November 2001
Patuxent Happenings
Four months ahead

To Subscribe to The Patuxent Post e-mail edition simply send an e-mail to chris.schwartz@ieee.org with the words SUBSCRIBE PAX POST in the Subject Line. Please send articles or items of interest at least 2 weeks in advance of the next round table. Pax Post is posted at https://www.angelfire.com/md2/bsapax/paxpost or http://www.geocities.com/paxmeritbadge/paxpost
 

November 17 Beltway Plaza Toy Drive kick off and Parade

Beltway Plaza would like to invite your organization to the 10th Annual Toy Drive kick off and Parade on Nov. 17 at 2 pm. The parade and activities were created to attract as many people as possible to encourage them to give a new toy to needy children in Prince George'e County during the holiday season. There are various cash prizes to your organization for entries in the parade and most toys collected. If anyone has questions call Laura McNulty at 301 657 9900 ext. 138. Deadline has passed but give her a call if you wish to participate. Note: Beltway Plaza supports the district (not many places let us come in and set up 2 pinewood Derby tracks for free for 5 hours or so) we should support them, when we can. - Lenny Wertz

Flyer for Beltway Plaza Toy Drive (pdf format) https://www.angelfire.com/md2/bsapax/paxpost/oct/bp.pdf or http://www.geocities.com/paxpost2001/oct/bp.pdf
 

Scout Events

November 14 Klondike Derby '02 - Valley Forge Freedom Fighters - Freedom Patch Contest entry due

It's not too early to start planning for Klondike Derby '02.

Important dates:
10/10/2001 Registration forms available
11/14/2001 Freedom Patch Contest entry due
1/9/2002 Registration (no late fee), no registration after 2/1/2001
2/8/2002 to 2/10/2002 Klondike Derby Enter the "Freedom Patch" Contest and win a $5 gift certificate from Blockbuster Video. Send your colored design entry, using the Klondike Derby theme "Valley Forge Freedom Fighters", with your name, address, phone number to Leeann Banes at 6314 WoodPointe Drive, Glen Dale, Md 20769. Deadline is Nov. 14. Many volunteers will be needed for the many cubscout, bebelo, and scout stations, as well as logistical duties. Contact Leeann Banes with your recommendations and any ideas you have for the Klondike Derby. Cub, Webelo and Troop chairpersons and co-chairs are needed, now. Leeann Banes, 301-805-0031, fawn777@aol.com  

November 28 Cecelia Calloway & Friends: Swing Music 7- 9 PM Florence Bain Senior Center

This can count for Requirement 3A of the Music Merit Badge. Bring your troop. A fun time for the Pack.
Cecelia Calloway (Cab Calloway's daughter) teams up with the Blue Sky 5 for a concert of swing and jazz to raise money for the Swansfield Elementary School's Music Department. Come listen, dance and enjoy. All proceeds go to buying instruments for young needy musicians. Nov. 28 Admission under 16 $1, 16 and over $5. At Florence Bain Senior Center in Columbia, MD. Tickets for prepurchase available at Swansfield Elementary, Music Dept. 5610 Cedar Lane, Columbia, MD 21044 (410)313-6907 or at the door. Directions: 5470 Beaverkill Rd, Columbia, MD. From Rt. 95 take MD 32 West (exit 38B) toward Columbia. Merge onto Broken Land Pkwy, go 3 mi, then turn left on Little Patuxent Pkwy, then turn right on Harpers Farm Road, then right on Beaverkill Rd. Check out the Blue Sky 5's web site at http://www.thebluesky5.com

December 8 Maryland Scout Orienteering Day

Baltimore Area Council 25th Annual Boy Scouts of America presents Maryland Scout Orienteering Day at Patuxent River Park, Upper Marlboro, Md., 12 miles east of D.C. Beltway
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2001 MAIL FORM BELOW BY NOVEMBER 21

Your troop is invited to take part in a day of orienteering fun coordinated the National Capital Orienteering Club (QOC) & our veteran Scouter staff. Cost is $3.00 per participant. Parents & over-18 leaders are most definitely welcome, but not Cubs or Webelos. Venture & Explorer members (under 18) can compete as a unit or as part of their associated troop. Parents & troops should try the fun public beginner events too at parks in Howard, Montgomery, & P.G. Counties (call the (QOC) INFO-line at 703-528INFO, or http://qoc.nova.org (which has this form.)) see http://qoc.nova.org/scout.htm
 
 

December 29 to 6 International Event, 16 th New Zealand Jamboree, New Zealand

International Event: 16 th New Zealand Jamboree, Meet the Challenge, Mystery Creek, Hamilton, New Zealand Dec. 29 2001 - Jan. 6 2002 Information: Mr. Warren Dennis, Jamboree Manager, P.O. Box 1006, Cambridge, New Zealand E-mail: manager@jamboree.scouts.org.nz Visit their web site at jamboree.scouts.org.nz The Jamboree Program Team are scouts who are involved with the planning and preparation for the Jamboree from start to finish. Up to 5,000 ten to fifteen-year-old scouts are expected. Activities include: Scouting skills, Climbing, Abseiling, Prussiking, BMX cycling course, Orienteering, Amateur Radio activities, Two Lakes Challenge, Bridge over Snake Gully, Battle of the bulge, Motor Bikes and Mountain Biking, Roller Blades, Scooters, Skateboards, Radio Control Cars, Model Railways, and Bike Bungling. Overnight off site activities are available for a fee.

International Scout Camp, Belgium

International Scout Camp Camp de La Fresnaye, Belgium (Fedration des Scouts Catholiques) The campsite of La Fresnaye is mainly designed to accommodate Scout/Guide groups or other youth associations, tents or in chalets (without beds). Groups are independent, but all groups must help to maintain shared facilities. Swimming pool, tennis courts, games, etc. Campsite Information: Camp de La Fresnaye, Prins Boudewijnlaan 1, B - 1653 Dworp, Belgium Tel: (+32.2) 380 12 91 Fax: (+32.2) 380 77 35 Contact Information: Jean-Paul Mariotte, c/o Camp de la Fresnaye, Heidebloem 1, B - 1653 Dworp, Belgium Tel: (+32.2) 380 12 91 Fax: (+32.2) 380 77 35
 
 

Cub Events

December 1 Cubs for Jesus

Theme: Friends & Family. This is for all Protestant and Catholic Cub Scouts. Activities, discussions & crafts reinforce the theme. Patch provided, $5 fee, bring a bag lunch. Contact: Eneida Martinez-Brown 301-864-0059

12th Annual V3 Hike-o-ree

The 12th Annual V3 Hike-o-ree is history. Almost 600 Boys Scouts, Girl Scouts and Venturers enjoyed some beautiful scenery as they hiked the trails of the Shenandoah National Park on the weekends of October 5-7 and November 2-4, 2001. Special thanks go out to Dr. Bob Klein and Joe Flaig for their Friday night shows on their unit's trips to the Wind River Range and Canada last summer. Also thanks to the young men of Troop 1130 who did the Saturday night High Adventure Rally for the October Hike-o-ree and showed their Maine slides for the November Hike-o-ree along with John Selstrom who did the November Philmont slide show. Finally many thanks to the staff including Wally Feurtado, Dr. John Wells, Bill Wells, Dan Hurley, James Stapleton, Garry Briese, Bob Austin, and Mike Praeger and his Friday night parking crew.

Baysox Scout Night Dates Set

Baysox Scout Nights for 2002 have been announced! The first is Saturday April 6th and we have order forms available now to order tickets. Copies will be available at Roundtable. The two sleepovers will be June 21st and August 2nd. Tickets for each of those will open up the day AFTER the previous Scout Night. For more information, please contact: Donald Gakenheimer; Theme Night Coordinator; Bowie Baysox; 4101 NE Crain Hwy; Bowie, MD 20716; 301-805-6000 x300; dgakenheimer@baysox.com

Chemistry Merit Badge

The Chemistry merit badge day on October 18 at the Univerisity of Maryland was an overwhelming success. 70 scouts received instruction and took the test with only three failures. This was excellent. If you got a failure contact Chris Schwartz for additional instruction and retest. ALL of the blue cards have been sent out. If you haven't received yours, contact Chris Schwartz. chris.schwartz@ieee.org.

Commissioner's Report

Pete Saderholm reported that Commissioners met on Nov. 8 for the annual Rechartering Orientation meeting. Most units sent a representative. Future Commissioner meetings will include a mini training sessions. During October the training topic was the new Tiger program, Jan. will be Youth Protection and Feb., Safe Scouting.

Fall SMF

Fall SMF was a great success, even though it was the first course taught with the new curriculum. 14 boy scout leaders participated, and were organized into two patrols, the Shanghaied Volunteers and the Movya Keisters. Photos and feedback will be on the Patuxent District Scouters Page shortly. http://www.bsa.net/md/patuxent/

FOS Update

District scouters should have received a letter sent out by Stu Stern. Please respond in to him within the next three weeks, or pledge for the spring if you cannot do anything right now. We really need your help now. Council expects problems because of donations being made to other worthy efforts in light of recent September 11th related tragedies. As the Scouters going out to make presentations to families, it would be nice to be the example and be able to say that the District Scouters came through and made their donations! If you made a donation through CFC, please bring in a copy of your receipt to get it counted with the district. Family Campaign: Dick Clark asked that people be identified who can make presentations to 2-3 groups in local areas. He suggested that we seek people who know the program but may not have a particular job identified at this time. Vince Robinsonwill send a letter to Committee Chairs, asking when they would like to have presentations. Commissioners will not be doing this. Dick will provide a list of those who will do presentations as soon as he has names.

Free Uniforms

We cleaned out our Scout closet and found LOTS of small-sized Scout shirts and long pants. If any Webelos dens or Troops would be interested in taking some, if not all, for FREE they can drop by our Patrol Meetings on Mondays from 7:00 to 8:30 at St. Mary's School in Landover Hills, MD. We have taken off all Troop patches, but left on the flag and NCAC District patches. If there are any questions, please direct them to Mark Maier at (301) 306-0656 or Celia Finstad at (301) 422-7474. Thank you very much, Celia Finstad CC, Troop 707

Home town Hero Presents to Pack 9

Remember, the theme for Cub Scouts in November is "Hometown Heroes." That includes a wide variety of public service professions. Park rangers protect our country's vital natural resources and teach us about them. On November 18th at 2 PM Pack 9's meeting will feature a presentation by a National Park Service ranger on how Native Americans used pack dogs and will conclude with a guided hike down a trail at Greenbelt National Park. Greenbelt National Park Ranger Keith Harmon will make the presentation and lead the hike. Thanks to Ranger Harmon!

In Memorium: Tom Mitchelle of Troop 707

Tom Mitchelle of Troop 707 died in a motorcycle accident.

Klondike Derby in February

Klondike Derby - "Valley Forge Freedom Fighters". Feb 8-10, 2001 at Cedarville State Forest. Patch Design Contest ends Nov 14, 2001. Troops are requested to sponsor a skill station, adults are needed to work at stations for cubs, webelos, and scout stations. Forms will be at Roundtables. Register by Jan 9, 2002. Wheels on sleds are recommended but not required.Point of Contact: Leeann Banes, 301-805-0031 FAWN777@AOL.COM

Coordinators:

Merit Badge Lists have been updated

Check the Merit Badge Website for your troop at https://www.angelfire.com/md2/bsapax/#trooplist or http://www.geocities.com/paxmeritbadge/#trooplist. The district file appears here for downloading. "Troop only" files are also included. The Troop only files are password protected. If you have forgotten your password email Chris Schwartz chris.schwartz@ieee.org

New E-mail Lists

Are you looking for program ideas or need a question answered? Are you planning a high adventure activity for you unit this summer and need some advice? A great place to go are the e-mail lists. You can go to USSCOUTS at http://usscouts.org/lists and subscribe to any of the following lists:
- BPWeb - for those involved in planning, developing, or maintaining District or Council Web Sites.
- BSRT - for staff members responsible for organizing Boy Scout Leader Roundtables.
- Canoe - for those planning on visiting Northern Tier High Adventure Canoe Base, or other canoe sites. If you are planning a trip and have questions, or if you have some experience to share, please join us. - Cub-L (new) - for those who want to share Cub Scouting information.
- Embers - a gentle, end of the evening time in front of the last remains of the campfire. No topic restrictions - just good Scouting fellowship.
- JamboreeScouts - a gathering place for Scouts that attended the 2001 National Jamboree.
- Philmont - for those planning on visiting the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. If you're planning a trek, attending the Philmont Traiing Center, or any other event, you can ask questions and trade tips with Philmont veterans.
- SeaBase - for those planning on visiting the Florida Sea Base in the Florida Keys. If you are planning a trip and have questions, or if you have some experience to share, please join us.
- Venturing - for those interested and involved with the Venturing Division, including Sea Scouting. Although the primary discussions are about Venturing, discussions concerning Venture patrols within Boy Scout Troops are also welcome and encouraged.

You can also subscribe to the Scouts-L list, one of the largest Scouting e-mail lists via the web at http://listserv.tcu.edu/listserv/cgi-bin/wa.exe?SUBED1=scouts-l&A=1 . I have found the Scouts-L, Philmont and Canoe lists to be outstanding resources. Cooper Wright Colonial District V3 Coordinator home (703) 971-0044 Northern Virginia Venture Coordinator work (703) 604-0706

NEW Eagle Project Applications are available on the WWW

You MUST use the current application. http://www.scouting.org/boyscouts/eagleproject/12steps.html

November District Meetings

Please note: Next month's meeting will be the 5th Thurs., Nov. 29th, as Thanksgiving is the week before. There will be no Commissioner's or District Committee Meetings in December. Pete Saderholm has invited the District staff to his home, on Dec. 20, for a Holiday Party (Thank you Pete!) Please bring food. No need to call about what dish you will bring. No uniforms, as this is not an official Scouting event.

November Programs at the Patuxent Research Refuge

November Programs at the Patuxent Research Refuge. REGISTRATION - All programs are FREE, but require advance reservations. Reservations are taken by calling 301-497-5887 or contact Kate Vaughan, Kate_Vaughan@fws.gov . Please advise us of any special needs so that we may accommodate you. Visit us on the web: http://patuxent.fws.gov
 

OA Ordeal Successful

Lenny Wertz reports that the Ordeal had 38 in attendance and drew 14 new members. There will be a list of activities at Roundtable. Coordinator will contact units. The 17 of November is a Lyons Club Toy Drive at Beltsville Plaza They are having a parade; low key. Theme is honoring heroes and they would like Scouts to participate. The 50th Anniversary of Amagamek-wipit is Sat.,Jan. 5, 2002 at the Hilton McClean in Tyson¹s Corner(same as last year). Registration is $25 (youth)by Dec. 14, $28 by Jan. 3 and $30 day of event. Rick Henrikson brought letters with membership lists for units, showing who has not paid dues. Please have phone numbers, emails, etc. updated ASAP. Question asked about how to rejoin if a member in the past. Answer: fill out the form and send with $7. There will be some information about where you were a member before.

Philmont Update

Nick Dunten reportes that there was a Philmont call-in. He has information. Council trips have some spaces for small units.

Pinewood Derby

Time is approaching for the annual Patuxent District Pinewood Derby that will be held at the end of March or beginning of April. The Date/Time and Location and printed copy of rules and forms will be available at the December Roundtable. They will also be readily available online and via email. Emails with questions and offers to help can be sent to Lenny Wertz at juslenny@hotmail.com 1) The 2002 Derby will be held at theBeltway Plaza Center Court on the 13th of April. 2) Anyone interested in helping with the operation of a really fun event, please contact Lenny Lenny Wertz Scoutmaster BSA Troop 746 Greenbelt, Maryland Patuxent District Pinewood Derby Crew Chief

Pop Corn

Peter pursued popularity by popping popcorm in a purple pot.
Peter's predicament pertained to proper popping of perfect popcorn for his planned pack popcorn popping partiy.
Peter's problem was predicting an procuring the proper popcorn to produce perfection.
So, Peter proposed purchasing perfect popcorn form his pack's popcorn purchase participants and
Trails End produced perfect popcorn popping whether popped in a purple pot or perfect microwave popper, thus placating Peter.
Please plan on participating in the project of procuring, purchasing and peddling plenty of perfectly popping popcorn by Trails End.
Then you can be popular by popping perfect popcorn like Peter. For more information, contact your Popcorn Kernal, Popcorn Partington at partington.ed@erols.com
Nov. 10 was final pick up date for popcorn. Prizes and money are due by Dec. 28. Five Packs and three Troops are participating with Pack 1688 selling $3,000.

Questions on BSA Gay policies

Questions on BSA Gay policies go to Pat Sterret at NCAC.

Strength and Courage

You gain strength and courage, and confidence, by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do - Eleanor Roosevelt

Venturing Works

For specific questions on Venturing check Bob Geier's (bobgeier@umich.edu) site. http://www.troop8.org has some of the materials we use in-house (parent handbooks, etc.) that you're welcome to steal. Bob's biggest piece of advice is DO IT, but don't start a Venture Patrol unless you have a clear vision of how Venturing will fit into your existing structure. You can always transition later, and by then your guys will have a much clearer sense of what's important to a good program, and you will too. It'll also keep the kids in the troop, since it¹s just a "special" part of the troop program. The value of an older youth program, especially for a troop is incredible. Yes, it does take time, resources, and some very special adults, but the payoff is great with better skilled older boys who stick with the troop longer, serving as role models for the younger scouts. The Venture Patrol, Varsity Team and the Venturing Crew offer older youth exciting program opportunities. Find something you like in these programs and let's see more of these units up and running.

November 1 Warning, Dangers and Risks

Just a little thought in these uncertain times....
From my office window, I can see a freshly posted billboard advertising a popular brand of cigarettes. About six square fee of the sign is devoted to the message, “The Surgeon General has determined that cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health.” The remainder of the board seeks to convey the pleasurable aspects of smoking. It must be irritating to the cigarette companies to have to post this warning with their otherwise appeal-oriented message.

It is just human nature for us to want to hear the good message and not be confronted with warnings, risks and dangers. Yet, whether we heed them or not, every important choice in life is accompanied by warnings and risks.

In an old printing of the Scout Handbook, there is a chapter on trail signs. It is surprising how many of them relate to warnings...Dangers, Bad Water, Dangerous Animal, etc. The fact is that all of life’s trails can be better traveled when we are alert to the dangers and risks. Scouting provides adults a special opportunity to make young people aware of these risks when they are making life’s choices.

There has never been a perfect hike or expedition, but the very best ones are made by those who are prepared in mind, body and spirit. We should all take satisfaction in the fact that Scouting’s appeal for fun and adventure carries with it the admonition, “Be Prepared.”

Taken from “Sign’s Up” a collection of scouting parables told ty Vick Vickery