Our annual parent/new scout meeting for summer camp will be held on Thursday, May 21, at 7:15 p.m. in the Social Hall at RPC. It is very important that at least one parent of each scout going to Tesomas for the first time attend this meeting (including older scouts who have not gone to summer camp in the past).

The cost to go to Camp Tesomas is $290 if paid by April 15. After April 15 the cost will be $300. 26 scouts are already signed up; however, not all of you have paid.

Please don’t wait! More info on Tesomas is here: http://troop24riverside.com/2015/03/tesomas-summer-camp-july-26-august-1/

This year 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 26-August 1. 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 scouts who are 1st Class and above, and who are at least 13 or have graduated from 8th grade, and who have earned the Swimming Merit Badge, there are two other options: Scuba and Microtreks.

Scouts who take the scuba class can earn the Scuba Merit Badge, and will be PADI-certified by the end of the week. Scuba is an all-day program, and participants will not have time to take other merit badge classes. Registration will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. The additional cost for Scuba is $170, which includes all equipment.

Scouts in Microtrek will participate in a different high adventure activity each day. Microtrek is available in the morning or the afternoon. Scouts who sign up for the afternoon Microtreks can also take up to 3 merit badge classes in the morning. Scouts who sign up for morning Microtrek can take one afternoon merit badge class. Microtrek spots are also limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. There is an additional $47 fee for Microtrek 101 designed for 13 – 14 year olds and an additional $57 fee for Microtrek 200 designed for 15 years and up. There is a limit of 10 scouts in each time slot; some spots have already been taken by other troops. To reserve your spot, you must sign up early, and pay for it on Constant Contact/WePay.

The cost for camp is $290 if paid before April 15. After April 15, the cost is $10 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 Liz Gomorczak’s 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. Scouts who are interested in either Scuba or Microtrek must pay the additional fee online. Additionally, 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 26, and will return mid-day on Saturday, August 1.

We will also be transporting bicycles to camp. More information will be coming about that 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.

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

Payments for microtreks & scuba can be made here: Constant Contact

General questions about camp can be directed to our Summer Camp Coordinator, Liz Gomorczak at jecggomo@gmail.com.

Wednesday photos from Camp Tesomas are online at http://troop24riverside.com/troop-scrapbook/nggallery/2014/tesomas-2014. (New photos begin on page 3.)

At least we know one fish was caught, giving hope to those scouts taking the Fishing Merit badge class.

Photos taken on Tuesday at camp are available on our website at http://troop24riverside.com/troop-scrapbook/nggallery/2014/tesomas-2014 (new photos begin on page 3).

Four of our scouts are taking classes for Scuba certification. Over the past several years we’ve had over a dozen scouts become Open Water Diver certified, and this year two of our scouts are going for Advanced Open Water Diver. Parents of scouts: If your son has ever expressed an interest in diving, this is the best and cheapest way to become certified. Adult leaders can take the class too!

Additional photos from camp are available on our website at http://troop24riverside.com/troop-scrapbook/nggallery/2014/tesomas-2014 (new photos begin on page 2).

The photo below was taken near the waterfront where the boys swim, which is between the dining hall and the campsite. Note the sweatshirts & long pants!

We have a few photos from Camp Tesomas yesterday, thanks to Bruce R. In addition to those shown here, there are more photos at http://troop24riverside.com/troop-scrapbook/nggallery/2014/tesomas-2014

Camp Meeting:

Dining Hall:

Evening Campfire at Council Ring:

Parents: Our scouts have arrived safely at Camp Tesomas. We hope to send more updates throughout the week.