Medical Forms should have already been dropped off to Liz Gomorczak. If you have not done so, we need them BEFORE Sunday.

The weather for next week looks to be on the cool side with highs in the upper 60’s to low 70’s and overnight lows in the 50’s. Pack appropriately.

We have been told that mosquitoes are particularly bad in the Rhinelander area. Be sure to bring insect repellant and long pants & a long-sleeved shirt. When buying insect repellant, be sure it is NON-AEROSOL (aerosol sprays are very flammable, and are not allowed at camp).

Bike drop-off is at 2413 4th Avenue in North Riverside on Saturday from 8:00 a.m. until noon. Remember to bring a bike helmet, as it is required by Camp Tesomas.

We suggest that each scout bring a camp chair (folding, and preferably in a bag). We will have room in the bus or the Troop trailer for the chairs.

Scouts taking medications should bring the meds in the original container in a ziplock bag labeled with the scout’s names. Maritza Gutierrez will be collecting meds on Sunday morning.

Scouts riding the bus will need money for lunch on the way to (and from) camp. Remind your scout to save back enough money to eat lunch on the way home.

Please be at Hauser at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday morning.

If you have questions about what to bring, see the Tesomas packing list. If you still have questions, contact Liz Gomorczak at jecggomo@sbcglobal.net.

We have 50 scouts going to camp, and only 24 have turned in their medical forms. The forms need to be copied and put in binders. PLEASE DROP OFF MEDICAL FORMS to Liz Gomorczak–today. If your son has not seen a doctor, you have 3 more days to get this done. Without the medical form signed by a doctor he can not attend camp. We need the forms BEFORE SUNDAY. Questions? Contact Liz at jecggomo@gmail.com.

On July 8, starting at 4:30 p.m., scouts will be able to bring their bikes to the Janopoulos home at 360 Nutall to have it inspected or repaired as needed. If you know that your bicycle needs repair you will need to bring the needed parts with you and we will repair the bike that day.

You can also take your bicycle to any other bike shop for inspection. Ask the bike shop to provide a paper saying that it is good working order. The Wheel Thing in LaGrange at 15 S. LaGrange Road is offering free bike inspections and 10% off labor should repairs be needed.

Scouts going to camp who have not yet taken the swim test should meet tomorrow–Friday, June 27, in front of the Swim Club entrance, 100 Bloomingbank, Riverside, at 10:00 a.m. (change from original time). (See http://troop24riverside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/SwimTestResults.pdf for details.)

Bus Transportation
If your scout is taking the bus to summer camp and you have not already paid, please do so now. Eleven families have paid. We may be short on bus space, so to be sure your scout is able to ride the bus, please pay now: https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07e9e6zqgfbb97f776&oseq=&c=&ch=

Medical Forms
Scouts must have a medical form signed by a doctor, and dated within the 12 months prior to summer camp. Medical forms should be turned in to Liz Gomorczak. A copy of the form is available here: http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/ahmr.aspx

Swim Tests
All scouts have to take a swim test for camp. (See http://troop24riverside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/SwimTestResults.pdf for details.) Riverside Swim Club has graciously agreed to conduct the tests on Saturday, June 21 and Friday, June 27. Meet in front of the swim club entrance 100 Bloomingbank at 9:30 a.m. on either of those days. Please contact Tom Hartwig at thartwig@olparks.com if you absolutely can’t come either of those days.

Bicycles at Camp
Scouts are encouraged to take their bikes to camp. Mountain bikes or hybrids are best. A road bike will not work. BMX bikes are not ideal but can be taken if that’s the only bike you have. The cost to transport the bike is $15. You can pay for the bike transport here: https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07e9gbm24pc30a4019&oseq=&c=&ch=.

Bike Inspections
You must have the bike inspected to be sure it’s in working order. We will not have tools, time, or spare parts to repair bikes while at camp. You have several options for the inspection:

The Wheel Thing in LaGrange at 15 S. LaGrange Road is offering free bike inspections and 10% off labor should repairs be needed. If you know your bike needs work you need to go as soon as possible.

On July 8, starting at 4:30 p.m., scouts will be able to bring their bikes to the Janopoulos home at 360 Nutall to have it inspected or repaired as needed. If you know that your bicycle needs repair you will need to bring the needed parts with you and we will repair the bike that day.

You can also take your bicycle to any other bike shop for inspection. Ask the bike shop to provide a paper saying that it is good working order.

Bike Drop Off
We are going to have the bike drop-off this year at 2413 4th Ave, North Riverside from 8:00 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 12. Bikes can be dropped off earlier in the week but you must contact Tom at 708-516-2266 if you are going to drop a bike off early. Bikes dropped off early will be kept in Tom’s garage until Saturday.

We have 49 scouts signed up for summer camp.  If you have not paid in full, please do so ASAP.  Liz will be in touch with you if she is missing a payment.

The next step is to sign up to ride the bus to Camp Tesomas.  We charter a coach bus, with a bathroom & movies for the approximately six-hour ride.  The cost is $100 per scout.  Families who have two scouts pay $75 for the second scout.

Please sign up and pay by credit card at: Constant Contact.

Today–Monday, June 2–is the last day to sign up for summer camp at Camp Tesomas. If you have not paid in full for camp, we need your payment ASAP. To sign up, go to: http://troop24riverside.com/2014/03/camp-tesomas-form-2014/ Please drop off payments to Liz Gomorczak. If you need her address, please e-mail her at jecggomo@gmail.com.

We need scouts to help us on Thursday, June 5, at 6:30 p.m. at RPC in setting up and checking out all of the equipment we will need for summer camp. (Rain date is Friday, June 6.) Meet by the garage. If you have any troop equipment it must be returned on Thursday.

Due to Hauser’s Open House on Thursday, we are changing the Camp Tesomas informational meeting to this Wednesday, May 14, at 7:00 p.m. in the Social Hall at RPC. Parents and scouts should attend and select their merit badge classes.

We reserved 12 spots for Scuba at Camp Tesomas, and we have had NO ONE sign up. The last 2 years we filled every available spot. Scuba is available for scouts 12 and older and adult leaders. The cost is $170, which is considerably less than you can learn scuba anywhere else. Participants have to pass the BSA swim test, and must be able to swim 200 meters during the week of class.

More information is available: http://clsr.samoset.org/hanna/scuba.php. If you are interested, please sign up by Wednesday, May 14.

So far we have 32 scouts signed up for Camp Tesomas (July 13-19). We have a large campsite, and can fit more scouts. We will have our annual camp meeting for parents on Thursday, May 15, at 7:00 in the RPC Social Hall (while the Troop meeting is going on in the gym). PLEASE, we need at least one parent to attend from each scout family. Attendance at the camp meeting last year was sparse, and it caused all kinds of problems for our camp coordinator, so this meeting is mandatory. New parents: even if you are not yet sure if your scout will be going to summer camp, please come and get all your questions answered.

At the meeting on May 15 we will ask parents to submit their scout’s selection of merit badge classes. The merit badge schedule can be downloaded here: TSC-Merit-badge-schedule.pdf. Some merit badges have prerequisites that must be done at home before camp. The prerequisites are listed here: TSC Prerequisites 2014. The merit badge selection is different than last year so please review the list. New scouts should plan to sign up for Cooking, Swimming, and one other merit badge. Archery & shooting sports are not recommended for first-year scouts. The prerequisite list also rates the badges by difficulty.

The absolute LAST DAY to sign up and pay for camp will be Monday, June 2. That gives the new scouts who go on their first camp-out to Kankakee River (May 30-June 1) an opportunity to try a camp-out before committing to summer camp.

Don’t forget that scouts need a camp physical, signed by a doctor, to attend summer camp. This applies to all scouts, even the new scouts who just turned in medical forms Parts A & B (doctor portion is Part C): http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/ahmr.aspx