Last weekend the Boy Scouts of Troop 68 joined the Scouts of eight other troops at our council’s camp, Parker Scout Reservation. They did not gather for a council or district event. These troops came together to provide their Scouts an opportunity to work on various merit badges. The eighty-seven Scouts were given the chance to work on up to four of the eighteen merit badges offered during the outing which lasted from Friday night to Sunday afternoon. The simpler merit badges were offered during the evening hours. The tougher merit badges were done through the morning and afternoon sessions. The councilors were provided by the troops who attended.
The merit badge subjects included quite a variety of topics. There were some Eagle required badges including First Aid, Communications, and the Citizenship awards. Other subjects included badges not usually found at summer camps. These included Auto Mechanics, Electricity, and Computers. The boys even had a chance to earn rarely earned badges such as Archeology, Chemistry, and Textile.
Nine Boy Scouts from Troop 68 attended the weekend. The boys realized this was a “work” weekend instead of a “fun” weekend. They knew it was a chance to earn merit badges and get a jump on their advancement. Each of the boys completed two, three, or four merit badges. Only a few partials were brought home.
The weather did not provide us with a nice sunny, warm weekend. (See the previous blog entry.) Luckily, the buildings around camp were reserved for the weekend. All except the Auto Mechanics and Archeology merit badges were able to be done indoors.
This was the second year that Troop 68 participated in this program. The boys enjoyed the classes and were thankful for the opportunities. The troop and I would like to thank John Chance for organizing the outing, the Cold Spring Venture Crew and other staff members, and the sixteen merit badge councilors who gave up their weekend to work with the Scouts. Thanks to everyone who helped, the nine Scouts from Melrose earned a total of 30 merit badges.
