The Jamboree may be over, but you can still watch the goings on of the Closing Stage show.  It featured Kings and the King of Dirt, Mike Row (did you know he was an Eagle Scout? 

Also, you can see plenty of the action via photos from Boy's Life Jambo site or the BSA Flickr site.

It all looks like a lot of fun (& mud).  Will you go to the next Jamboree? 

Thank you everyone for attending last night's pre-summer camp meeting.  We know it was a lot of information, and we thank you for your patience.

We look forward to seeing all our happy campers at Hidden Valley Scout Camp between 11:30an-12:15pm (no later, please). We are excited about the program, and are sure all of our Scouts will have fun, get some great advancements, make some friends and have some great stories to tell when they get back.

You can get all the information presented at the pre-camp meeting under the "upcoming events" tab in the Summer Camp menu item.

See you Sunday!

At 7pm this Monday, July 22, we will be having a meeting at the church for all scouts who will be going to camp this summer and their parents.  We will be going over getting to and from camp, what will happen there, what to pack and other logistical information.  If you and/or your scout are unable to attend, please let Mr. Gillogly and Mrs. Vickers  know as soon as possible. 

Class B T-shirts will also be available for sale, sizes are based on availability and cost is $7 (sizes up to XL) and $9 (size XXL).  

Also, if you have any Troop fear hanging around your house, tonight would be a good time to return it.

The National Jamboree is well underway. You can take a look at some of the action at the Boy's Life site. It has live tweets from Scouts and Scouters.

Annawon Council has a contingent, made of Scouts from all over the Council, there. You can see some of their photos at the Annawon Council Facebook page.

Tomorrow (July 20) is the big arena show. They haven't announced the lineup, but in the past there have been big name celebrities (even the President) and big name bands. You can check it out at jambolive.org. Check in at 4pm EST To catch the show.

Is your merit badge sash looking a bit thin?  Didn't get enough merit badges at Summer camp? Need that last badge to get to that next rank?  Want to earn a few more? You can do just that at Annawon Council's Merit Badge Mania on August 16-18. 

40 merit badges are being offered at the event.  See them here. Scouts will camp the weekend at Camp Norse.  Meals will be provided (three meals on Saturday & two meals on Sunday). Merit Badges will be offered in either all day or half day sessions. SHOOTING SPORTS ARE AN EXCEPTION: Archery, Rifle  and Shotgun are either Saturday AND Sunday AM or Saturday AND Sunday PM.  If you register for a shooting sports Merit Badge be careful of what you sign up for on Sunday.

More info on the event and registration is available at the Annawon Council website for the event.   If you are interested in attending, you may sign up at that site. Please see Mr. Gillogly for any Blue cards or questions.

In a flurry of merit badge activity, the BSA released the requirements of a third merit badge today - the new Sustainability merit badge.  Sustainability will be an alternate Eagle-required merit badge to Environmental Science MB.

Scouts may begin working on Sustainability MB once pamphlets arrive in Scout Shops (or at scoutstuff.org) in early August

You can read the requirements at Scouting Magazine's blog.

Are you into computers?  Have you designed, or want to design,  an app, for your phone?  Well, the new Programming merit badge is for you!   

Scouts may begin working on Programming merit badge once the pamphlets arrive in Scout Shops (or scoutstuff.org) in early August.

You can read the requirements at Scouting magazine's blog.

The Cycling merit badge just got a little more interesting.  The BSA has expanded the requirements to include Mountain Biking. Now, you can choose between road bikes and mountain bikes to meet the requirement for this Eagle-required (alternate to Swimming or Hiking) merit Badge. 

Read about the change in Scouting Magazine's Blog post.

It's hard to believe.  The National Jamboree starts in one day.  The Fourth of July is way behind us.  Your SPL and Scoutmaster are headed to Hidden Valley for the pre-camp meeting on Monday.  The mandatory summer camp meeting is here next Monday, and rumors are that a huge truck carrying Chessters is heading North.   That could only mean one thing.  SUMMER CAMP is around the corner!!!

 It is time to start mentally and physically getting yourself ready for  summer camp.  Here are a few tips to help you get ready and enjoy the week in the "Land made for Scouting":

• Start thinking of all the fun we will have.
• Familiarize yourself with the summer camp info on our Troop website.  Basic info is here. (or http://www.troop17bsa.org  – then look under the  “upcoming events” menu item).
• Review yourmerit badge selections and prerequisites on the troop website.
• Get your merit badge pamphlets and  WORK THOSE PREREQUISITES (it makes the badges go much easier)
• Get your gear together (check the packing lists), and pack them according to this blog post
• Get your daypack ready - it'll be with you most almost the entire time
• Start moving your diet toward drinking lots of water instead of energy drinks or soda.
• Walk to as many places as you can, so your legs get used to being up and around all the time
•  If you have new shoes/ boots, start wearing them around the house to break them in (blisters are NOT your friend)
• Get yourself ready for the temperature by getting outside of the air conditioning.  It's amazing how you adjust.
• Start thinking of a couple of skits, songs, stunts or stories for the many campfires we'll have.
• Get with your patrol mates, and talk about having some patrol adventures - like scaling Mt. Shannon, fishing, etc.

 Do a little bit each day.  Be Prepared... By biting off a little everyday, you'll be ready for a super-fantastic summer camp!

The National Council's Advancement Committee has added two merit badges to the list of Eagle-required merit badges.  Sustainability, a new badge, will be an alternative to Environmental Science (that is, you must take one or the other).  Cooking Merit badge will return to the ranks of Eagle-required badges - incidentally, it will get a new silver border, denoting an Eagle-required badge. 

Sustainability merit badge will be available as an alternate requirement, as soon as the Jamboree begins.  Cooking Merit Badge will be required of all Eagle candidates, beginning in January 1, 2014.

From the June/July 2013 Advancement News...
When the 2013 National Scout Jamboree begins, the newest Eagle-required merit badge will officially become part of the advancement program. The Sustainability merit badge, an alternative to Environmental Science, will help Scouts discover ways they can personally contribute to ensuring that our natural resources will last from generation to generation. Even more, this new badge will help Scouts educate their families in finding ways to reduce their
consumption of water and energy, and to waste less food. 

As Scouts work their way through the requirements, they will learn how each of us can contribute to a more sustainable way of life within our families and communities. We consumers purchase a lot of "stuff" every day; the question is, how much of it relates to a "need" as opposed to a "want?" 

The word "sustainability" may be new to some, but the concept is not. It builds on the common Scouting practices of being thrifty and conservation-minded, and the BSA has taught many of the sustainability principles throughout its history.

From the June/July 2013 Advancement News...

Cooking Merit Badge to Be Required for Eagle Scout Rank 
Effective Jan. 1, 2014, Cooking merit badge will be required for the Eagle Scout rank. Regardless of when a Scout completed the Life rank or began working on Eagle, unless he fulfills all the requirements—with the exception of his board of review—before Jan. 1, 2014, he must earn the Cooking merit badge to attain Eagle. 

Cooking Merit Badge Undergoing Revision 
During 2013 the Cooking merit badge has been undergoing a major revision. The process for implementing changes to merit badges is covered in the Guide to Advancement, topic 7.0.4.2, "What to Do When  Requirements Change." The changes to Cooking will first appear in a revised merit badge pamphlet, and the new requirements will then become effective the following Jan. 1, with the release of Boy Scout Requirements. For example, if the revised pamphlet is released during 2013, the new requirements will become effective on Jan. 1, 2014. The 2013 edition of the
Guide to Advancement describes the following options for the Scout. 

If changes to merit badge requirements are introduced in a revised merit badge pamphlet after the January release of the Boy Scout Requirements book, then the Scout has until the following January 1 to decide what to do. He may continue—or begin work—using the old merit badge requirements and the old pamphlet; or he may switch to—or begin work—using the new requirements and the new pamphlet. Unless it is otherwise stated in the merit badge pamphlet, Boy Scout Requirements, or official communications from the National Council, if a Scout chooses to use the old merit badge requirements and pamphlet, he may continue using them until he has completed the badge.

The Guide to Advancement, under the same topic, goes on to say, "There is no time limit between starting and completing a badge, although a counselor may determine so much time has passed since any effort took place that the new requirements must be used."  This will apply to Cooking as well.

Regardless of the Requirements Used, Cooking Will Count 
  Scouts completing the requirements for the Eagle Scout rank after Jan. 1, 2014, must earn the Cooking merit badge under either the existing requirements or under the new requirements as revised. Scouts are not required to earn the badge under the new requirements in order to qualify for Eagle. 
 
Green Vs. Silver Border 
Once the Supply Group has released a new Cooking merit badge patch with a silver border, which signifies it is Eagle-required, then any Scout who earned and received a green-bordered Cooking patch (regardless which requirements were involved) may purchase or be presented with one that has a silver border. A Cooking merit badge certificate or fully signed blue card must be presented to obtain the new patch. The green-bordered patch may then be retained as a keepsake. Scouts are not permitted to wear both merit badge patches at the same time and there will not be a "trade in" program for exchanging one for the other.

The last time the Cooking merit badge was required for the rank of Eagle Scout was 1972.