Tonight's newsletter will be longer than a lot of the others. The 1st half will be going over the fall popcorn / wreath sales and our fall activity lineup. The 2nd half I will be talking about our fall into winter meetings. If you have already read my letter from Friday you can skip to the end after I go over the field outings.
Monday's meeting 9 - 7
Because tomorrow is Labor Day and because we usually take that off there will not be a scout meeting. Enjoy your night off and do something productive or kind for somebody else.
Fall Wreath and Popcorn Sales.
As we all know it is now time for popcorn and a wreath sales for the troop. Because 2020 has been the strangest year in living memory we are going to be streamlining our fall sale season to something a little more compact. Unfortunately we will not be participating in the popcorn sales this season. Instead we will be focusing mainly on our Christmas wreath sale. We hope to have all of the details ready to go by the September committee meeting.
Fall Field Trips / Outings Trips
As everyone here is aware most of our spring and summer plans were terminated by current events. With most of the area in some form of reopening we just may have a chance to resurrect a fairly good Q-4 field outings. As I have said in the past keep checking our website calendar for details and updates as things open up or become available to us. Here is a heads up for what I hope to bring to everyone in the next few weeks (fingers crossed).
Friday September 18
The Camp Kane organization has invited us to a meet and greet with the 8th Illinois Cavalry reenactors over at Langan Park (West side off of 25). This will allow the boys to get to know more about this organization, what they do and how we can team up with them. One of the things that I have always wanted to do is become more educated on St. Charles's past. By joining up with the Camp Kane foundation we finally have the ability to do that. Through the Camp Kane foundation we can learn more about St. Charles's history and the Fox Valley area before, during and after the Civil War.
Saturday September 19
The Camp Kane foundation will be holding a public Civil War encampment at Camp Kane from 9a to 3p. They have invited our troop to participate and help them out. The boys will be able to rack up some service hours and become a little more educated in St.Charles history. As most of the boys know by now we have a miniature cannon at our disposal. Fingers crossed we may be able to use it this weekend in a demonstration.
Saturday September 26
After one heck of a year and a lot of inability to do things we will be going out to Galena for a day trip and hike. The boys will be able to work on rank advancements and get out and about for the day.
Friday thru Sunday October 16 - 18
We will be traveling up to Fort Mccoy in Southern Wisconsin and hiking/biking on the Elroy Sparta bike trail. This will be a straightforward and easy camp out. Let's go get back outside with a back to basics camp out.
November-ish, For November I hope to schedule a time at Cantigny where we can tour the museum and grounds for a day outing. We haven't been there in a long time and it's about time that we as a troop go back. Other day trips will follow whether they be a hike on the bike path, a trip out to Brookfield Zoo or something completely different.
Meetings this fall, if you have already read this portion you can stop here.
Fall Meetings
I have received word from St. Marks Church that for the time being all outside groups are prohibited from using the church. At this time scout troops would be considered an outside group. This decision is not only pertaining to St. Mark's Church but all churches in the area. This also means that our ability to meet at the church has been put on hold for this fall into the winter season.
September Calendar
We all know that this fall and winter seasons will be very strange compared to what we are used to. In an attempt to keep us going down the road of In person meetings we will be meeting at Good Temper Park at 6:00 for the September 21st and September 28th meetings. I hope that since these are outdoor meetings, bumping up the time by an hour will allow us to use all daylight possible before it starts getting dark. The P.L.C. this month (September 14th) will be on the Zoom account and the committee meeting will be moved to Tuesday the 15th also on Zoom. Both Joyce and I will be out of town helping family that weekend and thought it better and easier to do the P. L.C. & C.M. online.
Into October
As we get closer to October we will have to go back inside. I think I may have found a solution for our meeting venue issue. The Campton Township Community Center Is hosting people for the fall into winter season. Their pricing is $20 for the full day use. Their pricing is a lot more flexible for long forum meetings and merit badges during our inside meetings. The drawback in using the Campton Center is we would have to move our meeting day to either Friday, Saturday or Sunday. In all honesty a weekend meeting could theoretically be a fun pastime if there are no extra curricular activities through District 303. It keeps everybody busy and away from idle hands.
The troop has not had to meet on a weekend in a very long time but it is not unprecedented. Having a location that we can use on a weekly basis without any extra permissions is exactly what the troop needs going into the winter. If any member of the troop has an alternative solution or has the ability to host the troop for standard Monday meeting(s) please let me know. As the programming director I am definitely not opposed to ideas and other solutions.
I am hoping to come up with the schedule that will be able to accommodate everyone as much as possible, even if we have to switch over to a weekend meeting. I do not believe it will detract from our troops' passion for scouting. After you read this please let me know what your option would be. We need to lock in a reservation as soon as possible to make sure that we have a meeting location throughout the fall and winter
Like manna from heaven it is finally raining again. Let the cool showers wash away the dust and feed the plants that need a cool drink.
As we officially enter fall the brisk winds and chilly nights return to us. The days become cooler and shorter, the evenings longer and more ominous for the pending winter. The spirits of the past months linger like the fog over the fields before burning away in the daylight. The smell of fall and the taste of pumpkin spice everything creeps into our lives. 31 days of being spookie, 30 days of thankfulness and then the most wonderful time of the year is at our doorstep. How fast has this year gone and what still lies just around the next corner no one knows. We have a lot coming in the next weeks and days. Let's start this week by gathering round and partaking in the weekly letter.
With the hurricane passing this past week we see the total destruction that a natural disaster can bring to a community. Town's flooded and buildings under water. Roads and bridges washed away or scraped away so cleanly it was like the road never existed. Power loss and technology rendered useless because of it.
I want all our scouts and families to have a plan in place as to what you will do if something happens and you are in that kind of situation.
Any natural disaster may happen and we need to have a plan in place to make it through it.
For tonight's meeting we will be updating your scout book and updating the troop database. You can also request any records you may need.
We will be going over the scarecrow design and the logistics behind that. AND...keep going with Citizenship in the community merit badge. We still have a lot to do. Let's pick up where we left off last week.
A full packed night!
Scarecrow fest 2024
Coming this October
S.T.C. downtown
This year we will be building a scarecrow for scarecrow fest again. Our main theme for the past few years has been military. This year's theme will be Army.
The cost of scouting should not be a limitation. We offer an easy way to fund your fun, while spreading scout and service spirit!
See all the ways to be thriftyin your adventures!
Patriots Promise Campaign:
The St. Charles VFW post 5036
Year round
For some, our flag is nothing more than just a piece of cloth that flies from a pole or off the side of our house. We see it almost every day and never think too much of it. We remind ourselves to put it up every Memorial Day, Fourth of July and maybe on Veterans Day before we remember to take it back down and stick it back in the shed. The veterans of St. Charles VFW post 5036 want to change this mindset.
Patriots Promise is the new fantastic way of bringing education and reverence back into displaying our flag on special days of the year.
St. Charles V.F.W. post 5036 has carefully crafted this fundraising opportunity to take place over the calendar year
This fundraiser is a little bit of work, but it is a fantastic way of supporting the troop and the VFW. This fundraiser is a subscription-based sale and is an ongoing chance for us to do some good and make some money. This is a St. Charles specific fundraiser so please read the notes and see if you can help us out.
If you have a family member, a friend, an acquaintance, a Cub Scout, or someone wishing to join you as a transfer from another troop please let us know. We all know that the only way for the troop to survive is for more people to join over the long run. If you know of anyone that could potentially be interested in joining, please have them come to a meeting, outing, camp-out or just for a visit.
Casey’s Safe Haven is a 501(c)3 non-profit holistic equine rescue dedicated to healing horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules in need. We will accept equines from animal control facilities, pony ride facilities, horses being retired from lesson programs, police force, and the race track. We also accept healthy animals donated by loving owners that for reasons beyond their control can no longer provide care. Our mission is to be a part of the solution by educating the public on the responsibilities and proper care of each equine so they receive the respect and dignity they deserve as living beings.
For more than fifty years, Anderson Humane has been the leading animal welfare organization in our community. We have been dedicated to creating positive connections between people and animals from day one because animals make us better! Today, we place more than 4,000 pets into loving homes each year. Our innovative programs make the healing presence of animals available to seniors, veterans, and those in crisis.
News Around Town:
Festivals and gatherings abound around town! Go out and seize the day!
Scarecrow fest, Oct 11th - 13th
Downtown S.T.C.
The 39th annual Scarecrow Weekend will be held October 11th-13th in downtown St. Charles, Illinois.
110+ handmade scarecrows will be showcased around town for visitors to view and vote on their favorites. There will be a Family Zone with live entertainment and family fun as well as an Activity Zone with festive photo ops, Scarecrow-to-Go and family activities. Attendees can also enjoy live entertainment throughout the 1st Street Plaza throughout the weekend, too!
While visiting, make sure to treat yourself to many sales, specials, and events throughout town including the Autumn on the Fox Craft Show in Pottawatomie Park
We got some really good stuff happening this week and into next month.
This Monday Night:
Troop Meeting
Veterans Hall, 311 n 2nd street
Feb 26th,, 7:00 - 8:15p
Merit badge monday and guest attendee's:
This Monday we will be hosting two cub scouts, a scout that is thinking about transferring and a young man that has never been in scouts and is looking to join. The perfect ice breaker for this meeting would be the pet's merit badge and the troop's pet rock. Brock the rock has been with us for many years. Whether you have the pet's badge or not, we always have a good time with Brock. Let's put on a good show for our guests.
Spring Fundraiser:
Mulch: Back by unanimous demand we will be bringing back this spring fundraiser. We will have updated numbers in a few days.
Pancake breakfast: With the backing of the American legion we are putting together details on an April pancake fundraiser. We will be getting the information together and talking about dates in a week.
Summer Adventure trip 2024:
South Carolina
Join us as we visit the palmetto state this year for our 2024 summer adventure trip. Take a boat ride to Fort Sumter to see where the civil war started. Hike along the beach and swim in the Atlantic Ocean. Venture to Savannah, one of the oldest cities in the country. All this and more in this year's summer southern excursion! As of right now we are working out some scout deals and seeing how low we can go on price. As of now the projected price will be $350.00 per person. That will include the travel cost, the food and the activities.
The troop Zelle
Need to pay the troop for something or get paid for something? We have a Zelle for that. @TRP1TREASURER
In order for the scouts to be able to use their phones or tech on meetings or outings they need to have this certification. The class material can be found at
This is for the high school level but is applicable for all the scouts.
Upcoming events / Meeting updates.
Feb 26th - Meeting, 7 - 8:15p
Mar 22nd - 24th, Johnson's mound campout
Apr 26th - 28th, Grant's pilgrimage
May 17th - 19th, Starved Rock campout
Jun 15th - 23rd, South Carolina
Recruiting New Members
If you have a family member, a friend, an acquaintance, a Cub Scout, or someone wishing to join you as a transfer from another troop please let us know. We all know that the only way for the troop to survive is for more people to join over the long run. If you know of anyone that could potentially be interested in joining, please have them come to a meeting, outing, camp-out or just for a visit.
Casey’s Safe Haven is a 501(c)3 non-profit holistic equine rescue dedicated to healing horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules in need. We will accept equines from animal control facilities, pony ride facilities, horses being retired from lesson programs, police force, and the race track. We also accept healthy animals donated by loving owners that for reasons beyond their control can no longer provide care. Our mission is to be a part of the solution by educating the public on the responsibilities and proper care of each equine so they receive the respect and dignity they deserve as living beings.
For more than fifty years, Anderson Humane has been the leading animal welfare organization in our community. We have been dedicated to creating positive connections between people and animals from day one because animals make us better! Today, we place more than 4,000 pets into loving homes each year. Our innovative programs make the healing presence of animals available to seniors, veterans, and those in crisis.
It's spring break for most of if not all of our members. Because so few people are going to read this within the next 48 hours I will save my whitty opening for next weeks issue.
Here's the news!
This Monday Night:
No troop meeting
Spring break week, see you next week.
Spring 2024 Mulch fundraiser:
#1. What is this fundraiser?
Troop one has teamed up with Midwest Compost to launch our 2024 spring mulch fundraiser. This year's prices are the same as last year and are a fantastic way for the boys to make some summer cash. After selling a few yards of mulch, if asked, you can also offer up your services to your customer to help spread the mulch for a nominal fee. This is one of the more lucrative events of the year.
#2. How do I place an order? Order using the paper forum or calling it in:
Attached are the simple paper forums that Andie has made up. Just fill out the forum and send it in to our email. You can also give stevan a call with the order. Once an order is received and confirmed it will be placed within 48 hours.
Order through our online option: If you wish to order online rather on the phone or sending in an email you can go to our square site. We have a few online only items and it's worth a look to see what we have. When you select the product to purchases don't forget to also add shipping to your order. For example, if I were to add 3 yards of double ground to the cart I also need to add the shipping to St.Charles option. Square is giving us a little trouble linking shipping to the product selection or auto filling the distance. Whenever you or anyone on your list buy's something using our square site please let us know so as to be on the lookout for the notice. Here is the map to help with determining distance.
Happy Easter everyone. In this week's issue we will be going over some of April's upcoming events, the fundraiser and an eagle project.
This Monday is our Patrol Leaders Council and our Committee meeting at Baker church. All new scouts are invited to the P.L.C from 6p - 7p
and all adults are welcome to come to the committee meeting directly following the P.L.C at 7p - 8:30. Gain a deeper understanding into how the troop works and see where your talents can help the troop out.
This Monday Night:
Apr P.L.C meeting
4 - 1 - 24
Baker Church
307 Cedar Ave, St. Charles, IL 60174
6 - 7:00p
Please enter using the N 3rd ave door.
Topics of the P.L.C will include but not limited to
* Past / Upcoming events and badges
* Leadership
* Patrol updates with new scout's
* How to keep everyone up to date on what is going on in the troop.
* Spring and Summer events
NOTE: We will also be duel casting the meeting. (In person and on the Discord)
Apr committee meeting
4 - 1 - 24
Baker Church
307 Cedar Ave, St. Charles, IL 60174
7 - 8:30p
Please enter using the N 3rd ave door.
The next committee meeting will be at Baker Church immediately following the p.l.c. If you are a committee member or are a parent interested in troop business, please attend. We are searching for new members that can help staff a few areas of need for the troop. The three areas that we are looking to staff are Fundraising, Activities and Recruitment. All three areas are vital to the troop. Meetings of these three departments need not always meet on a Monday night and can bounce ideas via mail or phone.
April camp-out
Grants Pilgrimage
Galena IL. Apr 26th - 28th
We are going back to Grant's and Galena! We will meet at the Vet's Center at 5:30 pm on Friday. We will be returning back to the center's parking lot on Sunday by 1pm-ish. Bring your hiking boots and be prepared to do some walking around the historic town of Galena. Plan for rain so pack accordingly. Complete the scavenger hunt, see some historic buildings, and maybe a little shopping. Cracker barrel on Friday night, Breakfast in camp Saturday morning, Lunch in town/parking area Saturday afternoon, Dinner back at camp Saturday night and light Breakfast Sunday morning.
I want to start tonight's letter off by thanking everyone that helped Bradly with his eagle project. With all of the scrap, junk and saveable items he moved or disposed of around 35,000 pounds of stuff. This was one of the bigger projects we have done in the past few years. Camp Kane is most definitely grateful for all the help they received. Bradly's next task is to get the paperwork done, which should be completed this coming week.
Thank you again everyone!
What's new this coming week?
This Monday Night:
Dinner with the Legion
Veterans Hall, 311 n 2nd street
Apr 8th 6p - 7p
Join the troop this month as we dine in with the American Legion at the veterans hall.
Help serve dinner and join in the fellowship. Set-up will begin at 5:45ish with dinner to follow at 6p
April camp-out
Grants Pilgrimage
Galena IL. Apr 26th - 28th
We are going back to Grant's and Galena! We will meet at the Vet's Center at 5:30 pm on Friday. We will be returning back to the center's parking lot on Sunday by 1pm-ish. Bring your hiking boots and be prepared to do some walking around the historic town of Galena. Plan for rain so pack accordingly. Complete the scavenger hunt, see some historic buildings, and maybe a little shopping. Cracker barrel on Friday night, Breakfast in camp Saturday morning, Lunch in town/parking area Saturday afternoon, Dinner back at camp Saturday night and light Breakfast Sunday morning.
I first want to thank everyone that helped out at this year's Memorial Day events. Last Monday when the boys did the flag raising they did an excellent job. We had the younger group do the ceremony this year and because of Seth and Wyatt leading them they all did a professional and respectful job. Thank you boys for everything that you did this year. A super big thank you to the adults that helped with the breakfast and the perade. We got another year done, only 364 days until next time.
There are a huge amount of things coming up in the next few weeks for the troop.
This Monday Night:
Jun P.L.C meeting
6 - 3 - 24
Baker Church
307 Cedar Ave, St. Charles, IL 60174
6 - 7:00p
Please enter using the N 3rd ave door.
Topics of the P.L.C will include but not limited to
* Past / Upcoming events and badges
* Leadership
* Patrol updates with new scout's
* How to keep everyone up to date on what is going on in the troop.
* Preparing for summer camp
NOTE: We will also be duel casting the meeting. (In person and on the Discord)
Jun committee meeting
6 - 3 - 24
Baker Church
307 Cedar Ave, St. Charles, IL 60174
7 - 8:30p
Please enter using the N 3rd ave door.
The next committee meeting will be at Baker Church immediately following the p.l.c. If you are a committee member or are a parent interested in troop business, please attend. We are searching for new members that can help staff a few areas of need for the troop. The two areas that we are looking to staff are Fundraising and Recruitment. The two areas are vital to the troop. Meetings of these Two departments need not always meet on a Monday night and can bounce ideas via mail or phone.
Hi Scouts, Hi Adults, Hi everyone else. The P.L.C. the committee meeting and a leader meeting all in one week? Holy mackerel!
The troop Zelle
Need to pay the troop for something or get paid for something? We have a Zelle for that. @TRP1TREASURER
Spring 2023 mulch fundraiser
Attached at the bottom of the letter is the order form and the customer sheet. All funds raised by the scout will go to the scout. The more you sell the more you will earn for yourself.
