Troop 24 has a lot going on in November and December. Don’t forget to register and make your payments online. Here are links to our current forms:

Scout dues need to be paid now. Check Upcoming Events if you can’t remember if you paid yet. Then go to the post and forms for payment: Scout Dues

1,000 Trees service project is Saturday, November 18th. We need more scouts and leaders – please sign up here: 1,000 Trees

Holiday Stroll is Friday, December 1. Please volunteer to help at the s’mores tent by signing up here.

Purchase your ticket to our Saturday, December 16 private matinee showing of Star Wars: The Last Jedi here.

We’re looking forward to seeing all of you at our Troop Fall Court of Honor on Thursday, November 16. Remember – full scout uniform and please bring an appetizer or dessert to share.

Scout Cabin Meeting TONIGHT – Friday, October 6 at 7pm. Troop 24 has revived Scout Cabin Friday meetings on the First Friday of the Month. This Friday the Troop Patrol Leader Council will host a patrol shelter building competition followed by a campfire with S’mores and free fun time. Don’t miss out on this fun time and an opportunity to complete some lashing requirements. The patrol with the best built shelter wins prizes! Feel free to bring a friend who may be interested in joining our troop.

Keep reading below for a message about an upcoming Eagle Scout project!

Reminder: An information session for Troop 24 parents will be held at 7pm tonight (Thursday, September 14th). During the troop meeting, parents are invited to meet downstairs in the church Social Hall for a discussion of ideas and opportunities to help their sons get the most out of the Boy Scout experience. We will cover rank advancement, merit badges, service projects and more. Bring your questions about scouting and we will do our best to answer them!

An information session for Troop 24 parents will be held on Thursday, September 14th at 7pm. During the troop meeting, parents are invited to meet downstairs in the church Social Hall for a discussion of ideas and opportunities to help their sons get the most out of the Boy Scout experience. We will cover rank advancement, merit badges, service projects and more. Bring your questions about scouting and we will do our best to answer them!

The Troop’s first fall campout will be to the Blackwell Forest Preserve on September 8-10 with a Saturday trip to the Revolutionary War reenactment at nearby Cantigny Park. See the previous post for complete details:
Blackwell/Cantigny Campout

Registration for this campout will close at the end of the day tomorrow (8/29/17). Click here for our registration forms:
Scout sign up
Leader/Adult sign up

The planning meeting for scouts attending this campout will take place Wednesday, August 30 at 7pm at Riverside Presbyterian Church.

Our first regular troop of the school year will be Thursday, September 7 at 7pm. See you then!

We hope you are all having a good August, relaxing and enjoying some family time before the school year and scouts resumes. Troop 24 will have its first meeting of this school year on Thursday, September 7th at 7pm in our usual location, the Riverside Presbyterian Church gym. Following that, we will meet every Thursday at 7pm for the entire school year, with the exception of announced holidays.

Our next campout will take place September 8-10. We will be camping at Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville, Illinois, and attending the Revolutionary War Reenactment at Cantigny Park on Saturday, Sept 9th. Look for sign up information to be posted soon. Scouts who sign up for this campout should plan to meet Tuesday, August 29th at 7pm for menu planning and troop equipment preparations.

The Troop Committee will have its next planning meeting on Tuesday, September 5th at 7pm, and then every first Tuesday of the month for the school year. We meet in the Riverside Presbyterian Church Social Hall. All parents and leaders who would like to help with troop event planning are encouraged to attend.

Looking forward to seeing you on these dates!

Scouts who were assigned to clean and dry a tent or other equipment should return it to the troop trailer on Thursday, July 27th at 7pm. Meet at the Riverside Presbyterian Church driveway. If you have equipment but are unable to attend at that time, contact Scoutmaster Flaherty at jef2004@msn.com.

Please remember that our pre-camp bicycle inspection will be held tomorrow, Thursday, July 6th from 6 to 8 pm at the Janopoulos home at 360 Nutall in Riverside. All bikes going to summer camp need to pass inspection.
An Ax Yard will also be offered at this time for scouts who are taking Woodcarving or who want to have a pocket knife at camp.

Save the Date for an Eagle Scout Court of Honor to be held Sunday, July 30 at 4pm at the Riverside Presbyterian Church. More information coming soon!

Our final pre-camp swim test will be held Monday, July 10th at 7pm at the Pav YMCA in Berwyn. Otherwise you must test first thing at camp, or be designated a non-swimmer. Let us know if you will be there at this link:
July 10 swim test

Thank you to all of our scouts, leaders and other adult volunteers who made our recent events run so smoothly! Our Seabase scouts had a safe and wonderful time in the Florida Keys, and our Fourth of July flag raising and pizza booth were much appreciated by our community. Thank you everyone for all of your help and participation!

Our anniversary program will begin at 5pm on Saturday, May 20. Please arrive at 4:30 if you are a participant in the program. You should be in full Class A uniform, including scarf and scout pants (or other olive or khaki pants) and merit badge sash if you have one. Please bring a dessert (NOT cake or cupcakes) or fruit tray to share. Plan to stay after the dinner to help put way tables, chairs and other supplies before heading over to our campfire at the Scout Cabin.

Leaders from St. Mary’s Troop will be instructing the Ad Altare Dei Catholic Religious Emblem for scouts starting 8th grade and older in September. They have invited scouts of the Catholic denomination from Troop 24 to join them. Here is the link for more information about the Ad Altare Dei Medal and how scouts can receive this award:
http://www.nccs-bsa.org/index.php/religious-emblems/ad-altare-dei
They will be ordering supplies and working on meeting plans this summer, so we need to let them know how many scouts from our troop will participate. Please sign up here:
Catholic Ad Altare Dei Program Registration
Religious emblem programs exist for almost all the recognized religions and denominations, and Scouts may contact the Boy Scout Council office or their religious leaders if they are interested in working on emblems for another denomination or religion.
http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/Awards/ReligiousAwards.aspx