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Since March was pretty busy for a bunch of our scouts, we decided to do a bowling outing instead of our normal camping trip. The troop had a lot of fun bowling and hanging out!

Caleb built a gaga ball pit at his school for his eagle project. It turned out well and the scouts had an opportunity to learn how to use some new tools! Thank you to all who came out to help… many hands made light work!

Shrove Tuesday is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and Lent, often the time that Christians give up indulgences. It can often be referred to as “Pancake Day” with it being the last day to partake in rich carbs and sweets (like pancakes!) before the Lenten season. So for this Shrove Tuesday, Troop 157 joined with Troop 1577 to make and serve a pancake supper to the parishioners at Trinity Presbyterian.

The scouts had a blast and the congregation seemed very happy with the delicious results of all the scouts’ hard work!

We were so excited to welcome four new scouts into our troop back in February. I remember being on the other side of the Blue and Gold banquet, when the scouts were cubs and it was such a fun event to which we always looked forward. But honestly, it was such an honor to be on the receiving end of the Blue and Gold. Knowing all that the AOL’s have accomplished thus far and are due to accomplish in the future is just such a cool perspective. And the fact that they’ve chosen to have that experience with our troop is so flattering and exciting. You can already feel the energy change in the last two meetings that we’ve had… the kids are younger and way more playful. It’s nice to get that young energy back into the troop!

And already, our new scouts have jumped in to provide service at Bready Park with our monthly park cleanup!

We held our annual Wimporee this year at Carroll’s Cottage at Camp Snyder. This year, we invited troops 1570 and 1577 to come hang out with us. The scouts worked on scout skills and merit badges while the adults taught, cooked and played games! Richard and Sam braved the cold with the scouts and chopped wood for hours. Camp Snyder probably has enough wood for many fires to come! We were waiting for the scouts to tire out, but we ended up having to bring them in because that wasn’t happening! Two eagle-required merit badges were offered this year… family life and citizenship, as well as traffic safety and auto maintenance. Matt was an amazing grubmaster as always, buying and cooking tons of delicious food for everyone there. At night, the scouts played board games and video games. We had some intense rounds of Chameleon… if you’ve never played it, it’s an awesome party game!

We missed a couple campouts in November and December due to the scouts participating in their OA Ordeal and some paperwork issues for our Antietam campout, but we were back at it in January! Last weekend, our scouts were at an inter-troop lock-in and this weekend, we headed down to T. Brady Saunders for winter camp. It’s just like summer camp but in the winter and over a long weekend. The boys had fun hanging out with other troops and completing some merit badges. They played a bunch of hide and seek (outside and in the dark), stayed up all night, learned some wilderness survival, blacksmithing, archaeology, sustainability and camping skills!

The troop had a fun experience heading out to beautiful Rock Enon near Winchester, VA. The camp opened up all of its most popular stations at the camp, simulating a summer camp atmosphere. The scouts had fun participating in rock climbing, shotgun shooting, axe throwing, gaga ball and a camp-wide campfire program. Highlights of the weekend included delicious food, Landon hitting two clays with the shotgun and Caleb sticking three out of four tomahawks!

Tuesday, October 8th at 7pm ~ Herndon United Methodist Church

Calling all Webelos, AOLs and anyone interested in scouting! Troop 157 is holding its Meet the Troop Night on Tuesday, October 8th. Come on out to Herndon United Methodist Church at 7pm and meet the scouts of Troop 157. We’ll be cooking dessertadillas, showing everyone how to set up tents and playing some games in the gym. It should be a good time!

A little about our troop… Troop 157 is a small boys troop. You might be thinking, “oh, I want my son to have a great experience in scouts with LOTS of boys!” True, if your son likes a big crowd, this might not be the place for him. The pros however, in my opinion, outweigh the cons. Being a small group has not stopped us from doing a lot of fun things. Since joining last April, my son has gone on lots of campouts, from Gettysburg, whitewater rafting, horseback riding, a high ropes adventure course, summer camp and fishing. He leads. He’s taken on leadership positions he never would have had the opportunity for in a much larger troop. And he cooks A LOT. In fact, he finished all his cooking requirements up through eagle and has become quite proficient in cooking at home.

The troop is small and efficient, enabling them to set up camp, cook and clean up rather quickly, leaving more time for relaxation and fun during campouts. So if this appeals to your son, please bring them on out in a couple weeks for our Meet the Troop night!

Last night was a big Court of Honor for Troop 157! We swore in new youth leaders, had a new Life scout, two new Star scouts, and a new Tenderfoot scout. The summer proved fruitful with the scouts earning over 30 merit badges. We’ve also had two scouts join the troop since the last Court of Honor.