). 

Winter Camping

Digging in for the night

Troop 321 now boasts three new Polar Bears! But that's how the story ends.

The story begins with five adults and a passel of Scouts loading up gear for the drive to Camp Hiawatha. We didn't need the trailer because we'd have to hike a half mile through deep snow to our campsite with only packs and sleds for our load. Our load included all the potable water we'd need. I expected complaints, but there weren't any. What a difference two years makes!

We arrived, we unpacked, we organized the Scouts into work crews with Sebby enthusiastically in charge, and we got to work on dinner. Pete, one of our professional chefs, planned a simple, fool-proof dinner: pizza, fruit, and salad. Over what, you may ask, a fire in the snow? Well, not exactly. We had the run of the camp's staff kitchen, and Pete planned accordingly. We ate well. Very, very well.

Chef Pete

Our evening continued with cards and games and a fire in the fire place. Eventually the boys retired to their cabins. Fortunately, the leaders had their own. We turned in early(ish).

Hungry tummies encouraged the boys to quickly assemble into their work parties the next morning. This brought us our first surprise for the trip. It turns out, Jackson has a super-power no one knew about. Jackson is able to turn out absolutely perfect pancakes - including the very first one. Who knew? So we feasted on bacon, sausages, pancakes, and fruit - a high calorie meal for a high calorie day.

While the cleanup crews polished off the dishes, Darryl set up his tip lines. His new auger made quick work of the ice, but that remained his only lake-related success. One of these days, he's going to catch a fish in Bunting Lake. I just hope I'm still alive to see it.

The Eternal Optimist

The boys spent the remainder of the day getting clobbered with snowballs by a couple of girls too young to join the Scouts even if they could. The girls planned ahead with a mobile stockpile of slush-balls, so the boys really didn't have a chance. 

Between battles, everyone built forts and snow caves for sleeping in. Some caves survived, some didn't. Robbie set up the best cave under a picnic table. He's now one of The Three. Fortunately, the staff kitchen included a staff clothes drier, and so the troops took periodic breaks to dry out and warm up. In spite of everyone's best efforts, we never ran out of hot chocolate or coffee. 

Thus the boys played and made meals and cleaned up and sat by the fire and played some more. And yes, the adults napped while Jennifer snapped photos and gave them away. Harrumph. 

At least one Scouter's favorite lunch

We celebrated Pete and Darryl's birthdays Saturday evening, and then the boys settled in to their snowy nests. Those who didn't last the night (or the evening) tended to suffer from inadequate gear rather than lack of desire. Darryl reported resting poorly, however. I suppose guardian angels seldom rest. He checked on the boys every hour or two throughout the night.   

When morning arrived three Scouts popped out with boyish grins and rosy cheeks. We ate homemade biscuits with sausage and gravy along with Chef Pete's special oatmeal. The trek back to the parking lot seemed a lot easier, and I have no doubt some boys dozed most of the way home - three of them dreaming of their Polar Bear patches.

For more food photos and various snowball shenanigans, check out the trip's album!

Our next campout will be the Spring Camporee. With luck, most of the snow will have melted.

Food Drive

Lending a hand to the Salvation Army

When the Salvation Army's pantry ran bare, Scouts stood ready to lend a hand. Never mind that it was below zero or that the Troop had a full plate of events, an empty food pantry constitutes a community emergency.

In answer to the call, Troop 321 posted Scouts at the Jubilee in Ishpeming and the Super One in Negaunee Sunday afternoon. Together, the boys collected five full shopping carts from a generous community and unloaded them directly at the pantry. 

This food drive really was a great experience. The boys face a lot of rejection when trying to fund raise for the Troop. However, the community responded vary generously today and had many nice things to say to our boys. A lot of credit goes to Jubilee and Super One for giving our Scouts permission and space to make their pitch - and to our communities for pitching in. 

Big hearts & full baskets at the Jubilee

We're going to do this again next Sunday, and we hope for more great results. We'll participate in the community's annual canned food drive in April, too. The boys are a real asset to the community, and they're learning great lessons about service as well. 

Klondike Derby

The boys have come a long way in their fire building skills

Wikipedia describes the Klondike Derby as a winter Scouting event that tests skills and leadership along the theme of the Klondike Gold Rush. However, here in the Pere Marquette area, the derby tested patrols from five area troops along a decidedly more Hobbity theme - specifically Peter Jackson's third movie of his Hobbit trilogy

In addition to carrying staffs and dragging a sled, the boys practiced lashings, compass reading, orienteering, knot tying, shelter building, and, of course, fire building. They also raced against the clock, winched their sled up hill, and defended against invading orc hordes.

The exercise and hot soup kept the boys warm, and a dozen volunteers kept everything else running smoothly. What a great tradition!

And if you've never seen a horde of invading orcs, you'll want to check out the event's photo album.

Cardboard Classic!

Number 13. Naturally.

The Cardboard Classic was a smash hit this year! That is to say, we had a 30% increase in participants for the third year running and, of course, most of the sled catchers got caught by surprise at least once.

All the new teams caused significant delays, and the races went on until nearly 4:00. Fortunately, the temperatures were well above last year's, the light snow was simply beautiful, and Marquette Mountain served hot lunches!

The Troop only fielded one one sled against a field of ten, and the sled exploded half way down the course, but the boys were laughing far too much to be called disappointed. And isn't that what it's all about?

We should probably start thinking about sled designs for next year. Or maybe we can do it tomorrow...

The Minion's magnificent malfunction

Oh, and don't forget to check out all the fun times in the race's photo album, too!

November Hike

Who here thinks he can out-run a bear?

The fall snow started a little early this year, on October 31st, and it hasn't let up much. After a week or so, the big wet flakes finally started to stick. What a great time to take the Scouts on a walk through the woods!

A good fall hike makes for a great opportunity to practice old skills, learn new skills, and work on a few promotion requirements... like taking a five mile hike, cooking lunch over a stove or campfire, and reading a compass (eh, Carl?).

Along the way, we identified some animal signs, practiced "leave no trace" hiking, and soaked in our home town's raw beauty. Heavy snow showers kept everything fresh and white for us and made our hot lunches all the more welcome.

We finished up our hike on schedule and with full stomachs - if not at our intended destination. What a great way to spend part of a Saturday! Hopefully we can fit in another hike before we have to strap on snowshoes for the winter.

Oh, and don't forget to check out the hike's album!

Pot Luck & Honor Court

 

The Scout Handshake

Scouts work throughout the year on promotion requirements, merit badges, and service projects. Why? Because its fun, interesting, and helpful. Maybe they get a little push from their parents, but it's a push along a path of lifetime learning and community building. Once started on this path, many boys stay on it much to their benefit and ours.

As a result, we find it important to pause a moment to reflect on and reward recent achievements. For example, our Scouts participated in at least seven different service projects since our last honor court, and that doesn't count the assistance they've extended to Pack 321. Scoutmaster Carl handed out dozens of merit badges, and most of the boys also earned promotions, too. 

And, of course, the pot-luck dinner added a warm, neighborly atmosphere to the event. Thanks to everyone who brought a dish, and thanks to our Scouts for all their hard work!

Don't forget to check out the evening's photo album. 

Halloween Party Helpers

Pow! Right in the kisser

Troop 321 has a standing tradition of assisting Pack 321 with its Halloween party and potluck for the past few years - thanks in large part to Grace, Amy, and Amanda. The Scouts stepped up to help, too. This time they raced back from the Scout University event in Marquette to help out with games.

Cubmaster David and Assistant Scoutmaster Darryl both challenged the Pack and the Troop earlier this year to sell more than $700 worth of popcorn. Several boys took up the challenge and fed their superheros a few pies as a reward. What a nice treat! 

The Cubs looked like they had a great time playing games and eating (even more) treats in their costumes. Nice work Scouts! For more pictures, check out the album here: http://bit.ly/1tzgX4h

Lending a Finger

Dodging a rocket

Pack 321 held their annual Space Derby race, and they put out a call to Troop 321 to lend a finger - a propeller-winding finger, that is. Many of our Scouts came from Pack 321, and quite a few volunteered to help. While Bo operated the starting line, the other boys helped wind up the rockets and place them on the course.

At one point, a rocket left the track, performed a u-turn, and dive bombed Bo. Fortunately, Bo's reflexes saved him from harm, and we all had a good laugh - including Bo who asked to have this photo published.

The Cubs were really good sports, and it looks like they had a blast. What a great event! For more pictures, you can visit the online album here: http://bit.ly/1wVpcKv

RSVP Flag Ceremony

Standing Ready to Serve

The Retired Senior Volunteer Program in Marquette put out a request for Boy Scouts to conduct a flag ceremony for their 24th Annual Retired & Senior Volunteer Program appreciation dinner, and Troop 321 answered the call (thanks Amy!).

The volunteers asked for Scouts because the older volunteers like to see youth helping in the community. 

It's efforts like these that help make our presence felt in our community. Great work guys!

Pizza Fundraiser

DJ - taking one for the team

We tried a new fundraiser this summer - pizza! We topped $255 selling pizza and pop at the Festival of Treasures in Ishpeming.

The boys had a lot of fun working the crowds. I think the costumes are going to become a tradition, though maybe not the tape.

If this year is any indication, next year will be fantastic. 

Court of Honor

Scouts leading the way

Today we celebrated our Scouts' achievements in earning both Merit Badges and promotions. Our boys put in some good work these past few months, and they deserve the recognition that goes with it. 

We also welcomed our new Troop members including the boys who crossed over this spring and the boys who joined our Troop from other units. Together we're going to have a great year!

And, of course, we are especially grateful to all the parents who have helped make this possible. Whether its making a dish for the potluck, sharing rides, joining us on camp-outs, or serving as an official BSA Adult Volunteer, we couldn't do it without you.

And so as we honored our Scouts this evening, I'd like to add, "Great job everyone!"

And don't forget to check out the event's album!