The Fifth Annual Chess Merit Badge Day hosted by Tall Grass District will be held on February 15, 2016, at American Legion Post 80, 4000 Saratoga, Downers Grove, IL 60515. This event is open to all interested Boy Scouts. Offered will be chess instruction and play to earn the Chess Merit Badge. For those who have already earned the merit badge, tournament play will be offered.

More information is available here: 2016 Chess Merit Badge Day 160215. The cost of $15.00 includes pizza, drink and patch.

Please direct questions to: Rich Busch at rebjr3@aol.com

The Pav Y will be offering classes for the Swimming and Lifesaving Merit Badges.
Swimming M 3/7 6-9p BSA16 #02106-60 $20
Lifesaving W 3/9 6-9p BSA16 #02106-61 $20

Contact the PAV Y to register.

Correction: The e-mail address for the Pancake Breakfast should be pancakes@troop24riverside.com (pancakes plural, rather than pancake).

Pack 24 still has two openings for boy scouts to assist with the Pinewood Derby on January 30. One scout is needed at 2:15 and another at 3:00. More information is available here:
http://troop24riverside.com/2016/01/pinewood-derby-help-needed-1-30-15/

Parents and friends of Troop 24: Each year for the pancake breakfast, we solicit local businesses for support by selling ads on the placemats we use at the breakfast. If you have a local business and would like to support us, our have friends or family who own or manage a local business, or are willing to help out to recruit new businesses, please contact Rich Hosek at pancakes@troop24riverside.com for information, posters, sample placemats and donation forms.

The annual Scout Pancake Breakfast is Saturday, March 5. Although we don’t know exactly how long the scouts have held the Pancake Breakfast, there is mention of it in the RPC Annual Report for 1961. The Pancake Breakfast is the Troop’s major fundraiser. Our Pancake Breakfast Chairs this year are Rich Hosek and Nina Henderson.

Pancake breakfast tickets will be distributed at this week’s troop meeting. If you cannot attend the meeting, please have someone pick up the tickets for you, or contact Nina Henderson to arrange to pick them up from her. Each packet contains 15 tickets. Each registered scout is required to sell all 15 tickets and to return the $75 by Thursday, February 25. The payment may be made in cash, checks, or a combination. All checks should be made out to “Boy Scout Troop 24”. The payments can be dropped off at a Troop meeting, or to Nina Henderson.

Each scout will also be required to work a shift at the breakfast which is on Saturday, March 5, or at the set-up night Thursday, March 3, if there is an unavoidable conflict for Saturday. If your scout has a conflict for a particular time on Saturday, or if he can only work Thursday, please contact us at pancakes@troop24riverside.com with the details and we will do our best to schedule around it.

Thank you all for your support of our main troop fundraiser. The pancake breakfast funds are used for all troop equipment purchases and other general troop expenses throughout the year.

The Boy Scout Troop 24 “Lost Patrol” lead by PL Aidan F. and APL Zach J. entered the Voyageur Trace 2016 Klondike Derby at Bemis Woods on January 23 untested but confident in their scout skills. The Patrol started slow on a cold and beautiful winter day but had strong showings at the log toss, lashings, hatchet throw and fire starter skill tests. The Patrol yell “Where Are We?!?!” rallied the scouts and bolstered their morale as they progressed through the morning. By lunch, they were working as a cohesive unit heading into the Iditarod Race. A mile-long slog through snow, ice, grass and mud was arduous but the Patrol held their own. When all the scores were tallied and the last patrols crossed the finish line, your Troop 24 “Lost Patrol” was crowned the La Grange Valley Council 2016 Klondike Derby Champions. In addition to the Patrol Leaders, patrol members included, Steven Sa., Zach H., Carlos M., Cameron G., Carter S. and Steven St. A great effort was shown by all patrol members, each of whom brought their unique skill sets to the patrol in order to achieve this honor. A special thank you to all the adult leaders who attended and supported the effort, including J. Janopolous, M. Janopolous, S. Lanken, C. Staubus, J. Flaherty & R. Housek. The Klondike Trophy will be on display at the next meeting and Troop 24 looks forward to returning the trophy next year and defending its championship.

Reminder: There will be a Patrol Leaders meeting for all Patrol Leaders and Asst. Patrol Leaders on Wednesday, 6:30 -7:30 p.m. in the Westminster Room (downstairs) at RPC.

Riverside Presbyterian Church, our charter organization since 1939, invites you to attend RPC on Scout Sunday, February 7.  RPC’s service begins at 10:00 a.m. with Coffee Fellowship to follow in the Social Hall.

The Boy Scouts of America annually celebrates its founding on February 8, 1910, based on he program started by Lord Baden Powell in England in 1907.  Scout Sunday was added to the Scout celebration in the mid-1940’s.  The Scout Sunday tradition was started to make people in houses of worship aware of Scouting, and to allow Scouts to live out their “Duty to God” pledged each week.  The Scout Law says that a “Scout is Reverent” and Scouts of all ages promise to do their “Duty of God.”

Scout families who would like to provide treats for the coffee hour after the service are invited to drop them off in the Social Hall kitchen of the church any time between 9:00 and 10:45 a.m. Thanks for your contribution & hope to see you there!

If you can’t join us at RPC, wear your uniform proudly to whatever church you attend to show the community what we mean when we say “a scout is reverent.”

This year Troop 24′s annual summer camp will be at Camp Tesomas, north of Rhinelander, Wisconsin (about 6 hours from Riverside). The dates for this year’s camp are July 17-23. More information about the camp is available here: http://www.tesomas.com/.

Also offered this year: a high-adventure backpacking trip to Isle Royale for eight of our “Star & Above” scouts, July 10-16, and 4-day ATV trek (Star & above, and 16 years or older) from July 22-24.

Sign up will start soon. Mark your calendars!