BALOO

TECUMSEH DISTRICT

E-ROUNDTABLE
Centennial Quality District Emphasis

Posted 8/3/2007
So Much To Do .......
We had many topics to cover last night and time just ran out. So, here's a re-cap:

First, every unit is now being marked as "present" for Roundtables. This helps count towards your individual advancement (leader knots) and for credit in training. Also, next May, we will recognize the best attended units.
Popcorn. It's very encouraging to see the number of units that have kernels and are ready to get started. Under Vicky and her team's leadership, I see a very productive year for your units. Remember the big Kick Off on August 30th at the Welcome center in Portsmouth (former Kenrick's Building on 2nd Street near the Scioto River bridge.) If your unit does not have a kernel, please recruit one right away! Selling popcorn is now required of units and individuals who may request a Campership next year, and to be eligible for free rank and other amenities or perks. Stay informed on the popcorn page at www.campoyo.org.
Samuel Wilson Ware - he left a legacy to the Scioto County Scouts that will continue for many years to come. Read all about Sam and his life of significance at www.campoyo.org and check out the photos there from "Scouting's Sunrise." Sam left us $100,000.00 plus a $10,000.00 gift last year to be used to benefit the Scouts at Camp Oyo.
Membership. Get your boys to start rerouting! Now, before school starts, is the best time to get boys interested. Every Troop. Pack and Crew has a packet put together for them with information on upcoming and ongoing promotions. If you were not present at Roundtable last night, be sure to get your from the Scout Office as soon as you can. The big effort this year is to keep boys in Scouting by helping Webelos find a Troop to commit to right away. This helps them achieve their rank and Arrow Of Light by participating with that troop in meetings and outings. Webelos is an 18 month program total. This Fall Camporee is the FINAL WOW (Webelos Outdoor Weekend) to be held at a Boy Scout Camporee. Beginning in 2008, all future WOW will be during the Cub Family Spring Camporee or a separate WOW event. Please note that Webelos are NOT permitted to come to Okpik in 2008, there will not be a program for them. Webelos are encouraged to go unit camping with their prospective troops as many times as possible, but not Boy Scout Camporees due to program guidelines of the Guide To Safe Scouting.
Unit Commissioners. I have been saying this since last winter. EVERY unit that desires to be a Centennial Quality Unit, MUST have a "Unit Commissioner." We have asked for volunteers, begged and maybe even threatened a time or two, but we're down to the wall. A UC (Code 80 on the leader application) must be a registered scouter in that position only, he or she may not have any other registered role. They may assume other duties in scouting, of course, we all wear several hats, but their primary reason for being registered must be as a Unit Commissioner. So, if your current UC as you know them is registered as a committee member, they are NOT your UC of record. Please contact the office on how to correct this and get up to speed. To be able to sign for your unit, your UC must be trained. That requires them to come to the next Roundtable on the first Thursday of September, 6th.
Charter turn-ins and the soonest you can qualify for Centennial Quality Unit is October 31st.
FIRST STEP: In your packets is the Commitment Form issued last winter. There is still time, fill it out WITH YOUR UNIT COMMISSIONER and get it turned in.
Committee Meeting at Opal's house. We're rollin' on the river on Sunday August 19th. Opal Spears, our renowned District Chairman is hosting our annual meeting. Bring ALL of your committee and spouse and a generous covered dish or two. The fun begins at 2:00, then, after you've eaten and ready for a nap, we'll get to work! We had a great time last year and accomplished much!
For directions, contact Opal at: omspears@hotmail.com 740-352-2570
Free Rank. You gotta jump through hoops now. Your top leaders (Committee Chairman, Cubmaster or Scoutmaster, Assistants, Den Leaders, Advisors etc) must ALL have Youth Protection Training., This has been debated, but the best way is to get your online; You must participate in FOS; You must earn the Centennial Quality Unit award; You must have a membership increase over last year; You must participate in the Popcorn sale which INCLUDES attending the Kick Off (On August 30th in the Tecumseh District); These rules are set by Council. Let's ALL get free rank!!!
Super Saturday and Scoutmaster Basic Training will be Saturday October 20th. Location TBA.This is for all Cub and Boy Scout Leaders, or those who want to be.
Boy Scout Fall Camporee - Nov 2 - 4 - No flier was prepared and no details were announced. We Will have complete information at our next roundtable, or a new plan, either way, we'll let you know. Save the dates and plan on attending at Camp Oyo!!
Silver Bars - November 9-11. This is a GREAT course for all troop members, but especially anyone that is new or below First Class. This is equivalent to TLT (Troop Leadership Training) in a camping/outdoor setting, but is geared to show young Scouts how the troop is supposed to be run. TLT in your unit is meant to directly instruct the SPL, who then trains his staff, under the guidance of the Scoutmaster. See details (soon) at www.campoyo.org.

Tour Permits: Are needed in order for unit insurance to be in place. No Tour Permit, No Coverage. There is a new policy that is effective NOW. You must turn in the Tour Permit WITHIN TWO WEEKS of your event. All signatures must be in place and vehicle insurance information must be on the form or attached to it. (Tour permits are not required for district or council events within council; but are required for any out of council trips.)

Check out the World Jamboree at http://eng.thejamboree.org/

MISSION: CHARACTER - The 2008 Friends Of Scouting theme has us excited about the upcoming year and the possibilities to secure the needed funding to provide a quality program in our district and council.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:
Scouting Magazine is sent to all registered leaders. Here are some program guides of issues that can help you plan your program: Scouting Magazine

From Scouting magazine, October 1950
Within My Power
I am not a Very Important Man, as importance is commonly rated. I do not have great wealth, control a big business, or occupy a position of great honor or authority.
,br> Yet I may someday mold destiny. For it is within my power to become the most important man in the world in the life of a boy. And every boy is a potential atom bomb in human history.

A humble citizen like myself might have been the Scoutmaster of a Troop in which an undersized unhappy Austrian lad by the name of Adolph might have found a joyous boyhood, full of the ideals of brotherhood, goodwill, and kindness. And the world would have been different.

A humble citizen like myself might have been the organizer of a Scout Troop in which a Russian boy called Joe might have learned the lessons of democratic cooperation. These men would never have known that they had averted world tragedy, yet actually they would have been among the most important men who ever lived.

All about me are boys. They are the makers of history, the builders of tomorrow. If I can have some part in guiding them up the trails of Scouting, on to the high road of noble character and constructive citizenship, I may prove to be the most important man in their lives, the most important man in my community.

A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove. But the world may be different, because I was important in the life of a boy.
Forest Witcraft

Posted 7/19/2007
What Is "Active?"!
For some reason, the "ACTIVE" part of a Scoutmaster's Conference is getting some national attention on my reference web sites. As we are all still getting used to the new NYLT courses, which replaced the older, better (i did not just say that) JLT course

Ironically, some folks locally have questioned how a Scout that they barely see, gets promoted, gets voted into the OA or shows up every now and then and is treated like a regular Scout. Those that question other Scouts or the intentions of a leader need to take a closer look at the Scout Law and "Scout Spirit." And, in fairness, we'll once again take on this topic of "being active."

What's ACTIVE All About?
Troop problems are not solved by punishing Scouts.

Scouting is a volunteer movement. The primary volunteers are the youths themselves, and we adults who have chosen to serve them serve at their pleasure. Our responsibility is to deliver the Scouting program, as written, to the very best of our abilities, always seeking to improve and enhance our delivery. Although, to borrow an oft-used quote, 80 percent of success in life is the result of showing up, it is in no way mandatory that a youth do so, in Scouting. It is often said that Scouts vote with their feet, and they will walk away from a Scouting unit that under-delivers or mis-delivers the Scouting program as described to them in their Handbook. Exit interviews with youth who have disengaged from Boy Scouting in particular reveal that the majority have done so because the unit they joined either under-delivered or mis-delivered what they were told they'd be getting, per descriptions of how their troop and patrol would be functioning, the roles of their fellows Scout elected and appointed leaders and Scoutmaster, and so on, in their Boy Scout Handbook.

(From "Ask Andy") In the past six years of writing this column, a significant number of the questions asked by Scouters, parents, and Scouts themselves, relate to advancement, and within this arena, asking about the term, active (as in Be Active in your troop or patrol ), comes up regularly. Unfortunately, what also comes up frequently is the contesting of the BSA's intention in this regard, including attempts to justify denying rank advancement to a Scout who hasn't, according to some misguided if not pugnaciously mis-delivering bunch of adults, met their artificial, arbitrary, and prohibited by policy rubrics for active.
In the advancement arena, one of the BSA's most practical, intelligent, realistic, compassionate, and youth-sensitive decisions was to not attach percentages, numerics, or any other sorts of rubrics to the term active. Instead, the underlying principle of active is simply Do Your Best. In the same arena, one of the biggest mistakes a troop can make is to attempt to make up their own rules for this, and, further, to fail to understand that active extends well beyond mere troop and/or patrol meetings and outings. You'll see why in just a few moments.

Let's look in on a board of review for an Eagle candidate who up until now has concluded that he's completed all requirements for the rank. We'll look in on a pretty much average Scout, in a troop that mostly (but not entirely) understands how they're supposed to be delivering the Scouting program (their Achilles Heel is their misunderstanding and subsequent mis-use of the active requirement).

As a Life Scout on the cusp of Eagle, this young man is about 16 years old, and has been a Scout for about five years. In this time, advancing through the ranks of Tenderfoot through Life and on to completing the requirements for Eagle, he's taken at least one camping trip for Tenderfoot, participated in no less than five non-meeting activities for Second Class, then ten more for First Class, then at least six hours of non-meeting service time for Star and another six for Life, and then perhaps as many as 100 or more for his own Eagle leadership service project. In addition, in the earning of no less than 21 merit badges, he's met with his Scoutmaster an equal number of times to secure signed merit badge applications, plus up to another 21 times turning in his blue card stubs for recording. In the course of earning these merit badges, he's met with his merit badge counselors at least four to six times per badge (almost none can be earned in single meetings), for a total of, on average, over 100 non-troop meeting-related meetings, plus his hours spent independently to fulfill the requirements of these merit badges. Moreover, in the course of earning the twelve required merit badges, he's at a minimum done these things: Attended two town council or school board or court sessions, interviewed a government employee or elected official, carried out eight hours of non-Scouting related service, prepared and delivered a public presentation and a public speech, visited a national landmark, toured a state or the US capitol, toured a federal facility, participated in an international event, written an issue-based letter to an elected official and another one to a news media editor, planned and conducted a personal interview, planned and led a troop court of honor or campfire, had both a physical and a dental examination, carried out a comparison-shopping trip, participated in two family meetings, carried out an emergency service project and participated in a troop mobilization, visited an environmental study site on atleast four separate occasions, camped overnight for at least 20 days and nights, and either taken six hikes covering a total of 70 miles or seven cycling trips covering 150 miles. This is, of course, to say nothing about his activities in pursuit of the remaining nine merit badges he needs for Eagle. He's likely gone to summer camp between three and five times, accounting for, on average, another 30 or so days and nights. As an elected or appointed youth leader in the troop for a minimum of 16 months, he's both led his patrol and/or troop and met with his Scoutmaster on numerous occasions for the junior leader training that is the mandate of all Scoutmasters to provide. He's had no less than six Scoutmaster Conferences, in which expectations for his advancement, involvement, and leadership, among other non-Scouting topics, have been discussed. He's also participated in five boards of review, with similar discussions ensuing.
,br> As we re observing him in his board of review for Eagle, we know, from the procedures described in various authoritative BSA literature, that had this Scout fallen short of BSA standards in some way, this would have been revealed either through any of his six Scoutmaster Conferences or his five boards of review, or in his junior leader training conferences with his Scoutmaster, and he thereupon would have received a written description of the shortcoming(s), instructions for correction, and a time line for successful conclusion. Receiving none, he would naturally have no reason to believe he his falling short in any way.

Now if Eagle Scouts have one thing in common, it is that they re not just involved in Scouting; they're involved in many things. In addition to their Scouting activities, Eagle candidates are likely to be seriously involved in their religious institution and its youth group, at least one if not several sports programs, school clubs such as debate or mathematics or language or chess and so on, service clubs such as Rotary International's Interact Clubs for high school students, student government, and the list goes on and on, in a variety of combinations, so that Scouting represents hardly the whole of their non-academic away-from-home lives.

From these perspectives, let's now return to our average candidate, as he's conversing with the members of his board of review for Eagle. Here, he now discovers that his l evel of activity as a Scout is being called into question, despite all of the foregoing. He's told that, in the estimation of the board members, he hasn't been active enough to qualify for the rank of Eagle. He's shocked. He's well aware of the multiple and multifaceted activities he's carried out in pursuit of the Eagle rank. He's even more shocked when it registers with him that there have been no less than eleven prior opportunities for his Scoutmaster and the troop's committee to bring up this subject, and that hasn't happened.

The troop has, in fact, failed him.

So, as a Scoutmaster of some 14 years and three National Jamborees, Wood Badge Staffer, Youth Leadership courses and many attempts to "get it right," I am going back to the drawing board.

Now that we Scoutmasters are to conduct the new "TLT" (Troop Leadership Training) I see that obligations and definitions are to be taught Scouts hoping for a POR to advance in ranks. Our troop leadership (TLT) guidelines, which have been finely tuned, do require attendance and performance. This is being done as a method to help scouts understand responsibility. They are, however, only guidelines. As I do not expect any two boys to have the same physical abilities, I do not expect any two boys to have similar leadership ability or popularity, so I will now vow to help those that are not popular, those that are not skilled and those that have no family to support them. Every scout in my troop gets a chance and every scout, regardless of outcome, will know how he has done. He will know his strengths and weaknesses and know how to get help to improve himself, to the best of his ability.

What I will not consider are the scouts that are not trying, cannot be trusted and are not willing to follow other scouts' leadership when it is their turn to lead. They have a decision to make.

You must know how to follow in order to lead.

Posted 7/19/2007
Day Camp at Oyo was a "shining" tribute!
The Military was the theme for our "Sea to Shining Sea" Cub Day Camp at Oyo. Laura Davis and Jenny Goddard put on a terrific camp that everyone loved. Well, ok, the Sunday "shower" soaked everybody and the lightning made us take shelter, then we had no power, but, besides that......it was GRRRRREAT! The Webelos overnighter was a hit, as well. We hardly missed not having a pool! US Army recruiter Kirkendall paid us a visit and we played with water, on the slides, games, BBs, sling shots, arrows, crafts, rain gutter regatta.....whew! I can't wait until next year!

Planning to be announced
We expect to hear the plans for the Tecumseh District Halloween Camp at the Roundtable Thursday, August 2nd, as well as the Boy Scout Fall Camporee theme and plan. This was promised back in May and June and we know the folks who are running these events have been working hard to bring us flyers and news about our next upcoming District events!

Just what is "active?"
Here's a topic that often comes up, and is left solely to the Scoutmaster to determine. "Active." This one word carries big weight when older scouts go before a Scoutmaster's Conference. Here is what a National BSA website says: National does not define what active unit involvement is. It is important to use your best judgment and common sense to help meet the boys’ and your unit’s needs. A Scout who earns the Life rank at 15, is active for 6 months, and then comes back over a year later has already completed the requirement. As long as he stayed registered, he has already completed that requirement and the 6 months does not have to be consecutive. The Director of Advancement for the Boy Scout Division at National says that the way to really determine active unit involvement is through any Scoutmaster conference. Talk about outside activities and what else is going on in his life. Unit leaders should talk with Scouts who are so challenged, and mutually come to agreement on their understanding of the term “active” long before it becomes an issue for the Eagle candidate. Being active does not necessarily mean attending all meetings and outingsthere are other things Scouts can do to actively support the troop. Don't Close The Box. Use the Scouts to the best of their ability. Scout Spirit, which is defined as living the Scout Oath and Law in a Scout’s everyday life is most important outside of Scouting, because we see them at our regular meetings, etc. Where does it say in any BSA publication about a 75% troop meeting attendance requirement? By a troop adding an attendance requirement is considered ADDING requirements and nowhere in the definition of Scout Spirit does it say how much participation a Scout has to have. If there is an appeal and it says the boy only attended 50% of meetings, etc, etc, the boy will win. A unit cannot set active percentages.

(At my home Troop 12, we have a "Leading The Way" pamphlet that defines the obligations of all Positions Of Responsibility. It does mention (75%) or higher attendance requirement for a POR. The POR is not a rank, and therefore is not subject to the "nothing added, nothing subtracted" advancement rule. It is a guideline, for a troop cannot run effectively or efficiently if it's leaders are not committed enough to show up a majority of the time to run it properly. This is on www.campoyo.org as a pdf file.)

Here's more on the topic from my friend "Ask Andy:"
Many Troops try to deal with this particular issue, in various ways some are good, some bad, and some rrrrrrrreally ugly! Here are my own thoughts on this topic.

It's dangerous, usually pretty darned illegal, and ultimately frustratingly fruitless for a Troop to try to create rules for the "be active..." rank requirement. More often than not, they have to bypass the rules they've made again and again because each situation is going to be unique.
,br> Just to show you what I mean, let's say that a Troop has a rule of 50% attendance at any combination of Troop meetings, outings and campouts. Pretty lenient, right? Now let's put a Scout in the hospital for four of the six months between Star and Life ranks, and let's also say that he attended 100% of all Troop meetings and activities before he was hospitalized. No way can he meet the 50% rule! But also no way are you going to deny him the rank advancement, if he has everything else done, right? You bet! Why? Because (remember the Cub Scout Motto It still applies!) he did his best. So to recognize his very best efforts, which falls short of that arbitrary rule you made up, you ignore that rule in favor of Scout effort and Scout Spirit and you know you've done the right thing!

Or, how about the Scout that, because he was selected for the annual "Scouting Report to the Governor," missed the one Troop activity that would have put him over 50% and he comes in at 49%. What will you do? You'll advance him to the next rank, of course!

How about the Scout who's the MVP of his high school basketball team, and they're in the division finals, playing every other night, for weeks? Are you really going to "ding" him? Of course not!

So, "rules" don't work. That's why some pretty wise folks in the BSA's national office, many years ago, didn't themselves write some set of rules on this. They realized that no set of rules would work. Honor their wisdom. Don't try to "fix" what really isn't broken at all!

Now, let's talk a little about the specific "problem" you've referred to That of a Scout who, has achieved a high rank, or other requirements accomplished, just isn't showing up. My first question would be this: What happened to your Scoutmaster's Conferences? They don't happen just when advancing ranks, you know. They happen all the time, and at least monthly. So, when a Scout starts not showing up for Troop meetings and other events, that's a perfect time for a Scoutmaster's Conference, to find out what's going on in the Scout's life that this is happening. In other words, waiting till the proverbial eleventh hour and then realizing that you have an "absentee Scout" who is otherwise ready to advance is definitely not the way to go! So, if this has been going on for four months (First Class to Star) or six months (Star to Life) and your adult leaders haven't done anything about this, shame on them; not the Scout! Should you penalize your older Eagle Scouts who are staying in for other goals, such as camporees or Jamborees? Look at their overall records, and what they are now doing to REPRESENT Scouting and your troop. What a GREAT good-will ambassador! It's always good to hear "Eagle Scout" when reading a young man's accomplishments. Give him a lesser task of appearing when he can, and working with younger scouts. They'll be in awe and respect for this older Eagle Scout who takes time to teach them a skill!

Finally, what does "seldom" mean and why is it happening? Scouts, as I'm sure you know, "vote with their feet." If meetings are dull and boring, or community service days don't include some recreation, fellowship, and FOOD, too, why the heck should they show up? Because you said so? Nope. That's not why boys show up. They show up because what they're going to do is FUN (fun-with-a-purpose, but don't tell 'em that!).

If this does not suit you, you can write and suggest changes:
Boy Scouts of America
1325 West Walnut Hill Lane
P.O. Box 152079
Irving, TX 75015-2079

Posted 6/29/2007
SCOUT ALL-STARS!
Do you know what the difference between a baseball All-Star an a Scouting All-Star is?

Scouting doesn't take a break. As we celebrate our nation's birthday, and the significance of the 50 star flag, we live every day to do our best to follow the Scout Oath and Law. And there is another big difference.

While only the best of baseball can be called an All-Star, leaving behind all other payers, EVERY Scout and Scouter is an All-Star, every day they live the Scout Oath and Law.

How often, we need to ask ourselves, do we say to the Scouts in our care, “Go do this or that and you'll get ‘service hours’.” How often do we split hairs over what sort of project is “worthy” of service hour credit.

How often is the incentive we propose to the Scouts we’re trying to mold into responsible, contributing citizens something-for-something, quid-pro-quo, if you already have your service hours you needn't show up.

How often, conversely, do we set the example that the reward at the end of the day may not be service hours at all. It might, instead, be an inner feeling of accomplishment, or perhaps the simple knowing that someone else is now better off than they were before we did what we did.

I know, it's a hard-sell to many "too busy" scouts and their parents and families. I remember being with a significant friend and for some reason, I picked up a broom. I swept the sidewalks, then the garage then went to the roof and swept off leaves from the fall, then cleaned gutters and all of a sudden, I realized I had lost focus of my friend. I looked over the side and there she was, with a hose, cleaning.

At the end of the day, we looked at each other and said almost simultaneously, "that was a productive day." It was not even in our plans, and it gave way to achy muscles, but it sure felt good.

It’s time to re-evaluate ourselves and our leadership messages about service. How do we equivocate between “do this and get service hours” and “help other people at all times.”

Scouting is a volunteer movement. The primary volunteers are the youths themselves, and we adults who have chosen to serve them serve at their pleasure. Our responsibility is to deliver the Scouting program, as written, to the very best of our abilities, always seeking to improve and enhance our delivery. Although, to borrow an oft-used quote, 80 percent of success in life is the result of showing up, it is in no way mandatory that a youth do so, in Scouting. It is often said that “Scouts ‘vote’ with their feet,” and they will walk away from a Scouting unit that under-delivers or mis-delivers the Scouting program as described to them in their Handbook. Exit interviews with youth who have disengaged from Boy Scouting in particular reveal that the majority have done so because the unit they joined either under-delivered or mis-delivered what they were told they’d be getting, per descriptions of how their troop and patrol would be functioning, the roles of their fellows Scout elected and appointed leaders and Scoutmaster, and so on, in their Boy Scout Handbook.

YIKES! Maybe we leaders (me included) need to open the same book we tell the boys to read, and read it ourselves. I'm getting mine out this weekend and read it before one of my guys catches me on some issue. Which be just fine, I suppose.

Scouts can be "active" and still play sports, so don't get me wrong, here.

In the advancement arena, one of the BSA’s most practical, intelligent, realistic, compassionate, and youth-sensitive decisions was to not attach percentages, numerics, or any other sorts of rubrics to the term “active.” Instead, the underlying principle of “active” is simply “Do Your Best.” In the same arena, one of the biggest mistakes a troop can make is to attempt to make up their own “rules” for this, and, further, to fail to understand that “active” extends well beyond mere troop and/or patrol meetings and outings.

Keep up the great work you are doing for the boys. Get more parents and adults involved. Get more training and plan now to attend more Roundtables this fall, beginning August 2nd. The FIRST Thursday of each month!

Parents need to be more involved
Every scout leader knows that this scouting game is not a one-man (or woman) show.

Look at any youth activity your son is involved in, and you'll see several parents involved doing other things, from food, snacks, driving, fundraising and all those little details that the adult leader or coach cannot (and often will not) do on their own. Scout leaders are more giving of their time. It is not the fabled "only one hour a week" commitment that we used to be recruited with. We understand now to do a more effective job in raising our youth, and that is what this is all about, we need to encourage more parental involvement. This begins with parents becoming better informed.

Go to Scoutparents.org and register or log-in. Let me know if you find anything interesting WE should be talking about.

Troop Planning Resources
The following is a list of suggested themes for the Boy Scout Program. These themes will be supported by articles in your Boys' Life Magazine and monthly program features are provided in Troop Program Features.

June 2007 - Special Cooking
July 2007 - Backpacking
August 2007 - Aquatics
September 2007 - Fishing
October 2007 - Athletics
November 2007 - Science
December 2007 - Cooking
January 2008 - Wilderness Survival (OKPIK theme - Brrrrrrrrrr - wear those shorts!)
February 2008 - Communications
March 2008 - Pioneering
April 2008 - Environment
May 2008 - Orienteering
June 2008 - Mechanics
July 2008 - Hiking
August 2008 - Shooting
September 2008 - Sports
October 2008 - Engineering
November 2008 - High Adventure
December 2008 - Tracking

Reconnect with Scouting
Have a friend that has moved, new to the area, used to be in Scouting and is interested in coming back? Go here: Reconnect With Scouting.

Posted 5/17/2007
TIGER HUNT!
Bring your success stories or what you have planned. This is the month to get into the schools at Kindergarten and recruit new TIGER dens! Regardless of age, when a boy completes Kindergarten, he and his parents can officially join the Cub Scouts! Recruit your new Den Leaders and get them on board for a great ease-into Cub Scouting summer and they'll be locked and loaded for the fall!

Don't forget the Memorial Day Parade!
In your community, or join us at the Portsmouth parade, Monday May 28th. Begin forming at 9:00 at the 10th Street side of Tracy Park. (Look for the flags.) Bring your unit flags, too. The parade kicks off at 10:00 and goes south on Chillicothe Street, then east on Gallia Street to Offnere, then north on Offnere to Greenlawn Cemetery. Free ice cream certificates for the Malt Shoppe will be given to all that participate in the Portsmouth parade! There is no better way to teach citizenship to your boys, patriotic pride and the thrill of being in a parade!

Eagle Invitation
Stephen and Loretta Harvey proudly invite you to attend the Eagle Scout Court of Honor conducted by Troop12 of Portsmouth as they formally bestow the rank of Eagle Scout upon their son, Matthew Ryan Woolum.
The ceremony will be held on Sunday May 20, 2007
at Cornerstone Methodist Church, 9thh at Offnere Streets, Portsmouth, Ohio.
Ceremony begins at 2 p.m.Reception to follow.
RSVP Loretta Harvey
by May 19, 2007 or call 740-776-0406

Visiting Portsmouth
or coming to Camp Oyo soon?
Check here first for resources ............