http://www.lightlink.com/bbm/barton.html  (camp Barton homepage)

http://www.badenpowellcamps.org/BP health and medication form.pdf  (new medical form - old ones OK) Medical forms due by June court of honor. Physical needed every 3 years, medical release needed every year.

http://www.badenpowellcamps.org/2006brochure.pdf (color brochure for camp)

If you have any questions please contact Mark Tate mark@bigbro.biophys.cornell.edu or call 266-9422 (evenings)

Mark Tate,
Assistant Scoutmaster

New Scouts,

We were delighted to welcome six new scouts, all graduates from Pack 4, to our regular meeting April 10. We had two presentations to the troop, first from John, telling us about his experiences with the Salvation Army. Lots of information in a very nice PowerPoint show - well done John. Our second talk was from Ross Boyer, ex-Army Reservist, Venture Scout advisor and scuba diver. Ross has kindly offered to take patch earning classes for the troop in both scuba and snorkeling and last night he came to tell us about safety and some of the things we need to know. More information can be found in our scuba & snorkel section in the Scouting Resources pages.

Scuba/snorkel event

Get certified and earn a patch: 10 am -1 pm Sat, April 15. Held at Helen Newman Pool, by Beebe Lake on the North Campus of Cornell Univ. Scouts should bring their swim suit and a towel. If you have snorkel equipment, bring that too. Cost is $10 per scout, and scouts must have passed BSA swim test within the last year. If they have not done so, then we can arrange for them to take the test at the Ithaca YMCA on Thursday, April 13, 7:30 - 8:30 pm.

We have only a limited number of slots, so scouts who can participate should call Mrs. Tiwari mari_tiwari@yahoo.com or call 257-4228 by WEDNESDAY APRIL 5 to hold a slot for them. The Venture crew may join us if there is room, so reserve your slot before we give it away.

Memorial Day weekend trip

If you would like to come on the Memorial Day weekend trip please contact either Mari Tiwari mari_tiwari@yahoo.com or call 257-4228, or Steve Lampke slampke1@twcny.rr.com as we are trying to finalize the schedule and make bookings. A harbor cruise, visits to the science museum, Skywalk observatory, Freedom Trail and others are among the activities being planned so it is vital we get the bookings made on time.

Our weekend is currently looking something like the chart below and our costs are expected to be around $105 for adults and children over 13 and around $85 for children under 13. The costs include all activities listed, food and camping. There may be additional costs incurred for parking or public transport. If you wish to spend extra on retail food during the downtown visit then that is at your discretion.

The activity groupings are subject to change by the group taking part and the timings shown are not fixed until the group has decided.

Merit Badges

Our Merit badge coordinator, Rick Grossman, would like to announce a general info session for anyone wishing to take Reading merit badge this year. All those interested should meet at the First Congregational Church next Monday at 7:00pm for half an hour prior to the scout meeting. For more information on this or to discuss any aspect of merit badges, please contact Rick Grossman rdg@tc3.edu or call 277-5556 evenings and weekends.

Beginning at the end of February and running through the Spring, David Kuckuk will be running the Communication Merit badge each Monday from 7:00 until 7:30 at FCC. More details will be coming soon.

Recruitment - 2006 and beyond

Troop 2 is not alone in facing difficulties with maintaining numbers in the face of increasing alternatives to Scouting. Some of our recent events have been incredible experiences for the boys taking part and the value of scouting cannot be overestimated. To ensure that we grow our numbers we are looking for ideas from scouts, parents, troop alumni or anyone else interested in helping. If you know boys between 11 and 18 then talk to them about the troop and see whether they would like to come along and find out what's going on. If your scouts have friends at school then talk to them about overcoming their fears and asking them to come to a meeting - they might just enjoy themselves!  

Upcoming events, March/April

4.10 - Scout Meeting at FCC. First year patrol and Merit badges at 7:00, meeting starts at 7:30

4.15 - Scuba/snorkel activity, Helen Newman pool, contact Mrs. Tiwari or call 257-4228

4.17 - Scout Meeting at FCC. First year patrol and Merit badges at 7:00, meeting starts at 7:30

4.18 - Troop Committee meeting, the library @ FCC, starts 7:30

4.24 - Scout Meeting at FCC. First year patrol and Merit badges at 7:00, meeting starts at 7:30

4.28 - District awards dinner, details to follow

4.29/30 - Campout, details to follow