News

A few reminders for July 20 Troop meeting:

• If you are going on the backpack overnighter July 25-26 you must let us know at meeting.
• You should bring a copy of your menu, which must include a cooked meal for Saturday night.
• You will purchase your own food; there is no food fee for this event.
• You should plan to sleep on a hammock or in a tarp shelter. If you need any supplies let us know.

I know there are Scouts in the Lake Cumberland District who would be great participants in “Taps Across America” at 3 pm on Monday, May 25, – Memorial Day. Click here to learn more and share this link with others you know.

This is a summary of the email sent Saturday, May 16, at 8:20 pm.

There WILL BE A PLC MEETING at 6:15 pm – and you will be able to join as early as 6 pm, so please do not be late. Those who should be on the Zoom call are SPL, ASPL, and Patrol Leaders or, if not available, their Assistant Patrol Leaders.

The main topic of discussion at the PLC meeting is for each Patrol to share what they are planning to do on the upcoming Virtual Troop Campout, Friday-Saturday, June 5-6. The list was presented at last Monday’s meeting and Patrols were asked to contact each other to discuss.

Reminders

• Those who were present for the June 4 virtual Troop meeting who still need to turn in their Emergency Action Plans for 1st Class 7e should contact Mr. Morton.
• The three pairs of Scouts who should be preparing for their CyberChip skit (hopefully we will do this at the virtual campout) should have already contacted each other to begin planning.
• Those participating in the Virtual ScoutFest this weekend need to email Mr. Morton their answers to the two questions and, if you camped out, a photo of your Safe at Home campsite.
• If you have begun any of the Merit Badge classes in the past couple of months – Pets, Cooking, Citizenship in the Nation, Public Health, Family Life, Communication, Citizenship in the World, Photography, or Gardening – you should be working on any assignments necessary to complete these badges.
• After Monday, the next scheduled activity will be Monday, June 1, when we will be finalizing plans for our Virtual Troop Campout. There is also a Troop Committee meeting planned for that night.

Continue to watch the Troop website calendar and your email for updates.

Troop 170 is encouraging all members and their families to participate in this weekend’s (May 15-16) FREE Virtual ScoutFest being hosted by three Councils – Blue Grass, Great Smoky Mountain, and Cherokee Area. Activities (Facebook Live) are scheduled for Friday evening, Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon.
 
You need to register for this event. Click here to register. You will be given the option to purchase an event patch during registration.
 
NOTE: All members of the Troop who plan to participate should make plans to be on a Zoom Troop meeting call at 6 pm Friday. This is just like you would if we were leaving for an in-person Scouting activity. You will be given a couple of assignments to complete to get credit for participating in this event. The entire Troop will receive a separate email with the link for this meeting, which will only last 15-20 minutes, giving you time to get ready for the ScoutFest opening at 7 pm.

UPDATE 4-29-20: Check Troop Calendar for link to live event and other information

Whether in your backyard or in your living room, join families across the country in streaming and participating in the National Camp-In live on Facebook starting at 10 am Saturday, May 2.

From camp-style cooking and friendly competitions, to special guests and campfire singalongs, this virtual event will bring the best parts of Scouting to life!

Tune in all day or jump in and out for particular activities. A full schedule will be available soon, but here are some of the exciting activities you can look forward to:

• STEM fun and Q&A session with Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Inc.
• Moviemaking Merit Badge components and a live Q&A with Hollywood Director/Producer Francis Lawrence, Costume Supervisor Jessica Pazdernik, and Producer Shannon McIntosh
• Camping hacks from adventure pros
• Hear from a NASA astronaut
• Easy camp-style recipes you can make indoors or out
• Virtual campfire with skits and songs from Scouts across the country
• National Good Turn Virtual 5K benefiting Feeding America with warmups led by Paralympic gold medalist David Blair

All families are welcome! This National Camp-In is free and open to all families — even families not currently involved in Scouting.

Click here for more information.

I have signed up for the BSA “Scout Strong virtual 5K Race” and invite each of you to do the same. You must register by May 1.

So what is a “Virtual 5K” you ask? Keeping your “social distancing,” you commit to run or walk 5K (3.1 miles) on the road, a trail, treadmill, or on a track. You do not have to be a Scout or registered leader to participate – this can be a family thing.

Download the registration form (click here), complete and return with either $5 for registered Scout/Adult or $10 for non-Scout/Adult. Complete your walk and you will receive a special patch!

Once registered, you will be emailed a racing bib with an assigned number. Council would like you to take a photo with your “bib number” and send in to Council, or you can also post on a special Facebook page called “Scout Strong Virtual 5k.”

Nobody has to approve your completion – remember “A Scout is Trustworthy” – and this isn’t really a “race” in the technical sense. Please send me an email with a photo showing you “competing” in the 5K challenge so it can be added to our website.

So, how many members of Troop 170 are up to the challenge? Good luck.

Your Scoutmaster

Three additional virtual merit badge classes will be conducted via Zoom in place of our Troop’s weekly meetings on April 6, 13 and 20. Each of these merit badges are required for your Eagle Scout rank. Registration closes on the Saturday before each merit badge.

Classes to be offered are:

• April 6 – Family Life – Click here to register
• April 13 – Communication – Click here to register
• April 20 – Citizenship in the World – Click here to register

Once registered, you will receive a follow-up email that includes a link to join the training and any requirements that you need to work on before the class (if any).

Please continue to watch the Troop Calendar for additional details and updates.

Virtual merit badge classes will be conducted in place of our Troop’s weekly meetings for three (3) weeks beginning Monday, March 30. The first merit badge class will be Public Health and hosted by Troop 79.

Click here to register.

Registration will stay open through Saturday.

Once registered, you will receive a follow-up email that includes a link to join the training and any requirements that you need to work on before the class (if any).

Links for the next two (2) merit badge classes will be sent out as they become available.