Postal Service Announces 2010 Stamps

The US Postal Services has announced the commemorative stamps for 2010. The stamp honoring scouting's centennial will be released July 27th, 2010.

Summer Camp: Fee Schedule, Policies

Traditionally Troop 62 makes use of the San Francisco Bay Area Council's (SFBAC) Camp Wente.

The deadlines listed below are to SFBAC, Troop 62 deadlines are approximately 2 weeks prior to that.

In light of that, we will be available to collect the first installment and Christmas Tree pickup on 1/2/10.

2010 Boy Scout Summer Camp Fee and Payment Schedule

Camp Fees	Out of Council	$345
Payment	1/21/2010	$1501
Camp Fee (remainder)	3/27/2010	$1952
Adult Payment	6/3/2010	$185
Webelos3	6/3/2010	$345

Footnotes:
¹ – Deposit to hold reservation.
² – Balance due, additional $30 fee after that date.
³ – New Webelos registered in Spring 2010 pay original campfee until June 3.

A great deal of planning and purchasing takes place in all programs and events of the San Francisco Bay Area Council during the months and weeks prior to an event. (facility rentals, supplies, staff, food, and program materials.)

1. Refunds requested two weeks (14 days) prior to an event will receive up to an 80% refund, less any portion which is non-refundable. Types of refunds considered: serious illness or injury (a doctors certification required), or death in immediate family.
Refunds are not given for no-shows, conflict of schedule (such as sports events), weather conditions, or behavior issues.
2. Requests after 14 days prior to an event will be determined on a case by case basis. Refund requests will not be considered if received more than 10 days after an event.
3. Refunds for camps which have Pack, Troop, or Crew signups are refunded to the unit. Individual sign-ups are refunded to the individual family.

2010 Boy Scouts of America Centennial Commemorative Coin

The United States Mint is helping BSA celebrate their Centennial.  The design:

depicts a Cub Scout in the foreground with a Boy Scout and female Venturer in the background saluting.

The announcement (Boy Scouts of America Centennial Commemorative Coin Act) says 350,000 commemorative coins will be minted.

Boy Scout of America on YouTube

Scoutstuff.org has a series of four YouTube videos that capture a century of Scouting in the United States.

BSA: A Centennial History, Part 1

BSA: A Centennial History, Part 2

BSA: A Centennial History, Part 3

BSA: A Centennial History, Part 4

Scouting for Food

The boys of Pack 178 and Troop 62 participated in the national scouting program "Scouting for Food".

Locally, their efforts were covered by the American Canyon Eagle Annual food and toy drives start up.

The community pickup gathered about 1,100 pounds of food. The school oriented portion brought in the balance of the 4,468 pounds brought in. Congratulations to the American Canyon Schools (Donaldson Way Elementary, Napa Junction Elementary, Canyon Oaks Elementary, American Canyon Middle).

Walking Time Calculator

I came across this some time back, and as the troop intends to do more hiking, thought it might be useful.

Walking Time Calculator from WotzWot (hint: say it with British accent).

Naismith's rule was named after the Scottish climber W W Naismith, who devised the rule in 1892. The rule is very simple and easy to use, being based on an average walking peed of 3 miles per hour and an additional allowance of half an hour per 1,000 feet of ascent.

The basic rule often works very well for walks of up to about 4 hours in good conditions on good paths, although many people prefer to use a gentler pace of 2.5 miles per hour as the walking speed. The rule does not take into account the slowing effect of steep descents or the speeding up on gentle descents. These can be taken into account with the additional adjustments, but often these will more or less cancel each other out.

More importantly, Naismith's rule does not take into account fatigue during a walk, the load carried, difficult ground or bad weather. Tranter's corrections were designed to take fatigue and fitness into account, and consist of a table of adjustments for different fitness levels and different lengths of walk. To measure your fitness level, you should time an ascent of 1,000 feet in half a mile (300m in 800m). For the top fitness levels, the corrections reduce the time estimates for shorter walks by up to half, so be prepared for some jogging if you use those fitness levels on gentle walks! The corrections then progressively increase the time estimates for both increasing walk lengths and reducing fitness levels. By adjusting fitness levels, Tranter's corrections can also be used to take into account bad weather or the conditions underfoot.

Fencing Newell Space Barn

Zach's Eagle project involved putting in a fence around a preserved barn. Phase 1 was completed the weekend of 11/7/09.

Veterans Day in American Canyon

Today the citizens of American Canyon and Troop 62 honored our Veterans – past, present, and future. Speeches were made, historical references alluded to, and camaraderie was enjoyed.





Young scouts, becoming young men, showed respect for the community's values and it's heroes.








The featured speaker was SSgt Alfonso (Fonzie) Bombita who spoke of his early exposure to leadership in soccer, Troop 62, the schools.

Coastal Cleanup

Coastal Cleanup is coming up soon, Saturday, September 19th, 9am to Noon.

The City of American Canyon is working the Napa portion called Creek to Bay Cleanup Day.

Meet at 2185 Elliot Drive. Bring gloves, sun screen, sturdy shoes, and clothes to get dirty in.

The Liability Waiver is available online.

Day Camp

Back at the beginning of August, several of the Troop acted staff supporting Mount Diablo Silverado Council Cub Scout Day Camp at Hanns Park in Vallejo. Troop members Yael, Ethan, Taylor, Bobby and Jacob acted as Den Chiefs, Day Care Corral, First Aid Assistants.

This year's theme was "Science Busters".

Wente 2009

A lot of our new scouts went to Wente scout reservation this year. Some things have been added to Wente since Troop 62 was last there. The Chemistry merit badge was added and new trails were built for the scouts to hike on. Troop 62 ran the Wentathalon with much enthusiasm.

Flags for Non-Profit Softball Game

Today while many in the Troop were up at the Wente Reservation getting the camp ready for this summer.

Two of our boys provide the colors to start a softball tournament. The softball tournament was fund raiser for KHOPE International and the American Canyon Family Resource Center.

Little League - Opening Day

This morning a couple of the boys participated in the Opening Day Parade and Ceremonies for the American Canyon - West Vallejo Little League.

Play ball!

Patrol Elections

Tonight we had Troop Elections, the results just in assuming no hanging chad challenges:

• Troop
• Senior Patrol Leader - Tim
• Asst. Senior Patrol Leader - John
• Shark Patrol
• Patrol Leader - Taylor
• Asst. Patrol Leader - Zach
• Duct Tape Ops Patrol
• Patrol Leader - Bobby
• Asst. Patrol Leader - Keith

Follow the Bouncing Roadie

Mark Nichols is on the road again, you can follow his travels in The Life of a Roadie.

Scout Cooking

From the Scoutmaster blog we get some advice on cooking.

• Pineapple Upside Down Cake
• Foil Dinner
• Freezer Bag Cooking
• Freeze Dried Food
  

Barak Obama: Scout, Leader

Today, on this day all things Obama, it should be noted that our new President was a Scout in Indonesia.

You don’t have to be a Scout to lead a country but it helps…

Christmas Tree Pickup 2009

Once again the boys swept through American Canyon collecting up trees in order to perform a community service of removing the trees, and to earn a few bucks towards camp (Wente).

This is the second year we've dropped the trees off at the City's Corporate Yard at the end of West American Canyon Road, where the next week they went through the chipper and were turned in bark.


We appreciate all those who donated turning Christmas Tree Pickup. We, also, appreciate the assistance (and trailer) of long time supporter of Scouting in American Canyon (Supervisor) Keith Caldwell.

Camping Skills

From the blog Scout Master we get a series of entries on camping skills.

• Never Fail Campfire Building— film explains how to collect the three things needed to build a fire; tinder, kindling and fuel.
• Fire by Friction — from the 1937 book Games and Recreational Methods for Clubs, Camps and Scouts, C.F. Smith, records his winning method.

What's Cooking

Today's helpful hints are:

• Trail Cooking
• Freezer Bag Cooking
  

And, I know the Troop's parents would appreciate the Scouts putting YouTube to better use, like something educational and Scouting supportive like Trail Cooking Videos.

Troop Assignments

Troop Leadership was recently voted on:

• Senior Patrol Leader - Taylor


• Assistant Patrol Leader - Steven


• Sharks Patrol


• Patrol Leader - Zach
• Assistant Patrol Leader - Yael


• Duct Tape Ops Patrol


• Patrol Leader - John
• Assistant Patrol Leader - Bobby

Veteran's Day Flag Ceremony

Select spirited members of Troop 62 joined with the Cub, Boy and Girl Scouts of the greater Vallejo area at the Sunrise Cemetery today to honor our veterans of all wars (SPAM, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam -- primarily, but any conflict) by placing flags on their graves.


Zachary and Taylor did the opening flag ceremony.










Scouter (MSgt) Spier has in prior years pointed out one of the oldest veterans buried at the cemetery, Medal of Honor winner William Bond.


p.s. The SPAM War, as it appears on one of the graves, refers to the Spanish American War — not some email based war.

Scouting for Food 2008

Today was the first of two weekends the members of Troop 62 were out and about in the community as part of the annual "Scouting for Food" drive.

Why do we do it? Well as the Scouter article Scout Food Drive Builds Character Along With Feeding Hungry describes:

Scouts believe in giving something back to the community that nurtures them. Scouting teaches not just service, but "cheerful" service is necessary for good citizenship.
...
Your contribution will help feed the hungry in our community. It may also provide a Scout with the opportunity to discover the goodness of his neighbors, to further develop his own sense of responsibility to humankind and to feel the satisfaction of just doing something nice for someone.

Tips for organizing Scouting for Food gatherings.

Cleanup Day

Members of Troop 62 and Pack 178 participated in American Canyon's Cleanup day.

Cleanup Day is held each year in conjunction with Napa County’s 2008 Creek to Bay Cleanup and as part of the 24thannual California Coastal Cleanup, a statewide effort to clean trash and debris from 1,000 miles of the California coast as well as another 1,000 miles along the inland shorelines of bays, creeks, rivers, and lakes throughout California. The event is also part of International Coastal Cleanup Day, where thousands of volunteers in all 50 states and 90 countries take part in the world’s largest waterway and beach cleanup of the year.

Historically California Coastal Cleanup Day focused primarily on cleaning up California’s coastline, but in the last few years the cleanup effort has expanded into inland areas. It is estimated that between 60 and 80 percent of the trash found on Coastal Cleanup Day comes from inland areas. All the inland waterways will eventually drain to the ocean, so trash picked up on Coastal Cleanup Day from inland shorelines contributes to keeping our coasts and ocean free of debris.

The big find of the day was a large satellite dish. The boys of Pack 178 found pair of dead snakes.

The Boy Scouts

A year ago or so there was a two page article in that magazine that comes with the local paper on Saturday. In American Profile in the article The Boy Scouts it covered the start of Scouting:

Baden-Powell, a 19th-century British military intelligence officer, penned an 1899 manual on wilderness survival and stalking game for British soldiers that became a hit with English boys. After learning of the book’s popularity with youth, he set out to write a new edition that focused on nonmilitary nature skills.

To research the ideas he wanted to include in Scouting for Boys, Baden-Powell took 22 boys of mixed social backgrounds on a camping trip to Brownsea Island, off the English coast. During that August 1907 campout, Boy Scouting was born, and the new organization caught on quickly with British boys.

Two years later, American newspaper publisher William D. Boyce became lost in one of London’s notorious fogs. A boy helped him find his way, but refused a tip for his service. When he explained that, as a Scout, he couldn’t take money for doing a “good turn”—one of Baden-Powell’s Scouting fundamentals – Boyce was intrigued. Boyce later met with Baden-Powell, and decided to bring Scouting to the United States. On Feb. 8, 1910, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) was incorporated.

Famous Eagle Scouts

Neil Armstrong, astronaut
Bill Bradley, professional basketball star and U.S. senator
Gerald R. Ford, president of the United States
Robert Gates, U.S. secretary of defense
J.W. Marriott Jr., president of Marriott Corporation
Michael Moore, filmmaker
William Sessions, former FBI director
Steven Spielberg, movie director
Sam Walton, founder of WalMart

Philmont History

A couple of lads and leaders are off to Philmont. So it seemed like a good time to provide you with History of Philmont.

Philmont has ties to Kit Carson and was gifted to BSA around the time of World War II.

While we are at it, from the 95th Anniversary of Scouts in America, Boy Scouts of America Historical Highlights.

Flags for 3rd Annual Relay for Life

This morning the Troop helped kick off Relay for Life rolls into AmCan. The honor guard was made up of Yael, Zach, Jacob, Tom.

Bring Everyone to Attention

Presenting the Colors

Exit Stage Left

They Just Keep On Going ... an going ...

We last saw the Energizer Bunnies in the 4th of July parade. They're just everywhere.

July 4th, 2008 - The Little Town That Does

Troop 62 and Pack 178 participated in this year's 4th of July Parade. This year the staff of the American Canyon Eagle were part of the parade in addition to reporting on the parade.

Troop 62

Pack 178

The Flag

The Federal Flag Code covers the respect due the United States Flag. Much of what is covered in the State Department's web site is what Troop Leaders have been having you, the Troop, practice for years.

The Ruins

While not a Troop outing, a couple of us went out to the "Ruins" and hiked around the old basalt plant ruins.

The developer has a basic site history and how the existing site looks today.

There's a naturally occurring spring that feeds a small "lake" off to the south side of the ruins.

The plant at the turn of the 20th century, provide cement to rebuild San Francisco after the Great Quake of 1906.

A detailed discussion of the geology of the area provide by the California Geologic Survey, and the U.S. Geological Survey.

American Canyon Eagle Covers Memorial Day Ceremony

Troop 62 appeared front and center in American Canyon Eagle's coverage of the Memorial Day Ceremony. That's Taylor and Yael in the foreground, Mayor Leon Garcia at the microphone, and the members of VFW Post 11099 with honored military guests in the background.

In the Begginning -- News Clippings, Part 2

Again from Mrs. Betty Wilson, published in the Vallejo Times on May 19, 1960:

In the Begginning -- News Clippings, Part 1

This excerpt is from the Vallejo Times, April 21, 1960; by Mrs. Betty M. Wilson:

In the Beginning - The Back Story

An occasional entry in a series on the history of Troop 62.

Got a call from Dolly Mikolajcik, owner of Mid-City Nursury, which is our Chartering organization. She called me to let me know that she had found some documentation to prove that our troop has been around since at least April 21, 1960. The date we actually started has been in question for some time.

The story goes:

There was a lady that lived in McKnight Subdivision (1st subdivision in
American Canyon) that was very active in the community, as were many people at the time. She wrote a column for the Napa Register and Vallejo Times Herald
updating all of the happenings of what went on in the city. When she passed
away, her daughter collected all of the 13 volumes of saved articles and
donated them to the city. These volumes contain such information as the
picture of the first fire truck, information on when the first fire district
was formed, pictures of the original Dutton's Landing on the Napa River. It
was located on the other side of the old bridge that is at the end of Green
Valley Road. Back in the day, it was a really hot fishing spot with a pier
and as many as 35 to 40 boats at a time. Then, Leslie Salt bought the 1,000
acres or so and tore Dutton's Landing down.

She came across an article dated April 21, 1960 that spoke of the
first meeting of Troop 62. The first Scoutmaster was Lestor Johnson, who
Dolly remembers.

She went on to explain that after Rancho Del Mar, the 2nd subdivision came
along with roughly 600 homes with tons of new kids, there was a board group
that formed Pack 162 in 1955. As the boys aged, the board group formed
Troop 62 so the boys could continue with scouting. They used to hold their
meetings in the Auxillary room of Napa Junction School.

The first Cub Scout Pack 162 was started in 1955 with 6 dens in American
Canyon. The 1st Cubmaster was Tom Murdock. The 2nd was Claude Budding.

The first cub scouts were: Chuck Foskett, Charles Fleming, Jim Daley, John
Mikolajcik, Smith (Dolly couldn't remember his first name), and Victor Lee.

The Boy Scout troop was started as early as February 1960, however the
original charter was dated 1959. The first Scoutmaster was Lester Johnson. The second was Claude Budding.

The first scouts were: Chuck Foskett, Charles Fleming, Jim Daley, John Mikolajcik, Victor Lee, and Smith.

The first Eagle Scout was Mike Barron. The second was John Budding. The third was Putney.

Mermorial Day Ceremonies with the VFW

The City of American Canyon's Memorial Day Ceremony is conduct by the VFW Post 11099 with support from ACTS.

Dolly from Mid-City Nursery	I don't know how they arranged it ... a flyover by bi-planes.
Planning the Ceremony	Presenting the American, California, VFW, and POW-MIA flags
Saluting the Colors	Coast Guard provides some comments.
Honoring fallen Comrades	Honoring fallen Comrades
Taps

Memorial Day at Sunrise

No we weren't up that early, but the Boys of Troop 62 joined their comrades of Packs 12, 178 and Troops 12, 64, 77 to help the Vallejo VFW place flags on the graves of all veterans at the Sunrise Memorial Cemetery.

Comrades in Arms

The SPAM War - Not the Internet

Vets of Many Wars

New OA Web Site

The District's OA unit Ut-In Sélica Lodge has a new web site.

For a our newer scouts who may not be familiar with OA:

The purpose of the Order of the Arrow is:

• To recognize those campers, Scouts and Scouters, who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives, and by such recognition cause others campers to conduct themselves in such a manner to warrant recognition.


• To develop and maintain camping traditions and spirit


• To promote Scout camping, which reaches it’s greatest effectiveness as a part of the unit’s camping program, both year-round and in the summer camp, as directed by the camping committee of the
  council.

Oh, Go Climb a Rock

On the 5th Tuesday of the month the Troop breaks training and goes and does something fun. This time it was Rockzilla of Napa.

Scout and Scout Leader alike enjoyed getting up the rock.

Foil Cooking

A good resource for culinary research -- Foil Recipes for those upcoming outings.

Wente Materials

The Wente Materials referred to at the last meeting are here:

• Wente Guide 2008 — contains everything you could possiblely every need: medial and medication forms, schedules, merit badge offerings, rules and regulations
• Map to Wente for those who drive or come to get you.
• Everything you might need Wente Scout Reservation Forms and Maps

Advancement Requirements Changes

Effective January 1, 2008 the following changes where made to rank and merit badge advancement. If you haven't completed the rank or merit badge they take effect immediately.

• Rank
• Tenderfoot
• Second Class
• First Class
• Star
• Life
• Eagle
• Merit Badges
• Backpacking
• First Aid
• Graphic Arts
• Hiking
• Metalwork
• Scuplture
• Water Sports Waterskiing
• Wilderness Survival
• Leave No Trace Achievement Award

A great resource for current Merit Badge Requirements is available online.

Snow Camping

For the upcoming Snow Camping Trip on 2/23,24. Mark and Mr. Adams are covering:

1. Proper sleep system was taught on Jan 29th.
2. Cold weather Packing List was started Feb 5th.
3. Packing List will be completed; Mr Adams will cover cold weather safety and first aid on Feb 12th.
4. Pack Inspection will be Feb 19th. MANDATORY!!! You will NOT be allowed to go if your pack isn't inspected and properly packed first.

The Snow Camping Gear List is available as a link.

Merit Badges

For those that are new to the Troop, there are an amazing collection of resources like Introduction to Merit Badges and the BSA Fieldbook.

Upcoming Events

Dates of upcoming events per the announcements at Tuesday's meeting:

• Bowling outing to Napa Bowl, meet at the Boys & Girls Club in American Canyon at 2pm - in Class A for the purpose of transportation with Class B backup for Bowling. $15 will get you shoes and 3 games
• January 24th - OA Meeting 7pm Elks Lodge
• January 25th - Philmont Meeting - 7 pm
• Saturday, Feb 2nd - District Race Day - 12 pm - VFW Benecia Hall 1150 FirstStreet, Benecia. All Boy Scouts are more than welcomed to participate in the Open Class as well as act as Judges and / or Officials.
• Wednesday, Feb 6th - Snow Camping Meeting - 535 Florida Street. (Required for the Snow Camping Trip).
• Saturday, Feb 17th - Mt Diablo 8 mile hike - Silvergate Hike Series.T he meeting place is the Community Presbyterian Church on 2800 Georgia
  Street across the street from the 7-11 store at 9 am. Park on the side of the
  church closest to Hwy 80. Make sure you pack a lunch.
• Wednesday, Feb 13th - Snow Camping Meeting - 535 Florida Street (Required for the Snow Camping Trip)
• Saturday, Feb 16th, 2:30 - 5 pm, Micky's Life Celebration at Benton Way
  Gym. CLASS A's
• Wednesday, Feb 20th - Snow Camping Meeting - 535 Florida Street (Required for the Snow Camping Trip)
• Weekend of Feb 23rd - Snow Camping - TBA
• Weekend of Sept 6, 2008 - Troop Alctraz Overnighter (see previous posting for pictures)

Boy Scout saves Maldives president

Following up on our discussion of dilemmas (or What would you do ...?) from the other night, we have this in the news:

A quick-thinking Boy Scout foiled an assassination attempt on the president of the Maldives on Tuesday, grabbing an attacker's knife as the man leapt from a crowd and lunged at the leader, an official said

-- By KRISHAN FRANCIS, Associated Press Writer

Not the Same Old Camping

From the excellent resources of the San Francisco Bay Area Council:

This "Where ELSE to Go Camping" booklet is designed to help you broaden your unit's camping experience.

-- provided by the Achewon Nimat Lodge of the Order of the Arrow

Christmas Tree Pickup

The annual Christmas Tree Pickup announcement is up on the City of Napa web site, the information applies equally well to the City of American Canyon.

Likewise the Napa Valley Register has the announcement in the paper.

The Scouts of American Canyon will collecting up Christmas trees on Saturday January 5, 2008. The Christmas Tree Pickup project is part community service and part a fund raiser defraying the expenses of going to camp in the summer. The trees end up being recycled for compost which is then available for resale.

Residents should:

• Remove tree stands and nails
• Remove all decorations
• Have their trees out on the curb by 9am.

As the trees are being recycled we can not accept flocked trees.

The recommended donation is $5.

Rules Regarding the Flag

U.S. Code Title 4. Flag and Seal, Seat of Government, and the States As of January 2000 covers the "Position and manner of display" and "Respect for flag".

Your adult leaders will be impressed with your knowledge of these rules.

Newell Preserve Work Party - Part II

Members of Troop 62 and members of the American Canyon Open Space group recently formed a work party to complete the tables recently acquired to place on the pads created back in July.

Keith and his wife Perry, Mark, Barry, Sam, Wes and Mark Joseph helped bolt the tables together. Barry pulled the forms from the cement slabs, pulled the nails, and neatly stacked the wood so that we could use it again.

Some Assembly Required

Finished Product

Popcorn Sales

The Popcorn fund raiser gave the boys a chance to earn money towards camp at Wente this summer. Their profits actually make a pretty decent dent in their summer camp costs.

The top sellers in the Troop were:

1. Zachary
2. Yael

Scouting for Food Results 2007

First there was the comic strip, then there was the theatrical cartoons, and finally there was the Canned Food Drive …It's Popeye the Sailor Man

 

American Canyon School Results

School	# Items	Pounds
Canyon Oaks	163	128
ACMS	92	77
Donaldson Way	813	785

Overall Summary

Description	Quantity Collected
Cans	2,289
Boxes	964
Glass	255
Total Quantity	3,508
Total Pounds	3,267

 

Veterans Day Observance in American Canyon

Boy Scout Troop 62 and Girl Scout Troop 8 were present and presented the flags for the American Canyon Veterans Day Observance held for the first time at the City Gym.

A number of speakers spoke of the origins of Armistice Day now known as Veteran's Day.

The City still has a few veterans from WWII. Semper Fi.



The speakers concluded with a number of essays written by and read by members of Ms. Williams ACMS class. The Veterans seemed to appreciate the recognition from

First United Methodist Church

The folks at

First United Methodist
502 Virginia St.
Vallejo, Ca 94590

are selling pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving. We are making their order form available here.

Please support them as they support the District Council by providing space to meet for the continual planning that makes the Scouts go.

Scouting for Food - 2007

Today, November 10th; Troop 62, Pack 178, Girl Scout Troop 8, Girl Scout Daisy Troop 15 and Friends of American Canyon Open Spaces went door to door throughout American Canyon dropping off door-hangers reminding residents that we'll be back starting at 9am on November 17th to pick up food donations.

Troop, as a reminder, we assemble at the Thrift Store at 0830 - Saturday, November 17th.

Upcoming Troop Meeting Topics

Please consult the Troop 62 Activity Calendar for upcoming events.

Upcoming Troop Meeting Topics

Date	Topic
Oct 30	Halloween Party
Nov 13	Start planning for Skyline Campout / Hike
Nov 27	Complete planning for Skyline Campout / Hike
Dec 4	Pack Inspections / Pearl Harbor Rememberance

Troop Elections

The ballots have been counted, everyone voted early and often ... and the results are in.

Troop Leadership

Role	Assigned To
Senior Patrol Leader	Sam
Scribe	John
Quartermaster	Tim
Librarian	Jacob
Guide	Daniel
Historian	Quincy

Patrol: Great White Sharks

Role	Assigned To
Patrol Leader	Taylor
Assistant Patrol Leader	Zach
Scribe	Yael
Quartermaster	Tom
	Keith
	Brent

Patrol: Duck Tape Ops

Role	Assigned To
Patrol Leader	Steven
Assistant Patrol Leader	Tim
Scribe	John
Quartermaster	Bobby
	Ezzy
	Jacob

Camping Out at Alcatraz

Crumbling Buildings

A last look at the free world before lights out.

---

A number of the inmates from Troop 62 got a special treat recently, an overnighter
to Alcatraz.

The Prison Bureau gave up the island some time ago, it is now run by the National Park Service. The island has served as:

… the now abandoned prison, the oldest operating lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States, early military fortifications, and
natural features such as rock pools, a seabird colony, and unique views of the coastline.
—Wikipedia entry for Alcatraz Island

---

The Inmates … from Cell Block 62 …

---

Alcatraz has appeared in movies throughout the last century:

• Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
• Escape from Alcatraz (1979)
• X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
• Alcatraz Island (1937)
• Curse of Alcatraz (2007)
• Train to Alcatraz (1948)
• Dark Alibi (1946) aka Charlie Chan in Alcatraz

Orienteering we shall go ...

Members of the Troop traipsed around the hills of the East Bay (Briones Regional Park) practicing their Orienteering skills for rank advancement.

Scout-O-Rama

On Saturday October 4th the members of Troop 62 participated in the local council's Scout-O-Rama event at the park in the new Napa Junction retail center.

	The most outgoing members of the Troop were on hand to greet visitors.
Troop 62 participated in the activities of other Troops in the Council.
	Troop members also participated with the Venturing Crew

Kiwanis Luncheon

This is a photo from the Kiwanis luncheon today, where Deborah Maffei - Committee Chair for Boy Scouts Troop 62, and Co-Leader for Girl Scout Troop 8 picked up two checks one for $511.00 for the Girl Scouts and $900.00 for the Boy Scouts. Scouts on hand are: Sam:Life Scout, Samantha:Jr. Scout, and Megan: Jr. Scout.

American Canyon - Relay for Life

Relay For Life® is a fun-filled overnight event designed to bring together those who have been touched by cancer in our community. At the event, we celebrate survivorship and raise money to help the American Cancer Society in its mission to save lives, help those who have been touched by cancer, and empower individuals to fight back. During the event, teams of people gather at schools, fairgrounds, or parks and take turns walking or running laps. Each team tries to keep at least one team member on the track at all times.

The Troop made it out on gray Saturday morning to help kick off the Second Annual American Canyon Relay for Life.

Newell Preserve Work Party

This past weekend the Troop was able to get started under Foremanship of Jim Mates and Mark Nichols on creating two cement pads for a picnic area on the Newell Open Space Preserve.

The following pictures show how the work progressed. The boys worked together and worked hard both days.

July 4th Parade

Before the Parade, was the traditional Troop62 hosted Pancake Breakfast. Which according to assorted hungry denizens of American Canyon was both well attended and tasty.


The Scouts were out in force this morning for the 4th of July Parade in American Canyon.

The Boy Scouts of Troop 62 carried the flags right behind the Sheriff's Charger and the VFW Post #11099. Later on in the parade were the two local Girl Scout Troops.




And about mid-way in the parade were the Cubs of Pack 178.

Memorial Day Flag Ceremony

Three members of Troop 62, along with members of the Troops and Packs in the Vallejo area showed up at quarter past eight this morning to place flags on the graves of veterans at the Valle Vista Cemetery.

Camporee -- The Wild West

Camporee -- The Wild West was a successful weekend for Troop 62. We:

• got 2nd place over all.
• received 1st place ribbons in:
  
• Daniel Boon's Wild Ride
• Pony Express
• Pack Inspection
• received 2nd place ribbons in:
  
• Doc Holiday's
• Uniform Inspection
• Flap Jack Toss
• Smithy's Fire Starter
• Stake Your Claim

Eh Partner, Are you new in town?

Go West Young Man

Flying the local colors...

Does it hurt -- when I do this?

ChariotWagon Races

Wente for Parents

Wente Guide for Parents is now available.

Flags in the Morning

This morning the members of Troop 62, along with members of the local VFW Post 11099, handled the flag ceremony duties for opening day of the American Canyon Little League.

Scouter Jim Mates filled in handling traffic details while first responders handled a spill up the road on Hwy 29.

PLAY BALL !

Troop Calendar

The working Troop Calendar for February 2007 through January 2008 has been updated. Please refer to it often, we will try and keep it up to date.

Christmas Tree Pickup

'Tis the season to recycle FA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA ...



The Scouts of American Canyon will collecting up Christmas trees on Saturday January 6, 2007. The Christmas Tree Pickup project is part community service and part a fund raiser defraying the expenses of going to camp in the summer. The trees end up being recycled for compost which is available then resold.

Residents should:

• Remove tree stands and nails


• Remove all decorations


• Have their trees out on the curb by 9am.
  

As the trees are being recycled we can not accept flocked trees.

The recommended donation is $5.

Community Foundation Grants

Troop 62 was awarded one of seven grants made by Community Foundation of the Napa Valley. They boys were awarded $5,364 to build picnic tables at the upper campground of the Jack and Bernice Newell Open Space Preserve (fiscal agent for the grant is American Canyon Patriots Football.

More details on the grants awarded by the Community Foundation are in the American Canyon Eagle newspaper.

Scouting for Food

This weekend, Veterans Day, we the scouts of Troop 62, Pack 178, Girl Scout Troop 8, Brownie Troop 9, the Soroptimists, and the Kiwanis distributed plastics bags throughout American Canyon.

Next weekend, November 18th, we will cover the same territory and pick it up.

A big thank you to all who showed up and pitched in.

As to why we do it.

In the Law of the Pack, a cub scout gives good will and in the Boy Scout Promise, a boy scout promises to help other people at all times. By participating in a Scouting for Food program, scouts come a step closer to fulfilling those words. Across the country, in many councils and districts, thousands of troops and packs with millions of scouts involved collect tens of millions of pounds of food which is distributed to needy neighbors.

Orienteering, or how not to get lost ...

Recently members of the Troop and several of the adults went to the San Francisco Presido for a day of Orienteering with the Bay Area Orienteering Club, their write up of the day.

Sam and Ezzy placed 24^th on the White course. The rest of the Troop finished the Yellow course sans punch card just before time was up.


A successful outing was followed by a detour on the way home to Fort Point which sits right under the arched portion of the Golden Gate bridge where the boys participated in a re-enactment of firing a canon. BOOM!

Who was Baden-Powell?

Recently during rank advancement interviews, the review board asked each candidate “Who is Baden-Powell?”. Only one candidate for advancement had a clue, congratulations Steven.

He was a man who, in his 83 years, devoted himself to the service of his country and his fellow men in two separate and complete lives; one as a soldier fighting for his country, and the other as a worker for peace through the Scout Movement.

Robert Baden-Powell is recognized as the founder of the Scouting Movement. Not only the Boy Scouts, but also the Girl Guides (a.k.a. Girl Scouts). He was proclaimed Chief Scout of the World at the end of the first international Scout Jamboree that took place at Olympia, London in 1920.

During his military service he learned that boys would rise to the challenge if given.

Gentlemen, you can expect to see this question again at rank advancement.

What is Scouting?

Wikipedia has entries for the Scouting program, as does Portal:Scouting. This provides an overall description of the program. It's up to the local troop to tailor it for the scouts and families involved. The Troop's calendar provides you with the latest activities coming up.