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.

October 12, 2009

Wow, I can't believe it has been three weeks since I last updated the blog. I've been so busy getting the chandeliers done for the Boeger Leadership Lodge in my spare time its taken away from my updates. Anyway here's some of the latest.

Work continues on the Boeger Leadership Lodge with the tile and wood floors being completed.

The kitchen equipment was installed last week.

And the lights are progressing.

Which is good because we are now generating power with our solar cells.

I was out at Canyon Camp to visit with representatives from the Natural Land Institute and the DNR about the Wiley property that the NLI recently acquired. We took a tour of Canyon Camp as a part of the meeting.

The weekend before last was the Sycamore District Camporee. It was a different event in that most of the competition was held at night with activities like the rifle and archery ranges and climbing wall were open during the day. Congratulations to Troop 152 who won the competition and Troop 456 that won the spirit award.

Last weekend was a trip to Kansas City with Dave Savone, Dan Banko, and Mike Condon to the Wood Badge Course Directors Conference. I was asked by Dave to help staff the course.

Somewhere in there was a day in the kitchen for the second weekend of the Wood Badge course.

Recruit, Recruit, Recruit

This time of year is our biggest recruiting season. Every unit can use some help. I spent the last two evenings at one of the elementary schools helping to recruit Cub Scouts. We got five new names and contact information and several others that took information. If they all show up with a couple of friends that could be 15 new scouts.

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.

Woods of Webelos 2009

Last weekend was another trip to camp to teach knots to our first year Webelos and their parents. We (Dan Banko was with me) instruct on four basic knots: square knot, sheet bend, two-half hitches, and tautline. All together we had about 150 scouts plus at least one parent for each. So there were a lot of knots. Once we finish the instructional part we test their skill by pitching a tarp where only the scouts are allowed to tie the knots.

This weekend I'll be out at Camp Lowden helping with the exterior of the Amerock building. Anyone interested in helping is welcome, bring a lunch. There is also work going on at Canyon Camp on the pavilion. Contact John Wurtzel if you can make it over there on Saturday.

Council Recognition Dinner

On March 8th we held the annual Blackhawk Area Council Recognition Dinner. The dinner is open to anyone in the council and is held in honor of our 2008 Eagle Scouts and Silver Beaver recipients.

Eagle Scout Class of 2008

2009 Silver Beavers

ScoutReach, Sycamore, and Wanchanagi were recognized as Quality Districts and Blackhawk Area Council was recognized as a Quality Council.

Another Busy Weekend

Saturday was an early trip to Camp Lowden with Dave Savone, Ed Allen, and Dan Banko to help cut and move trees that were taken down last fall. They are now in the way of the construction of the Boeger Leadership Lodge. Fortunately for us the NYLT staff had some time and helped out. We were able to get most of the wood moved and the rest is staged where Dave can get at it with his loader.

Later that day we spent several hours hiking through camp looking for the southern boarder. We got well back into camp but I'm not sure we made it all the way. The rest will have to wait for another weekend, hopefully before all the buckthron blossoms this spring. Below are some shots of the area.

Sunday I was at the Sycamore District Venture Bowling Tournament which included two regular games and a third goofy game. There were twelve teams this year with one coming from out of council. The crew from Marengo won the title and the traveling trophy. Fareen Parkitney did a great job of putting on the event.

Blue & Gold Week

February is typically full of Blue & Gold Banquets. Last week seemed to be my week for Blue and Golds; each for a different reason. I started with Pack 152 where I was invited as their Unit Commissioner. This pack has grown significantly over the past couple of years due to a strong and committed group of volunteers headed by Anna Polletta, Cubmaster, and Kal Gibron, Committee Chairman.

The next stop was at Pack 155 to do a Friends of Scouting presentation. This is a smaller pack that is starting to grow, again due to the commitment of some great volunteers such as outgoing Cubmaster, Malissa Hall. Yes, they made their FOS goal.

The final Blue & Gold last week was to do a Wood Badge Bead Ceremony at Pack 81 in Oregon for Mary Stromberg who is a participant in my course, C-23-07. Mary was the final Eagle to receive her beads, making the Eagle patrol the first to have all of its members complete the course. Mary also crossed over 10 Webelos from her Webelos Den into two different troops. That is definitely Leaving a Legacy.

Fireside Chats

We wrapped up our annual Fireside Chats this week with sessions at Wetassa and Sycamore Districts. Thanks to Terry Miller and Blair Piotrowski, the respective District Commissioniers, for allowing us time at their Roundtables. We always get good input as a result of these sessions.

So what happens now? Well, we take all of the comments and catagorize them by function (e.g. training, camping, etc.) and refer them to the appropriate council committee for consideration at our April meeting. Each district should have a representative, usually your district chair for the equivalent committee in the district, attending the council meetings who can relate back to your district committee the results of those meetings.

Something that I've found this year is that many of our volunteers are unfamiliar with the interaction between the council and their districts. Our annual Fireside Chats are not your only opportunity to be heard during the year. Each district has a committee that meets monthly. Each of those meetings are an opportunity to discuss concerns or suggestions as to various functions within the district which mirror the council functions. Using Membership as an example, if there is a suggestion for the council, the district membership representative, the District Vice Chair of Membership, can take that suggestion to the next Council Membership meeting for consideration. So you do not have to wait for our annual Fireside Chats to have your suggestions heard.

Busy Scouting Weekend

The last weekend in January seems to be the annual kick-off for scouting events. From here on through the spring we have a calendar with every weekend loaded with activities and events. Three of our districts had Klondike Derbies this weekend.

My weekend was filled with scouting activities. I was at the Sycamore District Klondike Derby most of Saturday helping with the crate stacking event. There was plenty of snow for the sleds and the temperature was cold enough that it didn't get slushy.

After Klondike I stopped at the pasta dinner that Troop 131 offers following the event. With the location right next to the Klondike it makes for a very convenient place to stop and talk about the day.

Sunday was right back into activities. The Sycamore Venturers got together for climbing at North Wall in Crystal Lake. In between belays I was able to get a couple of climbs in myself. A couple being my limit.

That was followed by our regular crew meeting at the neighboring pizza place for further discussion about our summer activity.

Sycamore February Roundtable Moved

The Sycamore District Roundtable for February 12 has been moved to St. Thomas the Apostle Church located at 451 West Terra Cotta Ave. in Crystal Lake. Please let your fellow scouters know about the change. This is the new church on the corner of Rt. 176 (Terra Cotta) and Oak Street, not the one near Route 14. Roundtable starts at the regular 7:15 PM time. The council Fireside Chat will be at the beginning of the meeting. The Fireside Chat is an opportunity to ask questions or make suggestions about our council operations.

Sycamore Tiger Time has Moved Locations

The Sycamore District Tiger Time {website} activity has changed locations. It is still in Crystal Lake on February 14th, but will now be held at Hannah Beardsley Middle School {map}. If your pack or a pack you work with has registered please make sure they know about the change. Check-in for the activity opens at 7:30 AM with the program starting at 9:00 AM. Note that preregistration was required for this event and has already closed.

Weekend Activities

This weekend I was able to attend a couple of training activities. The first was a staff development session for the upcoming Powder Horn course {see website}. Mike Condon and staff have an exciting hands on course planned to identify rescources available to Venture Advisors and other Scouters to use in operating a successful unit level high adventure program and to support the Venturing Ranger Program. The course will be held April 17-19 and May 1-3.

The other training activity I attended was a BALOO (Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation) training course that was held in Sycamore District on Saturday. For a pack to conduct a campout they are required to have a BALOO trained adult involved in the planning and in attendance at the outing. So it is important for this training to be made available to the packs. Susan Clancy-Kelly and her staff did a great job putting on this training and the following Webelos Leader Outdoor Training. It was good to see our pack leaders in attendance so their units can conduct a campout.

Bob Hermanson Passing

Bob Hermanson was involved for many years with Pack 350 in Woodstock as a Cubmaster and Committee Chairman, among other duties. Bob passed away December 26. The visitation will be Tuesday, Dec. 30, from 9 a.m. until the 11 a.m. service at Woodstock Bible Church, 770 E. Kimball, Woodstock.

Bob was one of the first people I remember meeting at a Kishwaukee (now Sycamore) Roundtable when I started as a volunteer in scouting. He was a dedicated scouter and will be missed.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to either Hospice of Northeastern Illinois, 410 S. Hager, Barrington, IL 60010; or Cub Scout Pack 350, 179 Ridgewood Drive, Woodstock, IL 60098. For information, call Windridge Funeral Home at 847-639-2191 or visit www.windridgefuneralhome.com.

You can view the notice in the Northwest Herald where a guest book is available.

2008 Sycamore District Dinner

Congratulations to the 2008 Sycamore District Award of Merit Recipients: Susan Clancy-Kelly, Marty Guzik, Greg Dertz, Randy Goerdt, and Greg Buck.

Sycamore District Recognition Dinner

The Sycamore District Recognition Dinner is this Sunday at 4:00PM. Registration forms can be found on the web site at www.sycamorebsa.org/Flyers.asp.