Special Whitewater Trip Edition

Camp Resolute $ Due: The $ for Camp Resolute was scheduled to be due by Thursday May 24 for all new scouts (cross-overs from Webelos this year). We have extended the due date to Thursday, May 31. All that is needed at this time is the check for $275/scout (less “brother discount – if applicable) payable to Troop 4. Please call or email Dave Kirchner if you have any questions. If there is a hardship with the fee please let Dave Kirchner know (confidential).

Merit Badge Classes: for Wilderness Survival and Personal Management are finishing up in May. We will be working with individual scouts and small groups to finish up the badges. The Cycling merit badge has been started – in conjunction with the cycling camping trip. Scouts will have the opportunity to finish the Wilderness Survival and Personal Management merit badges before the June Court of Honor.

Scouts Working on Their Second or First Class Rank: The Venture Scouts are doing a great job with teaching the rank requirements for the Second and First Class badges. We are working to finish up by the June Court of Honor. The scouts need to be sure that they have the “troop activities” requirement done to advance by June. For Second Class a scout must participate in at least 5 troop activities (other than troop meetings), at least two of which must be camping trips since joining the troop. For First Class, a scout must have at least 10 activities at least 3 must be camping trips since joining (the 5 for Second class count for these).

The May Troop Bicycling/Camping Trip: has been re-scheduled for Friday, June 1 through Sunday June 3. A separate email with the new information was sent out to all the scout families today. Please call or email Dave Kirchner if you have any questions.

Service Hour Opportunities: Here are two ways for scouts to complete service hours for Star and Life Scout ranks:

• Cemetery flagging of veterans graves on Saturday, May 26. Meet at the St. Mary’s Cemetery on Cedar Street at 8:00 AM. The event will end about 11:00 AM. Scouts are invited to join the Italian American Veterans at Plains Park for a flag retirement ceremony and hot dogs and chips snack after. The event will end about noon.
• Milford Upper Charles River Bike Trail Grand Opening on Saturday, June 16. Volunteers are needed by the trail committee to help with everything from set up, to working on activities, to clean up – any time between 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. If any scouts would like to help out for any part of the day please email M. McNeilly at McNeilly!!! remove this !!!@comcast.net.

Milford Memorial Day Parade: Troop 4 will participate in the annual Milford Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 28. We will meet in uniform at 9:30 AM at the starting point in the Stop and Shop/99 Restaurant parking lot. The parade will start at 10:00 AM and end at Draper Park about 11:30 AM. This is the only parade event that the troop does each year and we would like as many scouts as possible to attend.

June Court of Honor: Our annual year end June family Court of Honor will be on Thursday, June 14. This is our wrap up of the scout year and dinner with awards night for scouts and their families. There will be lots of awards earned by the scouts given out that night and family members are welcome to attend. Scouts and their families are asked to arrive at 6:30 PM with dinner to start and awards after dinner. The evening will be done by about 8:30 PM. This is a pot luck dinner, and each family is asked to bring one dinner/dessert item. Members of the Troop Committee will contact each family to see who will be attending and what to bring.

Boards of Review: for scouts advancing in rank will be help during the May 24, 31, and June 7 troop meetings. If the scout is ready for the board of review we will notify him.

The June High Adventure White Water Trip: will be Saturday, June 23 through Monday June 25. We will be whitewater rafting in Maine on the Kennebec River! We are also using a new outfitter – Adventure Bound – for the trip and we are staying at a campsite that has a pool, hot tub, climbing wall and hot showers. The outfitter runs an excellent program and they will supply us with all the specialty equipment for the trip (rafts, paddles, personal flotation devices, helmets, guides, etc.) Their website is: www.adv-bound.com.

We have done the whitewater rafting trip several times and it is a great outdoor experience for all the scouts and the adults. This year’s trip on the Kennebec River will be divided into two groups. The group for the older scouts (minimum age 12) will start at the upper Kennebec River and raft class IV and V rapids. At about the midpoint, the second group of scouts (scouts under 12 and scouts not wanting to do the first part of the river) will join the first group and together will raft class III and II rapids along the lower Kennebec River. By running the rafting this way, all of out scouts will be able to participate in the whitewater experience.

We will drive up to the campsite Saturday and camp Saturday night at the campgrounds. On Saturday night scouts will also be able to try out the climbing wall. We will raft on Sunday, camp Sunday night, and return Monday to Milford. All participants will have the opportunity to work on the Whitewater merit badge.

As with all of our aquatic trips, our troop follows the BSA Safe Swim and Safety Afloat requirements. Each raft holds 6 to 7 individuals, and each raft has a guide in the raft the entire trip. The guides also have CRP/First Aid Certifications. There is also a trip leader supplied by the outfitter that has advanced First Aid/EMT certifications. We will have at least one adult in each raft and will arrange the rafts with the younger scouts so that there will be several adults from the troop in each raft.

The troop will do an introduction to whitewater rafting as part of our troop meetings. In addition, the outfitter conducts a training/safety instruction before the trip.

We are looking for parents to drive and stay for the event. Out June trips are always a great time for the parents as well as the scouts.

The troop will meet at the parish center at 8:00 AM Saturday morning June 23 and leave for the campsite at The Forks, Maine, by 9:00 AM. We will return for pick up at 4:00 PM on Monday, June 25. It is about a 5 hour drive to the location. We will camp at the outfitters campsite, complete with pool, hot tub, climbing wall, and hot showers. We will be cooking patrol style for Saturday dinner, Sunday breakfast, Sunday lunch, Sunday dinner, and Monday breakfast. Scouts and adults need to bring $ for Saturday lunch stop and Monday lunch stop. The adult leaders will provide the meals for the parents at the campsite for the parents.

The cost for the trip, to help offset the fees charged by the outfitter, is $72 per participant (scout and adult) plus an optional (additional) $11 per participant if the scout/adult wants to do the climbing wall. This is the most expensive weekend event that the troop does, but the troop gets a group rate and subsidizes the trip with troop funds that would cost regular users about $140 per person if they went on their own.

There is a release form from the outfitter that all participants and (parents for scouts) are required to sign. We will email or mail the forms out to the participants along with a suggested list of personal gear to bring.

Scouts, in order to participate on the trip, must have passed the BSA swimmers test. Most of our scouts have done this already. If you are not sure if your son has passed the test, call or email Dave Kirchner.

If your son (and you) will be attending, please return the attached permission slip with a check payable to Troop 4 no later than the June 7 troop meeting. If your son (and you) would like to attend but won’t be at the troop meeting, please drop off the form and $ to Dave Kirchner at 6 Camp Street (in the scout box) before June 7. We will be planning for the trip at the June 7 troop meeting.

Finally, we have reserved a fixed number of spots for the trip. We can add more, but the sooner we know the number, the better the chances to make sure that all the scouts/leaders/parents have a spot. If your son (and you) are going please email Dave Kirchner at kirchner5!!! remove this !!!@comcast.net as soon as possible (as soon as you get this newsletter would be great) – even before sending in the form and $.

Venture Scout Corner

Career Presentation for May: Mr. Chris Ward will be discussing careers and opportunities in the marketing profession at the May 24 troop meeting.

Re- Scheduled Troop Bicycling/Camping Trip: This will be a great trip to work on the Cycling merit badge and see some of the Cape too. We will also need Venture Scouts to help run the trip.

June Whitewater Trip: is a great way to have to work on the Whitewater merit badge – you can complete the badge on this trip if you already have the Canoeing merit badge.

These are great ways for some of the Venture Scouts to help meet their activity and leadership requirements for advancement.

Upcoming Event Dates & Reminders:

• May 24 is a regular troop meeting and Board of Review
• Monday May 28 is the Milford Memorial Day Parade
• May 31 is a regular troop meeting and Board of Review
• Friday June 1 – 3 is the Troop Bike trip to Cape Cod
• June 7 is the last regular troop meeting for the year and Board of Review
• June 14 is our year end family Court of Honor
• Saturday June 23 – Monday June 25 is our White Water High Adventure Trip
• Sunday July 22 – Friday July 27 is Camp Resolute

Troop Four Website: checkout the Troop 4 website at: www.troop4milford.org. We have lots of information and event calendars/dates listed.

Please call the Dave Kirchner at 508-478-5915 or email at kirchner5!!! remove this !!!@comcast.net if you have any questions.