Troop 764 Scouting Times -- Volume 2, Issue 1 -- March 12, 1999

Troop 764 Does Good Turns

During December and January there were several opportunities for the troop to extend a helping hand to others in need.

On Sunday, December 13, the troop was present at the First Presbyterian Church homeless breakfast to help serve meals to those less fortunate than ourselves. This act of kindness was again repeated on Sunday, January 3. We were represented by 21 Scouts and adults over the two Sundays.

On December 12, 29 and 30 the troop, as part of the God & Church program, and several second year Webelos, for their Citizen activity badge, spread wood chips in the large St. Luke's playground and around some plants next to the church. There were a total of 34 Scouts and adults involved with this project for which the St. Luke's grounds committee is very grateful.

On Super Bowl Sunday, January 31, seven Scouts and four leaders worked at St. Luke's for 1 1/2 hours making sandwiches for the hungry. They were part of a St. Luke's project which had a goal of making 10,000 sandwiches that day.

In March the Scouting For Food project will begin. Mrs. Steidle will be contacting everyone shortly.

Philmont Journals achieve national prominence

Troop 764 has hit the big time, in terms of web publishing, again thanks to Mr. Owens, and to the Scout authors who contributed their journals.

The Web site at http://w4.lns.cornell.edu~seb/philmont.html is the acknowledged Philmont authority, published by Selden Ball. This site contains a repository of valuable information about hiking at Philmont. It is an honor for the Troop 764 journals to have been added to a public record of such prestige and importance.

The Journals were written by: Mr. Owens, Matt F., and Peter S. If you want to hear the Philmont hymn, savor some fine trail cuisine, or view commanding vistas, check out these journals at the Troop 764 Philmont Web site. The number of photos has increased to 50 or so.

Troop 764 Meets President Carter

For the November camp-out, we went to Providence Canyon, which is know as the "Little Grand Canyon of Georgia." On Saturday we went to Westville, an authentic 1850's village, where we we feasted on gingerbread and biscuits. We also rode in a horse cart. Later in the day, we visited the oldest hardware store in the state. The afternoon was spent hiking in the canyon. The canyon was formed when poor farming practices caused erosion near the fall line. Dinner was a fine three course meal.

Sunday found us at the Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains. We attended Sunday School, which was taught by President Jimmy Carter. After the church service, we lined up and had our picture taken with the former president. On the way home, we sopped at the Prisoner of War Museum in Andersonville. The grounds of the old Andersonville Fort from the Civil War are located behind the museum. It was used as a prisoner of war camp during the war and is known as the worst prison in history. A graveyard for those who died while in prison is located on the grounds. We headed home after a very busy, but very interesting, weekend.

Ted Spangler

Justin Cook Becomes an Eagle Scout

On November 19, Justin Cook became the most recent Eagle Scout from Troop 764. He was presented the Eagle award at St. Lukes Church on his Grandparents’, Mr. and Mrs. George Koenig’s, 49th wedding anniversary. Justin’s Eagle Project re-established the Nature Trail at Peachtree Middle School. He built two bridges, a dozen steps, and regarded, mulched and lined the path with timbers.

Scouts Take on Ft. Mountain

On Saturday, December 5, nine Scouts and three leaders left under gray skies for the annual winter campout at Ft. Mountain State Park in Chatsworth. As we approached the park we encountered rain and thick fog (despite the Weather Channel's assurance the day would be bright and sunny). Once we settled into our campsite, we went for an eight mile hike over moderate to strenuous terrain (this would be an excellent tune-up hike for Philmont). Eventually the sun came out and warm temperatures made this our most pleasant winter outing ever. Shorts and t-shirts were the dress of choice.

For dinner three Scouts cooked steaks on a spit and Mr. Towle exhibited his car camping gourmet cooking skills with a three course steak dinner. Following dinner, we had our best snipe hunt ever. Never had we seen snipes so abundant and so large. Several of them ripped right through the bags. We were not able to catch any, but next time we will use burlap bags instead of paper.

Sunday morning the troop hiked to the ancient stone wall and climbed the tower before heading back to Dunwoody.

Mr. Owens

Ski Trip Turns into Parent Lockout

With a lack of snow in North Carolina, the troop ski trip was replaced with an overnight at the Scout Hut. Nineteen Scouts and five leaders began the weekend with pizza and watching the Falcons defeat the Vikings for the NFC Championship. Later they watched a movie and then ate a delicious spaghetti dinner prepared by Mr. Igleheart. Following dinner there was live music by the band known as Java. Later that evening, the troop enjoyed "extreme" bowling. Mr. Owens had the high score and Mitch Sutheimer had an amazing 5 consecutive strikes. Others with 3 straight strikes were Bradley Steidle and Mr. Hale. After bowling came air hockey, pool and football.

The next morning we were treated to another fabulous Igleheart meal. For breakfast, omelets, sausage, biscuits and hot chocolate! What a great weekend!

God and Country Award

On January 31, Scouts were awarded the God and Country award, culminating a year of activities, as explained by Mr. Schenck. These Scouts participated in the service by leading prayers and reading from Scripture - a very moving experience. Here are excerpts from Mr. Schenck’s remarks on this occasion:

The God and Church program that has been a core part of Scouting for many years. This program speaks especially to the last point of the Scout Law - A Scout is Reverent.

The Program has two parts, the first based on study, and the second, based on experience and service. The first part focused on studying the character of God through the life of Jesus Christ; the basic content of the Bible and why we believe it is true; strengthening our relationship with God through quiet time, regular reading of his word, listening to Christian music, prayer, and faith.

In Part 2, "Christians at Work," putting these ideas into action was discussed at several events:

Dr. Price began the "Christians at Work" segment, by speaking about St. Luke’s history, its structure and mission, and he shared with the boys an inside look as to what his job is like as a minister of this church.

George Stewart, a past deacon and very active member of this congregation, engaged the boys in a discussion on the Presbyterian denomination.

We experienced first hand how other faiths in the family of God worship, by attending an 8:00 p.m. Friday night service at nearby Temple Emanuel; and then meeting afterward with Cantor Scott Colbert to talk about the service, the sanctuary, Jewish traditions, their own missionary work, and comparisons with Christianity.

Paul Law and his wife described what the church’s outreach is like to even the deepest heart of Africa - in Zaire, and the role St. Luke’s plays in this great mission work.

Completion of ten hours of service to the church and ten hours of service to the community. The Scouts served - sometimes bleary eyed - in the so-called "6:10 am club", which referred to the time Scouts gather on a Sunday morning to arrive at the First Presbyterian Church down town in time to help out at the weekly Homeless Breakfast.

One final note. The Scouts don’t do it alone. At least one parent serves as a mentor for their Scout. Parents are challenged to grow in their faith, to talk about their faith with their children, and to participate themselves in church and community service.

A God and Church emblem and completion certificate were presented by Dr. Price to these Scouts and their Mentors. (For this occasion, parents’ full names are cited - ed. note.)

Okefenokee Swamp: Too Cold for the Gators

FEB. 13-15,1999: The trip to the Okefenokee was a cold one, as the alligators sighted seemed numbed by the coldest weather of the year. When the Scouts woke up in the morning, there was ice hanging from the tents and even from a Scout nose or two.

This was really winter camping! The Swamp was beautiful. A clear crisp day made the 12 mile canoe trip go by quickly. No one even complained about sore muscles! Mr. Wright may become the new Dunkin’ Do-nuts Man after cooking doughnuts for everyone! The First-Year Scouts took the responsibility for shopping and cooking in their patrols! Well done, future First Class Scouts!

This Swamp trip was one of our best adventure trips so far!! Did anyone know that the sky was so so clear and yet so black at the Okefenokee?

Popcorn Sales Were Poppin'!

Troop 764 was again among the Atlanta Area Council leaders in popcorn sales. The troop total was $5,150. Of this amount, Scouts earned almost $2,000 in cash and prizes, while the troop received almost $750.

For the third consecutive year, Scott O. topped $1,000 and earned top salesman honors with his record sales of $1,340. Scott received $670 in cash, hiking boots, an American Adventure fun spree, dinner for his family, and other prizes worth an additional $200. Scott said, "Having an established customer base made this my easiest year so far." He estimates he spent only about 10 hours selling and delivering popcorn.

Other top sellers were Ted S. ($300), Jordan W. ($262) and Nick L. ($202). Way to go!

By reaching the $5,000 mark and also by selling over 200 Scout Show tickets, the troop earned an assortment of wonderful camping supplies, which included several dutch ovens, assorted cooking pots, a cooler, drink dispenser, utensils, first aid kit, grill, folding table and much more.

Selling popcorn is an excellent way for our Scouts to earn the extra money they need for camping supplies and to pay for activities such as Philmont, Sea Base, Northern Tier and the National Scout Jamboree.

Popcorn sales for the Atlanta Area Council were over $1.3 million, with 64 Scouts selling over $1,000. Troops and packs received approximately $550,000. The top council salesman, Jefferson Bickerstaff, with sales of $6,406, is from nearby Troop 477 at Kingswood United Methodist.

Thanks to all the Scouts and their families who supported this effort!

Owens Family Visits Former Scoutmaster, Mr. Glazebrook, and his Family

While traveling through the Roanoke, Virginia, area over the Thanksgiving holidays, the Owens family spent the night with former Troop 764 Scoutmaster, John Glazebrook, and his wife, Dianne, and former Troop 764 Scout, Michael. The Glazebrooks live on a beautiful multi-acre spread in the shadow of Tinker Mountain over which the Appalachian Trail crosses. They are all doing well, and while they miss their Atlanta friends, they really enjoy life in the country. They extend their greetings to everyone.

Mr. Owens

UPCOMING FUNDRAISERS

Let’s meet our goal of 100% Participation!

MARCH 20: Annual Pine Straw Sale

Late orders still accepted. Please call Mr. Wright at 770-555-xxxx.


MARCH 27: 5th Annual Garage Sale

Setup is on Thus., March 25th, and Fri. March 26th. The goal this year is $2000, achievable only if there is plenty of stuff!


SCOUT COOKBOOK

This cookbook will be something that we can sell for years to come. It will be spiral bound with an attractive cover designed by the Scouts. We need 3 recipe contributions from each Scout, plus one favorite "Trail" recipe.

CAMP DATES

The Camp Woodruff summer camp for Troop 764 will be held July 11-17, 1999.

The  Troop 764 Web Site is maintained by the Webmaster,  Earl Owens
Copyright © 1998, Troop 764 All rights reserved. Last updated:   April 2,1999