Mrs. Lulich will be at the Troop meeting on Thursday, January 16, to work with scouts on the Communications Merit Badge, or to assist scouts who started the Citizenship merit badges with her. This session is only for scouts who have completed requirements and need to discuss those with their counselor. Please bring the merit badge worksheet and blue card (if applicable) to the meeting.

Also on Thursday, scouts will be discussing the upcoming Klondike Derby (February 1) and working on quartermaster duties.

For scouts who signed up for the Klondike Derby (tomorrow, February 12), please be at RPC by 7:15 a.m. One of the purposes of the Klondike Derby is to to prepare scouts for cold weather and adverse conditions. It’s very important that scouts dress for a full day outside. Scout should bring the following items:

Drinking cup
Scout Handbook
Boots – NOT low-cut athletic boots – they will be walking through snow
Adequate layers of clothing: long underwear/undershirt, shirt, liner coat, winter coat;
NO JEANS or cotton pants; double socks – ideally synthetic next to the skin and wool outer socks
Headgear that COVERS THE EARS
Scarf for face and neck OR stocking cap with face cover
Lined gloves/mittens (bring an extra pair)
Complete change of clothes (will be transported by sled and only used if needed)
One can of NON-CREAM soup – to be dumped into a communal pot and made into “garbage can soup”
Sack lunch to supplement the soup

The Voyageur Trace Klondike Derby will be held on Saturday, February 12, 2011 at Bemis Woods. Scouts have until Saturday, February 5 at 5:00 p.m. to register for this event.

On February 12, scouts will meet at RPC at 7:15 a.m. and return the same day at approximately 4:00 p.m. The Derby this year will feature scout skills as well as games and contests. Each patrol should be ready for fun and challenges.

The cost will be $8 and a can of non-cream soup (to be dumped into a communal pot for “garbage can soup”).

We will be looking for drivers. Since this outing is close, drivers do not need to stay. If you can drive, please indicate the appropriate information with your son’s registration. Adults are welcome to stay and participate. If you would like to participate, please register and pay for yourself separately from your son.

Please remember you must register on the Troop online form AND pay (preferably using the online WePay system). If your son is not registered, he will not show up on the roster. Register here: http://troop24riverside.com/2011/01/klondike-derby-form/

Contact Dawn Gmitro at dmgmitro@aol.com with questions.

Troop 24 is planning a day outing to Bemis Woods on February 12, 2011, to participate in the Des Plaines Valley Council Klondike Derby. Scouts will meet at RPC at 7:15 a.m. and return the same day at approximately 4:00 p.m. The Derby this year will feature scout skills as well as games and contests. Each patrol should be ready for fun and challenges.

The cost will be $8 and a can of non-cream soup (to be dumped into a communal pot for “garbage can soup”).

We will be looking for drivers. Since this outing is close, drivers do not need to stay. If you can drive, please indicate the appropriate information with your son’s registration. Adults are welcome to stay and participate. If you would like to participate, please register and pay for yourself separately from your son.

Please remember you must register on the Troop online form AND pay (preferably using the online WePay system). If your son is not registered, he will not show up on the roster. Register here: http://troop24riverside.com/2011/01/klondike-derby-form/

Contact Dawn Gmitro at dmgmitro@aol.com with questions.

Troop 24 will be participating in the Voyageur Trace Klondike Derby in Bemis Woods South, Western Springs, on Saturday, February 13. We will leave from Riverside Presbyterian Church at 8:00 a.m. and return to RPC by 3:00 p.m.
The cost per boy is $6.50, due with permission slip no later than Thursday, January 28.

A Klondike derby is an annual event held by some Boy Scout districts during the winter months and is based on the heritage of the Klondike Gold Rush. BSA units have been running Klondike derbies since 1949. The event varies by district, but the typical Klondike derby consists of a series of stations where units must test their Scoutcraft skills and their leadership abilities, earning points towards a total score. The unit must transport their gear on a dog sled, usually self-constructed and pulled by the Scouts. For photos of the 2008 Klondike Derby, please visit our photo gallery.

Photos from this year’s Klondike Derby are available on the website, complements of Garey. Our troop won for the fastest sled for the fifth straight year, and won second place overall this year. Visit our photo gallery to view the pictures.