THE Award Winning Recipe

Congrats to Assistant Scoutmaster Capan who took 2nd place in the dessert category for the Scoutmaster Cookoff at Custaloga Town Scout Reservation!  Many of you have tasted this when Mr. Capan made it during one of the meetings.  He has graciously given the recipe to the blog so that any scout can consider making this for a cookout.

Per Mr. Capan: The recipe is simple:

 

Well oiled Dutch oven

1 can of Sprite or 7Up

2 cans Cherry Pie filling

1 box white cake mix (no eggs, milk, or butter)

Charcoal

 

Put pie filling in Dutch oven.  Mix Sprite with white cake mix and pour over top.  Light charcoal and place ten coals on the bottom and twenty on top.  Rotate the bottom clockwise one third turn and top counterclockwise one third turn.  Cooking time can be from 60 to 90 minutes depending on humidity.  Check cake batter on each turn to make sure it doesn't burn.

 

Feel free to change filling, soda, and batter types for different flavors!

Don Capan

Thought on memories of Gettysburg...

As I am writing this, it is July 1.  It is the 150^th anniversary of the opening of the battle of Gettysburg.  I’m watching the movie.  All I can think of is our trip to Gettysburg last year.  It was such an amazing event. 

My scouting history goes back a long way.  I served various leadership positions, spent many years at our home scout camp, served on the staff for Treasure Valley, and achieved the rank of Eagle scout.  As and adult, I have served in many positions throughout Cubscouts and Boy Scouts. 

If someone asked me what my greatest moment in scouting was, it would have to be receiving my Eagle Scout medal.  But if someone asked me what my greatest scouting event was, there is no question it would be my first adventure as the Scoutmaster of Troop 97.  With the help of Mr. Thomas, Mr. Groshek, Mr. Capan, and Mr. Vitron, we took 17 scouts and had the adventure of a lifetime at Gettysburg.  It was an outstanding trip, with a lot of fun hiking the battlefield and just enjoying the great week.   

Sitting here thinking about it, it is really making me understand after all these years, that this really is one of the greatest aspects of Scouting.  While making Eagle scout is an admirable goal, and it is a fantastic achievement that will follow you for life, maybe one of the true gifts of Scouting is developing memories as young men and adults that we can enjoy throughout our lives.

We have a lot of events coming up, including Summer camp at Custaloga Town, trip to Laurel Caverns, and lot of other events planned by the PLC.

Whether it be a big trip like Gettysburg, or just a great weekend, like hiking down the middle of 6 mile creek, or putting together robots at the Cleveland Science Center, these are the experiences that we can hold and enjoy.  Along the way as leaders, hopefully we can instill a little self confidence, develop leadership and in the end create better citizens such that someday you might realize what a great adventure you had while a youth as a scout.

Whether you takes that experience and try to pass that along as an adult leader, or just a parent supporting your own child someday, or at the least, becoming a valuable member of the community, it all starts with what we try to do each week….creating great citizens with awesome memories to share.

It's your troop...

You’ve heard me say this multiple times during the meetings, but what does it really mean?  It means that you can do just about anything within the scope of Scouting.  Soon, your PLC will be getting together to plan out all the activities for the next year.  Up until now, the adults have been making the plans.  Deciding what you should do and where you should go.  But now it’s your turn.  Once again, what would you like to do?  High adventure? (Hiking, Canoe trip, Rafting, Caving…) more local camping? (North East, Six Mile, Fish Club), Day trips? (Hiking, visiting local places, Service projects)   There are over 130 merit badges; maybe you can create your own event based on one.  These are just a few examples of what can be done.  Look for yourself; if you’re reading this blog, you’re at least a little internet savvy.  Go search for scout activities, high adventure or whatever else you might enjoy.  That’s the first step.

Now you need to figure how just how to do these things.  Do the research, make the calls, decide what needs to be done and assign scouts to complete those tasks.  It is not that hard and does not take that much time.  It just takes a little focus.  The adults are here to help.  Ask questions,  get some advice,  we’ll help, but we will not do it for you.  When you’re done and the event goes great, the feeling is amazing!  If it isn’t a “perfect” event, (which is the case almost all the time, even when planned by adults) don’t worry, ask yourself two questions, “Did I have fun?” and “What could I do better next time?” 

 

So over the next week or so, think it over.  What do I really want to do?  Where do I want my scouting adventure to go?  Make sure your Patrol Leader knows your thoughts or ideas, and remember…it’s your Troop.

Leadership in Scouting

Leadership in Scouting is not about “being the boss”.  It is about developing a mutual respect between the leader and those who he will be leading.  Simply put, it is fulfilling the scout law at its highest level.  Following these ideals will put you on the right path of leadership.

A Leader is trustworthy – The leader must always work to gain and maintain the trust of the scouts that he serves.  They must believe that he is leading them in the right direction.

A Leader is Loyal – The leader knows he has a greater responsibility to “be there” both physically and emotionally for the scouts he serves.

A Leader is Helpful – The leader must continue to learn, both skills and plans to be able to help all the members of his patrol/troop.

A Leader is Friendly – The leader is not only a scout who will celebrate and have fun with his scouts when times are good, but will be there and help any of his scouts when they are having difficulty.

A Leader is Courteous - The leader does not “boss” scouts around.  He tells them what is a happening, what is required of each scout and why.

A Leader is Kind – The leader always praises other scouts when appropriate in public, so others can share in their success.  He will never “put down” a scout, and will privately discuss problems with a scout.  If there is still difficulty, he will ask for help from another responsible authority.

A Leader is Obedient – A leader also knows that there is someone else that he must answer to as well.  Whether that is the ASPL, SPL, ASM or SM, he will do his best to show respect and work with them.  If there is a disagreement, they will do their best to discuss and come to an agreement.

A Leader is Cheerful -  A leader knows that his attitude will directly affect his group.  Knowing this, a leader always does his best to smile and find the positive side of any task at hand.

A Leader is Thrifty – A scout leader knows that most activities of the troop cost money, and while planning as a part of the PLC, they need to try and plan activities that scouts may participate without having to spend a lot of money.

A Leader is Brave – An old leader once said, “You can’t lead from behind”.  The scout leader is willing to go out front and “take the lead”, try new things and experience scouting at its best.  The leader must also be brave enough to say no, and stand up for his scouts when any one of them may be subject to bullying.

A Leader is Clean – The leader is the representative of his troop/patrol.  How he looks to others will have a direct impact on people’s opinion of the troop/patrol.  A clean, well pre-prepared leader will show to others that this group is “ready to go”!!

A Leader is Reverent -  The leader shows respect for and supports all scouts regardless of who they are or their beliefs.  He respects that one of the basic ideas in all religions is to do unto others as you would have them do to you and he does his best to live to that ideal.

It’s a tough list.  No one said that it should be easy, but if you can live and work with these principles, you will have a very rewarding experience as a leader, and those who follow you will be very glad they did.

Why Scouting?

Why Scouting?  Why did you join?  Why are you here?  There is no one correct answer, actually there are probably as many right answers as there are scouts!  Russell Freedman, a biographer and friend of Sir Baden-Powell, founder of Boy Scouts, stated it this way.

“Scouting answered a boy's craving for fun and adventure. But its appeal ran deeper than that, for it also spoke directly to a boy's self-respect. Instead of imposing a lot of rules, scouting put a boy on his honor and trusted him to do his best. It encouraged him to follow his own special interests and discover his own unique abilities. It asked him to use his skills and knowledge to help others. And it challenged him to take on a man's responsibilities.  Scouting took boys seriously.”

For me, Scouting gave me a chance to try new things, feel good about what I could accomplish, and to be part of a group that enjoyed doing some of the same things.  A lot of my fondest memories were of summer camp, learning skills I would never done otherwise, working on the staff, and helping to teach merit badge classes to younger scouts.

 It doesn’t even need to end at Eagle!  I am an Eagle Scout of Troop 141 and I still remember very vividly, the court of honor when I received my medal, but one of my greatest scouting memories will always be Gettysburg 2012 with Troop 97!!!  Why, because even as an adult leader, it gave me a chance to follow my special interests, share them with you, and discover that I had the ability, with help from the rest of the adult leadership, to plan and execute such a great adventure.

Now my goal is to help and encourage you to have fun while discovering your unique abilities, and enable you to use those abilities and skills to help others.

So, what about you?  Are you ready to “discover your own unique ability”?  Are you ready to use your skills and knowledge to help others?  Are you craving to have some fun and adventure?  Feel free to leave a comment, tell me what you’re thinking. 

Welcome to our troop's blog

Welcome,
I and the troop are new to this, but hopefully this will be another communication device.  The topics here are hopefully to be inspirational and instructive.  Announcements will still be on the website.  If this continues well, I hope to be able to have some of you do guest posts.

Let us jump in and see where it takes us!  

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