TROOP 6 PARENT MEETING NOTES - NOVEMBER 26, 2007

The troop committee met on Monday November 26. 

November themes were home improvement and webelos recruiting. 

There were a number of webelos from Pack 46 who attended the 11/5 Monday meeting.  The scouts led the cubs in first aid/Readyman activities.  Approximately 8 webelos also attended the 11/9-11 campout at Carver Park, with 4 parents.  We had a good turnout from the troop and although it was cold, had good camping.  Activities included knife/saw/ax, knots, hiking, tent building, cooking, etc.  Please note that one of the cubs lost a blue/green mess kit cup with a blue spot of paint identifier on the bottom.  If you have seen this, please let Jack Goodnow know.

The 11/12 and 19 Monday meetings were devoted to the construction of the outhouse which will be burned at the December bonfire at Gronholm.  Several webelos attended the 11/19 meeting and helped with the construction.

Loaves and Fishes on 11/20 was very well attended.  The next one will be the third Tuesday in January – let’s have an equally good turnout for that one!

The evening of 11/20 we had the initial planning session for the summer of 2008 High Adventure troop trip.  Several ideas were proposed, including bike/camping trips on the Paul Bunyan (Bemidji – Brainerd) or Willard Munger (Duluth – Hinkley) bike trails in Northern Minnesota; hiking on Isle Royale or on the Lake Superior Hiking Trail on the North Shore of Lake Superior; and canoeing in the boundary waters.  We discussed the possibility of doing a hybrid trip which would include elements of more than one of these types of trips. We also discussed a summer of 2009 trip to Philmont Scout Ranch.  Before we do any planning for that we will participate in a lottery for the Cavalcade (horseback trip) in January.  If we are selected we will have 30 days to decide whether to commit to the trip.  Crews for Philmont are a maximum of 15 and boys have to be at least 14 years old.  We will follow up on that possibility after we hear about the lottery results.

This weekend – December 1 – Ralph and 6-8 scouts and adults will work on Phase I of the bonfire, which will be to construct a tower at the bonfire site on which the outhouse will rest.  If you are interested in participating, please call SPL Harrison Cotton.

Cabrini House – December 8 at noon we will have a service project at this halfway house.  This is an annual project that the troop has participated in for a number of years.  Cabrini House is located at 1025 6th Street SE, in the University of Minnesota campus area.  We will bake cookies and do whatever yard or house work the staff asks us to do.  If it has not yet snowed, we will be raking the yard so bring rakes.  The timing of the project will be noon – 2:30 or 3:00. 

December theme is sort of a potpourri of activities:  bowling, billiards and caroling. 

The 12/3 Monday meeting will be bowling at Southtown Bowl at 7:15.  You can either go there directly or meet at the church PROMPTLY at 7:00 to catch a ride to the lanes. 

The 12/10 meeting will be billiards.  We are looking into a good location and will follow up with specifics.

The 12/17 meeting is caroling at the Continental Towers Senior Center, at 7151 York Avenue South.  7:15.

A practice session for those who play instruments will take place at Ralph’s house this Sunday at 4:00.  Anyone playing the bagpipes will have to stay in the driveway.

December 28 Lock-In at the church – we will have the gym, kitchen, fellowhip hall, and some rooms for sleeping.  Arrival time 7:00 Friday evening; pick-up 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning.  We are looking for adult chaperones.  You should also feel free to invite friends and we will be extending invites to cub scouts.  No electronic games will be allowed this year; we will play box games, games in the gym, and perhaps have some movies to watch.  No meals will be prepared but we may make popcorn, frozen pizza, or the like.

We discussed ideas for recruiting, contacts with cub scout packs, etc.  Jack Goodnow followed up on his recent e-mail and asked for volunteers to work on recruiting.  If we have contacts with the local packs and participate in their activities, invite them to ours (e.g. the lock-in), we hope to build relationships that will result in a steady influx of new scouts each year.  Please consider whether you are willing to get involved in this very important role and let Ralph or Jack know.

We are in the process of updating the troop roster.  If you were not at the meeting, where we passed around the most recent roster, please e-mail me with all current info regarding address, telephone number, names of parents, e-mail addresses.  Thanks.
 
The troop elected new leadership in early October.  Harrison Cotton is SPL.  Christopher Goodnow is ASPL.  William Goodnow is Snake Patrol Leader.  Nate Olson is Owl patrol leader.  Eric Newland is Dragon patrol leader. 
 
If you haven't heard by now, on October 26 Ralph and Harrison Cotton were helping a neighbor clear leaves from her roof and yard and Ralph fell from his ladder and received a concussion.  Harrison heard the fall, had the homeowner call 911, administered first aid until the EMTs arrived, and provided the EMTs with a rundown of Ralph's medical condition.  During several of the meetings in the previous month we had been studying first aid and specifically talked about how these skills may never be called upon, but if they are, we need to know how to respond.  This was an example of exactly what we were talking about. 
 
There is general support for the troop to participate in the council’s North Wind winter camping program.  Curtis Berg is going to look into the details regarding cost, dates, etc.
 
Curtis Berg attended the University of Scouting on October 27 (Ralph couldn't go because he was hospitalized for a day).  He attended several good classes and recommends the course to anyone who is interested in becoming more involved as an adult leader.  The next University will take place on a Saturday in mid-April.  We will provide information on that course as it approaches.
 
Kim Cook has volunteered to work with scouts to update/upgrade our troop first aid kit, which we take on weekend campouts, as some materials are depleted and/or out of date.
 
A dozen scouts/adults participated in the church’s annual raking project on October 27.  The members of the congregation who participated were grateful for the good showing.
 
Wreath sales – open until 11/14 for orders; delivered 11/17 (yesterday).  Call Scott Olson with any questions.
 
Treasurer’s report – Betsy Akerson provided a broad overview of the troop finances.  At this point the troop has about $320 in its equipment fund; $750 in its camp fee fund; and $400 in its award fund.  We discussed earmarking certain monies to focus on replacement of worn out camping equipment, especially tents and cooking equipment.  We may look into fund raisers dedicated to equipment replacement and will also check into whether outdoors dealers may be willing to sell equipment to the troop at a discount.  As a prelude to purchasing new equipment we want to make sure we have a clear understanding of what we have now and will be looking toward a day over the Christmas/New Years holiday break for that effort.
 
The November theme is home repair.  At the meetings on the 12th and 19th the troop will be constructing an outhouse that will be burned atop the bonfire at Gronholm in December.  Recruiting is also a strong emphasis in November and December and we plan to have webelos at Monday meetings as well as at the campout at Carver Park.
 
Giants Ridge – if you have not already told me that you are interested in attending the ski trip over President’s Day weekend in February, please do so.
 
In December we will have a billiards night at the 12/3 meeting, bowling at the 12/10 meeting, and caroling on 12/17.  Details will be provided shortly.
 
Many Point – we know our dates.  We will be attending from the 3d through 9th of August (regular session) with a three day extension to the 12th.


TROOP 6 PARENT MEETING NOTES - SEPTEMBER 25, 2007

The Troop 6 Parent Committee met for the first time this school year on Monday, September 24, 2007.  Committee Chair Jack Goodnow chaired the meeting. 


Jack and Ralph Greiling reported on activities that took place this summer.

 
Scout trip to Glacier National Park.  The trip was very successful – lots of hiking, backcountry camping, wildlife, fun on Amtrak, etc.  All of the scouts hiked at least 30 miles and some as much as 47.
 
Many Point Scout Camp.  Well attended.  The boys had a good time and accomplished a lot in the way of advancement.
 
Christopher Goodnow attended and completed Grey Wolf, which is a junior leadership training program open to scouts who have been nominated by the scoutmaster.    
 

September activities:

1.       The troop engaged in a potpourri of activities this month, including wall/rock climbing at Vertical Endeavors, prep for a       

weekend canoe trip,  and a camping/canoeing weekend on 9/21-23 at Fred C. Anderson Scout Camp and the St. Croix River near Stillwater.  Great weather and camping. 

 

 Upcoming:

 

1.   Metro Lakes Camporee:  October 5-7 at Rum River.  The theme of this Camporee is a combination of Scottish Highland Games and a Medieval Tournament among Knights.  For details see this link to the District Web page (in the Council website) http://metrolakes.nsbsa.org/events/fallcamporee.html .    Please let Jack Goodnow know if your son is attending and if you can assist either by attending or by driving to or from the Camporee.  Rum River is located near Anoka so is not a lengthy drive.

 

2.       Order of the Arrow.  Four scouts who were nominated in the spring will be attending their first OA Conclave the weekend of October 12.  These scouts will be undergoing their “Ordeal” on Friday evening and Saturday, and are scheduled to be inducted Saturday evening into OA.  The nominees are Joe Akerson, Harrison Cotton, Christopher Goodnow and William Goodnow.

 

3.       October theme for Monday meetings is auto mechanics/repair and first aid.  We will have two Mondays (beginning with October 1) in which the scouts learn/teach first aid.  PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOUR SCOUT BRINGS HIS BOOK TO THESE MEETINGS.  The other two Mondays will focus on the auto repair.  October 8 will be general auto maintenance at Amigo Service Center, 3544 Lyndale Avenue South.

 

4.       Troop Elections – the scouts will elect new leadership at the October 1 meeting.

 

5.       PLC (Patrol Leader Conference) will be at Ralph Greiling’s house on October 10, at 7:00.

 

6.       WREATH SALES BEGIN OCTOBER 8!!  Scott Olson is taking the lead on this.  This is probably the best way for each scout to add a significant amount to his scout account during the year.  Please encourage him to sell over the three weekends during this period.  In the past we have found that just a few hours of door-to-door sales can result in a surprising amount of sales.  The scouts may also want to team up and go out together to cover more ground.  Your scout will be bringing home information from the October 8 meeting on this. 

 

7.       Court of Honor on October 22 – if your scout is close to earning a rank, or finishing a merit badge, please encourage him to complete it as soon as possible.  He will need not only to finish the requirements but arrange for a scoutmaster conference with Ralph and a Board of Review.  We would like to finish the boards a week before the court of honor, so it is time to wrap these up!   If you need to arrange a Board of Review, please contact Ann Rogers, the advancement chair, at 920-3282.

 

8.       October 27, a Saturday, is the annual cleanup at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, starting at approximately 9:00 a.m.  The troop participates in this as a way to show its gratitude to the church for sponsoring it, providing space, etc.

 

9.       Next Parent Meeting – October 29 (moved back one week in light of the Court of Honor on the 22d). 

 

10.   Halloween Party – also the meeting on October 29.  The scouts will divide up responsibilities for the party (which patrol brings Tootsie Rolls, which Butterfingers….).

 

11.   October Opportunities:

 

a.       October 13 – for those numismatists in the troop, there will be a coin collectors’ show at the Earle Brown Center, 6155 Earle Brown Drive in Brooklyn Center.

 

b.       October 27 - University of Scouting – this is an opportunity for adult leaders to gain additional information on how to contribute further to the troop.  Cost is $20, which includes lunch.  Location is Park Center High School, Brooklyn Center.  For more info see this link:    http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:oksfEYHhtPAJ:training.nsbsa.org/News.aspx%3FarticleID%3D54+university+of+scouting+park+center&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us

 

12.   Some calendar items after October:

 

a.       Loaves and Fishes – November 20 is our next scheduled date.  We had a light turnout in September and would like to encourage as many scouts as possible to turn out.  Meet at the Greilings at 4:45 or St. Stephens Church at 5:15. 

 

b.       November campout – tentative date is the weekend of November 9-11. 

 

c.       Camp Gronholm – weekend of December 14-16 for the HUGE ANNUAL BONFIRE.  The plan this year is to burn an outhouse on top of the pyre.  Ralph claims that this is an outhouse that the boys are going to build at the November campout, but rumor has it that it is in reality the worn-out one from the Greiling household.  (You know how Ralph likes to keep those utility costs under control..).

 

d.       Caroling – December 17 meeting.

 

e.       Giants Ridge Ski Trip – Presidents’ Day Weekend, February 16-18.
 

13.   Winter Camping Opportunity – January campout.  We discussed participating in a winter camping program offered through      Northern Star Council.  Notwithstanding that we have hardy scouts like Aaron Specht in our midst who are the proud wearers of the Zero Hero patch, past January campouts have suffered from poor attendance because of inclement conditions, lack of winter camping equipment and, perhaps, lack of experience (and confidence) camping in cold conditions.  The council is offering programs in basic winter camping at both Stearns Scout Camp and Tomahawk Scout Reservation (in Wisconsin).  The advertised price, depending on the program, is in the $60-80 range.  Jack Goodnow is going to check into availability and we will be in contact soon regarding timing and cost.  We encourage as many scouts as can make this to enroll and are looking for indications of interest as soon as possible. 

 

14.  Recruiting – we continue to be interested in attracting more scouts into the troop.  This is the lifeblood of any scout troop.  If you would have any interest in getting involved in recruiting, please let Jack or Ralph know.  Ideas discussed at the meeting included distributing flyers at services at local churches and staying in contact with/planning joint activities with local cub scout packs.  In November, for example, we are planning to devote one Monday meeting to helping webelos with their Readyman badge, which is basic first aid.  We have done this in the past and have been able to establish some good relationships with the cubs that way.  If you know of any boys of scouting age, or your son has any non-scout friends who may be interested,   please invite them to a meeting or a campout.

 

15.  Troop Web Master – if you have any expertise in web sites and would be interested in/willing to take on responsibility for updating the troop’s web site, please contact Jack Goodnow.  Bob Fellows, a parent of a former Troop 6 scout, established the site about 4 years ago and has been good enough to continue to work on it since his son left the troop a year ago but we need to pass the torch to a current parent.  This is a critical communications tool for the troop as well as a way to market the troop to potential recruits so if you can possibly do this, you would be rendering the troop a great, needed service. 


Troop 6 Newsletter
May 2007

The Parent Committee met on April 30, 2007.  Jack Goodnow chaired the meeting. 

OLD BUSINESS

Plant Sales – Beth Cotton reported a total of just under $5000 in sales this year.  The plants were delivered on May 12 and should have been delivered by this time.  Checks should be given to Beth Cotton or treasurer Betsy Akerson

Emergency Preparedness Training – Betsy Akerson reported that the Owl Patrol and Ben Neuner have completed their training to Tiger Cub scouts.  Barrett Lane, who organized this project, is available to be a merit badge counselor for Emergency Preparedness merit badge, which is an Eagle required badge.

March theme was cooking.  At Monday meetings the scouts did Dutch oven cooking in the parking lot; desserts; and backpacking meals.  Pam Baker and Bernie Baker gave a presentation on hygienic food prep, storage, etc. 

Loaves and Fishes on March 20 had a light turnout.  This was attributed in large part to it falling on a Tuesday after a campout, which therefore had scout activities from Friday through Tuesday. 

The annual Pig Out took place on March 24.  Delicious Irish food.  Special thanks to Pam Baker, Curtis Berg, Gregg Roberts, and Dave and Barb Alampi for coordinating.  There was a lighter than expected turnout (60 RSVPs but only 37 attending), which resulted in a higher per person cost.  We discussed selling tickets in advance next year so that we don’t have this problem again.

The April theme was biking.  Monday evening rides were down Minnehaha Parkway and around the lakes.  The group that rode around all three lakes ended up coming back in the dark.  We discussed either having an earlier start time or limiting the ride so that this does not happen in the future.

Grand Rounds on April 14 had a strong turnout of 12 scouts and 3 adults.  Pat Lewis commented on a dangerous area on the route and we discussed whether to modify the route or perhaps change the ride next year to use other area trails.

The Lanesboro trip this year was again well attended and successful, with beautiful weather.  Linda Greiling has requested that in the future, when there is equipment to unload after a weekend campout, scouts be specifically designated to come to the Greilings (or wherever the trailer is being unloaded) to assist, so that the unloading does not all fall on a few people.

Scouting for Food gathered 2161 pounds of food that was donated to Sabathani Food Shelf.

The troop has new leadership as of April 16.  SPL is William Goodnow.  ASPL is Harrison Cotton.  Snake Patrol leader is Matteo Alampi.  Owl Patrol leader is Nate Olson.  Owl Assistant Patrol leader is Ian Hamerlinck.  Dragon patrol leader is Max Lewis.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Ripley Rendezvous – June 1-3 – Joe Grimme described this opportunity.  There will be over 10,000 scouts in attendance from five states, at Camp Ripley near Little Falls.  Cost is $38 per scout plus gasoline and any other incidentals (food on drive up and back).  Detailed information is available on the Northern Star website, http://www.northernstarbsa.org/.  We have reserved spots for 15 scouts and 3 adults and Ralph Greiling has fronted this cost so money should be sent directly to Ralph for this event.   Joe Grimme and Ralph are coordinating this event.  Please contact them or Jack Goodnow if you plan to drive and to address departure time, etc.

Steam Train 261 – June 1.  Joe Grimme has made some arrangements for a visit to this historic steam train at 10:30 a.m. on June 1, before departure for Camp Ripley.  Please note that this is on a scheduled school day and that the troop is not encouraging scouts to miss school.  However, if your scout plans to attend this event, you should contact Joe Grimme and confirm your interest, the arrangements, etc.  Joe suggested that interested scouts could meet at the church at 10:00 and drive over.     

Advancement – the next Court of Honor will be June 4.  Please discuss with your son where he stands in terms of rank advancement or completion of merit badges.  A number of scouts have been working on Citizenship in the Community; they should be encouraged to set up meetings with merit badge counselors (Jack Goodnow, Dick Masur, Elizabeth Eaton) to complete this merit badge.  Also, encourage your son to attend Many Point this summer, as that is where many merit badges are earned.

Financial report – Betsy Akerson presented for vote the financial proposals that she made at the last meeting.  All proposals were adopted.  These include the following:

1. Establish an annual fee of $100 ($112 with Boys Life), which fee will include the $10 District rechartering fee ($22 with Boys Life), $15 award and miscellaneous fee to replace the fee charged against wreath sales, $15 equipment fee to replace the fee charged against plant sales, and a $60 camp fee, which will be used to cover the costs of campsites and special camping opportunities, such as camporees.

2. Gas reimbursement policy - $5 per scout for short trips (e.g. Gronholm), $10 for mid length trips (Lanesboro, Camp Cooper), $15 for long trips (Many Point, Giants Ridge).  The money should be paid at the outset of the trip.  Accounting for the payment will be done by the driver of each car and the troop assistant treasurer (scout).  25% of the money collected will be used for a hauling fund to assist drivers who haul equipment.

Recruiting – Ralph is looking for help on recruiting.  If you are interested in/willing to take on a position as recruiting coordinator, please contact either Ralph or Jack Goodnow.

Twins game – we had over 100 people in the nosebleed section to see the Twins eke out an exciting victory over the Red Sox on May 5.  Troop 6 handled the flag ceremony; several of the scouts were projected on the JumboTron.  A nice coincidence was that the Twins were honoring their hall of fame players so the scouts were able to see a number of past Twins stars up close:  Tony Oliva, Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Kent Hrbek, Bert Blyleven, and others were there.

NEW BUSINESS 

Pack 46 Den Chief Opportunity – Mike Severns, den leader of one of the webelos dens in Pack 46, contacted Jack Goodnow regarding having a Troop 6 scout as den chief.  This is a good leadership opportunity and a good way to recruit, and will fulfill the leadership requirements for several of the ranks.  Encourage your son to consider this.

Class B Uniforms – Joe Grimme and Beth Cotton spoke about the troop acquiring Class B uniforms, which are red polo-style shirts with the boy scout logo and troop 6 printed on the breast pocket.  These would be worn while traveling to and from campouts, at Monday meetings, and at most other events.  The Class A uniform would still be worn at certain events, including courts of honor, camporees, and other designated events.  Cost is to be determined but the current estimate (assuming a purchase of 50 or more) is less than $20.  When this is determined we will follow up with more specific information.Parent meeting was held February 26, 2007 and was chaired by Jack Goodnow, Committee chair. 6 of the adult leadership and 7 parents attended this month's meeting.

OLD BUSINESS

Review February calendar: February theme was Snow Sports

Monday, February 5: Summer Adventure planning and PLC meeting. The meeting was held at Pershing Park located at 48th and Chowen Avenue in the Arts and Craft Room. 10 scouts were in attendance.

Summer Adventure Update. This year's summer adventure trip will be a trip to incorporate all scouts in the troop to Glacier National Park. Dates: June 22-July 1. As part of the summer trip, there will be a "Scoutmaster Challenge course" for those scouts (and adults) who are looking for more of a challenging summer adventure. Information has been distributed regarding a tentative plan of this trip. Jack is looking for commitments by March 5, 2007 in order to start booking the train tickets. For more information contact Jack.

Friday, Feb 9: Tubing at Buck Hill. 20 scouts participated in this event. It was cold but fun.

Sunday, Feb 11- Scout Sunday: 18 scouts and 3 adult leaders participated in this year’s Scout Sunday. This provides an opportunity for the scouts to give back to the Chartering Organization- Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd. Boys ushered for two services. Scout Master -Ralph Greiling also gave an update about Troop 6 activities over the past year.

Plant Sale. Jeff and Beth Cotton are coordinating this year's plant sale. Sales began in mid February. Plants are delivered on the Saturday before Mother’s day- May 12, 2007. This is great way for scouts to earn money for their camping fund which can be used to pay for camping expenses like monthly campouts, summer trips and Many Point.
Jeff and Beth Cotton distributed materials. If you need additional information- see the attachments to this newsletter. Plant Sales Forms are due March 9, 2007

Monday, Feb 12: Snow Fun: Lake Harriet Skating, Sliding and Fishing with Curtis Berg. Curtis drilled a hole in the ice for scouts to fish. 10 scouts attended.

Giants Ridge Camping Trip to Bawabik MN. Jack Goodnow reported that this was the largest turn out for this trip. 38 people attended this annual event. The weekend was a bit cold but skiing was terrific. This is clearly a favorite event for Troop 6.

Monday, Feb 26: Advancement Meeting and menu planning for March.
Barret Lane -former city councilman attended this meeting to review civic leadership for Merit badge requirement. Lots of advancement was completed.

Looking for a Volunteer to handle Recruitment. Thank you to all of you who have volunteered to help the troop and help our kids. We are still in need of an adult to handle
the recruitment of the younger boys into the Troop. Over the past 2 years a lot
of effort has occurred to ensure the survival of the Troop. If you are interested or have questions - contact Ralph or Jack.

Emergency Preparedness Training. Barret Lane- Cubmaster for Pack 46 is working on his Wood badge and has designed a community service project involving a preparing the community for an emergency. He is asking for several Troop’s and Pack’s in the SW area to participate in a series of trainings. For Troop 6, the project involves several components:
1: Assist with our own Troop to earn the Emergency Preparedness or the First Aid Badge.
2. Lead a First Aid training for all the Tigers Cubs (age 6-7) in an already prepared curriculum on First Aid. The trainings will be held on April 14th and 28. This is an opportunity to be involved in a larger community service project, and teach younger scouts. Ann Rogers, Betsy Akerson, Curtis Berg, Ben Neuner and Joey Akerson are working with Ken Brakke – an Eagle scout and current Nursing student on plans to conduct the trainings. The first meeting of the trainers will be held March 12th at 6:00.
3. Earn the BSA Emergency Preparedness pin upon completion of these requirements.

NEW BUSINESS

Budget: Treasurer report. Betsy Akerson has assumed the role of Troop 6 treasurer. A current balance sheet was distributed. The Troop is running very lean. Much of the money in the account belongs to scouts camping funds. Betsy presented a plan to that would bring a positive balance to the Troop 6 account. Please see the attached proposal.

Transportation Reimbursement Policy: Betsy distributed a new proposal regarding how transportation is to be reimbursed. See attachments to the newsletter. The proposal allows for $5, $10, and $15 trips and would be collected the Monday prior to the trip. This allows the Troop to better plan for drivers based on estimated attendance and assures a method for parents as well as those who haul equipment -who wish to be reimbursed for Boy Scout functions. This will be voted on at the next parents’ meeting.

March Calendar- Cooking Theme.
Cooking will be planned, and prepared by patrol. Each Patrol should be prepared with a recipe and all ingredients for each Monday Night’s Activity.

Monday March 5: Dutch oven cooking. The PLC meeting will be held following the regular meeting for 30 minutes.

Monday, March 12: Desserts in the kitchen at the church.

March 16-18: Camp Cooper in Amery WI: With a cooking theme, try a new, nutritious
and challenging meal for Saturday evening.

Monday, March 19: Back packing meal. Try a light weight meal, with minimal
preparation. Try something new and something that could be used on the summer
trip. Pig out count due.

Tuesday, March 20: Loaves and Fishes. Meet at Ralph's at 4:45.

Saturday, March 24: Annual Pig out. This year's meal is an Irish Meal served in
the fellowship hall. Meal will be served at 6:00. A Great menu is planned. Pam Baker, Curtis Berg, Gregg Roberts. Dave and Barb Alampi are this year's coordinators. Please provide a count of those attending by March 19th. Last year over 90 people participated in this dinner. A short meeting will also be held following dinner.
Duty Roster:
Cooking: Owls and Ben and Orion.
Arrive at the church at 1:00 or as determined my staff.
Set up/ decorations: Dragons
Pot scubbers: William and Ted Arrive at 3:00
Cleanup: Snakes

Monday, March 26: Kitchen and Food Safety at the Church in the kitchen and Parent Committee meeting.

Looking ahead.
April 20-22: Lanesboro Bike Trip
April 14 and 28th: First Aid Training for Tiger Cubs.
April 23: Scouting for Food Drive Begins and is picked up on Saturday April 28.
May 18-20: Monthly Camping-Spring Camporee at camp in WI: Tree planting.
June 1-3: Camp Ripley: Ripley Rendezvous. Over 13, 000 scouts are expected from NE, MN, SD, ND and Iowa. Consider learning earlier than usual. More details to follow.


LOAVES AND FISHES

This is a community service project for the Scouts. On the third Tuesday of every other month we help serve hot meals to the homeless at St. Stevens School, 2211 Clinton Ave. S., Minneapolis. Meet at Ralph's at 4:45 PM.


Board of Review: I am planning on a Review Board on Next Monday, Jan. 29 - Prior to the meeting. So far I have two scouts ready: Alex Balasis and Erik Newland. Please call Ann if you/your scout is ready.
November/December Newsletter for Troop 6

Meeting held November 27, 2006 at the Church of the Good Shepherd from 7:00
to 8:30.

Meeting called to order by Ann Rogers-at Jack Goodnow's request. Jack and
Dr. Masur are teaching the Citizen in the Community Badge.

12 families and 7 of the adult leadership were represented at the meeting.

OLD BUSINESS

Wreath Sales: The scouts should have picked up and delivered all wreaths by
now. Money is due to Judy Blaseg, John or Ted Engelen by December 1, 2006.
Judy Blaseg reported that a total of 413 "units" were sold this year. This
is in contrast to about 500 in previous years. Given that several of the
big sellers have moved on, and that the younger scouts may be new to
selling this doesn't seem out of line. Feedback from parents was that the
boys did a good job, the wreath quality was excellent, and the electronic
process worked well. One parent noted that their scout was able to sell a
wreath every time someone opened the door. Another parent indicated that
they went to a day care center to sell wreaths and that worked pretty well.
Parting words from Ralph was to encourage the scouts to keep track of their
wreath lists from year to year, and to try and sell 10 more wreaths each
year.

November Theme- First Aid

11/6 Meeting: Boys reviewed first aid requirements for meeting with
Weblos . Main focus was to make preparations for teaching the Ready Man
badge.

11/13 Meeting: Conducted winter camping demonstrations. Owls reviewed
sleeping bags and pads, Dragons reviewed food, and Snakes reviewed proper
clothing. Boys were well prepared with their demonstrations and did a
good job.
Ideas for obtaining clothing for these camp outs: Ask older scouts, and
leaders, and check out thrift stores. Another web site to check out is
Sierra Trading post.com, they frequently have last year's models and colors
at a nice discount. Another idea mentioned to keep warm is to insert a
polar fleece liner inside your sleeping bag.

11/15 High Adventure/ Summer Camping meeting: 8 scouts and parents met to
begin brainstorming on ideas for the Summer Camping Trip. The following
ideas were discussed:
1. Glacier Park: Train trip out west to the park and day hiking.
This trip may be suitable to have the troop travel as a group to Glacier,
and then split up to allow for a more strenuous hike as well as a more
moderate hike.
2. Ozarks/ Missouri: white water rafting, hiking
3. Four Corners of Colorado: Hiking, train ride along mountains,
Silverton Native American
4. Grand Canyon/Zion, Bryce National Parks
5. Iceland - May think about for 2008-2009
6. Porcupine Mountain State park
7. Nova Scotia or Quebec
8. Isle Royale
9. Vancouver/ Seattle - consider 2007-2008

Several volunteered to scope out some tentative itinerary's and report back
at the next meeting in December.

11/17-19 Camping at Nerstrand Park: Weather was excellent for this time of
year. Temperatures dipped below 30 degrees both nights. The boys seemed
prepared with proper clothing so overall good experience for the boys in
cold weather - and may help prepare for winter conditions. Some hiking,
and a lot of advancement was completed. As discussed at the last Parent
Committee Meeting, it is important to encourage your son to attend camp
outs- even if they can only attend one night. Participating in camp outs
will help not only with advancement- but also help the scout gain
confidence in his camping skills. Those who attend invariably pass multiple
requirements for the lower ranks, especially those relating to camping
skills. Don't let the cold weather or inclement weather discourage your son
fro attending the monthly camp outs. One important element for Troop 6 is
to schedule monthly camp outs so that the scouts can experience all types
of outdoor camping conditions. This is also great experience for the High
Adventure trips.

11/20 Meeting: First Aid - Ready Man Badge with the Weblos scouts from
three different packs. Well attended by Weblos and Troop 6 scouts. Troop
129 also attended. Troop 6 split up into 5 stations with Troop 6 boys
leading each of the individual stations. Suggestion was made to have maps
available to orient the participants were the stations were held. Scouts
learned a lot and had a good time.

11/21 Loaves and Fishes- Community Service: Fairly low attendance- 6 scouts
and one adult attended. This activity is offered to Troop 6 through our
Charter organization- The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd. The Church
members spend the day preparing the meal, and have invited Troop 6 to serve
and clean up for a homeless individuals and families through a soup kitchen
located at St. Stephen's Church. This is an excellent way to give back to
our charter organization who sponsors our Troop. Loaves and Fishes occurs
the third Tuesday of every other month-(Months include- Jan, March, May,
July, Sept, November).
Recently, we moved to have one patrol take each session. There has been
some drop off in the attendance level for this activity. In order to
increase participation we would like to have a "lead " patrol and a
secondary patrol. Don't assume that if your patrol is not "leading" you
don't have to go. Everyone is welcome- but if your patrol is in either the
lead or secondary position- your scout should plan on participating.
Feedback from the scouts is that it is a moving experience and they enjoy
helping.

11/27 and 12/4 Meeting: These two meetings will be working on Citizen in
the Community. Jack Goodnow and Dr. Masur will be leading the Merit Badge.
Materials will be sent home, encourage your son to read through the
materials and help him to work on the sections that he is to complete on
his own.

GENERAL TOPICS

Vacant Adult Leadership Positions
Thank you to all who volunteered your time and your talent to help fill the
vacant adult leadership positions.

Treasurer- Betsy Akerson will assume the position in January.
Camping Coordinator- Kathy O'Brien
Health Forms Coordinator- Dave Holland
Plant Sale Coordinator -Jeff and Beth Cotton
Loaves and Fishes Driver/ Coordinator- Gregg Roberts
Pig out (March)- Curtis Berg, Gregg Roberts and Dave and Barbie Alampi
Quartermaster Parent Guide- Pam Baker
Wreath Sale Coordinator- Judy Blaseg and John Englen- Thank you.

New Roster was distributed. Changes were made and a new one is included.

NEW RANKS
Congratulation to the following scouts who advanced a rank recently:
Matteo Alami Tenderfoot
Andy Akerson Second Class
Nathan DeVaughn Second Class
Joey Akerson First Class
William Goodnow Star
John Greiling Eagle

CALENDER FOR DECEMBER AND JANUARY 2007

December 2006

December 4: Continue Merit Badge, Giant Chess Game
December 11 Bowling at Nicollet Lanes ( Changed to AMF Lanes by
Southtown) Meet at Church at 6:45. Drivers needed.
December 10: Tenative Cabrini House (home for persons with dual
diagnosis). Light maintenance, Christmas cookies and
lights. Meet at Church at 1:30- canceled. To be rescheduled.
December 12: Patrol Leader's Council- all scouts with position in the
Troop should attend. 7:00 at Ralph's house.
December 13: Board of Review. Call Ann Rogers to set up at time if your
son needs a Board of Review.
December 15-17 Camp Gronholm Giant Campfire. This year we will roast a
piano in honor of Beethoven's birthday. Bring your books, we will
be working on advancement. Still need Drivers and adults. Contact Ralph
if you can help.
December 18: Caroling at Senior High Rise (71st and York) Bring your whole
family. Include any neighbors and friends who would like to
sing Christmas Carols and enjoy juice and cookies. Meet at 6:50 at the
Church. Plan to drive and participate in the fun.
December 25- no meeting.
Christmas Break: Plan on Touring the Hennepin County Burn Plant on
December 26, 27, or 28. TBD.

January 2007

January 4: District Round Table. Meet at Ralph's at 7:00
January 8: Meeting at the Church @ 7:00.
Jeff Cotton will lead demonstration on Graphic Arts
(this merit Badge will replace printing).
January 9: Patrol Leader's Council- all scouts with position in the Troop
should attend. 7:00 at Ralph's house.
January 12, 13, 14, and 15- 3 Night camping at Kathio State Park
(SW of Lake Mille Lac)
January 15: Meeting at the Church @ 7:00.
Scott Newlund will lead discussion on Architecture.
January 16: Loaves and Fishes- Community Service
Meet at Ralph's 4:45. Whole Troop should plan to
attend.
January 17 or 18: Tenative Board of Review. Call Ann to schedule.
January 22: Meeting at the Church @ 6:45 - .
Jeff Cotton will lead tour of Industrial Printing
Press. Need Drivers.
January 29, 2007 Court of Honor
Church of the Good Shepherd @ 7:00

*** We are working on getting a calender on the website.

Future Dates
February 11- Scout Sunday at Church. Scouts are required to attend one of
the two services- either 8:30 or 10:30.

Feb 17-18-19: Giants Ridge Skiing Call Jack Goodnow if you haven't signed
up yet and want to go. Cost is approximately $140.

Meeting adjourned at 8:30.


NOVEMBER CALENDER

Theme is First Aid

November 2 District Roundtable. Meet at Ralph's
November 6 Meeting: Prep for Cub meeting on November 20th with Cub Scouts from Pack 46, 193, and 73
November 8 Patrol Leader's Council. Meet at Ralph's at 7:00.
November 13 Meeting: Winter Camping Expo: Scouts will present of various winter camping topics
Owls: sleeping bags and pad
Snake: Clothing
Dragons: Food, water, and miscellaneous

November 17-19 Camping at Nerstrand. Meet at the Church Parking Lot at 6:15. Scouts should eat dinner at home. November 20 First Aid with Cub Scouts - Packs 46, 193 and 73
November 21 Loaves and Fishes Snakes and SPL. Others are always welcome. Drivers needed. Meet at Ralph's at 4:45 or 5:00 at 22nd and Clinton ave (NE corner of the building)
November 27 Tour of Hennepin County Medical Center Emergency Room and Ambulance shop. Watch for more details. May need to meet earlier.

Upcoming Dates:
December Camping 15-17 ***** Camp Gronholm Giant Bonfire
December 2nd or 9th Cabrini House: House projects and Cookie baking at half way house.
December 18th Caroling at Senior High Rise


Troop 6 Newsletter for October

Meeting was called to order by Jack Goodnow- Committee Chair on October 30, 2006. 7 of the adult leadership were present as well as 5 parents. Scouts were enjoying a Halloween Party.


REVIEW OF THE OCTOBER CALENDER

New leadership
Review the procedure for the chain of command for communicating weekly activities. The Patrol Method was reviewed. Senior Patrol leader (SPL) calls the Patrol Leader who in turn call his patrol about the upcoming events. In the event the SPL is not available this task falls to the Asst. Senior Patrol Leader (ASPL). Likewise if the Patrol leader is unavailable or unreachable- then the Asst Patrol leader should step in.

EVENTS REVIEW
October 9th- Amigo Gas Station
Scouts enjoyed changing oil, checking tire pressure and air filters. Scouts learned the modern ways to check maintenance items on a automobile.
October 16th- Wreath Kick off and Midwest Mountaineering
Judy Blaseg distributed wreath materials. Information was also sent out via and email update. Orders are due November 1. This has since been extended until November 6th.
October 23rd- Court of Honor
3 scouts achieved a new rank: Max Lewis- Tenderfoot, Ted Engelen- 2nd Class, and Harrison Cotton -1st Class. Congratulations! John Greiling has also completed all required elements for the Eagle Rank and he is awaiting the Board of Review. I am happy to announce that the Board met on Friday November 3, and has awarded John the Rank of Eagle. The paper work will be sent on to the National Council for their review and approval. Congratulations John!

54 merit badges were completed and awarded at the Court of Honor.

Special Congratulations to Scoutmaster Ralph Greiling for his award of the the Order of the Arrow - Vigil. This is a great honor and is awarded after many years of service. Congratulations Ralph! We are very lucky to have you as our Troop 6 leader.
October 27-29 Camping
5 scouts attended the full weekend with several other attending for the day on Saturday. A lot of advancement was accomplished.
October 30 Halloween Party

NEW BUSINESS
Discussion: Rank Advancement
How can you help your son advance in scouts? How can you help you son have fun working on advancement?

-There is no need to have a scouting background- it can be helpful. It also helps to take a strategic approach to rank advancement. For example: Encourage your son to choose one requirement each week and find an older scout, any scout leader to check off the requirement in your book. Any First Class scout and with a higher rank than the rank the scout is working on - can sign of on rank advancement. (Note: Parents are not allowed to sign off on rank requirements). Check with a Scout leader if you have questions on this procedure. It is helpful for parents to read the scout book too. Take time to read it together.

Overview of Ranks

SCOUT: This is an introductory rank and basically covers knowledge of Scout oath, law and Pledge of Allegiance. Upon completion the scout meets with the Scoutmaster for a "Scoutmaster's Conference". For this rank only- there is no need to complete a Board of Review.

NEXT THREE: TENDERFOOT, SECOND CLASS, and FIRST CLASS: These ranks fulfill the basic skills of scouting and includes preparing the scout for outdoor, camping skills and first aid. Within each rank are requirements in each of these categories. There are about 35 basic requirements- the hardest being the 30 day fitness requirement. There also are several merit badges to be completed. Many Point is a great way to earn badges. These three ranks can be worked on simultaneously.

Helpful Hints: Go on the monthly campouts.
Bring your book to each meeting and campouts including Many Point.
Set a goal on attaining the next rank.

After completing the requirements and a Scoutmaster conference and Board of Review should be scheduled. Boards of Review should be completed no later than 1 week PRIOR to the Court of Honor in order to complete the necessary paper work. Scouts are encouraged to call Ralph to set up the Scoutmaster conference and Ann Rogers to set up the Board of Review.

NEXT THREE: STAR, LIFE AND EAGLE: The main emphasis in these three ranks is leadership and good citizenship. Scouts at these levels should be involved in leadership opportunities separate and above from just the scout activities. Community service is also integral in these ranks. Star and Life require 6 hours and Eagle requires a specially selected project made up of over 100 hours that has a lasting impact on the community ( including other volunteers).

Same procedure applies for Scoutmaster conference and Board of Review: After completing the requirements and a Scoutmaster conference and Board of Review should be scheduled. Boards of Review should be completed no later than 1 week PRIOR to the Court of Honor in order to complete the necessary paper work. Scouts are encouraged to call Ralph to set up the Scoutmaster conference and Ann Rogers to set up the Board of Review.

Scouts who move along and advance, tend to have a more enjoyable, long lasting scout experience. A new scout can attain the following goal: Tenderfoot by Fall ( after joining) and First Class by May after joining. Families can work together with the scout by encouraging your scout to read and practice the requirements. This will allow your scout to move along faster. Scouts are encouraged to always be working on a merit badge so that each Court of Honor a scout earns at least 2 merit badges. It is far easier to stay ahead than catch up. Patrol meetings to work on advancement is encouraged - especially in the lower ranks.


September Parent Meeting

Jack Goodnow- Committee Chair convened the meeting of 16 families and 6 of the adult leadership.

Updates:
Camporee- Held last weekend September 29-Oct 1. 18 scouts were signed up to attend. Weblos Pack 46 joined Troop 6. Theme this year was shooting sports. Thank you to the adults who attended or helped drive.

Fulton Festival:
Troop 6 hosted 2 booths at the Neighborhood festival held at Pershing Park September 16. One booth consisted of a Community Booth for Troop 6 to display Troop photo boards and descriptions of our activities. The other was a food booth held as a Troop fund raiser. We sold veggies and dip, grapes and baked goods donated by our Troop. Thank you to all who brought a treat to be sold. A big thank you to Matteo Alampi and Daniel Holtzman for staffing the Food Booth. Other adults who helped were Ralph, Maureen Myhre and Ann Rogers. A total of $75.00 was raised.

Open volunteer positions:
Jack described the current positions that are open. If any one is interested or would like more information, please contact Jack.

Treasurer: Greg Gruenhagen will be stepping down. Greg - thank you for your efforts in keeping the budget balanced -- but also keeping the boys accounts in order. Thank you for a job well done.
Wreath Sale Coordinator: Coordinate the Wreath sales and delivery in October and November. Pat Curren will train in the new person (s). There was some interest by two families at the meeting. Please contact Jack to firm this up. Wreath costs will be increasing to $16.00.
2007 High Adventure Planner: It would be best to have two adults planning this project.
Camping Coordinator: Jon and Lisa Carver will be stepping down. Thank you for making sure we had permits and medical forms for all camping trips. And to Lisa for taking notes and doing the newsletter for the past several years. Your efforts are appreciated. Makes reservations and obtain permits for roughly 5- 6 camping trips per year.
Medical Forms: Assures there are up to date medical form for trips and camping outings.
Plant Sales: Coordinate Plant sales in April and May for Troop fund raiser as well as the boys account.
Many Point Parents: August 5 -11 and the extension from 11-14th.
Popcorn Sales: Dave Holland
Web Master: Bob Fellows
Advancement and Rank Coordinator: Ann Rogers

Training- Paul Morctrick( sp) Vice Chair for Metro Lakes joined our meeting to discuss training available through the council. He believes that training is the best way to insure that our boys get more out of the scouting program. There are several levels of training: Cub training, Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster training, Committee member training, and Outdoor leader skills training. A training will be held Oct. 14th (7:30 - 4:00) and 19th 6:30- 9:30) at the Richfield United Methodist Church (5835 Lyndale). Contact Kirt Boston at 612-722-5521 for more information. Also, the Northern Star Council offers a once a year training program featuring special topics for the scouting program called University of Scouting. It is a great way to meet other scout families and learn specific skills. Ralph says that if everyone does a little - it spreads out the tasks and will ultimately benefit the Troop 6 Scouting program. This year the training will be held on October 28th from 8:00 - 4:30. Go for an hour or stay all day. More information can be found on the council website:

http://www.northernstarbsa.org/Training/other.asp

Volunteer Opportunities:
Ralph distributed the Troop 6 Game Show document - Please take a look at the list and contact Ralph and tell him where you can help.

Driving:
December Camp Gronholm
Caroling
Christmas Cleaning and Decorating
Ski Weekend- Giant's Ridge
Spring Camporee
Cannon Falls Bike Ride
High Adventure Trip
Summer Camp at Man Point ( part or extension)
Loaves and Fishes (3rd Tuesday pm odd numbered months)
Annual Pig out- (plan, cook, serve and clean)
Conservation Projects- usually Saturdays
Community Service Projects
Others

Monday Meetings:
Advancement- scout skills
Activities (You can lead or follow)
Court of Honor- help to plan or bring a treat
Special Events or trips

Special Skills:
Merit Badge Counselor ( you choose)
High Adventure Trip Planning
Committee member ( oversee and plan troop's year)
Fund Raisers (car washes, Fulton festival, any ideas you have)

General thoughts:
1. You won't be on your own. Seasoned veterans will always back you up.
2. You don't need to be trained or in uniform, but it can add to the experience.
3. You don't need any background in Scouting to be helpful.
4. Every moment you share with you son (s) will make Scouting better for them.
5. Ask the scoutmaster abut ANY ideas you might develop for Troop 6.

Please provide the following to Ralph:
-What You are interested in volunteering for
-Your name
-email
-work phone
-cell phone
-home phone

Other updates:
-Costa Rica: Northern Star Council is sponsoring a trip that includes turtle laying. Cost is $1600. Contact the Northern Star Council
-Musical instruments: Any old musical instruments or drums lying around? Contact Ralph.


New Leadership Positions: October 2006-April 2007
Senior Patrol Leader - Orion Myhre
Asst Senior Patrol Leader - Chris Goodnow

Quartermasters: Max Lewis, Nathan De Vaughn, Matteo Alami
Scribe: Ted Englen
Librarian: Nathan Olson
Den Chief: William Goodnow and Harrison Cotton
Troop Guide: Ben Neuner

Patrol Leaders: Asst Patrol Leaders

Moose Open Open
Snakes Danny Holtzman Matteo Alampi
Owls Joey Akerson Ian Hammerlink
Dragons Aaron Specht Andy Akerson


October Calender of Events:

October 2: Semi Annual Elections and Advancement
October 5: Adult Round table. Meet at Ralphs at 7:00.
October 7: Den Chief Training.
October 9: Amigo Service Station: Important!!! Meet at Amigo - not at the Church. Address is 3550 Lyndale. No uniforms. Wear grubby clothes. The scouts will be working with oil and will get dirty.
October 11: Patrol Leaders council. Meet at Ralph's at 7:00.
October 13-14: Order of the Arrow Conclave for OA members.
October 16: Auto body repair. More information later.
October 19-30: Possible Buckthorn removal community service or fund raiser opportunity.
October 18: Deadline to request a Board of Review. If you need to schedule a Board of Review- contact Ann Rogers.
October 23: Court of Honor at the Church.
October 27-29: Camping at Carver Park with Pack 46 weblos.
October 28: Fall Clean up at the Church. Anyone not camping should plan of attending this community service project.
October 30: Halloween Party at the Church.

Upcoming Dates:

November theme is First Aid
Camping at Nerstand either November 10-12 or 17-19. TBD.

December theme is bowling, billiards and archery.
December 18: Caroling at Senior High Rise
December 15-17: Giant Bonfire


MAY SCHEDULE

Monday, May 1 - Swimming at the Southdale Y. Meet at the Y at 7:00 with $3. Scouts who need advancement: bring long pants and a man's long-sleeved dress shirt to pass the imprompty flotation device requirement.

Thursday, May 4 - On the first Thursday of every month, adults can go to the Scoutmaster Roundtable Meeting for all adult leaders in Minneapolis. It's interesting, and sometimes they have trainings for adults. Meet at Ralph's house at 7:00 PM to car pool.

Saturday, May 6 - Service project at Ft. Snelling. Meet at the church at 9:00 AM. This year we'll be supervising adult volunteers from Dakota Electric, pulling garlic mustard and buckthorn.

Monday, May 8 - Many Point preparation meeting. Owls, Snakes and Dragons: be prepared to learn all about camping.

Wednesday, May 10 - Patrol Leaders Council (PLC) meeting at Ralph's house at 7:00 PM. New Scout leadership attends, plus anyone interested.

Monday, May 15 - TBA

Tuesday, May 16 - Loaves and Fishes. Dragons volunteer this month, but all are welcome. Meet at Ralph's house at 4:45 PM, or just come to the St. Stevens School, 2211 Clinton Ave. S. at 5:15.

Friday, May 19 - Sunday, May 21 - Spring Camporee at Silverwood Park in New Brighton, MN. Meet at the church at 6:15 PM on Friday. We need more adults to help supervise not only our troop but for a few hours at the district level on Saturday. Let Ralph know you can do that.

Monday, May 22 - TBA

JUNE EVENT

Monday, June 5 - Court of Honor - Meet at the church at 7:00 PM in uniform. If you have advancement of Tenderfoot or higher, finish your requirements and contact Ann Rogers at least a week in advance to set up your Board of Review.

JUNE-JULY

New Hampshire/Maine/Boston High Adventure Trip
June 26 - July 5

On April 17, the Parents Meeting was well attended, and there were 27 boys at the Scout meeting! Parents discussed communication and we affirmed that the phone tree led by the Scouts themselves needs to be the primary means of communication details about activities. E-mails will often be sent as a back-up. Families can also access the web site and read the newsletter.

We are reminded that Scout should wear their uniforms whenever traveling, and anytime they meet unless the activity will get them quite dirty, eg. the service project at Ft. Snelling. Parents discussed the possibility of ordering T-shirts which would act as Class B uniforms.

We will need new adult leadership in key roles. Let us know if you can do any of these:

1. Treasurer (to replace Greg Gruenhagen at the end of the year)
2. Wreath Sale Organizer (needed this fall)
3. Plant Sale Coordinator
4. Camp Coordinator (to work with the paper documents required for camping trips)
5. Cub Scout Recruiter

We discussed the importance of maintaining contact with Cub Scout packs. Den Chiefs play an important role.

Special Announcement: Ralph's new tent is missing. It is two-tone green with a gray fly. Nine foot square. Do you know where it is?

At the Parents Meeting on March 27, Ralph told us that Zach has left the troop and that we will need to find volunteers to do the hard work that Greg and Mary have been doing with the Treasurer's job and plant sales. If you're good at those types of things and willing to help, we'd love to hear from you.

Jack reminded us that if we haven't paid for Giants Ridge, we should reimburse the troop now. A separate e-mail has been sent with details.

Bob and Ann gave a report on High Adventure plans. Dave Holland and John Greiling are planning the hiking routes, we have reserved the airline tickets and canoes, Brann is going to plan the food for the hiking, and John and Bob Fellows will plan the food for the canoeing. Everything's falling into place for this trip which is June 26-July 5. Incidentally, Class III health forms are required.

John Engelen and Jack Goodnow are talking about a second High Adventure trip for younger Scouts. If you'd like to have input, let them know.

Many Point is August 6-12 plus an optional but highly recommended three day extension. Many Point is expanding the popular tree house program. It's important to make plans to attend Many Point now. Adults are welcome to attend. The cost is $190 for Scouts, $70 for parents, and only $25 extra for the extension. Class II health forms are required.

The theme for Troop 6 meetings in March was cooking. We learned about making fires, cooking appetizers, cooking an entree in a Dutch oven, and finally desserts.

The Pig-Out was a success with 89 people attending. Next year the theme may be Irish food.

Camping at Camp Cooper was fun. The cabin is nice. We shared it with another troop. Five or six adults attended with the Scouts, and five Scouts achieved their Tenderfoot rank.


In March, the theme will be cooking. We'll start by cooking a meal at the church on Monday night, March 6, at 7:00 under the direction of Iris Peterson and Michelle DeVaughn.

Monday, March 13, the parents who have signed up to organize the meeting are Lisa Carver and Betsy Akerson.

Also on March 13, plant sale revenue will be due to Greg Gruenhagen.

Saturday, March 18 is the Annual Pig Out with Caribbean food. Cooking is in the afternoon and dinner is at 5:30.

Camp Cooper. That's the location of our March camping trip. March 10-12. This is a heated cabin in Wisconsin. If you'd like to come, let us know. So far, Jack Goodnow Ralph Greiling, Maureen Myhre, and Bob Fellows plan on going. All Scouts meet at the church at 6:15 PM. Uniforms are worn for travel.

The April 21-23 camping trip is in Lanesboro, MN. So far, Dave Holland, John Engelen, Dave Alampi, and Bob Fellows are signed up to attend.

In May, we attend the Spring Camporee of the Metro Lakes District. It will be May 19-21 at Camp Silverwood in St. Anthony, MN (just north of the Twin Cities). Dave Holland is already signed up to attend.


The Parent Meeting on February 27 was well attended. Jack Goodnow introduced some of the parents of six new Cub Scouts who are just joining the troop. We discussed past events. The tubing event at Buck Hill had a problem because there was no tubing on the night we went there. On the other hand, the Giants Ridge event was excellent in every respect. The first day we had zero degree temperature and by the second day it was up to 17!

If you drove to Giants Ridge, and you have not submitted your gas expenses, please submit them. A bill will be sent to all families who attended, and if you owe money, please write a check out to Troop 6 and send it to our treasurer, Greg Gruenhagen.

Submit gas expenses by e-mail to Jack Goodnow at:

jack.goodnow@stpaul.com

Questions? Call Jack at 612-377-2569.

Send checks to:

Greg Gruenhagen
5150 Chowen Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55410

There was some discussion about troop communications. It was suggested that we use three methods of communication, and use them all the time for redundancy. Some people do not read their e-mail, and some do no listen or respond to their phone messages. Some have trouble finding what they want on the web site. However, we're trying to communicate with you by all these means, so please take some responsibility to find out what's going on. We'll try to use the phone tree system with Brann Haugen, Senior Patrol Leader, at the helm. His phone number is 612-605-1179. Important phone numbers can be found at the troop web site on the NEWS page. The site is found at:

www.workandwellness.com/scouts.htm

Please send all e-mail addresses to:

scouts@workandwellness.com

Annual membership this year is $9.35. This is due to Greg Gruenhagen, or will be taken out of the Scout's personal account. In addition, Jack Goodnow will encourage 100% troop subscription to Boy's Life magazine.

Bill Johnson, the Assistant Commissioner for the Metro Lakes District, spoke to the parents about the Friend of Scouting fund-raising drive. If you did not receive a pledge card, Jack Goodnow will get one to you.

There was much discussion of one aspect of the upcoming High Adventure trip to New Hampshire and Boston on June 26 - July 5. Some want to ask boys to achieve some advancement before going on the High Adventure trip, and others want no minimum rank requirement. Those who seek advancement want boys to show their commitment to Scouting, some proficiency in skills, knowledge of safety, and attention to behavior and citizenship. They suggest Second Class or First Class as possible minimum ranks to go on a trip that includes mountain hiking and backpacking.

Others feel that some boys will be excluded from the trip who might like to go, and that Troop 6 should not use advancement as an incentive, lure, or test.

There was some discussion of various models to serve all scouts including two trips and a trip within a trip. It was decided that we would discuss the matter at a special High Adventure planning meeting.

Since this newsletter is written after that meeting, we can report that at the High Adventure planning meeting, we unanimously decided to adopt a plan of a special set of skills training for the New Hampshire High Adventure trip, but not a minimum rank requirement. We will be asking those who go on the trip to:

Attend at least one weekend camping trip first (including adults)
Earn the Swimming Merit Badge
Show proficiency in the following areas:
First Aid
Cooking
Map & Compass
Hiking
Buddy system and safety

John and Ralph Greiling will design the education program in these areas, and it will be part of the Troop 6 program throughout the spring. It may help some boys advance in rank as a fringe benefit.

Adults who attend will be asked to go through the Youth Protection course, Safe Swim Defense, and Safety Afloat courses which are required by the Metro Lakes District. We'll also need some adults to be current in their CPR certification. Anyone driving needs to be a Registered Adult to be covered by Boy Scout insurance. In addition, there are opportunities for interested parents to take Scout leadership training and become Assistant Scoutmasters.

We need the Class I personal health and medical history forms from everyone who plans on going camping or on any trips with the troop. This form needs to be updated each year.

We would also like an update of the drivers list: vehicle year, make and model; number of seat belts; owner; driver's license number and insurance amounts.

These can all be sent to Lisa Carver at:

Lisa Carver
5517 Oaklawn Ave.
Edina, MN 55424

Lisa's e-mail address is:

Lisacarver4@aol.com

Questions? Call Lisa at 952-924-1904.

Thanks to Lisa for her many years writing the Troop 6 Newsletter. Please accept this humble first attempt at filling her shoes. It's not going to be easy.

Respectfully submitted,

Bob Fellows
scouts@workandwellness.com

Friday, April 21 - Sunday, April 23 - Camping/Biking trip to Lanesboro, MN. Meet at the church at 6:15 PM on Friday, with your bike and an old blanket or tarp to separate your bike from others on the trailer. Come early if we're loading your bike. If you have an extra tent, please bring it to help out all the new adults and family members. We recommend a warm sleeping bag (that goes to 30 degrees) because weather is unpredictable. Bring your baseball glove for a pick-up game.

Saturday, April 22 - Metro Lakes is having adult leadership training the same weekend as Lanesboro. If you're not going on the camping trip, go to the Richfield Methodist Church at 59th and Lyndale at 8:00 AM and get trained to help the boys in more significant ways. Basic Leader Training is also available through other districts at other times.

Saturday, April 22 - Lutheran Church clean-up if you're not going to Lanesboro. Meet at the church at 9:00 AM with rakes and gloves. If it's a nice day, this is a chance to enjoy the outdoors and help the church that hosts our troop.

Monday, April 24 - Food Drive drop-off. 6:50 PM at the church. Wear uniforms. We need drivers. We gather food to be donated to the Sabanthani Center. Our goal is to collect at least one ton of food.

Wednesday, April 26 - Greet new families with Cub Scouts who are considering joining Troop 6. Meet at the Lutheran Church gym at 7:00.

Saturday, April 29 - Food Drive pick-up. 9:00 AM at the church. Wear uniforms. We need drivers.

JANUARY

Monday, Jan. 16 - Troop meeting at the church. 7:00. Video-making.

Tuesday, Jan. 17 - Loaves and Fishes. Snake Patrol and anyone else who'd like to help.

Monday, Jan. 23 - Troop meeting at the church. 7:00. Video-making. ALSO PARENTS MEETING.

Wednesday, Jan. 25 - High Adventure planning meeting at the church. 7:00.

Monday, Jan. 30 - Court of Honor.

FEBRUARY

Monday, Feb. 6 - Skating at the Linden Hills Community Center Skating Rink, near 42nd and Xerxes. Meet at the skating rink at 7:00.

Wednesday, Feb. 8 - Patrol Leaders Council meeting at the Greilings' house. 4228 Garfield Ave. So. 7:00.

Monday, Feb. 13 - Tubing at Buck Hill. Meet at the church at 6:45 PM.

Sat.-Mon., Feb. 18-20 - Ski weekend at Giant's Ridge. Meet on Saturday at the church at 7:30 in the morning.

Monday, Feb. 27 - Advancement and active indoor games (dodgeball) at the church. 7:00.

MARCH

Fri.-Sun., March 10-12 - Camping weekend at Camp Cooper near Amery, Wisconsin. Meet at the church at 6:15 PM on Friday.

Saturday, March 18 - Annual Pig-Out (Dinner) at the church. The theme this year is Caribbean food -- especially green Caribbean food for St. Patrick's Day :)
1:00 start cooking. 5:30 dinner.


TROOP 6 NEWSLETTER JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2006


Troop 6 PARENT MEETING was held on 1- 23-06. 17 scout parents and 5 adult leadership were in attendance. Please note that parent meetings are held on the 4th Monday of the month. Troop 6 will recharter the scouts in February. This includes a subscription to the Boy's Life scout magazine. The fee will be taken out of the scout accounts unless we hear otherwise. Annually, we are required to update the parent consent form - the class 1 health and medical history. This will be mailed to each house and needs to be returned to the camping coordinator, Jon Carver, a.s.a.p.

FEEDBACK FROM THE PAST 2 CAMPING OUTINGS:
The Camp Gronholm camping weekend of Dec. 9th - 11th was well attended by our scouts and 5 visiting cub scouts. The highlight of the weekend was a Sat. night bonfire - roasting a bug - as in a Volkswagon Beetle, suspended from a tree. A lighting ceremony was a fun memory for all, including gunpowder lit by an arrow, firecrackers and big flames. Troop 6 knows how to do a nice fire!
The January camping event scheduled for the 20th - 22nd was cancelled due to lack of scout and adult participation. We had five scouts that wanted to camp at Carver Park but Scoutmaster Ralph couldn't find a willing adult to join him and the boys. The troop lost the $80.00 reservation/camping fee. The troop needs to decide if January will remain a camping month, due to low interest in attendance.

COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS in December 2005 included an outing to the Cabrini house on the 17th. This is a half way house located in S.E. Mpls. and for many years Troop 6 has donated time with any helpful tasks that need to be done - snow shoveling, cleaning, decorating for the holidays, baking cookies.
Caroling at the York Ave. senior high rise wasn't as well attended as in years past but the residents love our singing attempts. A highlight is the Nelson boys and their musical talents. Thanks to all who volunteered for these community service hours.

A PAST EVENT included the lock in at the church on Jan 6th. 22 scouts, 3 cubs and many adults participated in video games, dodge ball, basketball and junk food. Tom Greiling organized a penny competition, bringing in thousands of pennies to be sorted quickly with the enticement of prizes. There was a shortage of sleep but a lot of fun.

FUNDRAISING UPDATES
1. Troop 6 treasurer Greg Gruenhagen reports a gross wreath sale of $9300. This amount is a bit lower than in past years. A reminder that the profit of two wreaths from each scout will be given to the Troop 6 account to help defer camping and programming expenses.
2. Greg is in charge of the plant sales for another year. It is very important that the scouts sell with this fundraiser in order to defer costs of camping trips and activities such as the Giant's Ridge ski trip, the High Adventure trip and Camp Many Point. The plant orders that each scout sells goes directly into their individual scouting accounts. Greg will hand out the order packets mid Febuary and needs them back by mid March in order to get the orders to the greenhouse. The plants arrive and need to be picked up from Greg's house around Mother's Day weekend - more info later on this.

NEW BUSINESS
The Court of Honor is on Monday, 30th. Congratulations to the many scouts who have achieved new ranks and earned merit badges. The scouts should attend in full uniform. Light refreshments will be served after the ceremony. Be there at 7:00!

Giant's Ridge ski till ya' drop weekend is coming up on Feb. 18,19,20. Jack Goodnow is in charge of this event and has the roster of people attending. We'll meet at the church early Sat. morning and hit the slopes that afternoon in beautiful Biwabik, MN. This is a popular Troop 6 tradition - if you want to attend, call Jack a.s.a.p. - there might still be room for you!

HIGH ADVENTURE 2006 planning is in full swing with the great help of Bob and John Fellows. At a meeting on 1-25, 14 people (9 adults, 5 scouts) agreed that a trip to the White Mountains in New Hampshire will be a great experience for all. The dates are leaving on the 26th of June and returning on the 5th of July. The trip includes flying to Boston, a day at a beach on the ocean, backpacking and camping for four days in the Presidential Range of the White mountains, canoeing for a few days down the Saco River and finishing the trip with the 4th of July celebration in Boston, complete with fireworks and the Boston Pops. Details were discussed as to transportation and lodgings. This trip was more cost effective ($500-$600) than a boy scout sea base camp or a trip to Alaska. A trip to Banff, Canada, Colorado or the western national parks was also discussed but with no details provided. Thanks to Bob and John for getting the trip rolling! More info will be posted on the web site.

Senior Patrol leader, Brann Haugen is requesting help for his eagle scout project at St. Anne's Place, a temporary homeless shelter for women and their children, on the weekend of Feb. 11th and 12th. He will need a couple of painting crews to work a morning or afternoon shift. Look at your calendar for this weekend - he'll be calling the scouts.

Scoutmaster Ralph is requesting a commitment from the parents for more help in programming and involvement in troop activities. We need to remember that Ralph had heart surgery last fall - he can't/shouldn't do it on his own! A sign - up board was posted at the parent meeting. This writer will keep track with e-mail reminders for those who signed up for the various activities. Coordinating jobs are very important in keeping the troop functions organized - thanks to Bob Fellows for taking on the newsletter job from Lisa Carver, thanks to Gretchen Taylor for taking on the wreath sales in the fall, Dave Holland and Ralph for their involvement at Camp Many Point and Greg Gruenhagen for the Plant Sales. We still need someone for Camping Coordinator, Cub Scout Recruiter and Mary Kay Delaney needs help with the March Pig Out. Please e-mail Lisacarver4@aol.com for more info on these volunteer jobs.
Other people who signed up for February and March programming -
2-6 skating at Lake Harriet, Lisa Carver/Bob Fellows
2-13 tubing at Buck Hill, Dave Alampi/John Engelen
2-27 advancement at the church, Jack Goodnow
3-6 cooking at the church kitchen, Iris Peterson/ Michelle DeVarghr
3-10to 3-12 camping at Camp Cooper, Amery WI , Bob Fellows/ Jack Goodnow / we need more adults to go on this trip
3-13 cooking at the church kitchen, Lisa Carver/ Michelle DeVarghe
3-18 PIG OUT dinner Carribean theme - Mary Kay Delaney- we need someone to help buy the food and another adult to supervise in the kitchen


EVENTS!!

2/6, meet at the Lake Harriet skating rink (bandshell) and bring a sled too if we get some snow, 7:00

2/12 Scout Sunday. Scouts are required to attend one or both of the services at Good Shepherd, 8:30 or 11:00, to show thanks to the good people at Good Shepherd for their continued generosity in sponsoring Troop 6. The boys must be in uniform.

2/13, tubing at Buck Hill, meet at the church, 6:45.

2/18 - 2/20 GIANTS RIDGE "SKI YOUR BRAINS OUT" WEEKEND in Biwabik, is coming soon! Please call Jack if you are interested in attending - Feb. 1st is the last day for sign up. Space is limited. We will assemble at the church at 7:30 Sat. a.m. in order to get up there and ski the slopes in the afternoon. Estimated return is 3:00 on Monday. Cost is determined if you rent equipment or own. No troop meeting on Monday night the 20th.

2/27 Parent Meeting, 7:00. Advancement with scouts.


MANY POINT BOYSCOUT CAMP SUMMER DATES will be August 6th - 12th with the possible 3 day extension.


DECEMBER PARENT MEETING

The Troop 6 PARENT MEETING was held on 12/5/05 with 5 families represented and 5 of the adult leadership. This parent meeting is part of the troop committee and usually meets on the fourth Monday of each month during the regular scout meeting from 7 - 8:30 PM at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd. The schedule will change this month for the holiday season. The NEXT PARENT MEETING will be brief on Monday, Dec. 19th, before the holiday gathering that is planned for the scouts. All parents/guardians of Troop 6 scouts are encouraged to attend these meetings and participate in the troop activities. Troop 6 is a boy-run organization and they decide on their programming, etc.

Old Business

The wreath and swag sale fundraiser is finished with totals of around $6000.00. Most of the scouts participated as a way to help pay for extra troop activities such as the Giant's Ridge ski trip, Camp Many Point and the High Adventure trip. The wreath money is due now from all the scouts. Please send the checks to Pat Curran NO LATER than the 19th !!! His address is 4226 Grand Ave. S. Mpls. 55409.

The campout in November was changed from MN Valley Trail Park to the Smokey cabin at Gronholm because of a miscommunication of park closure. It was a chilly weekend but six scouts from Troop 6 worked with visiting cub scouts on their requirements and outdoor winter skills.

The Court of Honor was run smoothly on 11-7- 05 by S.P.L. Brann Haugen and Chairman Jack Goodnow. Parents appreciated hearing the stories from the High Adventure trip last June to the BWCA and Camp Many Point. Many badges and advancement ranks were awarded on this night.

Congrats to Kyle Carver for completing his board of review for Eagle rank!

New Business

Giant's Ridge Ski Trip is planned for president's weekend in February. We'll leave on Sat. morning (we carpool) and get to Biwabik by early afternoon in order to hit the slopes! Return time to Mpls. is mid afternoon on Monday. Cost is around $140.00 - this includes lodging, lift ticket and food - not rental of gear. We have a beginning head count - please call Jack Goodnow if you plan on joining us!

Greg Gruenhagen, Troop 6 treasurer, gave an end-of-the year/ not end-end-of the fiscal year for troop finances (we operate on a school calendar year). This past year Greg has been able to see how we generate money, where it goes etc. and asked the parents/leadership in attendance, should we do anything above and beyond what we did this year in terms of fundraising? Currently, we have a "cushion" of $1000.00 in the troop coffers. Annual $40.00 scout dues was collected this past month from the scout accounts. Additionally, we need to raise approximately $1800.00, in fundraising efforts, to pay for Troop 6 programming - camp outs, meetings, events, ceremonies, administrative costs, equipment, the fall and spring camporee, occasional scholarships and unexpected expenses. It was decided to make a goal of maintaining a margin of $1000.00 for 2006. If more money is needed for High Adventure Trips, etc, we will fundraise when needed. The hot dog sale at Super Value, the Plant Sale and the Wreath Sales all bring necessary income to the troop. All scouts are expected to participate in these fundraising efforts - this is how we pay for programming. We have provided fundraising opportunities for the additional trips such as Giant's Ridge, High Adventure and Camp Many Point. Please contact Greg if you have any further questions about the scout accounts or operating expenses.

We finally have a new transportation policy that makes a lot of sense. With the rising cost of gas we feel we should compensate those that chaperone the scouts to their monthly campout trips (not local events). The problem we have had in the past is the actual exchange of cash - (drivers not collecting, scouts not paying for the rides) it became confusing. The reimbursement policy will be based on mileage. This is the total mileage times 25 cents per car, divided by the number of scouts attending. The drivers will get the money put into their scouts' camp fund (based on how many scouts rode with them) and the riders will have the money taken of their accounts. No exchange of cash. We estimate that this will cost the riders $5 - $8 per trip- based on a 100 mile trip. We hope this new policy will encourage more drivers!

Our Senior Patrol Leader, Brann Haugen, is doing his eagle project with St. Anne's place, a homeless shelter for women and their children. He will be cleaning out a closet area, building shelves, painting and organizing clothing. He'll be needing help from our scouts and will call them when he gets details worked out.


FUTURE EVENTS

Mon. Dec. 12th - Caroling at the senior high rise 7151York Ave. (across from Yorktown shopping center). We sing holiday songs in the atrium for the residents (INDOORS, NOT OUTDOORS) Bring instruments and family!! Let's have a big group attend for this annual event! Community service hours are also given! Meet at the church, 7:00.

Fri.-Sun. Dec.9th - 11th - Camping weekend at Camp Gronholm, also know as Smoky Cabin. This is located at Elk River on the Mississippi River and owned by Troop 129. This is the gigantic bonfire weekend! They're roasting a bug…. as in a Volkswagon Beetle! Departure at the church - 6:30 p.m. Fri. Back around noon on Sun. - meet at the bank. On Sunday, for those that are still into playing, pack 183 has invited us to go bowling with them at Park Tavern Bowling Lanes, 2-4p.m. Scoutmaster Ralph is giving reminders to be dressed well for the outdoor weekend. It is suppose to thaw and you don't want to be wet. Bring extra socks, and a few pairs of extra gloves.

Wed. Dec.14th - PLC meeting at Ralph's

Mon. Dec. 19th - A short parent meeting and holiday party. A dozen cookies per family are requested for the potluck holiday celebration.

Mon. Dec. 26th - A night of shooting pool at the Burnsville Shooters-Gallery. Meet at the church, 7:00. Bring $10.00 for the table and treats.

Future calendar events

Jan.3rd& 4th. Work program at Camp Gronhom - clean and repair the building, clear brush. Talk to Ralph if you think you want to attend.

Fri. Jan 6th - lock in at the church - yep, the boys eat, play and hang out all night. Scoutmaster Ralph says this year they're goin' to bed at 2:00. He's looking for other night owl adults to help chaperone with him.

Mon. Jan. 31st - Court of Honor.

Camping weekend location and date still has to be decided for January.


November Schedule - Physical Fitness Theme

Wed. 2nd - PLC meeting at the church, 7:00 - Dr. Masur will be running the meeting. All new positions are required to attend.

Thurs. 3rd - Round table meeting for adult leaders. Meet at Ralph's' at 6:30.

Mon. 7th - Court of Honor at 4200 Upton Ave. S. Linden Hills Congregational Church. 7:00. All scouts in full uniform.

Mon. 14th - Troop meeting 7:00 health & diet - guest speaker Mary Gilligan nutritionist from H.C.M.C, will attend. A video - Super Size Me -might be shown.

Tues.15th - loaves and fishes - Moose Patrol - do not meet at Ralph's - meet at the Nelson's, 4001 Linden Hills Blvd., 4:30, in uniform - we will need additional drivers.

Fri. 18th-19th-20th - Campout - Smoky Cabin at Gronholm -meet at the church 6:15. Dress for the weather! The cub scouts will attend on Sat.

Mon. 21st - Troop meeting - 7:00. Readyman badge for the cub scouts. Our scouts will work various stations to help them make the requirements for this badge.

Mon. 28th - Troop meeting - swimming at the Southdale YMCA - meet at the church parking lot at 6:45 - bring $5.00 - we need drivers.


December

December 5: Parent Meeting
December 7: PLC
December 9-11: Camping at Gronholm


TROOP 6 NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2005


The Troop 6 PARENT MEETING was held at the church on 10/24 and there was a good turnout. These meetings are held on the 4th Monday of every month at 7:00. Richard Neuner, Ben's dad, gave a talk on drug, alchohol and tobacco prevention. The scouts asked questions that resulted in a lot of discussion concerning peer pressure, how addictive are different types of drugs and what are kids taking in 2005. The discussion was continued at the parent meeting with people wondering about personal responsibility if they hear of other kids doing drugs. Parents should report to other parents, without judgment, any information they hear from their child. A parent can be a messenger with the understanding that they would want to know this type of information also. Thank you Richard for the great talk - it is a reminder to always be talking with your sons on this subject. After the presentation the scouts enjoyed a Halloween gathering of videos and junk food!

Old Business

Feedback on the Oct. CARVER PARK CAMPOUT: it was cold but fun. Scouts will learn from experience how much gear they will need to stay warm and dry. Various activities included hiking, lashing and capture the flag with another scout troop that was also camping in the park. Our youngest patrol lost some organization with the clean-up of dishes after meals - this will get better with practice!

WREATH SALE orders are due now to Pat Curran. He suggested that your scout order extra wreaths and sells them door-to-door if possible. The wreath sale is the biggest fundraiser of the year and is a great way to help pay for the ski trip in Feb., the High Adventure trip in the summer and Camp Many Point. The scout can also use his funds towards camping equipment if he wishes. The pick up date for wreath/garland orders is at the end of Nov. Call Pat at 612-823-6524 with your order or any questions.

The HIGH ADVENTURE meeting on October 11th had low attendance. There was discussion that we should come to the meeting with information on possible locations before scheduling the meeting. Several parents will submit info to Ann Rogers for a November meeting (not yet scheduled but probably at the end of the month). She will also propose the ideas at the P.L.C. meeting. If we are going to take a trip we must make a decision in order to book the spot with dates that work for us. Cost is also a factor for many families - we will try to have a poll on the troop web site gathering opinions about place, distance and cost. In the future, it was recommended, not to have meetings on Tuesdays because of homework issues for the high school scouts.

COMMUNITY SERVICE projects in October also had low attendance. The Buckthorn removal at Fort Snelling State Park had only 4 scouts and two adults in attendance. The annual church service clean up had a smaller than usual group attend. We ask that parents be more proactive in reminding and encouraging your sons to participate in the community service projects.

New Business

Dr. Masur has asked the troop for a memorial donation for Ed Murrow's wife, Sharon. Ed was a Troop 6 Scoutmaster from the past. We will make a $25 donation from our treasury to the American Diabetic Association.

Scoutmaster Ralph wants to thank everyone for the food these past two months as he was healing from his heart surgery. Ralph is looking -and acting- great. We are lucky to have a Superman as a Scoutmaster! Our super leader will be out of town from Nov. 1st to the 15th. He's driving his sister's belongings from Washington D.C. to Seattle. Safe trip Ralph!

Many scouts from the snake patrol will get a parent consent- health and medical record sent to their homes this week. This form is brought to all campouts for medical emergency information and home phone numbers. Please complete and return it back to Lisa Carver a.s.a.p.

Please call or e-mail Jack Goodnow if you are planning to attend the Feb. President's Day Weekend ( Feb - 18,19,20) trip to Giant's Ridge Ski Resort. He is booking the rooms now and would like to get a head count by the 10th of this month. This is a GREAT weekend - around $150.00 - includes room, board, transportation and lift ticket. Families and friends are invited too - we have room for 40 people and the scouts / chaperones get the first spots - call Jack!


TROOP 6 NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2005


The Troop 6 PARENT MEETING was held on 9/26/05. Fourteen families and six adult leadership were present at the meeting. This parent meeting is part of the troop committee and meets on the fourth Monday of each month during the regular scout meeting from 7 - 8:30 PM at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd. There is a meeting notice board just inside the church door off the south parking lot that informs what room we'll be in. All parents/guardians of Troop 6 scouts are invited to attend these meetings and participate in the troop behind the scenes. Troop 6 is a boy-run organization and they decide on their programming etc. Part of the success of our troop is the willingness of our parent group to get involved in assisting the scouts with a supporting role.

OLD BUSINESS The Hurricane Katrina car wash on 9-10 was well attended by the community and earned $773.00 that went to the American Red Cross. The scouts worked hard on a very hot day. Thank you to all who participated on short notice.

The new individual patrol meeting format was tried on 9-12. Feedback from the Owl and Snakes was that they were successful. Thank you to Kyle Carver and Ben Neuner who attended those meetings as guides. The Moose patrol reported that they had sport events and didn't meet. There are three things that will make the meetings run smoothly 1. have an agenda - advancement, campout prep, etc. 2. the assistant patrol leader should be involved with the pre-planning 3. the PLC meeting can be the time that these agendas are planned. The purpose of trying the individual patrol meetings is 1. adult leadership felt the boys will work harder at conducting their own meetings outside of the Mon. church meetings 2. the patrols will bond as a group 3. pre-planning for campouts (menus, who's buying). These meetings are a trial situation and the troop will evaluate them in Dec. to decide whether to continue this format.

The Fulton Festival event at Pershing Park on 9-17 was a joint community reach event for Troop 6 and fundraiser with a bake and fruit sale. ($145.00 will go to our coffers) We had many adult participators and a few scouts who volunteered their time to talk with interested boys about our troop. Thanks to Ann Rogers for her work in organizing this event!

District Commissioner of Metro Lakes, Dennis Medd, was asked to join our Monday meeting on 9-19 to give us support and insights with Scoutmaster Ralph's absence. The scouts did some Camporee prep, first aid simulations and dodgeball. Mr. Medd was complimentary with our patrol method and activities for the evening.

Loaves and Fishes, a community service project at St. Stevens church in Mpls., had six boys and two adults participate on 9-21.

The annual district wide Camporee at Rum River had 14 scouts and 6 adults attend along with two webelows from pack 193. The search and rescue theme was realistic and dramatic with first aid emergency response drills requiring the boys to do initial assessment and transport of "victims". Sat. night camping was wet with thunderstorms and 1 inch of rain. All scouts did well and had fun.

Troop 6 had three Board of Reviews last week. Orion Myhre is Star rank. Rory Delaney is 1st and finished 2nd class rank. William Goodnow is tenderfoot. Congrats scouts!

Troop 6 wants to welcome new scout Michael Mahoney! His dad is Jim Mahoney and they were from the same webelo den as Ted Englund.

NEW BUSINESS

Fundraising with wreath sales will begin in October. Pat Curran, our wreathmeister, has agreed to run this effort again and train in Gretchen Taylor as next years' coordinator. Pat will distribute the order forms to the scouts next week and will need all orders back in by the 1st of November. The first two wreaths that the boys sell will go to the troop funds. Profits from other wreath items sold go into the scout's camping fund. This is a great way to earn $$$ for the ski trip in Feb. and camping trips taken next summer.

Please call Lisa Carver at 952-924-1904 if you hear that this e-mail newsletter is out but you didn't receive one! If your e-mail address has changed, please notify me. And a last request, please print this newsletter for your scout to read. The e-mail approach does save the troop money in mailing costs but we want to make sure everyone is getting the information.

Advancement chair/coordinator is changing hands from John Rowell to Ann Rogers. Thank you John for the many years of excellent, experienced work. This job includes putting together board of reviews, communicating with the council for advancement and filing forms, keeping track of the camping days, scout participation in the meetings, service projects, camping and more! Thank you Ann for filling important Troop 6 position.

Scoutmaster Ralph is available for advancement conferences. Call him for an appointment at his home.

There was limited discussion in changing our gas reimbursement policy for those who drive the scouts on camping trips. Our past $5.00 charge for trips outside of the Hennepin County area is no longer suitable for the rising gas costs. There was no decision on how to change the policy.

October events- adult training for assistant scoutmaster beginnings on Sat. 10-1, Tues.10-4 and another day on the 22nd or 23rd. This is a condensed course on how a troop works and how to run a troop. If you are interested in attending, please call Ralph. He also has info on other classes in B.S., Venture Scouting and Cub Scouts. This is called the University for Scouting and is held in Brooklyn Park on the 29th. Ralph has a listing of the classes and sign-up if you are interested.

The 10-3 Monday meeting will be the individual patrol meetings. The PLC meeting will be held at the church on Wed. 10-5, 7:00.

Sat. 10-8 is a city wide effort to eradicate Buckthorn from Fort Snelling State Park, areas in Bloomington and the MN. River. There will be hundreds of people involved to help rid these areas of this intrusive plant. There are two shifts - we will go in the morning, leaving at 8:30 from the church and returning after lunch - which is provided. Please bring work gloves and rain gear if needed. Scouts can also sty for the afternoon shift if there is transportation/chaperones provided. Call SPL Kyle Carver or Dr. Masur for more info.

Patrol meetings on 10-10 & 10-17, mechanics theme, meetings at the church.

A High Adventure 2006 meeting is planned for Tues. 10-11, 7:00 at the church. All scouts are invited. We will discuss interests of where to go. Suggestions are Isle Royale and possibly Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Ralph has suggested a camp in Colorado. Be there and share your ideas!

Camp out weekend 10-14/16 at Carver Park. The leaves should be pretty. Meet at the church, 6:15. We won't be having the webelos join us from pack 46. We hope to have them join us for our Nov. 12th camp out. We need a head count no later than the Monday meeting, 10-10. We need adults to drive and camp.

Richard Nuener (Ben's dad), on 10-24, will lead a discussion regarding drug and alcohol. This is a 2nd class requirement. Following the talk will be a pre Halloween party with a movie. Each patrol will bring a different type of treat to share.

Sat. 10-29 is another opportunity for the Troop to participate in community service with Buckthorn removal at Lake Harriet. We will not go formally as a troop but if any adults or scouts are interested, please contact Ann Rogers.

Mon. 10-31 NO TROOP MEETING - Halloween.

Mon. 11-7 The Court of Honor has been moved to this November date because of the full October calendar. 7:00 at the church, full uniform is required.

TREASURY REPORT Greg Gruenhagen, Troop 6 treasurer, announced that we fundraised $850. This is short of the $1200.00 target needed to keep the accounts solvent. Camping funds are due in October of $40.00 a scout. This is an annual fee that covers camping permits, outings and other troop activities. If you are a new scout that paid this is in the spring your bill will be pro-rated to reflect the half year already paid. Greg will take this amount from you scout's account or will contact you if your scout has a low balance. (Sell those wreaths scouts!)

RALPH'S RENDERINGS:

Congratulations to Maureen Myhre and Zach Gruenhagen for entrance to OA. Order of the Arrow is an honor society of the Boy Scouts of America and it is based on a scout or leader who has served the district or council in a meaningful way. The scouts vote them in and the induction conclave will be the first weekend of October.

In light of his mending heart, Ralph has learned patience in limiting his many activities! He gives gratitude to his family, all of his friends and neighbors who have helped him get through this past month. Ralph, you're looking good and we're glad to have you back!



SCHEDULE - theme: mechanics

Mon. 3rd - individual patrol meetings

Wed. 5th - PLC meeting at the church, 7:00pm

Sat.8th- 8:30 meet at the church for Buckthorn removal at Fort Snelling. Return after lunch. Bring gloves.

Mon. 10th - troop meeting - election night, mechanic theme

Tues.11th - High Adventure planning meeting, 7:00 at the church

Fri.14th - 16th - camping weekend, Carver Park.

Mon. 17th - Troop meeting, 7:00

Sat. 10-22nd - church clean - up of grounds, 9:00a.m. bring gloves and a rake, counts for community service

Mon. 24th - Troop meeting, 7:00 Drug and alcohol discussion. After - a Halloween party - the scouts will decide on who brings what and will watch a movie (appropriate of course).

Mon. 31st - No troop meeting will be held.


B.S.A. Troop 6 September Update

A week ago several leadership members of Troop 6, parents and SPL Kyle Carver gathered for a meeting to discuss programming and necessary parent involvement without the leadership of Scoutmaster, Ralph Greiling. Ralph shows steady recovery of his heart by-pass surgery. He is involved with Troop operations as a consultant and we all wish him a quick recovery! We have all realized how much he does for our scouts on so many levels. Now we need all scouts to step in and run Troop 6 with efficient Monday meetings, advancement and camping experiences. Here are calendar dates and volunteer jobs that need to be filled by parents.

1. Troop 6 needs a parent to take on the recruitment efforts for new scouts joining Troop 6. This takes form in speaking to our local Cub Scout packs, greeting new families as they look at our troop with information and recruiting in other creative ways! Please consider this important job - it would take a lot of pressure/concern off of Ralph's duties. Please contact Jack Goodnow for more information.
2. The scouts need fundraising opportunities to earn money for their accounts and one way some scouts like to do this is selling popcorn. Please contact Dave Holland.
3. The camping coordinator position books the state and county parks, takes the permits out with the BS council and is in charge of collecting the class 1,2,&3 scout health and permission forms. Please contact Jon Carver for more information with the volunteer job.

September Dates

Sat. 17th - Fulton Festival - Troop 6 fundraiser and recruitment, call Ann Rogers for more info

Mon. 19th - Troop meeting, at the church, 7:00p.m.

Tues 20th - community service, loaves and fishes at St. Stevens, meet at Ralph's 4:45 (no, he's not going!) drivers, Ann Rogers /Gretchen Taylor?

Fri. - Sun. 23rd - 25th Camporee weekend at Rum River, the theme is emergency response drills and search/rescue - we have Dave Holland, Maureen Myhre, Jack Goodnow as adults camping. We need more drivers - please contact Kyle Carver if you are an adult that will drive/camp. 952 - 924-1904.

Mon. 26th - Troop meeting and Parent meeting 7:00. Please attend!

October dates

Camping weekend at Carver Park with cub scout pack 46 and 193 - 14th - 16th.

Sat. 22nd. - community service - fall clean up of the church grounds.

Mon. 24th - Court of Honor


Fundraising update on Hurricane Katrina - the scouts made $773.00 last Sat. September 10th working a carwash. All money went to the American Red Cross. Congrats to all the scouts and parents who put in a lot of effort - thanks to all who donated food and drinks!


TROOP 6 NEWSLETTER______Summer 2005

The Troop 6 PARENT MEETING was held on 7/11/05 with 13 families and 6 leadership members represented. This parent meeting provided updates on the June High Adventure Trip, Many Point Scout Camp in August and fundraising discussion. The regular parent meetings are scheduled on the fourth Monday of each month. The next parent meeting will be on Mon. Sept. 26th, 7:00p.m. at The Church of the Good Shepherd.

Public access to Troop 6 information is available on the web site. Ideas of info include Many Point Scout Camp, High Adventure photos, links to our community service projects, Troop 6 history, a list of all of the past eagle scouts and projects, links to Viking Council and other boy scout sites. Please e-mail at scouts@robertfellows.com or fax at 612-925-2872.

The June High Adventure trip to Lake Superior and canoeing in the Boundary Waters was a great success due to (in part) excellent weather, great planning and low $$ cost. The break down per person is owed to Greg Gruenhagen, our troop treasurer, is the following:
$81.00 if you just went on the sailing portion
$32.00 if you just went on the canoeing portion
$113.00 due now

This does include the food on the sailing trip. It does not include the food for the canoeing. Please pay whoever bought food for your canoe crew. With the initial $150.00 deposit, this is certainly a very inexpensive High Adventure Trip. Many thanks to all (Scoutmaster Ralph) who hauled canoes and trailer in order to keep these expenses down. If Greg does not hear from you by the end of July, he will deduct the money owed from the scouts' camp fund.

The Carver's are missing a smaller sized, dark green, newer Duluth Pack. Please call them if you know where it is.

Many Point Scout Camp is scheduled this summer for Sun. August 7th to the 13th, with the option to stay to the 16th. Parents are not required to attend but Scoutmaster Ralph does need adult volunteers camp and/or drivers to bring the boys to camp and pick them up. The group will gather at 6:30 a.m. on Sun. and depart at 7:00 a.m. sharp. The scouts listed to attend are Chris and William G., Mike and Elliot N., John S., Orion, Sten, Ted, John G., Braun, Ben.N.,Rory , and John T. If you would like to go to camp, please call Dave Holland a.s.a.p. This is a great time for all the scouts and a good opportunity to work on merit badges and advancement. Please let Dave know if you plan on attending the extended days. A mandatory meeting for Many Point campers is Wednesday, Aug.3rd, 7:00 at the church. Information, rifle shooting permission signatures, and packing of equipment will be on the agenda. Be there!

Fundraising revisited *Our Sunnyside market hot dog and pop sale in May made $306.00 despite two days of cold and rainy weather. Thanks to all who participated.
*The General Mills buckthorn removal project is still a possibility. It is hard work for good cash reward. Ralph will contact them soon for possible dates.
*We have not been contacted yet to clean a barn at the State Fair as a possible fundraiser.
*The Fulton Festival on Sat. Sept.17th has asked us to return. This year we can try and make money selling pop or perhaps baked goods. We will also display our Troop 6 info for recruitment. Scouts… do you have any ideas of what we can sell at the booth?
*A car wash is always a fun way to make cash in the summer. We can do it at the church - a date will be decided on soon.

Preliminary programming ideas were discussed for the new scouting year of 2005-2006. All scouts will attend the annual planning meeting, Mon. Aug.29th 7:00, to lie out the activities and plans for the calendar year. Please come to the meeting with enthusiastic ideas - remember scouts, this is your troop - you need to decide what activities you like to do. A new change in scheduling will be for each patrol to get together on the first Monday of each month, instead of attending the Troop meeting at the church. This is a trial idea for four months - to let the patrols have time to do their own meetings - get their food menus organized for the monthly campouts, work on advancement, etc. - and learn how to run their own meetings! We will review how it worked for them in December. The first Troop meeting will be on Monday, September 19th.

Calendar
July -Tues. 19th loaves and fishes Owl Patrol, meet at Ralph's 4:45

August
Mon. 1st - Cub Scout packs 193 and 46 are invited to make a catapult with us at the church, 7:00p.m.
Wed. 3rd Many Point meeting, 7:00
Sun. 7th leaving for camp, be there at 6:30 a.m. return on the 13th or 16th
Sun. 28th annual scouts and families, meet and greet picnic - we're inviting the cub scout packs to join us. More info later
Mon.29th Troop planning meeting 7:00 . All scouts attend with great ideas!

September - Mon. 12th patrol meetings to meet at a scouts' house
Sat. 17th Fulton Festival, at Pershing Park, 11:00 - 3:00
Mon. 19th Troop meeting at church, 7:00
Tues. 20th loaves and fishes - Raven patrol, meet at Ralph's 4:45 or
At St. Steven's church 5:15.
Fri. 23rd camping weekend, Camporee at Rum River back on Sun.
Pick up at the bank around noon.
Mon. 26th Troop meeting, 7:00 Parent Meeting

October - 14th-16th campout weekend
Sat. 22nd fall- cleanup at the church, community service
Mon.24th Court of Honor


ANNUAL FALL KICK-OFF PICNIC—AUGUST 28

Date: Sunday Aug 28, 4:00 p.m.

Place: Theodore Wirth Park. (We will try secure our usual spot, which is on the south side of Glenwood Ave. about 200 yds east of Theo. Wirth Pkwy, on the hill.)

Directions: The quickest way is Hwy l00 to Glenwood Ave. Take Glenwood east to Theo. Wirth Pkwy. Then proceed further east as described above.

Food: Bring a salad or dessert that has sufficient quantity to feed 8. Bring any meat or fish you wish to grill—quantity sufficient for your party only. The Troop will supply charcoal, soft drinks, condiments, paper plates and cups and plastic eating utensils and napkins.


Troop 6 Newsletter May 2005

The Troop 6 PARENT MEETING was held on 5/2. 15 families and 6 of our adult leadership were represented. Parent meetings are regularly scheduled for the fourth Monday of the month. The busy May calendar and holiday weekend will postpone the next meeting to Mon. June 13th, 7:00 at the church. The focus of this meeting will be for parents new to Troop 6.

OLD BUSINESS Everyone had a great time on the Lanesboro bike trip over the April weekend of 22-24th. The scouts enjoyed the cold but sunny weather and wonderful bike trails. On Saturday afternoon we played many innings of baseball at the Lanesboro field. We shared a potluck dinner for 35 that night and with the clear skies, Jupiter (and four moons) and Saturn were visible (with Ralph's telescope!). The campsite location, Isanore, was convenient, comfortable and FREE! Many thanks to Ralph, Dave Holland and Jack Goodnow for hauling all the bikes down in trailers. Kudos to Ryan Liszewski and his patrol members for making all of that spaghetti! We had one unfortunate mishap - John Taylor's bike went missing after they were unloaded at Ralph's house. It is a blue TREK bike - please check to see if maybe (?) you took the wrong bike by mistake.

On Sat. April 30th, Troop 6 participated in the annual spring food drive. We had great attendance and brought 1600 pounds of food to the Sabathani Food Shelf in Mpls. Many scouts helped with the annual church grounds spring rake and clean up. Thanks scouts - you did a good turn.


NEW BUSINESS

High Adventure 2005 is in full swing with much planning done but more to do. The next H.A. meeting will be on Thurs. May 19th. This meeting is mandatory if you are going on the trip. The dates are Sat. 18th to Sun. 26th. A deposit is due now of $150.00 for the trip. Make your checks out to Troop 6 or tell Greg Gruenhagen that you want it taken out of your son's camp fund account. The balance will be due before the start of the trip.

SAILING We have 5 boats chartered with 6 people per boat. We currently have 30 people signed up to go sailing. If you would like to go sailing and aren't on the list, we will have a stand- by list. Please let Jack Goodnow know that you are interested. New scouts (age 12) must be accompanied by a parent. The crews on the boats will be a mix of friends and parent- scout combinations.
CANOEING We got a fourth permit into the Boundary Waters and currently have 28-29 people committed to this portion of the trip. With 9 people per permit we have space for additional paddlers. We currently have 9 canoes and need more - please let Ralph know if you can loan a canoe. Please contact Jack Goodnow if you are interested in attending this part of the trip. The scouts will leave Bayfield on Monday evening and camp at Two Harbors on the North Shore. (Ralph plans on hauling canoes to this location before the sailing) On Tuesday they head for Seagull Lake and canoe for almost five days in the Boundary Waters, returning on Sunday, 26th. Costs are determined by what portion of the trip you are attending. The costs involve sailboat rental, permits, food and any new troop equipment that may be purchased. Estimates are around $400.00.
TRAINING ** Safe swim defense training must be done by many adults in order to have certified people on each sailboat and canoe crew. This water safety swim class is offered this Thurs. May 5th at the Viking round table, University Ave. Church, 601 13th Av. SE, from 7:30 - 9:00. Ralph is looking into other dates in order to get this training.
**All adults going on the High Adventure must take a Youth Protection "class" that is provided on-line and takes only 15 minutes to complete. This is a B.S.A. regulation that all adults, in contact with the boys, must have this training.
**All adults and scouts must have a class 3 Personal health and Medical record form completed by a physician. Make your appointments now! This form is good for three years - unless you are over 40 and then it must be updated every year! Contact Lisa Carver for this form or try and download it off the Viking Council web site.
**Do canoes have to be licensed/registered? Probably. Please check the DNR web site if you are loaning us your canoe.
** Swimming merit badge is strongly encouraged before attending this "water oriented" High Adventure trip. Dr. Masur hosted a class of swimming in early April. We will work with the boys again this Monday, May 9th at the Southdale YMCA pool. Be there at 6:45, cost is $3.00.

The new OWL PATROL may want to form their own camping trip. They are welcome to attend the High Adventure meeting on the 19th.

OTHER NEW BUSINESS……

Many Point Scout Camp dates are Aug. 7th to the 13th with an extension to Aug 16th in order to finish badge requirements, etc. A mandatory meeting for all campers going to Many Point will be held on Thurs. May 12th, 7:00, at the church. An orientation will be given for new campers that include a film, packing lists and questions answered about activities. The cost for all 10 days is $200.00 - less if the scout just stays the week. Final fees are due June 1st. This is a terrific opportunity for the scouts to get a lot of advancement done and have experiences that they wouldn't get anywhere else. Adults are welcome to join too!

Plant Sale pick up is at the Greunhagen's, 5150 Chowen Ave. S. this Sat., May 7th, noon. All $$$ from plant sales are due on the 22nd of May. People can make checks to Troop 6 and scouts can give their order money to Zach or drop it off at the house.

Fundraising efforts continue. Scoutmaster Ralph was contacted by General Mills to see if our Troop wanted to help eradicate buckthorn from approximately 9 acres of their grounds. Troop 6 would commit to three acres a year - and move on the next year to another three acres, etc. The buckthorn removal is a continual project - we would eliminate new growth every year. Ralph thinks we can do an acre a day and commit 3 days per year for this fundraising project. The Troop and individual scouts would be compensated for their work efforts. Negotiations of what the pay will be is undetermined. We need to finalize these particulars but everyone was in agreement that this could be the answer to our troop's fiscal woes. Investing in weed wrenches would be helpful. More on this later!

Advancement with merit badges and ranks will be held at the Court of Honor on Mon. June 6th. All new scouts should try and get their scout rank accomplished by then. Try and set up an appointment with Ralph as a group.

Troop 6 bank account shows a negative $403.00. Our troop treasurer, Greg Gruenhagen, gave a report of the current status. Scout accounts hold $6361.00. The plant sales should generate funds as we take 10% of all plants sold, giving us a little cushion in the black!

May Camporee will be held on the weekend of May 20th-22nd. This is for all Troops in Mpls. Richfield and St. Anthony. We will be going to the Raceway Park in Shakopee. The theme is car mechanics - gear heads are asked to join us and help out! Boys are encouraged to wear old clothes as we think they will get dirty/greasy. Gloves are also advised. Meet at the church by 6:15. Food is bought by each patrol. Each scout will be charged an $8.00 entry fee - don't forget this! Pick up will be at the parking lot behind the Edina Post Office (by 49th and France) at noon on Sunday.


May Theme - water sports May Activities

Thurs. May 5th safe swim defense - meet at Ralph's, 7:00

Sat. May 7th plant sale pick up at the Gruenhagen's, noon

Mon. May 9th YMCA swimming pool - meet there at 6:45 - bring $3.00

Wed. May 11th PLC meeting at Ralph's 8:00

Thurs. May 12th Many Point meeting, 7:00 at the church

Fri. May 13th meeting with Cub Scout pack 46, Linden Hills Park - more info later

Mon. May 16th swim at the Southdale Y

Tues. May 17th loaves and fishes - all Snakes should attend and anyone else is welcome. This is a soup kitchen at the St. Steven's church in Mpls. and is our ongoing community service project, serving them every other month. Be at Ralph's by 4:45 or at St. Steven's by 5:15, in uniform.

Mon. May 23rd canoeing at Lake Calhoun - more info later

Sat. May 28th a car wash at the church or a float down the creek

Mon. May 30th no Troop meeting due to the Memorial Day holiday

Mon. June 6th Court of Honor at the Linden Hills Congregational Church, 4200 Upton Ave. S., 7:00.

June 18th to 26th High Adventure trip

August 7th to 13th and with extension 16th Many Point Scout Camp


TROOP 6 NEWSLETTER April 2005

The Troop 6 Parent Meeting was held on 3-28-05 with 11 families representing their scouts and six of our adult leadership in attendance. The next parent meeting will be on May 2nd 7:00 at the church.

Old Business

Scouts, friends and family members enjoyed the Biwabik/Giant's Ridge ski trip in Feb. Please send your payment to Greg Gruenhagen (troop treasurer) no later than 4-1. If he does not receive it he will take the fee owed from the scout's camp account. The ski trip cost break down follows: $71 a person for the boarding, $14 a day for ski rental, $8 for x-country pass, $20 a day for snowboard rental, $23 a day for lift pass (two day), $25 a day for lift pass (single day).

Planning for the 2005 High Adventure Sailing/Canoeing is underway! Dates are Sat. June 18th to Sun, June 26th. We have 15 scouts and 8 adults signed up for the canoeing. We need an accurate head count of those who will be sailing as we have boats reserved. You must call or e-mail Jack Goodnow no later than April 11th if you plan on attending. Incoming scouts are invited to participate in this year High Adventure - it is advised to have a parent accompany their scout. There was much discussion on whether the scout must have the swimming merit badge to attend the trip. This has been a Troop 6 policy for water related, High Adventure trips. Chairman Jack Goodnow pointed out that neither the canoeing or sailing merit badges requires a swimming merit badge component. We will require a 1st class swimming proficiency for the trip, with each scout to be evaluated on whether they could meet the swim merit badge requirements. Dr. Masur will work with scouts on this the first week of April at the Southdale YMCA. Please contact him for time and other details (or check our web site). The 1st class swim proficiency is mandatory also for Camp Many Point.

Itinerary for the H.A. trip The sailing is the first adventure of the trip. We'll drive to Bayfield, camp over night and set sail on Sunday morning the 19th. Each boat will hold 6 people and a captain. Sunday night the scouts can choose to camp on Stockton Island or sleep on the boat. We will sail all day Monday. Monday evening we drive to Two Harbors for a camping overnight. Then, off to Seagull Lake on Tues. for the canoeing portion of the trip. We have 3 permits for 9 people per permit. We need equipment !! If anyone can donate canoes, paddles, Duluth packs, etc. for this five day trip into the Boundary Waters, please let Jack Goodnow or Kyle Carver know. The total cost for this trip - both the sailing and canoeing - is around $500. The next High Adventure meeting will take place on Thurs. April 21st, 7:00.

The annual Troop 6 Pig Out was a great event for over 70 family members and friends. It was held on Sat. March 5th at the church. The Ravens took responsibility for the Chinese meal. All the scouts helped serve and clean up. Thanks to Linda Greiling and everyone else who helped out at this fun dinner.

The Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge counselor has been contacted and a date will be announced for all who has worked on this over the winter. A date will be announced.

Plant Sales have concluded with $6500.00 total in sales. 90% of the scouts participated in this fundraiser. The plants will be delivered on May 7th, 11:00 a.m. at the Gruenhagen home.

Fundraising revisited At the February parent meeting many people wanted the Troop to raise money for Tsunami Relief. Lisa Carver proposed that the boys do a bike mile pledge sheet in conjunction with our April theme of biking. With the Mpls. Grand Round, the Lanesboro trip, the Monday meetings bike trips around the lakes and Parkway, the boys will put in some miles! Pledge sheets will be available at the Monday, April 11th scout meeting. The boys will vote on whether the $$ earned will go to Tsunami relief or to give the donation to Red Lake.

Scoutmaster Ralph will approach Kowalski's for a possible hotdog/soda sale. Dr. Masur will approach Sunnyside at 44th for the same fundraiser. We will be doing car washes in May in order to make extra $$ for the High Adventure trip.

The March campout to Camp Cooper at Balsam Lake, Wi. was well attended. 24 boys and 8 adults enjoyed cabins, good chow, good weather and a snipe hunt?? Sat. night. Hmmmm.

Scoutmaster Ralph is looking for a bass drum. Does anyone have access to this instrument through a band program, etc.? Please see Ralph if you know how we can borrow one.

Welcome new scouts! Boys and families from packs 46,193 and 89 are enthusiastically welcomed to Troop 6. We hope the new scout meeting on 3-23 was helpful. If you did not receive the policy manual, troop guide, troop roster and parent consent form for camping, please call Lisa Carver after April10 and she will mail it to you. 952-924-1904.

Remember scouts, this is your newsletter. Please contact Bob Fellows with anything you want to put on the web site or in the newsletter! (scouts@workandwellness.com)

New Business

Biking is the theme this month and we have several fun bike trips planned. They will fulfill many requirements for the Biking Merit Badge. Helmets are mandatory. Scouts will not be allowed to ride without a helmet.

APRIL CALENDAR

Fri.4-1 Arrow of Light ceremony, last activity for cub scouts, at Rum River, 6:30

Sat. 4-2 Grand Rounds - a bike trip around the city, 33 miles. Ann Rogers and Claudia Dengler will ride with the boys. Remember helmets, money for lunch, water bottle. 9:00 a.m. at the church. Friends are welcome. Contact the SPL (Zach Gruenhagen) if the weather looks iffy or if you have questions.

Mon.4-4 Most scouts are on break - Zach G. is organizing an extensive ride in order to work on the cycle merit badge. Please contact him for more info. No Monday night meeting.

Thurs. 4-7 Adult leader round table - Ralph not going this time.

Mon. 4-11 Three lakes ride - meet at the church with bikes, helmets - 6:45 adults needed to ride with the scouts.

Fri. 4-15 deposits are due for scouts who will attend Camp Many Point this year. The deposit is $10 per boy made out to the Viking Council. It will be on time as long as it is postmarked the 15th. After that, there is a $5 late fee. Here's the address:

Viking Council, BSA
5300 Glenwood Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55422

Sat. 4-16 repeat ride Grand Rounds, details to be announced.

Mon. 4-18 Minnehaha Creek Parkway ride, meet at church at 6:45 with helmet and $$ for DQ

Thurs. High Adventure meeting, at church, 7:00

Fri - Sun. 4-22 to 4-24 Lanesboro Bike Trip

Lanesboro Bike Trip!

Troop 6 has made it a tradition for scouts, their friends and families to go biking on the Root River bike paths the end of April. Join us for a fun weekend, leaving Fri. 22nd, 6:15 from the church parking lot and returning early afternoon on Sunday, 24th. We must have an accurate head count by Monday. Your patrol leader will be calling the scouts. Here are the details for the trip!

Ralph has rented a trailer for the bikes and Dave Holland will pull another trailer. You can also use a bike rack for your car if attending. We will camp at Isadore Camp sites - a MN wildlife management area, right on the bike trail system. This is about five miles east of Fountain on HWY 8. Maps will be provided when we leave - we'll caravan the vehicles to the campsite.

What to bring— a bike, helmet, water bottle, sunscreen, baseball glove (those that want to can play at a field in Lanesboro late Sat. afternoon before dinner), raingear, mess kit (plate, fork, mug or dinking cup) and the usual camping gear. All scouts wear their boy scout shirts while traveling. Families should bring their own tents.(Call Ralph if you do not own a tent but want to attend) Scouts will use the troop tents. The troop has all cooking equipment. Bring your pledge sheets if you plan on participating with our Tsunami relief collection.

Food The individual patrols- Owls, Snake, Fox/Ravens, Moose - will buy their food for Sat.Sun. breakfasts and Sat. lunch - three meals. They should include any adults in their head count. One scout buys the food for the patrol and divides the cost by how many are eating. We will try a pot luck Sat. night dinner this year - please include this meal when buying the food.

Moose will make the entrée
Fox/Raven will make a salad
Snake will make a vegetable and bring rolls
Owl will make a desert

Think simple, tasty, feed 25-30 people. Questions, call your patrol leader or SPL Kyle Carver at 952-924-1904.


Mon. 4-25 scouting for food, distributing food bags and leaflets, meet at church, 7:00.

Sat. 4-30 scouting for food, collecting food from homes, drivers needed to help pick up and deliver to Sabathani Community Center. Scouts should be in uniform.

Mon. 5-2 Parent Meeting, at Pershing Park 7:00.


MARCH NEWSLETTER

High Adventure Update

The dates for the sailing/canoeing trip to the Boundary Waters are tentatively set for June 18-26.

It is possible to go only on the sailing portion of the trip, or only on the canoeing. There will be two full days of sailing and two full days of canoeing.

We would drive up to Bayfield, Wisconsin on Saturday, June 18. Some could leave the Twin Cities in the afternoon because we do not need to be there until evening. We would sleep on sailboats the first night.

These are 34' sailboats that sleep 6, and come with captains who may do some instruction. We would probably rent three boats.

Sunday morning we would sail in the Apostle Islands and sleep on an island that night.

Monday we would sail again and sleep in tents in Two Harbors.

Tuesday begins the canoe trip, with camping in tents along the way, ending on Sunday morning, the 26th.


March Calendar: Cooking Theme

March 3: Ralph will be taking a group of the Eagle scouts to the Funeral of Staff Sgt David Day who was an Eagle scout. The funeral will be held in Morris MN. Thank you for representing Troop 6 and honoring this US soldier.
March 3: Round Table. Join Adults from other area Troops to share experiences. Meet at Ralph's at 7:00.
March 5; Pig out Meet at the church at 5:30 for dinner at 6:00.
March 7: Scout meeting at the church. Cooking breakfast meal
outdoors. Dress for the weather. Scouts should be in uniform.
March 9: **** Note time change******Patrol Leaders Council: Any scout holding a leadership position should attend to plan activities for next month's program. *8:00 meeting at Ralph's house.
March 12: Many Point Camp Meeting for Adult Leadership. Ann Rogers will be going. Anyone else interested should contact Ann.
March 11-13: Camp Cooper in Balsam Lake WI. Scouts and adults will be camping in lodges and will have a full service kitchen. Scouts will not need to take dishes. Activities planned will be fire building, flint and steel, knot tying, orienteering, compass work and capture the flag. It should be a great weekend. Meet at the Church at 6:15 Friday. Scouts return to the Bank Parking lot at 49 1/2 and Halifax (behind the Post office).
March 14 Scout meeting at the church. Cooking Lunch. Plant Sale Orders due to Greg, Mary or Zach.
March 14 - Cub Scout Pack 193 Crossing Over Ceremony. Armatage School, Little Theater. 7:00. Boy Scout attendance is optional.
March 15: Loaves and Fishes. Moose Patrol and Snake Patrol if available. Meet at Ralph's House at 4:45
March 17: High Adventure Trip Planning Meeting at 7:00 at the Church.
March 21: Scout Meeting at the Church. Cooking Dinner.
March 28: Scout Meeting at the Church. Cooking Desert.
March 29 - Jacob's 18th birthday. Get your Merit Badges completed, Jacob!

April 15 - Many Point deposit due. Avoid the $5 late fee.
April 22-24 - Lanesboro Bike Trip.

May 7 - Plant delivery. 9:00 at Gruenhagen's.
May 9 - Celebrate VE Day (Victory in Europe) with veterans.
May 20-22 - Spring Camporee. The theme is Skits. We need to have a really good skit prepared for this camporee. "Thespians Unite" and plan ahead.

Future Camping Dates

April 22-24: Lanesboro annual Biking trip.
May 20-22: Camporee at Race way Park in Shakopee. This years theme is
Auto mechanics. If you know of someone
willing to help the scouts learn basic auto mechanics, let Ralph know.
We will need some gear heads to help the scouts.
August 7-13: Many Point. Extended days 14-16. Annual Scout Camp.
This allow scouts to work on badges and advancement.

Other Notes: Looking for Donations of old weber grills for outdoor cooking. Contact Ralph.


March 15
May 17
July 19
September 20
November 15


DISTRICT SCOUTMASTERS ROUNDTABLE

This meeting is the first Thursday of every month except in the summer. 7:30 at the University Lutheran Church of Hope, 601 13th Ave. SE, Dinkeytown. All adults are welcome at this informative meeting.


VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

March campout on March 11-13, Balsam Lake, Wi.
So far Claudia Dengler has signed up to help.

April biking/campout in Lanesboro, 22nd - 24th Lisa or Jon Carver, Claudia Dengler, Ralph Greiling. We need at least 3 more adults to attend this popular trip.

May district campout at Stearn's
Ralph Greiling. We definitely need parents to help/camp.

September - Outdoor Sports
October - Bowling, Billiards, Court of Honor, Halloween Party
November - First Aid
December - Caroling, Advancement
January - Winter Camping, Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge
February - Skiing, Winter Sports
March - Cooking
April - Biking
May - Water Sports (canoeing, kayaking, tubing)

The Troop 6 Parent Meeting was held on February 28th at Pershing Park. 15 families were in attendance; 7 of the adult leadership, and 3 parents of new scouts. Jack Goodnow- Committee Chair conducted the meeting. The March Parent meeting will be held March 28, 2005 at 7:00 at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd.

WELCOME NEW TROOP 6 PARENTS AND SCOUTS !!!

OLD BUSINESS

Skiing trip to Biwabik, MN on February 19-21, 2005.
18 scouts and friends and 13 adults had a great time skiing over Presidents weekend. A great time was had by everyone and they look forward to the next Annual ski weekend. Final invoices will be available next week.

New Eagle Scout:
Congratulations to Riley Curran on achieving the Eagle Rank. His Eagle Court of Honor was held on February 6, 2005.

South west National Honor Society Food Drive:
Riley Curran coordinated a very successful food drive on February 5, 2005. He was responsible for organizing the flyer distribution, the pick up and delivery of the donated food to Sabathini Community Center. The turnout was huge and the amount of food was amazing. There was 16,400 pounds (over 8 tons) of food delivered to Sabathani Community center. Rumor has it that the last load of food was stashed in an office because of the overflow. Riley was also honored by WCCO as a "Good Neighbor" which aired 3 separate times. Again - our congratulations to Riley on this very fine effort.

Crossover for Pack 46: Several Troop 6 scouts attended the Crossover for Pack 46 on February 11, 2005. Thank you Jacob Leader, Ben Greiling, Ben Neuner and Chris Goodnow for your assistance.

Scout Sunday

Scout Sunday was held February 13, 2005 at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd. Scouts served at both services 8:30 and 11:00. Scouts participated by ushering, distributing programs, church collection and being available to the parish for questions. Scoutmaster Ralph Greiling spoke about the accomplishments of Troop 6 and thanked the church for their ongoing support of the scouting program.

Re-Chartering of Troop 6:
Thank you to John Rowell for his work in rechartering Troop 6. This is a big effort and we appreciate you for your help with this important endeavor.

Friends of Scouting
Viking council did not have the Pledge cards available at the last Court of Honor. If you have not signed the card- even if you are not able to donate, please return the pledge card. See Ralph.

Emergency Preparedness Badge
We are finalizing a Merit Badge Counselor and will be setting up a meeting in March for scouts to complete the required elements for the Emergency Preparedness Badge. Watch for an email about the date and time.

NEW BUSINESS

New Scout families: 7 new scouts have joined Troop 6. We warmly welcome all scouts and their families to Troop 6. New Scouts are:
- William Goodnow, and parents Jack Goodnow and Susan Hiestand
- Elliot Nelson, and parents Randy and Marta
- Joey Ivers, and parents Brian and Susan
- Matteo Alampi, and parents Dave and Barbie
- Daniel Holtzman, and parents Jeremy Holtzman and Janet Mills
-Ted Engelen, and parents John and Judy Blaseg
-Sten Taracks and parents Douglas and Brita

A "New Parent meeting" will be held in March - the date will be determined. This will allow new parents from Pack 193 to join the meeting. New parents- please do not hesitate to ask any questions you may have prior to the meeting. We are all here to make this transition as smooth as possible for both you and your son. We have all been either new scouts or new parents- so we are here to help.
Again - a Troop 6 Welcome.

New Scouts will need to provide uniform, and other badges for the shirt. Books can be purchased at the scout store or through Troop 6 for $10.00.

High Adventure Trip: A meeting was held on February 17, 2005 to discuss plans for the High Adventure trip. All scouts are invited to participate in this years High Adventure. There may be trips in the future that have age restrictions of 14 and above. For the younger scouts it is required to have a parent accompany the scout on this trip. After much discussion a compromise trip was agreed upon by the scouts. This year trip will involve a two part adventure: The Sailing component to be held at Bayfield and a canoe trip to the Boundary waters. Plans are being worked on and the dates are not set as of this newsletter- it is planned that it will be 8-9-10 day trip near the end of June and beginning of July. It has not been determined which section of the trip will be done first- sailing or canoeing. This may depend on dates that are available. The group would drive to the entry point and camp that night and set sail or canoe the next morning. The Sailing component will last 2 days and the canoeing is tentatively planned for Ely, Atikoken or Quetico and will last 4-5 days. From the information we have today - there will need to be several permits pulled because they only allow 9 people per permit. It is planned that we will pull 3 permits. Several adults agreed to gather information about the various sections of the trip. A priority will be to pick dates for the trip.
Another meeting will be March 17 at 7:00 at the Church. This will be an important meeting for all who planning on going. Klye Carver has stepped up to assist with the planning of this years
High Adventure Trip. Thank you Kyle.

New Scouts may also choose to do another adventure trip. This has been done in the past for first year scouts, which enables the new scouts to take a slightly shorter trip that may involve building camping skills.

Plant Sales
Greg reported that Plant sale packets have been distributed to each scout. New families interested can see Greg for more information. Orders are due to Greg, Mary or Zach by March 14, 2005. Plants will be delivered on the morning of May 7- just in time for Mother's day. 10 % of the net sale will go the Troop and the remaining to the Scout's Camping Fund. Thank Greg and Mary for coordinating this project.

Scout's Role in Fund Raising
A question was raised about what is the expectation on the part of the scout to participate in Fund Raising. Scouts have two opportunities to raise money for their individual camping fund: Wreath and plant sales. Other fund raisers may be done to help defray the cost of a high adventure trip (e.g. car washes). Wreath sales: the first two wreaths go to the Troop and the remainder goes into the scouts camping fund. With the plant sale, the Troop gets 10 % of net sales and the remainder goes to the scout's camping fund. The camping fund can be used for scout camping trips or equipment purchase. The reason for fund raising was identified in the following points:

1. Defray the camping costs during the year. On average, camping will range in cost between $755-1255 depending which camping activities the scout participates. Camping fees summarized: $175 Many Point: which is the main scout camp held each summer. Scouts should plan on this trip. $130 Ski Weekend $300-800 High Adventure $150 Monthly Camping Trips (Roughly $10-15 per monthly for food and gas).
2. Support the Troop and give back to the organization
3. For the learning experience and the skills learned from sales and dealing with money. Troop 6 does not require a scout to have a fund raising goal. Scouts can choose to participate in fund raising efforts or should be working with their family on ways to finance the camping trips. With that said- by participating in these fund raising activities is a real simple way to reduce the cost to the family.

Troop 6 Funds
Presently the Troop has $7600 in the bank- however $7800 belongs to the Scout's Camping fund. This represents a $200 shortfall. A meeting was held to discuss the finances of the Troop. Troop 6 has a long history of a quality camping program. The monthly camping experience is one of the strongest ways for scouts to learn many new skills or be a help teach the new skills. 2 objectives were identified in trying to maintain the quality of the camping program.
1. The high quality of the camping program should not be compromised and
2. Money should not be a hindrance for scouts to participate in camping activities. Further discussion centered around changing the way some of camping trips are expensed. Presently, the Lanesboro Trip while well attended- is one of the more expensive - to the Troop. In the past the Troop has paid for the Camping fee as well as the rental of the trailer for the bikes and gear. Using this example if participants shared in the cost of the Lanesboro weekend - it would be only about $10 per person, thus allowing the Troop to use the fund for training, and badges. Parents were in agreement with the change.

New Fund Raiser Idea
Lisa Carver raised a new idea for Troop 6 Fund Raising- Cleaning the animal Barns at the State Fair. Cleaning animal barns can bring fairly quick earned cash. The example was the Horse Barn can yield $1500 dollars /day cleaning the stalls 2 times per day. Parents voted to go ahead to try and get on the list to be a "Barn Cleaner".

Annual Pig Out
This year's annual Troop dinner was held on March 5, 2005 at 5:30, dinner at 6:00 in the Fellowship hall of the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd. A Chinese theme planned. Family and friends were invited to attend.
Note: Total of 78 were present for this year's annual Pig Out. Thank you to the many parents who stepped forward to assist with the preparations for the meal. Thank you Linda Greiling, Lisa Carver, Pat and Steve Liszewski, Patty Malley, Robin Ogden, and Drew Sternal. We heard fantastic reviews about the food and the ambiance. Thank you all for helping make this another successful Pig Out.


Jan. 27- Thurs. - meeting with Pack 46, 7:00 at the church, pick up before 9:00 AM Sat.
Jan. 28 - Fri. - Lock in -sleep over at the church, 7:00, Ralph needs help with this!
Jan. 29 - Sat. - meeting with Pack 193, 11:00 at Armatage School.
Jan. 31 - Mon. - Court of Honor 7:00 at the church - please hand in the Friends of Scouting card.


Feb. 3 - Thurs. -Round table meeting with Council
Feb. 6 - Sun. - Riley Curran's Eagle Scout Ceremony. 3:30 PM. Lutheran Church.
Feb. 7 - Mon. - Swimming. Meet at the church at 6:45 PM.
Feb. 9 - Wed. - PLC. Meet at Greiling's at 7:00 PM.
Feb. 11 - Fri. - Pack 46 Crossover at Lake Harriet United Methodist Church. 49th and Chowen. 6:00 PM.
Feb. 13 - Sun. - Scout Sunday. Be in uniform at either church service. 8:15 or 10:45. This is mandatory attendance for all Troop 6 scouts!
Feb. 14 - Mon. - Regular meeting at the church. 7:00. In uniform.
Feb. 17 - Thurs. - High Adventure Planning meeting. 7:00.
Feb. 19-21 - Sat.-Mon. - Giant's Ridge Ski Trip. Meet at the church at 7:00 AM. We need drivers!!
Feb. 21 - No Monday meeting.
Feb. 28 - Mon. - "Pandemonium at Pershing." Also Parent's Meeting in the community building at Pershing Park.Scouts will play snow Frisbee and football.

The Troop 6 Parent Meeting was held on Jan. 24th with 6 families and five of our adult leadership in attendance. Greg Gruenhagen led the meeting for the troop chairman, Jack Goodnow. The next parent meeting will be on Mon. Feb. 28th, 7:00 at the Pershing Park Community building. The scouts will be playing snow football and snow Frisbee in the park.

OLD BUSINESS

Scoutmaster Ralph and the scouts have been working in the month of January on the Emergency Preparedness Merit badge. This is a requirement for the Eagle Scout rank. On Sunday night, Jan. 23rd, a dozen scouts went through a drill at Weber Park. Ralph placed two "dummies" in the forested area and the scouts had to find the "lost" hikers, assess the situation, give appropriate first aid treatment (hypothermia and injured ankle) and carry them out of the woods. An Officer with the Edina Police Department spoke with the scouts after the drill on how the police handle search and rescue operations. The next steps in finishing the merit badge will be in contacting a counselor and setting up the appointments. The boys did a fine rescue job on a cold night!

The Giant's Ridge ski weekend in Biwabik, MN. is Feb. 19, 20&21st. We meet at the church on Sat. morning at 7:30 a.m. If you plan on going to Giant's Ridge you must contact Jack Goodnow. WE need an accurate head count for the lodge and transportation. Feb. 1st is the absolute final head count. The itinerary is as follows: on our way up we make a quick stop in Moose Lake for fuel, another stop in Virginia for lunch and check in at Giant's Ridge early afternoon. We hit the slopes until dinner, which is provided by the lodge. We have breakfast at the lodge on Sat. and make our own lunch and dinner (sandwiches and order pizza). On Monday we'll have breakfast at the lodge and then head back to Mpls. with a stop in Cloquet(?) for lunch. We will arrive back in Mpls. mid afternoon. All scouts must have money for the two lunches on the road. All scouts must pay $5.00 for gas to the driver they're riding with. Cost for lodging, the meals at Giant's Ridge and the lift ticket is around $130.00. There will be additional costs for rental equipment.

NEW BUSINESS

Jon Carver, Troop 6 camping coordinator, needs the 2005 medical forms to be filled out and turned in a.s.a.p. These will be mailed to you. We especially need the updated forms for all of those attending the Giant's Ridge ski trip.

Dave Brashear, troop treasurer, reports that $5720.59 went into camp funds from sales of wreaths. The troop account stands at $210.00. We desperately need to raise funds. The plant sale in May will produce 10% of sales to the Troop. More info on this fundraiser is listed below. Troop 6 acknowledges the years of volunteer service that Dave Brashear has given to the treasurer position. Greg Gruenhagen is taking this job from Dave. Thank you Dave!

High Adventure 2005 The Troop has decided to postpone the Alaska High Adventure until 2006 because of cost and planning deadlines. This expensive trip requires serious fundraising efforts. The alternative High Adventure trip will be canoeing in Canada. There will be a planning meeting at the church on Thurs. Feb.17th, 7:00. We need to obtain permits and this will depend on how many are participating. This meeting is mandatory if you are planning on attending this High Adventure trip.

Tsunami Relief Fund Drive was discussed in an effort to remind our scouts of communal giving and what it means to be global citizens. Discussion at the meeting stated our local food shelves are also suffering - due to people donating to Tsunami relief. There was also reluctance to send our boys out to neighbors and relatives asking for another type of fundraising money. An agreement to wait and do a group relief drive in May was decided. Lisa Carver will lead this effort with the scouts.

Scoutmaster Ralph is asking all scouts to shovel out your neighborhood fire hydrant! (And do a few more blocks too)

Plant Sales are important this year because of our low bank account. Last year the Troop made $790.00 that was generated on scouts selling plants. We encourage all scouts to sell. Greg and Mary Gruenhagen will lead this fundraiser for another year. They will hand out the plant packets to the scouts in mid-Feb. with orders due back mid- March. Plants are delivered the weekend before Mother's Day. There was discussion on if we could do a street plant sale - or take orders from members of Good Shepherd. More details later!

Scout Sunday on Sunday Feb.13th, is an annual tradition for Troop 6 to show our appreciation to The Church of the Good Shepherd by attending one of two of their Sunday services. Full uniform, pressed with neckerchief is required. Please meet at 8:15 for the 8:30 service or 10:45 for the 11:00 service.

Other bits of info:

· Eagle Scout Ben Greiling has applied to the National Council for an opportunity to go to Antarctica and study for 6 months. This honor is given to one Eagle Scout each year - good luck Ben!
· Assistant Scoutmaster Maureen Myhre has made straight A's with her nursing program last semester. Congrats Maureen!
· We encourage the scouts to write to our web site with thoughts on scouting, camping, etc. We also want to post a Troop 6 wish list on new or used items that people may want to donate to us.
· Matt Liddy, a Troop 6 Eagle Scout from the 1990's, is our new charter organization representative.


The Troop 6 PARENT MEETING was held on Monday, Dec. 20th with 12 families represented and five of the adult leadership. After the meeting the scouts and parents enjoyed a holiday celebration with cookies and cider. The next parent meeting will be on Mon. Jan. 24th, 7:00. Registration for scouts and adult leaders begins in January. All scouts have to reregister every year. Please notify John Rowell by e-mail at rowellje@hotmail.com

OLD BUSINESS

The Community service project at Cabrini house was attended by 9 of our scouts on 12/19. The 9th annual caroling at the York Senior High-rise on 12/6 was also well attended. Bravo to Michael Nelson and his brothers for performing a trio of musical talent! 62 residents enjoyed the boys' presentation.

Camping feedback for the Dec. trip to Camp Gronholm/smoky cabin (in Elk River) had pleasant weather and was enjoyed by 13 scouts and three adult leaders. A project was started to clear a section of overgrown brush and trees to make a pathway/road. This project continued with an overnight by several scouts and Ralph on 12/21 and again on 12/28.

Please remember our Troop policy that states if the scout has committed to attend a camp out but ends up not going, he is still obligated to pay for his portion of food.

Immediately after the December campout Ralph, Riley and Braun thought it would be a great idea to go swimming in Lake Harriet before the ice set in. Rules for the swim included total immersion but said nothing about duration. Weather conditions: partly cloudy, temp: 30 F, high wind with gusts up to 50 MPH and whitecaps on the lake. After coming out of the water (quickly!) a well - bundled man walking his dog asked Ralph, "How was the swim?" Ralph replied, "B-B-B-Brisk!"

Scoutmaster Ralph has a reminder for scouts who are attending meetings without their uniform. The only time a scout is not required to wear the uniform is with a dirty type service project. Wear the uniforms to all scout events, meetings and on the road to campouts.

The December newsletter was e-mailed to half of the 50 people who receive it. This writer would prefer to use e-mail as it saves money in paper, postage and time. Please e-mail me at kylnic4@cs.com with your address if you receive a paper copy in the mail. I will continue to send copies in the mail if that is your preference! Thank you.

NEW BUSINESS

Giant's Ridge ski till ya' drop weekend is coming up on Feb. 19,20 &21. We'll meet at the church early Sat. morning and hit the slopes that afternoon in beautiful Biwabik, MN. We have rooms booked for 40 people. Priority for these slots will go as follows: 1st to scouts, 2nd to families and 3rd to friends of scouts. The estimated price for the weekend - lodging, meals, gas contribution, lift ticket and rental- is between $100.00 and $140.00 - depending on what is rented. We will need an accurate head count a.s.a.p. Please call Jack Goodnow with any questions about this popular Troop 6 tradition!

High Adventure 2005 planning is underway with much discussion on the options that a trip to Alaska will give our scouts and the high costs that such a trip will incur. The idea is to leave in late June and return after the 4th of July making it 10 to 14 days, depending on extra activities. Cost estimates are $1300 - $1400. This price is determined by airline costs ($610-$670) and the type of program that we will choose out of the Northern Lights High Adventure Base, run by the Alaskan Midnight Sun Council. These various programs involve hiking, backpacking and canoeing through beautiful territory outside of Fairbanks. They range in price from $443 to $560. The exact number of scouts and adult leaders who will attend also determines the price. Despite the high cost, many families at the parent meeting were committed to an Alaskan trip in 2005. There was discussion on fundraising and inclusion of any scout who may want to participate but finds the cost prohibitive. Alternative trips were also discussed such as sailing on the Great Lakes. In addition to a High Adventure trip, there was discussion of planning a Midwest trip for Troop 6 to go to the Boundary Waters, canoeing the St. Croix or hiking the North Shore. If you have any questions or would like to help work on the High Adventure Trip, please contact our chairman, Jack Goodnow. We would appreciate feedback from the e-mail survey on preferences for the High Adventure trip. Plans on where to go in the summer must be decided on soon!

Many Point Scout Camp has a contest posted. A scout can win a free week at camp by having his design chosen for the official 2005 camp patch. Ask Ralph for requirements!


January theme: Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge

Mon. Jan 3rd Troop meeting, 7:00. Emergency Preparedness.
Mon. Jan. 10th Troop meeting, 7:00
Wed. Jan. 12th PLC meeting at Ralph's, 7:00 Fri - Sun. Jan 14th - 16th camp out week-end at Elm Creek Park
Mon. Jan.17th Troop meeting, 7:00
Tues. Jan. 18th Loaves and Fishes - Fox and Raven patrol, meet at Ralph's 4:45
Sat. Jan. 22nd Cub Scout urban orienteering - information to be announced
Mon. Jan.24th Parent meeting and Troop meeting, 7:00
Fri. Jan. 28th lock in -sleep over at the church, 7:00, Ralph needs help with this!
Mon. Jan. 31st Court of Honor 7:00


The Troop 6 PARENT MEETING was held on 11/29/04 with 8 families represented and 4 of the adult leadership. This parent meeting is part of the troop committee and meets on the fourth Monday of each month during the regular scout meeting from 7 - 8:30 PM at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd. The schedule will change this month for the holiday season. The NEXT PARENT MEETING will be on Monday, Dec. 20th. All parents/ guardians of Troop 6 scouts are encouraged to attend these meetings and participate in the troop activities. Troop 6 is a boy-run organization and they decide on their programming, etc.

Old Business

The wreath and swag sale fundraiser is finished with a grand total of $6028.00 in gross sales. All of the scouts participated as a way to help pay for extra troop activities such as Giant's Ridge ski trip, Camp Many Point and the High Adventure trip. We had two top sellers this year - A.J. Holland and Chris Goodnow each sold around $1000.00. The wreath money is due now from all the scouts. Thank you to Pat Curran for his work in this important fundraiser.

The campout at Camp Phillipo in Canon Falls was highlighted by good weather. The scouts built wilderness shelters that they slept in. The Indian Head Council of St. Paul owns this camp and it was a first visit for Troop 6.

Congrats to A.J. Holland and family for the lovely Eagle ceremony last month. Congrats to Riley Curran for completing his board of review for Eagle rank!

New Business

Giant's Ridge Ski Trip is planned for president's weekend in February. We'll leave on Sat. morning (we carpool) and get to Biwabik by early afternoon in order to hit the slopes! Return time to Mpls. is mid afternoon on Monday. Cost is around $130.00 - this includes lodging, lift ticket and food - not rental of gear. Troop 6 chairman, Jack Goodnow, needs a head count by early January of those that will attend. This is a great family weekend - please plan on joining us!

Greg Gruenhagen has agreed to take on the treasurer position for Troop 6. Many thanks to Greg and Dave Brashear for this volunteer work.

Twenty Webelos from packs 46 and 193 attended a troop meeting in November. Our scouts helped them fulfill their first aid requirements for the readyman pin. These Webelos are invited to join us on our camping event in December to Camp Gronholm and are also welcome to attend our Court of Honor ceremony on Mon. Jan. 31st.

Fundraising for the troop activities is important. This helps subsidize our activities to a reasonable cost. We heard of a lucrative moneymaker bagging groceries at Cub Foods before the holidays. We need a good turn out from the scouts to make a visible presence. There is a tentative date of Sat. 18th - your PLC will give you details.

Thurs. Dec. 2nd - District round table meeting - call Ralph if you are interested in going.

Mon. Dec. 6th - Caroling at the senior high rise 7151 York Ave. (across from Yorktown shopping center). We sing holiday songs in the atrium for the residents. Bring instruments and family!! Let's have a big group attend for this annual event! Community service hours are also given! Meet at the church, 6:45.

Wed. Dec. 8th - PLC meeting.

Fri.-Sun. Dec. 10th-12th - Camping weekend at Camp Gronholm, also know as Smoky Cabin. This is located at Elk River on the Mississippi River and owned by Troop 129. This is the gigantic bonfire weekend! Departure at the church - 6:30 p.m. Fri. Back around noon on Sun. - meet at the bank.

Mon. Dec. 13th - Troop meeting, advancement 1st aid

Sat. Dec. 18th - tentative fundraiser bagging groceries at Cub Foods - your PLC will call you - please attend

Mon. Dec. 20th - A short parent meeting and holiday party. A dozen cookies per family are requested for the potluck holiday celebration.

Mon. Dec. 27th - Troop meeting, advancement 1st aid

Troop 6 scouts (and interested parents) did our annual visit to Cabrini House, a group home for recovering people. This annual Christmas event has taken place for at least 10 years. This year, the scouts baked cookies at Cabrini House for the residents.


Camping Dates

Camping is every month from September to May. Here are the dates for the next trip:

November 12-14 - Camping - Phillipo Indianhead Scout Reservation in Cannon Falls. Be at the church by 6:15.

November Events

11-1 Troop meeting: First Aid advancement.

11-4 Scoutmaster Round Table: this is the first Thurs. of every month; please join Ralph at his house by 7:00 for a ride.

11-8 Meet at the church by 6:50 for a ride to the Archery range in Burnsville. Cost - $5.00

11-10 Special meeting with veterans of WW 2 and Vietnam. We will hear stories from heroes. Meet in the multipurpose room at church, 7:00.

11-12/14 Camping weekend at Phillipo Indianhead Scout Reservation in Cannon Falls. Be at the church by 6:15.

11-15 Troop meeting: a visit from cub scouts. We'll help them pass the readyman pin.

11-16 Loaves and Fishes - Ravens and Fox patrol, all are welcome. Meet at Ralph's, 4:45.

11-21 AJ's Eagle Court of Honor ceremony. St. Richard's, 76th & Penn. 2:00.

11-22 Troop meeting, swimming at Southdale Y.

11-29 Troop meeting, First Aid advancement // parent meeting 7:00 at church.

The last Troop 6 Parent Meeting was held on 10/25 with sixteen people attending. The next parent meeting will be held at the Lutheran Church on Monday, November 29 at 7:00 p.m. This is one week later than our fourth scheduled Monday in order to accommodate for the Thanksgiving holidays.

Old Business

The campout weekend to the Minnesota River Valley State Park outside of Jordan was a great success due to the planning of our scoutmaster, the scouts and their expertise with the various skills. Our scouts showed the Cub Scout visitors 7 different skills that are learned in scouting and had the following "stations" set up in the park; 1. first aid 2. Knife, ax, saw - use and safety 3. knots and lashings 4. tents and tarps 5. handicap awareness/ nature trail 6. Cooking 7. maps and compass. Thanks for the many adult volunteers who helped with the beef stew and joined the boys for weekend camping.

The annual Wreath Sale is in full swing. All orders are due NOW to our wreathmeister, Pat Curran. The pick up for the wreath orders is at the Curran's house, 4226 Grand Ave. S. on Sat. Nov. 20th, 11:00 a.m. Go in the back alleyway. Thank you for the work Pat! Please call him with any questions. Scouts remember that $$$ from your first two wreaths sold will go to Troop 6 to help support camping activities. Last year, wreath sales generated over $5000.00, which went into scout accounts and troop funds.

New Business

High Adventure Trip for summer 2005 was discussed briefly at the parent meeting. It appears that some scouts want to go to Texas (sea base camp?) and some scouts/adult leadership would rather go to Alaska. We need adult leaders and a scout leader to start the process of organizing the trip. A meeting should happen soon. Dates are determined by the availability to the camp and by adult schedules. Please contact our new committee chair, Jack Goodnow, if you can help.

The Biwabik/Giant's Ridge annual, ski 'till you drop weekend is scheduled for Presidents' Weekend, Feb. 19th - 21st. The cost is similar to last year - around $130.00 per person, depending if you are renting equipment. We have booked for 40 people and must give the head count by the beginning of January. This is a great event at a great price and the boys can invite friends or relatives.

Community service at Good Shepherd church is requested. On October 30, we did an annual clean up of leaves and the parking lot. Another community service opportunity for the scouts is Loaves and Fishes, serving a hot meal to the homeless at St. Stevens Church in Minneapolis. Please be at Ralph's by 4:45 on Tues. Nov. 16th to participate.

High Adventure trip for summer 2005 has a question—where to go? Some of the scouts would like to visit the Sea Base camp in Texas and other scout/adults would prefer to go to a B.S.A. camp in Alaska. A planning meeting should be held in November for fact finding, elect a scout leader and choose the location. We also need an adult leader to help coordinate the trip. Dates are determined by what dates the camp has available and when adult leaders can take time to go. There may be age/rank qualifications too for this trip. More info soon!

Welcome to new scout Sam Dengler! Sam is an 8th grader at Lake Harriet Upper Campus. His parents are Claudia Dengler and Alan Saltzman.

Recruitment ideas were briefly discussed with a new idea of asking the church whether they would be willing to sponsor a Cub Scout pack. Dr. Masur said he would contact the church to discuss the idea.

Treasurer's Report

Dave Brashear reported that our fiscal year, Sept. 2003-04, the troop income was $2,873.00. This money was raised through wreath sales, camp fees, contributions, plant sales, car washes and defunct funds. However, we spent $3,360.81 on camp permits, awards, administration costs, recruitment meals and new gear. Dave does not feel our spending was excessive and acknowledges that there are outstanding past fees that he is trying to collect from past trips. Currently our account is $466.46. The wreath sales will boost our account.

Dave is offering to do bulk printing for no cost through his business, One Off C.D. Shop. You can call him or e-mail at DSB@artimex.com

Dave is also asking, after many years of service as our troop treasurer, to find someone who will take over for him by January 1, 2005. Please consider this position as your volunteer opportunity in Troop 6. Dave, we appreciate all of the good work that you've done for Troop 6.

The next newsletter, December 2004, will be e-mailed. This will save postage costs and time for this writer! Please e-mail me, Lisa Carver, at kylnic4@cs.com if you would rather have your newsletter mailed or if you see the wrong address on the roster. You can also read the newsletter at the troop website:
www,workandwellness.com/scouts.htm

John Greiling has misplaced his scout shirt! Please check if there is an extra shirt at your house!

Scoutmaster Ralph is reminding everyone that the boys should wear their scout shirts to every meeting and when traveling on the camping events.

Promotion

Public access to Troop 6 information will take several creative venues. Bob Fellows has the new web site up and welcomes contributions. Just send him an e-mail from the site or to this e-mail address:
scouts@workandwellness.com.

Outreach, or getting the word out to young scouts through community flyers will be distributed in school newsletters, church bulletins, Fulton Welcome Packet and posted on neighborhood information boards. Many Troop 6 parents are working on this. Please call Jack Goodnow and Elizabeth Eaton for the fliers.