Troop 152 at Frontiersman Cabin

Last weekend was my troops campout at Camp Lowden to work on Frontiersman Cabin.  We got started at 9:30 AM and finished at 10:00 PM.  It was a long day and everyone did a great job.  Thanks to Mike McCleary for organizing the work date and all those from Troop 152 that came out to help.  We even had a special treat from Betty Miller who brought out dinner. We were able to finish the ceiling, insulation, and install an outdoor outlet.

Outdoor outlet added on the North side of Frontiersman.

Camp Lowden, October 30, 2010

Last weekend was the make up date for the wood cutting at Camp Lowden, thanks to Bud and Eric and their crews for working on cutting and splitting wood.

We also had a crew working on the staff cabin at Camp Lowden.  Three of the sides have been sided thanks to Matt, Chris and Mike.  Dave and Cindy were out working on the porch for the cabin.

Dave and Cindy working on the porch.

Matt, Chris, and Mike working on the staff cabin.

Camp Lowden Wood Cut Weekend, October 23, 2010

Well, as far as wood cutting went the rain won this one.  However, there was certainly enough work to be done around camp to keep everyone busy.  We had one team working on staining the siding for the staff cabin so it is ready to be installed next weekend.  In the process we got some of the maintenance building organized so we could have room for the stain to dry.

Staff Cabin Siding

Another group helped install the soffit around the Amerock building.  They got most of the building completed.

Soffit Crew working on Amerock

There was also a group that dug the holes and poured the cement for the porch for the staff cabin.

One of the troops that was out for the weekend helped organize the wood crib so we have room for the new wood next weekend.

Next week we'll be cutting wood, working on the soffit around several other buildings, and working on the staff cabin.  We could use a lot of help next weekend, no experience necessary.  It can be a big time saving just to have volunteers to carry the soffit or wood between the cutters and the installers.  Even if you have an hour, consider coming out to help improve the camp.

Thanks to everyone that came out to help.

Camp Lowden Weekend, October 16, 2010

I was out at Camp Lowden on Saturday to help with a couple of projects.  It was great to see all the activity at camp.  There was training going on, OKPIC cold weather camping training, NYLT staff development, and Scoutmaster outdoor training.  There were two troops that went canoeing and another that was out to use the shooting range.  Mighty Pack 5 from Winnebago was out for the day as well.  All together there must have been 350 scouts, parents, and volunteers using the camp facilities.  In addition we had work crews out staining Winnebago Cabin - Frontiersman Cabin was done on Thursday by Ed Allen and hit brother Don - as well as work on the soffit and fascia for both cabins. It's great to see our camps getting this much use.  Next Saturday, October 23, is the Wood Cut day at Camp Lowden, consider coming out to help.

Camp Lowden 70th Anniversary

A celebration was held for the 70th Anniversary of Camp Lowden out at camp today.  Steve Sarver, who's wife delivered their second child on Friday, organized the event.  It was a great day as the weather had cooled from the hot summer temperatures of summer camp and it was a bright, sunny day.  There were staff alumni from Tennessee, Kansas, and Michigan in attendance.  Staff from as far back as the 1940s were there.  In conjunction with the event, Steve has completed a new edition of the Camp Lowden history that I'm looking forward to going through and a couple of picture books that can be ordered.  Thanks to Russ and Sue Sarver for doing registration and Jef Heckinger who got a lot of new scouting alumni registered.

1940s Camp Lowden Staff

1950s Camp Lowden Staff

1970s Camp Lowden Staff

1980s Camp Lowden Staff

1990s Camp Lowden Staff

2000s Camp Lowden Staff

Extreme Service Project – Blackhawk Area Council Anniversary Event

Last Saturday was the date of the Extreme Service Project conducted by the Order of the Arrow, Walupeju Lodge chapters as one of our council 100^th anniversary events.  Since community service is a big part of the Boy Scouts of America it made sense that one of our anniversary events would be a day of community service.  There were five different locations where local OA chapters arranged for service projects.  In White Eagle District, the Mawat Chapter organized a group to work on the perimeter trail around Camp Lowden.

In Wetassa District, the Wetassa Chapter organized a clean up of Krape Park in Freeport.

In Wanchanagi District, the Gokos Chapter organized a clean up of Klehn Aboretum in Rockford.

In Sycamore District, the Kishwaukee Chapter organized two projects, one at Marengo Woods and the other at The Hollows, both McHenry County Conservation District sites.

All together there were hundreds of scouts and their families that came out to help with the projects.

Patches commemorating the event are available for order, please contact me directly if you would like to have some ordered for your unit.

I also had an event flag that traveled to each site and was signed by participants.  If you did not get a chance to sign the flag and want to borrow it for a unit, district, or chapter event contact me and we can arrange for you to borrow the flag.

Wood Badge, Tour de Blackhawk, Camp Properties Workshop, Training, Jamboree

Lots of activity this past weekend.  On Friday Ed and I were at the Wood Badge Staff Development held at the Boeger Leadership Lodge to practice our presentation on Scouting Generations.  A new session that deals with understanding the differences between the various generations represented by our volunteers.

Saturday morning I had breakfast with John Wurtzel to discuss the stage show for the Tour de Blackhawk on June 11-13.  It should be a good show.  If you haven't signed up yet you'll want to get your units registered at http://www.blackhawkscouting.org/2010Events/TourDeBlackhawk/TourDeBlackhawk.htm.  Besides having rides available from 8 to 100 miles there are three bike rodeos planned along the trials for Cub Scouts to participate in.

Next was a session at Pecatonica High School to plan the future of our camps.  We are gathering information to update our strategic plan as well as other plans for the camps.  We had over 30 volunteers participate in the session which lasted into the afternoon.  Thanks to Bob Gingras for organizing the session.

Then it was back to Camp Lowden where I got to stop by and visit with a large group that was taking the BALOO (Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation) and WLOT (Webelos Leader Outdoor Training) and with some of our Jamboree participants.  The big event was the Wood Badge Reunion Dinner that saw 100 of our past and future Wood Badge trained volunteers come out to catch up with one another at the Boeger Leadership Lodge.

Adventue Base 100, Boeger Lodge, White Eagle and Wanchanagi Dinners

We've had a lot going on this week.  Monday I was at the Chicago Area Council offices with Steve James working on Adventure Base 100.  Blackhawk Area Council will be supporting AB100 on May 1 from 10:00 A.M. until 3:00 P.M.  We still have a few seats left on the staff bus if anyone would like to help out.
On Tuesday I was at the Sycamore District Commissioners meeting.  Seems like I've had a lot of conflicts with that meeting lately but we had a good discussion and Blair is doing a great job as our District Commissioner.
On Wednesday I met with Steve James and Bill Mugnai to plan out what we'll be doing with the stage show during AB100.  We have the stage during our time on May 1 to do whatever we would like.  So if your unit is coming out and would like to do something special let one of us know.
Thursday I had to miss roundtable for a meeting in Rockford relating to the Fredj donation.  For those that may not recognize this, the Fredj's left a very generous fund that generates revenues for use at our camps.  We were discussion plans as to how to best utilize those funds.  In the coming years you'll see a lot more about the effects this will have improving our camps.
On Saturday it was an early start out to Camp Lowden for an 8:00 A.M. start to work day.  It was a chilly 50 degrees when I got out of the car but you could tell it was going to warm up fast.  There was a good turn out and a number of projects were worked on.  Some of our typical start up things like getting the water on and other projects like putting a porch on the rangers house.  I was assigned to put up shelving that we got from the central region in the basement of the Wienke Handicraft Lodge.  With the help of Ed Allen and Marty Mosca all of the shelving was put up which should help organize the storage.

I left Ed and Marty to finish up as we had the Open House for the Boeger Leadership Lodge.  We had a very good turn out for the open house.  A lot of people drove out to tour the building and visit with Jim and Karen.

Dave Savone got the plaque mounted but I forgot to get a picture.  I'll get that next time.  Special thanks to Carol's family for all of the decorations and food.  They were a big help.

Then it was off to the White Eagle District Dinner in Sterling.  The dinners are a favorite of mine because I get to participate in their celebration of the past year's achievements as well as catch up with old friends and meet new volunteers.  Don Rastedi, one of my Wood Badge troop members, took over the emceeing job for an ailing Jim Pepper and did a great job.

The only down side is that when I get home, about 11:30 P.M, I'm too pumped to sleep.

Sunday was back in the car.  First stop was an ceremony for one of our newest Eagle Scouts, Jeff B.  I've know Jeff's family through scouting for many years and it was an honor to be asked to participate in the ceremony.

Then it was off to Rockford for the Wanchanagi District Dinner and the opportunity to visit with the scouters there.  They had a fantastic year under the direction of District Chairman, Jim Behrensmeyer, another of my Wood Badge participants, and District Commissioner Jerry Coots.

Tomorrow we start again.

Klondike Derbies and other things

We'll we are certainly roaring into our anniversary year with a lot of activity.  Last weekend there were three Klondike Derbies.  I made it to two of them, sorry Wetass District, only so much time in a day.

Saturday started at the Sycamore Klondike Derby held at Camp Lokata.  The had a huge turn out.  Congratulations to the Lumpp brothers for organizing the event.

Here is the Hawiian contingent.

Congratulation to the French Chickens, winners of the 2010 competition.

The next stop was the White Eagle District Klondike at Camp Lowden.  I caught up with them a lunch time.  They had a full house in the dinning hall.

The last stop of the day was to help work on some final touches at the Boeger Leadership Lodge which ended up carrying on into Sunday.  A group of volunteers put up insulation and shelving in the storage room.  Thank you to Dave and Cindy Savone, Mike and Julie Condon, and Steve James.  The shelving came from the Central Region offices as they close for relocation to the National Office.  Thanks to Dave Savone and Steve James we also got a small snow blower for the sidewalk and a couple of nice carts.

September 20, 2009

I had some family commitments on Saturday so my scouting activity was on Sunday. Ed Allen and I went out early to Camp Lowden to help prepare the closing luncheon for the Wood Badge course.

Fun in the Kitchen.

The patrols presented their flags to the Scoutmaster Tom Siefken.

On our way out of camp we stopped at the Boeger Leadership Lodge to check on the progress from during the week. A number of additions with the subfloor being in stalled in the kitchen, the tile going in the downstairs bathrooms, stairs to the porch on the east side of the building, the new larger lights by the front door, and the front door was stained to match the exterior.

Upcoming Events

Next weekend, September 11-13, is a busy weekend. We have a lot of different activities going on to start the fall season. If you are interested in any of these it is not to late to register.

Religious Retreat is Fri-Sun at Camp Lowden
Canyon Camp Alumni & Friends are gathering at Canyon Camp Fri & Sat
McHenry Co. Sporting Clays is Saturday at the Richmond Hunt Club
Sycamore Extreme Pinewood Derby is Sunday at Buss Ford in McHenry

August 29-30, 2009

Saturday was Show And Do outdoor skills training. There were sessions on cooking, camping, backpacking, Venturing, and knots. I was in the trading post for the bulk of the time but had a chance to attend a couple of the sessions.

I gave some tours of the Beoger Leadership Lodge to anyone that wanted to stay after Show And Do was over. One new addition was the acquisition of some barn wood by Carol Zarnstorff to use as trim in the Great Room

Sunday was a round of Miniature Golf organized by Sycamore District.