Congratulations to Caleb, Troop 157’s newest eagle scout!
New Eagle Scout!
Early Summer Happenings
We’ve been busy keeping up with Bready Park, working on rank advancement, the auto mechanics merit badge and also some physical fitness/swim testing and just hanging out. Looking forward to summer camp in a couple weeks!!
Honor Flight
The Honor Flight Network is a special program in the DC area that aims to thank veterans for their service, sacrifice, and selflessness. They fly veterans in from all over the United States to spend a day or two in DC, taking them to all the war memorials, see the changing of the guard, etc. It’s a special day to thank and honor them. Part of this involves a warm welcoming and departure at the airport. Troop 157 saw the Dubuque, Iowa veterans off on their flight.
Whitewater Rafting
For our May campout, we set out on the Shenandoah River for whitewater rafting. Gorgeous weather and scenery and a great time was had by all!
Horseback Riding
During our April camp out, we went horseback riding again! So now that I’m back and had a safe trail ride, I’ll admit that last time my horse got too close to the horse in front of it, that horse then donkey kicked mine in the face and then my horse got mad, got on it’s rear legs and tried to clomp down on the other horse. It was super exciting, but admittedly a bit scary. Although this ride was less exciting, I was also glad that it was less exciting.
This was one of the worst setups that we have had in a long time. It was pouring down rain when we arrived at camp… trying to set up tents with new scouts, in the rain, in the dark led to a trifecta of miserableness. We were all soaked, but honestly, this helps us appreciate the good weather! Funny thing is that it pretty much stopped raining after we set up camp 😀 Check out our sweet campsite pretty much right on the river! The scouts had a chance to fish and just hang out… it was great!
Bowling!
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!
Eagle Project: Gaga Ball Pit at ACE
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
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!
New Scouts!
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!
Wimporee 2025
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!
