The 2009 Wateree Camporee is coming up on May 15th-17th at ASC Greenway. Scouts should bring their permission slip and $25 for the trip to the regular Monday night meeting on May 11th. If you need a permission slip, please click on the link below to download a copy in PDF format.
We will meet at the Scout Hut on May 15th at 6PM to load the troop trailer with gear and then head out to the site. While there, scouts will participate in the Scoutathalon – a combination of scouting skills and a marathon event.
On Sunday morning scouts will be able to sail their cardboard boats to see how quickly they fall apart once they hit the water. Scouts planning to enter the cardboard boat race should be hard at work completing their entry.
We will return to the Scout Hut for parent pick up at 1PM on Sunday the 17th.
As part of his communications merit badge, Matthew H. has provided the following document regarding the upcoming Wateree:
Troop members should familiarize themselves with the discipline guidelines (in PDF format from the link below) as read and discussed at the May 4th, 2009 meeting.
These guidelines were created and adopted 16 years ago and though they have not always been put to use, the adult leaders feel that we need to start utilizing and enforcing them to make Troop 108 a better place for all concerned.
Scouts should remember that they can easily avoid discipline problems by weighing their actions against the meanings behind the Scout Oath and the Scout Law. If something you are about to do, something that you are being told to do or something that you are being coerced into doing doesn’t stand up to the principles of the Scout Oath and Scout Law, then you should not do it.
This advice will serve you well as a scout and all through your life. This would be a better world if more men practiced weighing their actions against these foundational rocks of Scouting.
This camp out is on 200 acres owned by Bill and Anna Bagwell, longtime friends and supporters of Troop 108. this property is located next to Historic Brattonsville between Rock Hill and Chester, SC.
Scouts should bring a completed and signed permission slip and $15 when they arrive on Friday. A copy of the permission slip in PDF format is found below:
Scouts should gather to load the troop trailer so that we can depart at 6PM from the Scout Hut on Friday, April 24th. Scouts are encouraged to eat prior to their arrival or to bring a bag supper to each once we arrive at the camp out location and camp is set up.
We will return to the Scout Hut at 1PM on Sunday, April 26th, 2009.
We will be demonstrating and teaching axe yard and fire safety, backpacking stoves, fire building, primitive firebuilding methods, first aid skills and much more.
Adult leaders will be assigned to eat with each patrol at every meal, so scouts, cook extra! 🙂 (more…)
Duke Energy will be offering 3 energy-related merit badges at a campout on the grounds of Catawba Nuclear Station on May 22-24, 2009. This event is limited to twelve boys from our troop on a first-come first-served basis and preference will be given to older scouts first (because of maturity levels needed to be on-site at the station as well as because these badges are more difficult and not offered often).
Please see the links below to read more about the event and to print and have the parents sign the release of liability form that is requred of all attendees. Scouts should provide these signed forms and $15 to the Scoutmaster no later than the May 18th troop meeting.
Scouts need to let Scoutmaster David Harllee know ASAP if they would like to participate in this event.
An additional 2010 Jamboree Opportunity for the Palmetto Council has been made available!
Due to overwhelming response and continued interest in attending the Historic 2010 National Scout Jamboree, the Palmetto Council has been approved for a third Jamboree troop for a total of 108 Scouts.
This is a significant opportunity and achievement for the Scouts in our Council. Not only will more Scouts now have the opportunity to attend the 100th Anniversary of Scouting Jamboree and become a part of Scouting history, but we will now have greater opportunities to send additional Scouts to future Jamborees.
The Palmetto Council is now seeking to recruit an additional 36 Scouts and 4 adult leaders to attend the 2010 National Jamboree. Effective today all Scouts who have paid their deposit and are on our Jamboree waiting list will be assigned to the third troop and we will be seeking to fill the remaining slots.
Interested Scouts should first have their parents register online at http://www.bsajamboree.org/ and complete the application, have the Scoutmaster sign the application and finally send a copy of their application with a $100.00 deposit to the Palmetto Council Office. Additional Council Jamboree information is available on the Palmetto Council website at http://www.palmetto-bsa.org/MajorActivities/tabid/107/Default.aspx by clicking on the National Jamboree tab.
So far, the following Scouts and adults from Troop 108 are participating (to the webmaster’s knowledge):
Andrew White
BJ Helms
Matthew Harris
Britt Helms (adult) – 1st Assistant Scoutmaster of the newly available troop
Thanks to all of the scouts and leaders that were able to participate in making the 2009 Troop On Display and BBQ sale a big success. A big “thanks” also goes out to those individuals and businesses that purchased tickets or that made outright donations to the troop. How can we ever thank Richard Campbell and the staff of Firebonz enough for their assistance with our BBQ sale? If you were one of the lucky folks who bought BBQ from us and want to get more, visit Firebonz on Cherry Road in Rock Hill.
Friday night the scouts and leaders gathered and fought the windy conditions to erect six tents in a neat arc and to set up the axe yard. As darkness fell, we retreated to Unity Hall where we watched the classic Boy Scout movie, “Follow Me, Boys!” with Fred McMurry and Kurt Russell. Pizza Hut delivered several pizza’s for the group to enjoy as well. After the movie around 11:30 the crowd settled down in the Scout Hut for a well deserved rest.
We were back up and at it again on Saturday morning as we put up the model campsite’s kitchen and gateway. We also put up the EZ-UP to be used as BBQ sale headquarters. ASM John Bisel brought breakfast while SM David Harlee was assisting ASM Richard Campbell in getting the BBQ off the smoker and chopped up to bring back to the event.
By 10AM we were all ready for the event and sale to begin. We had a few folks tour the model campsite and a lot more folks drop by for the 1 pound containers of BBQ. Scoutmaster Harllee was pleasantly surprised at how well the BBQ sale went and appreciates everyone’s efforts. Boys are reminded to bring their tickets and/or money to the April 6th scout meeting to settle up with SM Harllee.
Troop on Display is the annual event where we get to “show off” for the Fort Mill community by setting up a model campsite on the front lawn of our sponsor, Unity Presbyterian Church. Often times community members will drop by to see what we’re doing and sometimes even potential members come to visit.
We will gather at the Scout Hut between 5:30 and 6PM on Friday, April 3rd to begin setting up the model campsite in the church’s front yard. Scouts who plan to sleep over should bring $8 to cover pizza on Friday night and biscuits or cereal and juice or milk on Saturday morning. They should also bring sleeping bags and clothes to sleep in on Friday night. We will be showing a movie in Unity Hall on Friday evening after the model campsite has been set up.
If you are unable to make it on Friday night, just show up on Saturday in your field uniform (the one with the patches) and join in the fun.
Each patrol should come up with a camp gadget of some sort and has also been assigned an area of responsibility for the event. These are as follows:
Bobwhite Patrol: Tent setup and placement
Eagle Patrol: Axe yard with demonstrations on how to use various tools within the axe yard. A sign with rules for the axe yard should also be displayed.
Hawk Patrol: Tent setup and placement
Owl Patrol: Kitchen area with dutch oven cooking demo (Mr. Campbell to assist with dutch oven activities). a duty roster should be displayed. A separate three-tub cleaning station should also be set up.
Venture Patrol: A gateway featuring the troop banner, and the American and Troop flags.
All areas must be set up and ready to go by 10AM on Saturday and operate until around 3PM. At that time we will strike camp and leave the site better than we found it.
During the Troop on Display event, the adult leaders will be conducting a fund-raiser BBQ sale right in front of the Scout Hut.
Hopfully some of the folks who bought BBQ will cross the driveway and come visit the model camp.
It is important that our scouts greet everyone that comes to visit the model campsite and to answer any questions about and/or demonstrate their areas, if appropriate. In years past, before I returned to the troop, I visited the Troop on Display event and felt like I was invisible because no scouts acknowledged me or offered to explain what they were doing. Lets make an extra effort to acknowledge all of our visitors and show them why scouting is so important in the Fort Mill community.
The folks at our local Coffee News were nice enough to list our Troop On Display and BBQ sale in this week’s issue. Be sure to pick up a Coffee News at one of their many locations and patronize their advertisers.
An additional 2010 Jamboree Opportunity for the Palmetto Council has been made available! 
Use this revised schedule to make your merit badge selections for summer camp at Raven Knob from July 19th through July 25th, 2009