InformerThe Scouter’s

September - November 2013 Serving the Scouts of Miffl in and Juniata Counties

Scouts Conquer Philmont

included Fall into Popcorn

OA hosts Pow Wow

In this issueThe District Chairman 4Upcoming Events 5Scouts Tackle Philmont 6Monaken Lodge 10Around the District 12 Recognizing Eagles 15Fall into Popcorn 16

District Chairman

Paul Grego

District Executive

Dave Blehi

District Commissioner

Vacant

Informer Editor

Jon Cherry

The Informer is a quarterly publication published by Shawnee District for its members. The purpose is to provide the latest on news and upcoming events.

You are free to pass the Informer along to other Scouting members to keep them informed as well. You can update your contact information or sign up to receive periodical updates (including the Informer) from Shawnee District by emailing joncherry@gmail.com.

The District ChairmanWith school, sports, after school activities, church trips…fall is a busy and exciting time! Thanks for making Scouting part of your family’s life! Fall is busy for scouting too. Just some quick notes on what’s to come in the next few months.

We (your district committee) are preparing for a great camporee, to be held in Thompsontown, on October 4-6. Troop 169 is committed to a solid program based on pioneering and great weekend of weather too!

Roundtables are back and better than ever. We are committed to keeping Roundtables to under an hour and jamming that time with useful knowledge for you and your unit. It’s very important that each unit is represented at roundtable. Roundtable is a great place to voice your opinion too!

Popcorn is back in full swing. What a great way for your unit to raise funds for camping trips, service projects, advancements, and much more. Many units use this fundraiser as the only one for the year! And we listened to your feedback from last year…less expensive products, more varied products, and tins are back too! Instead of selling popcorn, let’s sell Scouting!

You may have heard by now, National Registration fees are increasing by $9 this year. Poorly timed, I agree. Unfortunately we have no control over the increase. However, we are committed to making up that $9 increase in fees and registrations on the district level over the next year. Notice that the camporee fee went down by $3 this fall. One of my initiatives for 2014 is to make scouting more aff ordable to our families! I’ll need your help to make this happen.

Lastly, we are here to serve you. Please let us know what you need to make your unit successful. From training and leader development to new program ideas, we are eager and able to help.

Here’s to a great Fall 2013!

PaulPaul Grego, District Chairman

Registration is open for the 2013 Aquanus-chioni Pow Wow Festival to be held Sep-tember 27-29, 2013 at Seven Mountains Scout Camp. The event will feature crafts, activities, games, and a Native American Pow Wow held Saturday night. This day long festival is open to all Scouts, Scouters, and the public.

Fees for the Weekend

$23.00 for those tent camping for the weekend. Included is: camp site space (must bring your own tent), meals, and a patch $22.00 for those cabin camping for the weekend. Included is: meals and a patch $15.00 for the day (Saturday). Included is: meals (except Saturday crackerbarrel) and a patch

AQUANUSCHIONI POW WOW

$5.00 for the day (Saturday). Included is a patch

Those units wish to camp in a cabin, must reserve a cabin through the Council Offi ce at (717) 667-9236. An additional fee will apply.

Register today at monaken.org/powwow/register. Registration will be open through-out the Pow Wow weekend.

For more information on the Pow Wow, visit monaken.org/powwow. Questions can be directed to Bill Weaver at standinten@aol.com or Dave Counsil at dcounsil@bsa-mail.org. You can also contact the Council Offi ce at (717) 667-9236.

Troop 169 brings together the pioneering and orienteering as they host the 2013 Fall Camporee in Thompsontown October 4-6, 2013.

The Fall Camporee will be a mixture of fun and challenge as Scouts complete stations designed to bring together the outdoor skill in us all.

Registration is $7 per person (youth and adult) with an optional chicken dinner served Saturday night for an additional $5 per halve.

The Camporee will be held just off of the Thompsontown exit on Route 322 just be-hind the borough building.

Registration can be completed at the Dis-

FALL CAMPOREEtrict Roundtable on September 12 or from the district email sent out and will include a patch.

Troop 169 will be on hand at the District Roundtable on September 12 to answer questions and to provide a broader over-view of the Camporee.

Questions? Contact Dave Blehi at (717) 667-9236 or dblehi@bsamail.org.

SCOU

UTS CONQUERPHILMONT

Photos Courtesy of Mike Cavanaugh

Departing on a train from Pennsyl-vania bound for New Mexico, a crew of 11 youths and leaders from Troop 124 where bound for Philmont Scout Ranch on a 16-day adventure at a high adventure base that covers 137,000 acres of wilderness.

The trek the crew selected had a sug-gested route of 77 miles but the crew felt confi dent they could accomplish 100 miles during their stay.

But before they set out on the journey, they had to prepare for the adventure. The Scouts spent months of prep work from packing the right gear to make the most effi cient use of their packs to hiking - starting with small hikes to packing with full packs carrying between 45-60 pounds of gear - to physically get themselves ready.

The fi rst day at Philmont began on July 24 with an opening campfi re welcoming all the Scouts to the ranch. They also par-ticipted in a training course where the crew learned about han-dling the trails and the rugged grounds including learning such things on making a bear bag.

Mike Cavanaugh said, “they (my boots) started wearing out the fi rst day of hiking, completely blown by Day 3 and didn’t get replaced until Day 5,” The issue was just some of the issues Scouts faced while hiking the trails.

“It went very well. There were some rough spots, like all treks go through, but overall it was still very rewarding. It was wonderful to see the view from Baldy again and experience another Pueblano campfi re,” stated Cavanaugh.

Some of the highlights from the trip included climbing the Tooth of Time at 9,003 feet along with Mount Baldy at 12,441 feet.

Mount Baldy was the most exciting part of the trip for the group. It took about 6 hours for the group to climb to the top. Many com-mented that the view overlooking New Mexico were fantastic.

At Miner’s Park the Scouts were able to rock climb and rapel.

One of the Scouts, Hayden Crouse said that “rock climbing was fun.”

During the trip, the crew took part in a conservation project helping to build trails to con-nect diff erent parts of the camps.

There was little wildlife spotted the whole time. The crew found

mini-bears, mule deer, jackrabbits, lizards, and snakes.

The daily meal consisted on a variety of jerkys, granola bars, trail mix, peanuts, and candy. During dinner, they ate dehydrated foods. Part of the reasoning why was this was meant to keep the weight of their packs down as the Scouts had to carry everything in their packs. The other is the amount of miles covered hiking along with the high temperatures meant the Scouts needed a high amount of carbohydrates with high calories.

Philmont Scout Ranch is a Boy Scouts of America’s High Ad-venture Base where Scouts can backpack, ride horses, rapel, and more across the New Mexico wilderness.

TROOP 124

CONQUERS PHILMONT

Some of the Scouts checked out the view from the top of ‘The Tooth’

The campfi re at Clarks Fort

Philmont Scout Ranch was founded 1938 as Philturn ROck-mountain Scoutcamp. The name is derived from Waite Phillips who donated the land combined with “good turn” because of the act of donating the property to the Scouts.

The ranch is the largest high ad-venutre base off ered by the Boy Scouts of America. It covers 137,500 acres of land in Nex Mexico near the town of Cimarron.

The camp is open year-round of-fering a variety of programs with most taking place during the sum-mertime.

Almost one million Scouts and

Scouters have participated in the programs off ered at Philmont.

The Order of the Arrow off ers a 14-day program for youth mem-bers to perform conservation projects for a week followed by a week-long trek.

For more information on Philmont Scout Ranch, visit http://philmontscoutranch.org.

H i s t o r y p r o v i d e d b y t h e Philmont Scout Ranch website.

Philmont Facts

One of the main principles of the Order of the Arrow is leadership in cheerful service to others. While there won’t be a national program of emphasis in 2014 as we prepare for the 100th anniversary, “The Year of the Lodge” will be promoted as lodges continue doing the local work that makes the orga-nization thrive. Lodges are en-couraged to focus on areas of growth in discussion with their Scout Executive.

Living out the principle of cheerful service and leader-ship, Arrowmen from Sections C-1A, C-1B, and C-3A are cur-rently planning a major service project for August 2014. Called ArrowPower2014, the week-long service project will be in partnership with the National Park Service.

The purpose of ArrowPower is to provide service on the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. This National Park is a great proj-ect match for the OA, as many of the troops in the surround-ing area have overnight camps and canoe trips along the river. Projects will greatly enhance the usability of the National Park and will include invasive

species removal, campsite and landing restoration and repair, a survey of the Park boundar-ies, a population study of en-dangered species that live on the river, and expanding the Ice Age hiking trail that wanders along the Park.

ArrowPower2014 will be held August 17 – 23 around Trego, Wisconsin, and is open to Ar-rowmen of all ages from across the nation that meet the BSA high adventure fi tness qualifi -cations. More information can be found online at the event website (http://arrowpower.sectionc1b.org) or on the offi -cial ArrowPower2014 Facebook page. Registration forms will be available in the near future for the project. ArrowPower is mod-eled after the 2008 national Or-der of the Arrow ArrowCorps5 projects, which partnered with the US Forest Service for OA members to provide service at fi ve national forests.

The fi rst ArrowPower project was held in 2011 for the Central Region, Area 1. Sections C-1A and C-1B joined together with the US Forest Service for a week of service in the Superior National Forest. That project was a great success, with over 10,000 feet of brand-new Mountain Biking

trails built and over 1,600 feet of new boardwalk constructed on the Superior Hiking Trail. In 2011, Arrowmen showed their intensity when they completed 95% of the planned tasks in 3 workdays, when the initial day was a complete rain-out. “Plan B isn’t always Plan A with a rain-coat,” as safety offi cer Katherine Syverson remarked. The lead-ership opted for team-building exercises and simple projects inside the host school for the days that weather proved to be challenging.

Day-trip recreation opportuni-ties will be included in the Ar-rowPower2014 event, similar to ArrowCorps5, ensuring that the participants get to enjoy the

features of the area that we’re improving. Details are still be-ing worked out, but these ac-tivities could include tubing, rafting, kayaking, hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, sail-ing on Lake Superior, or horse-back riding. “ArrowPower2014 is going to be a great opportunity for all of us together to keep the St. Croix and Namekagon Riv-ers a wild and scenic place for future generations of Ameri-cans to enjoy,” according to Jonathan Moore, National Park Service Volunteer Coordinator at the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.

SERVICE, LEADERSHIP, AND BROTHERHOOD

ARROWPOWER 2014

ORDER OF THE ARROW

By Nick Pedersen

G e o r g e W a l t e r s

The Lodge reorganization will take place between now and October 1 and will include com-mittee chairmen and advisers. The executive board will be trained at the Lodge Leadership and Development Conference at the start of October.

next Shawnee Chapter Chief for Monaken Lodge.

Other Chapter Offi cer elections include:

Vice Chief: Alan ParkerSecretary: To Be AppointedTreasurer: Wes ShinglerElected Chapter Adviser:

Chester has served most re-cently as First vice Chief for Monaken Lodge. Previously he has served multiple years as Conclave Chairman.

Other Lodge Offi cer elections include:

First vice Chief: Colton FoglemanSecond vice Chief: Justin LewisSecretary: Mitch KepnerTreasurer : Nate Ripka

Zack Bonson has been elected by his peers to become the

MONAKEN LODGE

UPCOMING EVENTSSeptember 15 | Shawnee Chapter Fellowship Day

S e p t e m b e r 2 7-2 9 | A q u a n u s c h i o -n i Pow Wow. ht t p : //m o n a ke n . o r g /p ow wow

October 18-20 | Woodchuck Ordeal and Wing-off Weekend

February 21-23 | Pow Wow Weekend

April 25-27 | Chaptaganza

May 16-18 | Spring Ordeal

August 15-17 | Fall Ordeal

October 17-19 | Woodchuck Ordeal and Wing-off Weekend

Jon Chester has been elected by his peers to become the next Monaken Lodge ChieF at the 2013 Fall Ordeal held at Seven Mountains Scout Camp.

He succeeds Mike Cavanaugh as Lodge Chief. The position of the offi ce of Monaken Lodge Chief dates back to 1936 when Jack Swetic was appointed the fi rst chief (http://monaken.org/history/key-3/). The new execu-tive board year begins October 1, 2013 and continues through September 30, 2014.

CHESTER AND BONSON ELECTED

Shawnee Chapter to host Fellowship DayThe 2013 Shawnee Fellowship Day will be held Sunday September 15th at the Fogleman Camp near McAlisterville. The meal will begin somewhere between 12:30 and 1 PM.

The chapter will provide meat (hot dogs, hamburgers, and sausage) and rolls, as well as drinks. We ask that you bring a covered dish or dessert, or both if you’d like.

There is no fee to attend. Just come and enjoy food,

horseshoes, or even video games or football games.

Please RSVP to Mark Salvatore or Craig Shingler (cashingler@verizon.net) by Friday September 13th so we can have an accurate number for food.

For directions to the camp please contact Bud Fogleman (dfogleman@pa.net). Any questions, please email Mark Salvatore at salrph@nmax.net.

SEPTEMBER

September’s Roundtable will be held September 12th at 7pm at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Miffl intown, Pa

Fall popcorn training makeupThis is specifi cally for those units who where not at the Fall Program Fair that was held at Seven Mountains Scout Camp in August.

Units who complete the training will earn an extra 3% on top of their unit’s total commission.

Fall CamporeeThe Fall Camporee will be held October 4-6 just off of the Thompstown exit on 322. Representatives from Troop 169 will be on hand to discuss the program and to answer any questions that you may have.

Check your inboxes for more information and registration details.

ChartersIt’s that time of year when we begin to talk about completing your unit’s charter for 2014. There are changes for the upcoming year including membership fees.

Aquanuschioni Pow WowMonaken Lodge hosts the 2013 Aquanuschioni Pow Wow at Seven Mountains Scout Camp September 27-29. This event is open to all units and the general public.

More information can be found at http://www.monaken.org/powwow

And MoreBe sure to have at least one representative from your unit present at the September Roundtable. You wouldn’t want to miss it.

OCTOBER

October’s Roundtable will be held October 10 at 7pm in Miffl intown, Pa

Blue and Gold Can you imagine that spring is right around the corner? And with spring, it’s that time for Blue and Gold Banquets. Learn more about planning your pack’s Blue and Gold Banquet.

Spring PlanningContinuing with the Blue and Gold Banquet planning there is a lot of other events that the District is planning for. So bring your input and ideas and feel free to share what’s on your mind.

Klondike DerbyKlondike Derby is the annual winter derby held at Scout Camp at the end of January. Representatives from the planning committee will be on hand to share the latest on what to expect for the 2014 Klondike Derby

Scouting for FoodThe largest food collection drive in the district, information will be passed along on this year’s Scouting for Food program.

And MoreBe sure to have at least one representative from your unit present at the October Roundtable. You wouldn’t want to miss it.

UPCOMING ROUNDTABLES

SEPTEMBERRoundtable

September 12, 7pmWestminster Presbyterian Church, Miffl intown, Pa

Aquanuschioni Pow Wow

September 27-29, 6pmSeven Mountains Scout Campwww.monaken.org/powwow

OCTOBERDistrict Committee

October 3, 7pmLocation TBD

Fall Camporee

October 4-6, 6pmThompsontown, Pa

District Roundtable

October 10, 7pmMiffl intown, Pa

Woodchuck Ordeal

October 18-20, 6pmSeven Mountains Scout Campwww.monaken.org/powwow

Aquanuschioni Pow Wow

September 27-29, 6pmSeven Mountains Scout Campwww.monaken.org/powwow

NOVEMBERScouting for Food Drop Off

November 1-2

District Committee

November 7, 7pm

DECEMBERLewistown Ice Festival

December 5-7

OA Family Banquet

December 8

JANUARYDistrict Committee

January 2

District Roundtable

January 9

Klondike Derby

January 25

FEBRUARYScout Sunday

February 2

District Committee

February 6

DISTRICT EVENTS

AROUND THE DISTRICT

Potential Eagle Scout ProjectsDerry Township is looking to revitalize the park to en-hance the outdoor nature of the park. Recently the township supervisors changed the name of the park to Kishacoquillas Park, “Kish Park,” the original name of the park when fi rst established.

The township recently contacted the Council Offi ce with potential projects that could be done by units or Scouts looking for an Eagle Scout project around the park.

The township is developing a tree donation program. Part of the program will enable donors to place a plaque on a memorial wall. The township is seeking a wooden wall where the plaques could be mounted on at a loca-tion at the park.

The original Derry Township Community Park entrance sign (the previous name of the park) was completed as an Eagle Scout project a number of years ago. As part of the park’s revitalization, the township is seek-ing volunteers to help update the sign with a new logo including “Kish Park.”

In 2014, the township might also request that groups to come maintain the planted trees in the springtime. This would include planting, watering, and mulching. More details will be announced in the spring by the township.

For questions or interest that you or your Scout Unit may have, please contact Derry Township at derrytwp@comcast.net or at http://www.derrytwp.info.

National Dues to Increase in

2014The National Council of the Boy Scouts of America re-cently announced that they are increasing its member-ship fee to $24 per year for all registered Scouts and Scouters eff ective January 1, 2014. This is an increase from $15 from this past year. The membership fee will

be prorated $2 for each month after.

The current $3 insurance fee from the Juniata Valley Council will remain unchanged. More information will be included in rechartering packets distributed this fall and at the October Roundtable.

Seeking Volunteers for FallShawnee District is seeking volunteers to help in a va-riety of roles for the 2013 fall camping season. If you or a parent you know are interested in helping with one or two activities this fall, please contact Paul Grego at pmgrego@gmail.com.

DISTRICT KEY 3

DISTRICT CHAIRMAN

Paul Grego

DISTRICT COMMISSIONER

Vacant

DISTRICT EXECUTIVE

Dave Blehi

DISTRICT COMMITTEE

Bob Snyder, Charlotte Snyder,

Fred McKinley, Cynthia McKinley,

Dan Clark, Dan Laughlin, Danielle

Sheetz, John Geibel, Jon Cherry

We recognize those Scouts who have obtained the rank of Eagle Scout from 2012 until present. Your hard work and dedication to earn the merit badges, to complete the service project doesn’t go unnoticed.

2012James PageDylan WintersNicholas HeisterJared WagnerCurtis JerzerickLee KohlerJoshua Beward

2013Colton CopenhauerBen WheelerBen HugendublerJohn Breon JrAndrew MoonAustin HessDane Wakefi eldDylan WhiteWesley Kinzer

The Scouts of Juniata Valley Council, Boy Scouts of America are “popping up” all over central Pennsylvania neighborhoods during the fall as they kick off their annual sale of Trail’s End Gourmet Popcorn. Proceeds of the popcorn, sold exclusively by Scouts, will provide the council and Scout units with additional funds needed to serve over youth of Centre, Huntingdon, Juniata, and Miffl in counties.

Scouts, often recognized for their good deeds, provided over 1.3 million hours of service to local communities last year, and continually strive to do a “good

turn” daily. What better way to support their eff orts than through the purchase of popcorn? The Scouts urge you to make a purchase, a purchase that will help youth have an experience of a lifetime. Watch for Scouts to “pop” up at various stores and events throughout the area selling pop-corn during the months of September and October; they may even show up on your doorstep.

This year’s line up of popcorn includes:

White Chocolately Pretzels - $25Sour Cream and Onion - $20Dark and White Chocolately Drizzle - $18

Caramel Corn w/ Almonds and Pecans - $17Butter Toff ee Caramel Corn - $17Bacon Ranch - $15Buff alo Cheddar Cheese - $15Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese - $15Cheddar Cheese Corn - $15Classic Caramel Corn - $9Popping Corn - $8Kettle Corn Microwave - $22Unbelievable Butter Microwave - $17Butter Light Microwave - $17

For more information on this year’s pop-corn sale, visit http://jvcbsa.org

Fall Into Popcorn Scouts to sell Popcorn to earn money for Camp

much as those who don’t. Remember - units that are fi nancially sound can spend more time and resources providing a fun, challenging, and aff ordable year-round program!

This year we are introducing the ‘Show N Sell.’ The Show N Sell is a program where Scouts take popcorn to a public place, such as a mall or store and sell popcorn there.

Units that participated in Show N Sell sold 22% more popcorn than those units who only chose the take order method. There are a few more locations left in Miffl in and Centre counties, so if your unit is interested in securing a location to sell popcorn, contact Dave Blehi at dblehi@bsamail.org today.

Building a strong annual program is a great way to keep your Scouts active and interested in the Scouting program. Funding your program is equally important, as Scouts benefi t from paying their own way. Units need a secure and stable source of income that a strong popcorn sale can provide. Monies raised by units have been used to cover the cost of badges and advancement, special events, and camp fees. The popcorn sale also benefi ts the council as a whole by helping us serve volunteer leaders and members by providing better programs and camping facilities. When your unit is establishing its budget, make popcorn a part of that plan. Try establishing a unit and Scout goal to meet the budgeted needs for the entire year of Scouting for each youth member. Units that establish a goal raise twice as

Show off the Popcorn at a Show n’ Sale

Show N Sale Locations Remaining

Miffl in

- Walmart, Lewistown: 10/5, 10/12, 10/13- Kmart, Burnham: 9/14, 9/21, 9/28, 10/5

Centre

- Nittany Mall, Sear’s side: 9/15, 9/22, 10/5- Nittany Mall, JCPenny’s side: 9/15, 9/21, 9/22, 10/5- Sam’s Club: 9/21- Lowe’s, State College: 9/28- Walmart, Benner Pike: 10/5, 10/6- Walmart, North Atherton: 9/28