The cost for camp is $290 if paid before April 15. After April 15, the cost is $15 more.

Troop 24′s annual summer camp will be at Camp Tesomas, north of Rhinelander, Wisconsin (about 6 hours from Riverside). Traditionally, almost all of our scouts attend summer camp, and we highly recommend that new scouts attend camp. The dates for this year’s camp are July 17-23. More information about the camp is available here: http://www.tesomas.com/.

Younger scouts (current 5th, 6th, 7th graders) will take merit badge classes. For our 5th grade scouts particularly, our leaders will discuss their options with them and make recommendations. For older scouts who are 1st Class and above, several other options are available: Scuba, Microtreks, Isle Royale Backpacking (FULL), and ATV trek.

The cost for camp is $290 if paid before April 15. After April 15, the cost is $15 more. Because many scouts have popcorn credits, the camp fee will be paid by check made out to Troop 24. Checks can be turned in at a Troop meeting or delivered to Carrie Staubus’ house. Scouts with popcorn credit will receive an e-mail with the amount. If it will be a hardship to pay everything at once, you can pay $150 now, with the remainder due by May 15.

Tesomas offers a confidential “campership.” The application for this financial assistance is due to Tesomas by April 1 and can be found here: Campership Application. Some of our scouts have received funds in the past, so please apply if needed.

As in the past, we will charter a bus to take our scouts to camp. We anticipate the cost to be $100 (which is in addition to the cost of the camp). More information about the bus will be available later. The bus will leave from Hauser’s parking lot about 7:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, July 17, and will return mid-day on Saturday, July 23.

We will also be transporting bicycles to camp. More information will be available as we get closer to camp.

All scouts will need a BSA medical form, signed by a physician (Part C) prior to going to camp. Please make your doctors’ appointments soon. The form that you need to take to your physician can be downloaded here: BSA Medical Form

Please make it easy for us; don’t wait until the last minute to register! Register for camp here: Summer Camp Registration.

General questions about camp can be directed to our new Summer Camp Coordinator, Carrie Staubus, at carrie@staubus.net.

Scouts are invited to help Kit K’s Eagle Scout Project this Saturday, April 2, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m at 288 Gage Road in Riverside. The work is easy and will only take half an hour to an hour to complete, so please stop by to help make collection boxes for used crayons and post up flyers around Riverside. Snacks will be provided! If you plan on stopping by or have any questions, contact Kit at kit6789@att.net.

The Voyager Trace District is sponsoring its annual Adventure Day, which is a great opportunity for our scouts to work on rank advancement, service hour requirements and have fun in the great outdoors.  Here are the program specifics:

• When:  Saturday, April 16, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Where & What:
  • Morning Session (8:00  – 11:30 a.m.):  Teason Woods Grove (SW corner IL Rt. 83 and 104th Ave).  Scouts will take a 5-mile hike through Cap Sauer’s Holding, located South of Ill Route 83 and West of Willow Springs Road (104th Ave.), part of the Sag Valley Division of the Cook County Forest Preserves. On the hike, scouts will explore woods and prairies containing glacial moraines, savannas, an esker, sloughs and streams, with interpretation by naturalists and conservation experts along the trail. This is the most remote natural area in Cook County. Scouts will be able to work on nature requirements for 2nd and 1st Class ranks, and will do service, cleaning up the trail as they hike along.
  • Afternoon Session (11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.):  Sagawau Center (12545 W 111th Street, Lemont)
    • A tour through Cook County’s only Canyon, a glacial remnant with unusual plants and animals and a waterfall, guided by naturalists from the Sagawau Center.
    • A hike to (and tour of) a fossil filled quarry (1 ½ mile round trip), guided by a local geologist, with displays of fossils from the Sag Valley and the Mazon Creek area near Morris, Illinois.
    • Presentations on bird-monitoring research done at the Sagawau Center.
    • Merit Badge work: The opportunity to work on portions of Geology and Bird Study merit badges.
    • “Scouting-in-the-Preserves” Midway, with information on camping, hiking, bicycling, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, rowing, and x/c skiing, as well as information on how to work on nature, conservation and fitness merit badges, unit service projects, Eagle projects and the B.S.A.’s prestigious William T. Hornaday Conservation Awards in the Forest Preserves.
    • Service Project, applicable to the NEW! Life Scout 3-hour conservation service requirement.
• How:  Troop 24 will be arranging car pooling for scouts to & from the event from Riverside.  Since so many of our scouts have other commitments, we will try to arrange for car pools to bring scouts to the morning and afternoon sessions.  Scouts should plan on bringing lunch, trail snacks, water bottle, small pack, spare shoes and socks, trash bags, rain gear and a personal first aid kit; field glasses and a camera are optional.  Wear “Class A” shirt, pants and footwear which can get wet and dirty (There will be mud and a small stream crossing on the trail), and additional outerwear appropriate for the weather.
• Why & Who?  Education, exercise, fun, rank advancement & service hours – ’nuff said.   This is a good opportunity for all our scouts to learn about the forest preserves of Cook County, and especially new scouts who need to work on the nature rank requirements.

The cost is $6, which includes the program fee and a patch.   Register for both, or either morning or afternoon session, as your schedule permits.  Leaders and drivers/ chaperones are always needed.  We will need to leave the RPC parking lot by 7:30 a.m. and plan on returning scouts around 4:00 p.m.

• Click here for scout registration
• Click here for adult registration

The personal fitness merit badge is one of the 13 merit badges required for the Eagle rank.  Troop 24 leaders will be helping scouts of the rank of First Class and above to begin the pre-requisities for this merit badge with the goal of scouts completing it at Camp Tesomas in July.  We will begin this program at our next troop meeting on Thursday, April 7.

Requirement 7 is for scouts to prepare a physical fitness activity plan, and requirement 8 is for the scouts to complete this plan over the course of 12 weeks.  At our troop meeting, scouts will begin the test of endurance, flexibility and strength as outlined in requirement #6 to set a baseline.  Scouts will be measured again in early July to see how much they have improved.

Troop leaders have arranged for personal trainer Jerry Owen to come to the meeting to help the scouts plan their fitness regime.  All  requirements are specified here in the merit badge worksheet, which scouts should print off and bring to the meeting on April 7.

We ask all First Class and above scouts who are going to Tesomas this summer, and who need to complete this merit badge to sign up here in advance of the meeting on April 7.  We are asking for scout emails (and optional parent emails) so the troop leaders can send notices for interim check in dates and the special July re-test date.

Troop 24’s next camping trip will be April 22 to 24 where we will join up with other boy scout troop to take part in some friendly competition for prizes.  This event is being run by the Blackhawk council which is calling it an “Old School” camporee because of the focus on classic scout skills such as knots, first aid, fire starting, etc.  Click here for a full description of the events.

This outing will be a great opportunity for our new scouts to work on rank requirements, and our older scouts to demonstrate leadership by showing the younger guys the ropes, literally!

In order to get the early-bird discount for this event, our troop has have set our own deadline of Sunday, March 27.  With spring break, and Easter around the corner – don’t delay, just go ahead and register now, so you don’t forget later on.  If your scout can’t stay for the entire time, just make a note in registration.

So enough verbiage – click here to register scouts TODAY

We can always use leaders / drivers / chaperones, so click here if you can join us.

email jiminov@hotmail.com if you have any other specific questions.

Due to services at RPC on 3/24, and spring break on 3/31, there will be no Troop meetings for the next two weeks. Our next meeting is Thursday, April 7. New scouts will be working on Tenderfoot physical fitness requirements.

As mentioned in this previous post, Troop 24 will be participating in a “Camporee” sponsored by the Blackhawk district.  This event will be a great opportunity for new scouts to complete rank advancement requirements.  Its also a great opportunity for older scouts to hone their leadership skills and have a lot of fun.  The event organizers are calling this an “Old School” Camporee because some of the activities are time-honored classics, to be set-up as friendly competitions:

• Firebuilding
• Logchopping & Sawing
• Ropes, Knots & Simulated Rescue
• First Aid
• Pioneering, Lashings & Shelter Building
• Compass Course

We will plan on leaving RPC on Friday late afternoon on Friday, April 22 and returning to Riverside mid-day on Sunday April 24.  The cost of this event is $50 per scout which includes all activities, transportation and meals on Saturday and Sunday.

The Camporee will be held at Camp Lakota, 2050 Deep Cut Road, Woodstock, IL, US

Troop 24 registration ends on March 27 so we can get an early bird discount.  Plus spring break will be going on and nobody will remember to register at that point.

Scouts register here.

Leaders/Chaperones/Drivers register here.