Bob T

I think this is most common in the LDS troops.

The OA sounds like a good idea. You get experienced, motivated Scouts and get past the burnout of the leaders of the troops that have been carrying the load. Not all troops are going to participate at the same level. We got the "hard core Scouting backpacking" troops, the "Once a year car camp paper airplane makin' troops" and some in between. A very successful theme we used a few years back was "Old Time Scouting Skills." Using a 1920's Boy Scout handbook, the kids made bedrolls from tarps & blankets, made cook kits out of cans, made tarp tents, and used food that they could have obtained in 1920. (Note: NOBODY LIKES HARDTACK. I have yet to be forgiven for baking up a batch.) Campfire discussion included talking over Scouting, 1920 to now. Though some things have changed, the basics remain the same.

My Dad was a Boy Scout in the 1930's. My 15 year old son wears a present-day uniform, with the exception of his Grandfather's merit badge sash, with his own merit badges on it replacing my Dad's. If the uniform police wanted to take that away from him I fear they would have to pry it from his cold, dead fingers.

My Dad was a Boy Scout in the late '30s. I did the "full tour;" Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts (Troop 290, West Los Angeles) Sea Scouts (SSS Compass Rose, Petaluma, CA). Graduated HS in 1962, went off to sea for way too long. My older son (born in 1985) did Tiger through AOL but didn't want to to Boy Scouts. My younger son (born in 1992) did Cub Scouts, now a Star, almost Life. I am an ASM and participate as well as I can, having 1.5 functional legs. My son uses his Grandfather's merit badge sash. As I told the Scouts at the troop meeting last night "I was a Boy Scout in the 1950's and have done a lot since then, but I still remember the names of everybody in my patrol.. THIS IS "the good old days."

Gold Winger said: "The Air Force is comical. Back in the 90s' they spent millions coming up with a new uniform because the zoomsters said the existing uniform looked "too military and not professional." Now they want to change again because the current (new) uniform doesn't look military." I work on an AF base. A few years ago there was a "trial" of new BDUs (cammo uniforms) in various hues of blue. The general reaction was "What am I supposed to do if somebody is shooting at me? Jump into the sky and try to look like a cloud?"

Not a whine, more of a small whimper. My son and many others in his troop find that the buckles that come with the BSA belt are poorly made and fall apart. The buckle is not separately available; the whole belt w/ buckle must be purchased. Anybody got any connections with whoever 'officializes" this stuff? Maybe an upgrade? In the military I used similar buckles that lasted forever. For these Scouts it isn't an "ingrown belt buckle" problem, the thing just falls apart. It is now November and I hadn't had my annual whimper yet; now I've got that taken care of.

"...Right after the event closed on Friday, the rain began. It continued all day Saturday, ending just before the activity geared up in the evening..." They should always bring at least one Scout with the Weather merit badge. If it rains, they blame him...

There are some troops in our area that are "Eagle mills." They run "merit badge mills" in which a Scout, for example, can wind up with a cooking merit badge over the course of two weekends without going outdoors except for the walk from the parking lot to the building. I (and our Scoutmaster) regard this as a corruption of the program. It is teaching the Scouts a poor lesson in integrity. As a merit badge counselor for several merit badges I have been invited (with attempted coercion) into participating in these merit badge mills and have refused. I consider it my responsibility to sign the little blue card only after the Scout has met the requirements as stated.

Our troop does one fund raising event a year. There are two big annual community events (Lompoc, CA) the "Flower Festival" and the "Spring Arts Festival." Community organizations have booths selling food items. There is a long waiting list for an organization to get a booth; our troop has been in business for 40 years; has a booth in the Flower Festival and sells slurpies and root beer floats. If the weather is cold & damp the "fallback position" is selling coffee. In the one week each year the troop makes enough money to pay for all expenses and replace worn out troop equipment. The Scouts and participating parents enjoy it. They would hate to sell popcorn, way overpriced and going door to door. We have a "rural demographic" and most people in these parts couldn''t buy the popcorn anyway. There are other ways to make money than going door to door selling overpriced popcorn.

Not totally off-topic... I maintain a roster sheet for our troop - name, address, phone number, position in troop. I include cell phone numbers for the adults that want me to, but I WILL NOT include a Scout''s cell phone number. From my point of view, anybody that wants to call a Scout can go through the Scout''s family.

New kid was not interested. Can't win 'em all.

I had picked up my son after his annual 10-day Sierra trip. He was in uniform, taking his pack out of my truck in our driveway when "the new kid" across the street (whom he had never met) shouted "Gay Scouts" at my son. My son faced him, paused, and said "I just spent the last ten days hauling this pack 60 miles across the Sierras. You want in on that action?"

Finally got registered. My Dad was a Scout in the late '20s; I was Cub Scout through Sea Scouts ('50s through '62); my older son was Tiger through Weblos, didn't continue after that. My younger son started as Tiger, is now 1 signature from Star. If you are wondering about the math, yes I'm a 61 year old guy with a 20 year old and a 13 year old. His troop is a 35 year veteran unit, great adult support but a recruiting slump. Now about 12 Scouts. I'm an ASM. I have been lurking here for about a year. Pleased to join you.