August 2005 Activities
Now Playing: (Events 46-54)
Topic: h - August 2005
(9 Activities in August)


EVENT #46 - VETERANS HOMECOMING - FREE
August 14, 2005

We provided a color guard for presentation of flags at a Homecoming ceremony for soldiers from the National Guard in Sycamore. They were deployed for over a year at Fort Carson in Colorado, so that other soldiers could be deployed in Iraq.


EVENT #47 - FIRST CLASS EXPRESS - FREE
August 14, 2005

We worked on advancement toward Second and First Class ranks. We worked on lashing, knot tying, safety afloat rules, and did a nature hike at Nehring Forest Preserve to identify native plants.


EVENT #48 - SIX FLAGS GREAT AMERICA - $50
August 20, 2005

We enjoyed a day at Six Flags Great America theme park and Hurricane Harbor water park. We divided into small groups and explored the park enjoying several roller coasters and other thrill rides. It started out overcast but became sunny and warm and was very crowded by later that day.


EVENT #49 - COURT OF HONOR - FREE
August 22, 2005

We presented several merit badges, activity patches, and advancement awards. We also had sign-ups for Cornfest weekend.


EVENT #50 - DEKALB CORNFEST BOOTH - FREE
August 26-28, 2005

We operated a double booth with 10-man shifts of 3 hours each. We sold funnel cakes, sweetcorn, hot dogs, polish, lemon shake-ups, water, pop, and 9,800 pounds of ice. The booth earned around $2800.


EVENT #51 - CAR-FEST BOOTH - FREE
August 27, 2005

We operated a food booth at Huntley Park where a show of vintage cars took place. We sold hot dogs, polish, water, and pop. We were the only food booth at this event and everyone was very happy we were there. They want us back next year.


EVENT #52 - AYSO BOOTH #1 - FREE
August 27, 2005

This was our first of 10 Saturdays during AYSO season. We had slow and steady business for the first week. Most people are still finding out we're there. We had a nice looking booth with a wide selection of hot and cold beverages, hot dogs, patries, snacks and candy.


EVENT #53 - K OF C CLEAN-UP - FREE
August 27, 2005

We had a 9-man clean-up crew that used brooms and scoop shovels to clean up the Knights of Columbus Beer Garden. It was hard work but we attacked the task with enthusiasm and got the job done in about an hour. The Knights of Columbus were very impressed and want us back next year.


EVENT #54 - VOLUNTARY ACTION CENTER - FREE
August 28, 2005

We donated hot dog buns, over a case and a half lemons, and about 10 dozen ears of sweetcorn to the Voluntary Action Center which will help them feed elderly and handicapped DeKalb County Residents.

July 2005 Activities
Now Playing: (Events 40-45)
Topic: g - July 2005
(5 Activities in July)

EVENT #40 - ELLWOOD HOUSE ART FAIR - FREE
July 3, 2005

We operated a food booth at the Ellwood House Art Fair. We sold chicken wraps, sweetcorn, lemon shake-ups, pop, and funnel cakes. It was perfect weather for the outdoor festival.


EVENT #41 - HOPKINS PARK JULY 4 FESTIVAL - FREE
July 4, 2005

We operated a food booth at Hopkins Park for the 4th of July festival. The afternoon began with a drenching rainstorm. After that the weather cleared and it turned into a beautiful evening. We sold hot dogs, polish, sweetcorn, lemon shake-ups, and pop. The DeKalb Municipal Band played a great concert while a finale of fireworks filled the night sky with color in an awesome spectacle.


EVENT #42 - VOLUNTARY ACTION CENTER - FREE
July 5, 2005

We donated lemons, hot dogs, polish, and sweetcorn to the Voluntary Action Center. They provide meals for elderly and handicapped people in DeKalb County.


EVENT #43 - EQUIPMENT DAY - FREE
July 8, 2005

We had a day to clean up some of our equipment from the last two festivals. We got the fryer drain snaked out. It had been plugged up pretty good.


EVENT #44 - CAMP LOWDEN SUMMER CAMP - $185
July 17-23, 2005

The week was extremely hot, with a heat index well over 100 degrees on several days. Also some thunderstorms brought rain and excitement to punctuate the unbearable heat, just to keep things interesting.

The boys were involved in a variety of merit badges and had a very successful week of advancement. They also found time to enjoy riflery, archery, campfires, climbing wall, and the cool sactuary of the swimming pool on those hot days. Lots of fun games along with a great picnic meal were enjoyed at Family Night on Wednesday.

The staff was very well prepared and organized and very imaginative and funny during mealtime skits and campwide campfire programs. They made fun of Camp Director Bruce Small, with affection of course, and he responded as the perfect straight man. It was all in good fun and added greatly to the camp experience.


EVENT #45 - OSHKOSH AIRVENTURE - $90
July 29-31, 2005

They call it the World's Greatest Aviation Celebration. The event is sponsored by the EAA, Experimental Aircraft Association, which is headquartered in Oshkosh. The multi-day event drew about 750,000 people with average daily attendance of 150,000.

Among the hundreds of aircraft they saw fly was Virgin Atlantic's Global Flyer. Pilot Steve Fossett, made history last March when he soloed in the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer flying around the world in 67 straight hours. As a former Boy Scout, Steve Fossett had earned the rank of Eagle Scout, which he still regards as one of his proudest accomplishments.

We also saw "Glacier Girl", a World War II P-38 recovered from under 268 feet of ice from the Greenland icecap. After being buried for 50 years it was finally recovered and restored to flying condition. Of the more than 10,000 P-38s built, fewer than 10 remain airworthy today.

We saw SpaceShipOne and its carrier aircraft White Knight. These historic aircraft, which fly in tandem, made the first-and-only public air show appearance at AirVenture. From Oshkosh they flew directly to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Washington D.C. where they will remain on display.

Another celebrity at the show was billionaire Sir Richard Branson, the man behind Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipOne and Virgin Atlantic's Global Flyer. While at Oshkosh, Branson announced a joint venture with business partner Burt Rutan, signing an agreement to form "The Spaceship Company", which plans to build the world’s first commercial passenger spacecraft.

We enjoyed mock WWII air battles featuring a fleet of B-17 bombers with fighter escorts, complete with an elaborate pyrotechnic show on the ground simulating a bombing run. Another highlight of the show were acrobatic planes doing amazing flying stunts. Each day was opened by a group of men parachuting out of a plane with giant American flags trailing beneath them.

The EAA Museum is large and impressive. We enjoyed exploring the museum and its hundreds of exhibits, especially the many hands-on demonstrations.

Acres of EAA grounds were covered with countless other static displays, exhibits, vendors, and sales promotions. We wandered the area barely having time to catch a glimpse of it all.

We camped onsite with 40,000 other campers and used bicycles to travel back and forth. The world's largest aviation celebration was very well run and well organized.

Visit the AirVenture online at... http://www.airventure.org/2005/news/050630_highlights.html

June 2005 Activities
Now Playing: (Events 36-39)
Topic: f - June 2005
(4 Activities in June

EVENT #36 - BIKE RIDE - AMBOY-LEAF RIVER, IL
June 4, 2005

We continued with bike training for our Iron Man ride later in the month. We had planned on a 100k ride for Saturday.

It was very humid with temps in the 90s. For lunch we stopped at Jay's "fifties diner" in Oregon. Five minutes after entering the restaurant the sky opened up with a torrential sideways rainstorm. By the time we finished lunch, the storm had passed and the sun returned. After lunch the temperatures and humidity continued to climb.

At the 50-mile mark everyone was starting to wilt from the heat. We decided to take an indoor break in air conditioning and get some hydration and carbs. We drove to Burger King in Byron where everyone got cooled off, refreshed, rehydrated, and "carbed up" for the final 12.5 miles of riding.

As we were leaving, the boys paused and joked about a life-size poster of Chubaka from Star Wars. They joked about the bandalier Chubaka wore and wondered out loud if he kept drugs in the compartments to smuggle onboard the Millenium Falcon. They also joked about the comparison between the Millenium Falcon and my 15-passenger van. Both were older models, oversized, sort of beat-up, and had difficulty achieving warp-speed. We loaded up and started driving back our end point to continue our hot humid biking adventure.

Suddenly, not one but two police cars with lights flashing descended upon us. It turned out that our fast food restaurant was a local hotbed for drug traffic. The employees had been advised to report suspicious behavior or talk to the police.

An oversize van loaded with bikes was an easy mark to find. The police thought they had found the mother lode of drug busts, a van driven by a middle-aged drug lord loaded with his teenage lieutenants. They had the big kahuna and his minions, the whole distribution network.

After surrendering my license I was asked to step out of the vehicle. They were visibly disappointed to see my green pants, Scout belt, and troop t-shirt. They asked me what my relationship was to the boys, and I replied "Scoutmaster". They looked at each other and said "Oh boy!!"

For the next 30-minutes they interviewed the boys individually. We were cooperative and the police were courteous and professional. Afterwards the police apologized for the inconvenience and said it was obviously just a misunderstanding.

We said we understood they had a job to do and were required to follow all leads. We thanked them for their dedication to a tough job.

I later talked with the boys about it and they agreed they were all impressed on how quickly the police had responded to the call. They said they actually appreciated what the police were doing.

Still, we did feel "weirded out" by the whole experience. We paid a brief visit to a natural history museum and returned home. No one really felt like riding, and our timeframe for riding was pretty much gone.

So that was our weekend. Just a typical Scouting event, 50-miles of biking followed by a drug bust.

Like I told the boys, this is where all my crazy stories come from. Now you guys are part of the legend.


EVENT #37 - DULCIMER FESTIVAL - FREE
June 10-12, 2005

At the annual Dulcimer Festival we operate two booths, one for chicken wraps, sweetcorn, drinks, and hot dogs. The other booth is for funnel cakes and drinks.

We camp at Gebhard Woods State Park in Morris, Illinois, where the festival is held. Two days of cooking is a lot of work. Boys earn money for their Scout Accounts at this event.

On Saturday night we go to downtown Morris where they hold a car rally with vintage cars, muscle cars, etc., and we visit the local ice cream shop.

Sunday we continue with cooking and selling, then the hardest part, taking down and packing up. It's dark by the time we get back to DeKalb.


EVENT #38 - COURT TO HONOR - FREE
June 13, 2005

Another typical Court of Honor, with awards and annoucements and trip sign ups. This is the last big gathering before the big trips of summer.


EVENT #39 - IRON MAN BIKE RIDE - $300
June 18-26, 2005

Our 9-day bicycling adventure through Wisconsin, Minnesota, to Thunder Bay Ontario Canada included a 410-mile route that along highways and bike trails.

Of the 9 days, we spent one day driving up, 6 days biking, and 2 days driving home. We rode 60-80 miles/day.

Our trip began in Hager City, Wisconsin (on the Mississippi across from Red Wing, MN).

We biked north on Hwy 35, following the Great River Road. We crossed into Minnesota at St Croix Falls. On to Hinkley, MN where we encountered a severe thunderstorm with hail.

We biked the Willard Munger trail north to Duluth, MN, the Western Waterfront Trail through Duluth, and old Rt 61 along the northern shore of Lake Superior.

We biked portions of the Gitchee-Gummi Trail, which is still under development. Colin crashed his bike on the Gitchee-Gummi trail on a sharp turn. He shattered his carbon fiber fork and ruined his front wheel. We transported him to Two Harbors Memorial Hospital where he was treated for abrasions and his right arm x-rayed. No fractures, but his elbow was sprained. His arm was splinted and the doctor ordered no biking for 24 hours. After that he continued the ride with his arm splinted using a
spare bike.

BTW, the doctor was also a cyclist and knew the turn where our guy crashed. He had previous patients from that same spot.

We biked through about a half dozen or more beautiful State Parks, past incredible rocky Lake Superior shoreline, lighthouses, etc., etc.

Crossing the border into Canada was amazingly easy. No paperwork was asked for, not even a drivers license. We had birth certificates, written parental permission slips, and photo IDs along for all the boys.

Crossing the Canadian Shield into Thunder Bay presented us with some steep climbs. We saw one moose and a bald eagle along the way.

We visited Kakabeka Falls Prov Park and Fort William. A major storm system produced lightning and golf ball size hail north of Thunder Bay. We decided to stay at a hotel that night. We later celebrated the ride at Mall of America in suburban Minneapolis.

The trip included 3 hotels, and 5 nights of camping. Most of the 25 meals were eaten at restaurants (some pretty nice ones too).

This completes the northern anchor of a larger ride criss crossing America. We've been doing installments of 250-500 miles for several summers. We've biked about 4,000 miles so far; north/south now from Thunder Bay ON to Memphis, TN; and east/west from Portland, ME to Couer d'Alene, ID.

May 2005 Activities
Now Playing: (Events 24-35)
Topic: e - May 2005
(12 events in May)


EVENT #24 - KISHWAUKEE RIVER CANOE TRIP - FREE
May 1, 2005

We had a large group of paddlers assembled on a cold, windy, blustery day. The Kishwaukee River is a small winding river alternating between farmland and woodland. The section we paddled was predominantly woodland. It often has logjams due to its narrow channel. Within the first 100 yards the lead canoe, equipped with a bow saw, had to cut a "doorway" through a log jam. The strong headwind really hindered some less experienced paddlers as they approached the dorway of the logjam. They tried several times to negotiate the narrow passage and finally capsized in the attempt. Wet paddlers combined with the cold and wind were a bad mix, so a cell phone call was made to a parent to picked them up. We paddled back to the start and said goodbye to them. The rest of the canoe trip went on without incident. We took out at Pearson's Farm and the "survivors" congratulated each other.


EVENT #25 - FIRST CLASS EXPRESS - $15
May 6-7, 2005

This overnight event at MacQueen Forest Preserve was held in conjunction with Cub Pack 132. Our younger Scouts worked on advancement towards Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class. Using our giant gas griddle, a great breakfast was cooked for everyone. It was a beautiful time of year to camp at a great forest preserve. Many Scouts progressed on their ranks and also served as mentors to some of the Cub Scouts.


EVENT #26 - ST CHARLES BICYCLE RIDE - FREE
May 7, 2005

We rode a 100k bike ride, using backroads across DeKalb County into Kane County. A more challenging route of hills can be found along Beith Road/Town Hall Road/Campton Hills Road enroute to St Charles. We returned via the Great Western Trail to Sycamore, then the DeKalb-Sycamore Bike Trail to DeKalb.


EVENT #27 - TROOP EQUIPMENT DAY - FREE
May 8, 2005

This Saturday we concentrated on organizing our troop garage and trailers. We emptied the contents of the garage onto the church parking lot and sorted through items. Tents were inspected. Cooking gear was cleaned. We disposed of a great deal of old unused items that were of little or no use. We were able to also organize and inventory the equipment in two utility trailers. It was a long day, but at the end of the day our garage was visibly changed with our organization improved.


EVENT #28 - OREGON BICYCLE RIDE - FREE
May 15, 2005

This afternoon event was 50-mile ride which began in Oregon, Illinois where we traveled south and then east to Rochelle where we feasted at Wendy's. From there we biked under uncertain skies through Creston, Malta, and finally DeKalb. It was a mixture of the rolling woodland of the Rock River Valley and then across the farmland of Ogle and DeKalb counties.


EVENT #29 - KISHWAUKEE DISTRICT CUBOREE - FREE
May 20-22

This was our 4th service project of 2005 and it benefitted Scouting. Held at Three Fires Scout Ranch, our troop camps at this weekend event while serving on staff. We do two projects. One project is running an outdoor cooking booth, where we teach Cubs and parents how to make chocolate euclaires over a campfire. The other major project is to provide food service to the 500 Cubs, parents, and staff who attend the event.

OUR BREAKFAST MENU - Breakfast featured two types of french toast (cinnamin french toast and pain perdu), deep fried doughnut holes, buttermilk pancakes, and two kinds of breakfast sausage. We also provided fresh fruit, oatmeal, plus hot chocolate, coffee, milk, orange drink, and apple juice for beverages.

Everyone was on their own for lunch. For lunch our troop feasted on polish sausage and spit roasted pork tenderloins, plus chips, cookies, and juice.

OUR DINNER MENU - For dinner we provided a giant feast of roast pig, hams, potato rolls, sweet'n'sour meatballs, baked beans, hot dogs, polish sausage, potato salad, apple sauce, salad bar, cookies, cakes, pies, pudding, fruit salad, brownies, bananas, plus hot chocolate, coffee, milk, apple juice, topical punch, orange drink, and lemonade. We tried to provide something for everyone. The long line of hundreds of people were served in less than 20 minutes by creating 4 serving lines that kept people moving along briskly.


EVENT #30 - FIRST LUTHERAN SUN SCHOOL PROJECT - FREE
May 22, 2005

Our 6th service project benefitted our sponsoring organization, First Lutheran Church. They had a luncheon honoring their Sunday School Teachers and commemorating the last day of Sunday School for the year. Troop 33 grilled hot dogs, bratwurst, and hamburgers. We also contributed 9 dutch oven cobbler desserts; strawberry shortcake, blueberry, cherry, black forest, peach, caramel apple, hawaiian pineapple coconut, etc.


EVENT #31 - HOPE HAVEN FOOD DONATION - FREE
May 22, 2005

Our 5th service project for 2005 included donating quantities of fresh oranges, apples, salad fixings, fruit salad, potato rolls, potato salad, hot dogs, and milk. The food donation benefitted two locations for homeless people in DeKalb, the Hope Haven long-term apartment facility on Dresser Road, and the Hope Haven Homeless Shelter on Rockwell St.


EVENT #32 - EMERGENCY MOBILIZATION - FREE
May 24, 2005

This project helped boys complete their Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge. Using a phone tree Scouts were mobilized and directed to meet at the First Lutheran Church. Once assembled, the Scouts worked on organizing some of our troop equipment as a special project.


EVENT #33 - PORT BYRON BIKE RIDE - FREE
May 28, 2005

Starting at the Mississippi River in Port Byron, Illinois we biked east across the farmland of Illinois, though Prophetstown, crossing the Hennepin Canal, finally ending our ride at Amboy, Illinois with our serpantine route taking us on a 100 kilometer bike ride.


EVENT #34 - MEMORIAL DAY FLAGS PROJECT - FREE
May 29, 2005

Our 7th service project of 2005 involved placing American flags along historic Lincoln Highway through downtown DeKalb from 8th St to Castle Drive. We set the flags up at 6:00am and then took them down again at 6:00pm.


EVENT #35 - MEMORIAL DAY PARADE - FREE
May 29, 2005

Our Troop 33 Scouts marched with Troop 32 and some Cub Packs and Girl Scouts as the Scouting contingent of the DeKalb Memorial Day Parade. Along with bands, fire dept trucks, police, military units, and local politicians we marched through Downtown DeKalb turning north to end at the landscaped grounds of the Ellwood House Museum.

April 2005 Activities
Now Playing: (Events 19-23)
Topic: d - April 2005


EVENT #19 - CHICAGO BICYCLE ADVENTURE - FREE
April 2, 2005

We drove to Chicago and parked along Lake Michigan. Unloading our bicycles we began the day by driving to the Lincoln Park Zoo. We toured the zoo seeing all the usual animals and enjoying the primate house, cat house, etc., etc. From there we biked along the Lakefront Trail south to Navy Pier. Here we toured Navy Pier and enjoyed some lunch at Billy Goat's Tavern (dutch treat). Next we continued biking south along the Lakefront Trail, past the Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, Field Museum, Soldier Field, McCormick Place, and along beautiful parks. The view of the lake and the Chicago skyline is awe inspiring. We flew along the trail propelled by a gusty spring wind. As time grew later we decided to turn around and head back north to our vehicle. Here is where the real adventure began. A stiff 25-mph of chilling wind greeted us and mocked our progress. The cold was biting and in the upper 30's creating a wind chill effect far below that. It was a struggle to keep going. Biking against the wind was so tough that at one point I was actually passed by a jogger. We finally made it back and returned to DeKalb.


EVENT #20 - ROCKFORD QUEST - $15
April 9, 2005

This was my 51st birthday celebration. We traveled north to Rockford and the Laser Quest facility. A very intense two games of laser tag was played on a multi-level maze of corriders, ramps, passageways, mirrors, and smoke. We didn't have teams but rather alliances were built and dissolved throughout the game. It is like a high tech version of flashlight tag with a computer keeping score of who tagged who. No running, strict rules are enforced by referees. It is all played in good fun.


EVENT #21 - KISHWAUKEE SPRING CAMPOREE - $20
April 15-17, 2005

Held at the 500-acre Three Fires Scout Ranch near Rochelle, Illinois we had two patrol competing in a giant district-wide geo-caching event. While seraching for the 100 caches spread across the 500 acres, we also picked up trash. One of our patrols won the overall for most caches found. The other patrol picked up the most trash including 1 car seat, 2 tires, 5 garbage bags full of trash and some misc. junk. So in addition to this being our 6th overnight event, it was also our 3rd service project of the year.


EVENT #22 - GALENA ADVENTURE WEEKEND - $30
April 23-24, 2005

This great road trip started with a visit to Apple River Fort in Elizabeth, Illinois. This log stockade was built during the Blackhawk War of 1832. It is a great western style fort to visit. Next we stopped at the annual U.S. Grant Pilgrimage in Galena, Illinois. We divided into three patrols to hike the Paths of History Trail taking you to historic sites and events throughout Galena. There is also a large parade where thousands of Scouts march past. We next drove to Bellevue, Iowa for a pizza party and our campsite along the Mississippi River at Spruce Creek Park, a beautiful park with campsites and marina, which is operated by Jackson County. The next day we drove to Maquoketa Caves State Park to do some caving. The largest cave is Dancehall Cave, there are 13 small caves to explore in the park, and some great hiking trails too. Tired but happy, we returned to DeKalb.


EVENT #23 - PANCAKE BREAKFAST - FREE
April 30, 2005

This was our first fundraiser of the year. Scouts earn a 50% commission toward their Scout accounts based on their ticket sales. They also earn a flat amount for working at the pancake breakfast. We netted $2,500 which helps boys pay for their Scouting activities. The boys working also eat free at our breakfast. All-you-can-eat pancakes, pork sausage, apple sauce, orange drink, milk, or coffee. Mmmmmmmm good!

March 2005 Activities
Now Playing: (Events 14-18)
Topic: c - March 2005


EVENT #14 - MERIT BADGE SEMINAR - CHAMPAIGN, IL
March 4-5, 2005

We traveled south to Champaign, Illinois for a lock-in Friday night at Holy Cross School. WE shared the gymnasium with seveal hundred other Scouts and leaders. They had movies and popcorn. The next day we had breakfast and attended opening ceremonies with 600+ other Scouts and leaders for the annual Troop 9 Merit Badge Seminar. Scouts come from miles around. Our boys went off to their merit badge classes. Some classes took place at Holy Cross School while buses transported Scouts to remote sites all over Champaign. I sat in on a class on Firemanship held at the main Champaign Fire Department. It was quite impressive with touring all the equipment, a video on fire safety, and lecture by firemen who've "been there". Another interesting class was conducted at the 2nd largest planetarium in Illinois at Parkland College. The program on Astronomy was both educational and entertaining. There were other sites across the University of Illinois campus, a nearby climbing gym, airport, federal courthouse, etc.


EVENT #15 - COURT OF HONOR - FREE EVENT
March 14, 2005

Our first Court of Honor for 2005 was held at First Lutheran Church. Several awards were presented and sign ups for upcoming events took place. It was a nice event.


EVENT #16 - SCOUTING FOR FOOD - FREE EVENT
March 19, 2005

Our first service project of the year was Scouting for Food. Troop 33 collects food across the entire south side of DeKalb plus the town of Cortland. The north side of DeKalb is divided between two other troops. We had 8 routes with adults and Scouts teaming together. We brought the food to the Salavation Army for sorting and storage. It was a good event and a large collection of food which will greatly benefit needy people in our community.


EVENT #17 - GREAT WESTERN TRAIL PROJECT - FREE EVENT

Our 2nd service project of the year, we collected trash and pruned back overhanging branches on the Great Western Trail. After winter's snow has melted and before the leaves come out is the perfect time for this project. This was newly joined Jeremy and Tyler's first activity with us.


EVENT #18 - FOUR SEASONS BOWLING
March 29, 2005

This time of year renders unpredictable weather, so it's a good time to be indoors. A bowling party seemed like a good idea, and it was. We had a great turn out of Scouts and adults and discovered many excellent bowlers burning up the lanes with strikes and spares. Unfortunately, I was not one of them.

February 2005 Activities
Now Playing: (Events 7-13)
Topic: b - February 2005
EVENT #7 - VIGIL FIRE - FREE EVENT
February 4, 2005

We started the month celebrating the beginning of National Scout Week. Kishwaukee District conducts a Vigil Fire which is started Friday night and burns continuously until Sunday Morning. Troops and Packs take turns watching the fire. Lighting the fire on Friday night involves an elaborate indian ceremony conducted by the Order of the Arrow. Once lit, each pack and troop contributes a log to the fire, decorated by their Scouts. Afterwards we celebrate with a cracker barrel of hot beverages, juice, and snacks in a nearby building. Sycamore Sportsman's Club has been very a generous host for several years.


EVENT #8 - KLONDIKE DERBY - $5
February 5, 2005

We had patrols competing on two sled teams this year at the Klondike Derby. Scout troops compete at various stations on a route through open fields and woods. Events included patrol team challenge, compass, knot identification, first aid, tomahawk throwing, indoor .22 rife range, and an event where Scouts had to build a bridge from staves & rope, and shuttle their Klondike sled across. Troop 39 of Waterman took top honors. Webelos also competed separately from the troops.


EVENT #9 - CASCADE MOUNTAIN SKI TRIP - $85
February 12, 2005

Scouts enjoyed skiing and snowboarding at Cascade Mountain Resort near Portage, Wisconsin. It was a perfect day to be outdoors and the snow was great. About half were on skis and half on snowboards. We enjoyed the slopes through the afternoon and into the evening. We stopped for a great dinner on the way home.


EVENT #10 - STARVED ROCK ADVENTURE - FREE
February 13, 2005

This is a single day event, and a long day at that. The weather was very warm for this time of year. We started the day at the Starved Rock Lock & Dam Visitors Center. We toured through the exhibits at the center, watched a barge pass through the lock, and did some eagle watching. Next we visited the Starved Rock Visitors Center and enjoyed those exhibits where we ate our sack lunches. Despite a light rain we did a hike at St Louis Canyon to a see the beautiful half frozen waterfall. It was a fantastic sight! Next we visited the rustic Starved Rock Lodge and hiked to the top of historic Starved Rock. We hiked to the cavern-like Council Overhang and to Ottawa Canyon, but the usually frozen waterfall there was already melted. We visited the old log stockade at nearby Matthiesson State Park. We stopped in to see the buffalo at Buffalo Rock State Park. We paid a visit to the gravesite of W.D. Boyce at the Ottawa Cemetary and retold the story of the Unknown Scout while we stood at the Tait McKenzie statue of the Unknown Scout at Boyce's Memorial. We toured the Ottawa Scouting Museum before stopping for dinner at McDonalds (dutch treat). We planned to end the long day sledding at Park in Ottawa, but there was no snow so we headed home.


EVENT #11 - LAKE SUPERIOR ADVENTURE - $140
February 18-21, 2005

Driving up into northern Wisconsin we stayed overnight at a Super 8 in Eagle River, Wisconsin. We enjoyed fresh waffles in the morning followed some time at their swimming pool and spa. We visited Klondike Days, their annual winter event. Dog Sledge pulling, horse pull, singers, lumberjacks, craft fair, and don't forget those Paul Bunyon brownies. We had a great time. Next we drove to Ashland, Wisconsin to witness the start of the 10k Book Across the Bay, a snowhoe/x-country ski race at night across Chequamenon Bay between Ashland and , Wisconsin. We did a little snowshoeing on Lake Superior, followed by a pizza party, then back to our motel rooms and indoor pool at the Bad River Indian Reservation. It snowed several inches that night. The next day we set out for the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore to snowshoe to ice caves along Lake Superior. The ice wasn't safe this year, so instead we did a hike along the shoreline amid a raging snowstorm. Travel by car was treacherous. We slowly made our way to the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center where we enjoyed the many exhibits and had a picnic lunch. Driving west to Duluth, the travel became much easier on the interstate. We drove south to Hinckley, Minnesota and checked in at the Days Inn where we enjoyed their indoor pool and spa. The next day we drove to the Paw Tuckaway Kennel in Danbury, Wisconsin. Here, dog sledding was the highlight of the trip. We learned about sleds, commands, dog breeds, etc. The best part of course was actually driving a team of dogs with a sled through the northwoods. Boys took turns driving a sled or riding in the sled. The dogs were the focal point especially two young pups named Demon and Avalanche. Thanks to Cliff and Kathy Maxfield for their great dogsled program.


EVENT #12 - Pack 141 Crossover - FREE
February 26, 2005

We visited Cub Scout Pack 141 of Belvidere, Illinois to welcome Tyler into our troop. They had an excellend banquet with an awards ceremony. They had a special guest speaker that day, a man who had been involved in Scouting back in the 1930's and he related some stories from Scouting's earlier years.


EVENT #13 - Pack 132 Crossover - FREE
February 27, 2005

We visited Cub Scout Pack 132 of DeKalb, Illinois to welcome Jeremy, Mitchell, and Zachary into our troop. They had a great banquet, awards ceremony, and a flea circus which included a great magic show.

January 2005 Activities
Now Playing: (6 events in January)
Topic: a - January 2005

EVENT #1 - ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL EXPO - FREE EVENT
January 8, 2005

This event was held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. It featured a variety of booths and demonstrations involving adventure travel opportunities. The cost was free to those under age 18. It was sponsored by National Geographic Traveler Magazine. The climbing wall was especially popular with the boys.


EVENT #2 - NORTHLANDER CLIMBING GYM -
January 15-16, 2005

This was an indoor lock-in at a climbing gym located in Rockford, Illinois. They have some good climbing surfaces with a variety of difficulty ratings. Troop 32, also of DeKalb, shared the facility with us. We ordered pizza for Saturday dinner and had some coffee cake for Sunday breakfast. Everyone had plenty of time to climb and belay during our time there.


EVENT #3 - RUSSELL FOREST PRESERVE - FREE
January 16-17, 2005

The second half of Martin Luther King Weekend featured a nice cozy cabin at Russell Woods Forest Preserve near Genoa, which made a great place for an overnight. A wood stove in the cabin kept us warm. Boys brought their own individual dinner to cook. The troop furnished a breakfast Monday of pancakes and waffles, with sausage and bacon. The boys also brought a sack lunch for Monday. The annual Winter Carnival provided some events. The most popular activity was the sled hill. The boys enjoyed hours of sledding in on this trip.


EVENT #4 - CHICAGO ADVENTURE -
January 22, 2005

This great day in the windy city included a visit to the Museum of Science & Industry. Tickets were donated by Algus Packaging, which had loaned some robotic packaging equipment to the museum for a display called Toymaker 3000. Everyone enjoyed the morning at the museum. We stopped in at Riccobene's for a great lunch. The afternoon was spent at McCormick Place Convention Center for the Chicago Boat, RV, and Outdoor Show. The show featured hundreds of boats and RV's, plus an outdoor adventure travel show hosted by Outside Magazine. There was a trout stream, climbing wall, and a sea lion show, among other attractions.


EVENT #5 - WISCONSIN SNOWMOBILE ADVENTURE

This is a major trip for our winter season. We start north on Friday night, driving to Tomahawk, Wisconsin. We rented some machines and brought others along. Our snowmobile caravan consisted of
9 machines, with most riding double. We began the day with a robust Wisconsin breakfast at the Tomahawk Family Restaurant, followed by lunch at the Alpine Resort with their famous Mexican Chili. A fabulous dinner was found at the Silver Birch Supper Club, one of the northwood's finest eateries. We snowmobiled all day long, covering over 100 miles along groomed trails, frozen lakes, and snow covered meadows, located north of Tomahawk and west of Rhinelander. Recent snowfalls and mild temperatures made it a perfect weekend for snowmobiling. All of our Scouts had previously taken an 8-hour Snowmobile Safety Certification Class. Everyone rode very well together. On Sunday our final snowmobile meal was at the Junction Restaurant north of Tomahawk. It was a fantastic weekend!