January 2004

 Committee Chairs Corner

The winds may be blowing and the thermometer continues to drop lower and lower, but scouting events still proceed.  Be prepared, brings a new and different view to things.  If there is a question as to whether an event will take place due to the weather, please check your email. An update on the event may have been forwarded. The scouts could also check with their Patrol Leader or advisor.  Check the phone tree for the telephone numbers.

I would like to encourage the parents and Members of the Troop Committee to attend the monthly committee meetings held at St. James Church, at 7 PM on the second Thursday of each month. Fresh ideas and energy are always welcomed and appreciated.   The next meeting is Thursday, February 12^th, at 7 PM.  Hope to see you there!

Marsha Kofman, Committee Chair,

rdhetal@yahoo.com, 429-0794

I hope we all made it through the holidays again. Troop 401 has had a great showing of service over the last couple of projects. Thanks to all who made these projects a success. The projects were The St. Joseph Hospital Box Wrap, Scouting for Food, and the Pie Bake for both Thanksgiving and Christmas for the St. James Food Pantry.

It has proved to be a very cold winter so far. Yes, we do have a couple of campouts coming up. The next one is Jan 30 to Feb 1. We will be going to Camp Split Rock in Mass. There is a cabin that we will be using but like on other trips anyone who has the correct equipment is asked to stay outside. If you desire to get a good night’s sleep, I would choose the tent. It gets very noisy inside. Please make sure you pack the correct gear for cold weather.

Next time you see Jeremy Gontarz, you should congratulate him. Earlier this month he earned the rank of Eagle. Way to go Jeremy. He has worked very hard on this as have others. There are a few others who have Eagle Projects in the works. So if you happen to hear one of them asking for help please give them as much as you can. I'm sure they will all appreciate it.

Please check the calendar for the upcoming events. There have been a few changes to the calendar. This was because of conflicting dates with the place we were going to. Battleship Cove has moved and Snow Tubing. Snow Tubing was Jan 17th. I believe that we will be going again in March. Not sure what the date will be right now. I am also working on the date for the Lock-in. Not sure if that will happen or not. All depends on the other Troops in town.

Next month, February, we will be receiving some new scouts into Troop 401. When they arrive please help them along. Remember you were all there at one time. If anyone has any questions or comments please let me know.

YIS

Bill Courtemanche, Scoutmaster

a76eagle@aol.com, 424-5968

 February

2/2          Board of Review

2/6          District Freeze-out

2/7          Klondike Derby

2/7          Monarch’s Hockey Night

2/8          Scout Sunday

2/8          Pack 401 Blue & Gold Banquet & Bridging Ceremony

2/10        District Eagle Banquet

2/11        PLC

2/12        Troop Committee Meeting

2/16        Scoutmaster Conferences

2/18        Roundtable  

2/21-22  Battleship Cove Trip

2/28        Ice Fishing at Horseshoe Pond

March

3/1          Board of Review

3/10        PLC

3/11        Troop Committee Meeting

3/17        Roundtable

3/27        Lowell Textile Museum

3/29        Scoutmaster Conferences

April

4/2          District Recognition Dinner

4/5          Board of Review

4/8          Troop Committee Meeting

4/14        PLC

4/16-18  District Spring Camporee

4/18-19  Isaac Davis Campout

4/19        Scoutmaster Conferences

4/21        Roundtable

4/22        Outdoor Leader Skills Instruction

4/23-25  Six Flags over NJ Camporee

Below are the patrol assignments for the next month.   Each patrol should use this schedule to prepare for the weekly Troop meetings.

Feb 2      Set-up                                    Lizards  

                Open/Close                          Dragons

Skill Instruction                    None Hobby/Interests Night

Clean up               Badgers

Feb 9      Set-up                                   Dragons               

                Open/Close                          Vipers

                Skill Instruction                    Badgers

                    First Aid: Leg, Arm, Neck Injuries

Clean up                               Lizards

Feb 16   Set-up                                    Vipers   

                Open/Close                          Badgers

                Skill Instruction                    Lizards

                    First Aid:  Cuts & Scrapes

Clean up                               Dragons

Feb 23   No School – No Troop Meeting

Mar 1      Set-up                                    Badgers               

                Open/Close                          Lizards

                Skill Instruction                    Dragons

                    Sports (Merit Badge)

Clean up                               Vipers

A couple of merit badges that have started recently, or will start soon, include Family Life with Mrs. Kofman and Citizenship of the World with Mrs. Collette.   If any of you are interested in these two merit badges, please contact Mrs. Kofman or Mrs. Collette for details. 

Patrol Leaders—Have you considered using your Patrol Meetings as a time to work on a merit badge as a Patrol?  Check with your fellow scouts to see if there is a merit badge everyone needs for rank advancement (Eagle required badges) or perhaps one that your patrol wants to complete as a group.  Don’t forget to ask for the blue cards.  

Turkey Campout

(This article submitted by Mr. Milton was inadvertently omitted from last month’s newsletter.  My apologies.)    

Friday night, November 21, 35 members of Boy Scout Troop 401 headed out to camp Wah-Tut-Ca in Northwood, NH for their annual Turkey camping trip.  With 19 tents dotting the landscape around the Northridge cabin, Troop 401 settled in for the weekend.  Saturday morning, after a hearty breakfast of pancakes and sausage, the boys honed their skills in knots and lashings, first aid, and fire building.  Then it was off to shelter building, plant and animal identification.  Many of the boys took the opportunity to be checked off on their skills for their next rank, as well as teaching each other skills they were already proficient in. 

Lunch was tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, followed by a football game.  It was now the most important time of the day, sit back and just enjoy the weather, and the great outdoors.  Around 2 PM it was time to think about the great event DINNER.  The boys started baking pies, and cakes for dessert that night.  At 3 PM the boys with assistance from the leaders started the main event, cooking the turkeys.  The troop did 3 different types this year and enjoyed experimenting with different ways of cooking.  I think it’s said somewhere every troop travels on its stomach.  Well Troop 401 is no different.

 The first 15 pound turkey was deep fried with a teriyaki sauce injected the day before, and took 53 minutes to cook.  The second 20 pound turkey was smoke roasted in a large Dutch oven over a high output burner.  This one cooked in two hours.  The third 12 pound turkey was roasted on a pike over an overturned metal trash  barrel, with hot coals piled on the sides and top (an old boy scout method).  This one took just two hours.

 After all the cooking the boys and adults sat down to a full turkey dinner with all the fixings, and all cooked outdoors.  That evening we had a roaring campfire with lots of stories and fun.  The night was so clear that the boys working on the astronomy merit badge took the opportunity to go star gazing in a nearby field.  Then it was off to the tents for a good nights sleep. 

Seven in the morning and a breakfast of breakfast sandwiches and fired dough came early, not to mention finishing off the deserts from the night before.   You will see Troop 401 in the Merrimack Parade, we have to work that turkey dinner off somewhere.  In January, we are off for a weekend of shelter camping at Whip-O-Will in Merrimack.  Camping and the outdoors are big in Troop 401, and we try to get out at least once a month.

Various Meetings

Committee meetings are open to all Troop adults.  They are on the second Thursday of each month at St. James Church, at 7 PM.  Hope to see you there. 

District Roundtable is on the third Wednesday of each month.  They take place at the Church of the Latter Day Saints in Nashua, at 7 PM.  All leaders and troop adults are encouraged to attend.

Summer Camp

Here is a reminder that the first deposit of $25 per scout, per week for summer camp at Hidden Valley and Camp Bell is due on March 1.  

Also for those of you who will need physicals, have you booked your appointment yet?  If you have any questions about camp, please contact Mrs. Collette at kmc120852@aol.com or 429-1045. 

Permission Slips

Permission slips are now posted to the web site.  If you miss a meeting, you can still pick up a permission slip electronically.

New Leaders Essentials, Scoutmaster and Committee training is being offered on March 6.  If you have not been trained for the position you hold in the troop, you should consider attending this training session.  Outdoor leader skills training will be offered on April 22 and the weekend of May 1 and 2.

For more information or registration forms, please see Mrs. Rich, r-rich@comcast.net, 880-8222.

Over the last few months, several boys have been working hard to earn a new badge of rank as well as a variety of merit badges.  Congratulations to them all for completing the work required to earn their badges. 

Congratulations to Jeremy Gontarz for earning his Eagle Badge of Rank.   

Fire Hydrants

Each scout should consider “adopting” the closest fire hydrant to their home to shovel out after a snow storm.  This will not only help our fireman with their duties, but it just might save your home or your neighbor’s home in case of a fire.

Eagle Projects

Troop 401 has several boys who have earned the rank of Life and will soon be working on their Eagle Projects.   Let’s all do what we can to help each of them with their projects.  

The Viper Patrol is going to participate in the Klondike Derby.  We are planning to get together the weekend before the Derby to review the skills of lashing, first aid, fire starting, and map and compass work.  In the next newsletter, we’ll let you know how we fared in said competition!  As a patrol, we met prior to the January 5 meeting to prepare our presentation on cold weather survival, so that all of you would “be prepared!”  Unfortunately, there was no food at this meeting, just work!  We much prefer it when our meetings include the sampling of some of Merrimack’s finest pizza establishments.  A fair Viper representation was made at the last event—snow tubing.  That was great fun.  It was an event worthy of repetition.  Well, that’s it from this patrol.

Submitted by:  Designated Writer of the Month—Ryan Collette

The deadline for articles to be included in the next newsletter is February 16.  You may submit articles at the Troop meeting or by contacting Mrs. Becker at 424-2954 or pab514@netzero.com.