I will be doing an Eagle Project, Saturday October 3rd, at Bob Jones Nature Center. We will be building discovery boxes for about 4-5 hours. Food and drinks will be provided. If you are interested, please either email me at

Where:          Meadowmere Park,  3000 Meadowmere Park, Grapevine TX 76091

Start:             Friday September 25^th, 2020 at 6:30 P.M. 

Please drop off at Meadowmere, and do not leave until after your scout checks-in, allowing us to do the COVID-Screening and account for all scouts at arrival.  An accurate count is essential to Troop Safety.               

Pick-up:         Sunday September 27^th, 2020 10:30 A.M.

Please pick your scout out at 10:30.  Do not arrive to pick them up early as they will miss important activities.  There will be a check out table set up.  Please only pick your scout up after they have been properly checked-out.  Again, it is essential that we account for every scout at arrival and departure. 

Cost: $10

For September we will be doing several fun activities.  We will be doing a new scout orientation and fun skills for new scouts, a train the trainer session for older scouts where we will be refreshing our skills on First Aid, Cooking, Knots, Ax and Knife safety.  We will also do a Backpacking refresher for the whole troop, followed by a five mile hike to meet rank requirements and prepare for a future Backpacking campout.  In the evening, we will have fun activities (socially distanced tug of war), a campfire (if there is no burn ban) with the all of the typical scout campfire fun. 

Key differences about this campout: 

• There will be no carpooling to give us a little more time to adjust to the COVID-19 environment. 
• Scouts will need to provide their own tent.  If they are too young or there are other challenges to sleeping alone, the Troop and Parents will need approve, in writing and in advance, specific scouts authorized to share tents. Here is an example of reasonably priced tent available at Wal-Mart:  https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-Himont-1-Person-Backpacking-Tent-with-Vestibule/523938871
• Scouts will need to bring and prepare their own food much like they would in a backpacking environment.  If there are challenges there, we will have MRE’s and other prepackaged individual food items available.
• And, we will need this form turned in for every scout at check-in:  https://www.longhorncouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Pre-Event_Medical_Screening_Checklist_rev-09-2020.pdf
  

Do you need a new Class B shirt for the new school year or for the next campout?  I will be bringing the troop gear to the beginning of the next meeting on Monday, September 21.  Please stop by and get any Class B shirts you might need.  

If there are any new scouts that still need to get their Class B shirt and Troop number patch that are included in their new member dues, please pick them up from me at the beginning of the meeting. 

Troop Gear includes Class B T-shirts, Green Fleece Jackets, Troop number patches and Hats.  A full list of available gear and prices can be found on the website menu under Troop Gear.

Contact Suzanne Courson at troopgear@troop928.org with questions.

An eight-hour flight to Paris? Even in pre-pandemic times, that seems like a lot of work for a single merit badge requirement.

But with the Louvre Museum just a click away, the Art merit badge is within reach during COVID-19.

Museums with virtual tours, coupled with new temporary guidelines from the BSA that make virtual museum visits an acceptable option, mean your Scouts don’t have to put merit badge work on hold.

That’s right in line with the spirit of Scouting, where Scouts learn to find a way around any problem. (I’ve been so inspired to see all the examples of Scouting continuing at home.)

The best options for Scouts are museums that let virtual visitors explore at their own pace — instead of watching a video, for example. Self-guided virtual tours more closely replicate the in-person museum experience and allow visitors to dive more deeply when they find something that interests them.

So which are worth checking out? Below, we’ve scouted out eight excellent museums offering virtual visits — no ticket (or plane fare) required.

Click here for the entire article.

Did you know that your Scouting accomplishments are detailed in a personal progress report? Your report provides a list of completed merit badges, your current rank, plus a list of the requirements you've completed toward your next rank. Check out your progress now: 

• Click on Troop Roster in the Menu down the lefthand side of the page.
• Then click on Scouts.
• Find your name and click on it.
• Click on the rank next to your name. (Your rank will be in parenthesis.)

We made a large number of Merit Badge counselor updates. I encourage all Scouts to click on the Merit Badge Resources link to review the current Merit Badge Counselor list in order to determine the current counselor for your area of interest.

Parents we are always looking for volunteers. We would love to add you to the list of Merit Badge Counselors if your vocation or hobby matches a Merit Badge. Our biggest needs are Camping, Hiking, Environmental Science, Orienteering, and then any Merit Badge for which we have either one or no counselors.

Please contact me if you have any questions regarding the Merit Badge counselor updates. (click on "read more" to see name and email FF )