Troop 4 - Grapevine, Texas

WELCOME NEW SCOUTS -- Welcome the following new scouts and their parents to Troop 4:
Jacob B., parents Johnny and Marceile.
Gregory G., parents Shiryl and Gill.
Jason H.parents Joanne and Paul.
Abishek (Abi) K., parents Alok and Ashima.
Ryan B., parents Lynn and Brent.
Christopher H., parents Robert and Leonora.
T.J. N., parents Terry and Fran.
Michael P., parents Don and Shirley.
Cameron T., parents Rob and Karen.
Eric H., parents Pat and Jim.

Other new scouts include Ryan M. and Morgan S. who joined in March and February.

NEW TROOP 4 EAGLE SCOUTS -- Daniel B.'s Eagle Scout Court of Honor will be at 7 p.m. April 19 in the Colleyville Christian Fellowship sanctuary. He passed his Eagle Scout Board of Review on Feb. 26. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE INVITATION TO HIS COURT OF HONOR. Eagle Scout-elect Drew S. passed his Eagle board of review March 25. Life Scout Michael L. is expected to have his Eagle Scout board of review in May.

ADVANCEMENTS -- Michael B., life scout and family life MB; Nathan S. first class; Joseph S., second and first class, and Robert L., second class; Michael C., personal fitness and communications MB; Timmy G., dog care and personal management merit badges.

DISTRICT CAMPOREE -- Will be April 16-18 at SR2 west of Bridgeport. The troop will leave CCF at 6 p.m. Friday and return about 1 p.m. Sunday. CLICK HERE FOR MAP.

SUMMER CAMP -- There will be an April 26 meeting of all scouts and parents attending summer camp June 6 -12 at Camp Tahuaya near Belton TX. A final parents meeting on summer camp will be May 24th. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

PHILMONT UPDATE -- Troop 4's two week Philmont high adventure trek will be a 64 miler, rated "strenuous" by veteran hikers, according to word from Philmont recently. The Troop 4 crew has been joined by a scout from Troop 905. Troop 4 adults going are Chris Badger, Dan Berry, Rick Bell, and John Flynn. The troop will depart July 6. In addition, Michael L. has been nominated for a "St. George's Trek" at Philmont this summer through the Fort Worth Diocese of the Catholic Church. Contact John Flynn at (817) 481-7908 or Ken Schiller at (817) 545-7828 for additional information. Additional Philmont Information from Dr. Joe Kilianski: I have an adult leader in Dallas county whose troop has slots for 5 boys and 2 adults to Philmont. They have three patrols going with the openings broken down as follows: 2 boys/1adult; 2boys/1adult; 1boy. Let me know if anyone is interested or they can E-mail him at rogerknapp.com.Thanks! Joe Kilianski joekil@comcast.net

TROOP 4 VICKSBURG MS CAMPOUT by Tim G. --The Vicksburg trip was a great experience for all of those who went, okay, well I can't speak for them, but I sure had a good time. Well, with the exception of some minor difficulties. For one, waking up in the middle of a newly formed "Troop 4 lake" after our second night of camping. Yes sir, on the second night of our campout, it rained non-stop. My tent just happened to be pitched in the lowest part of the campsite, so all of the water gathered under us. The other scouts had to perform a rescue attempt in order to get us, and our stuff, out of the tent, while keeping it as dry as possible. So that was fun. Of course, I had to hang my sleeping bag to dry, IN THE BATHROOM. Well now, I know what you are thinking, but they were very good facilities. Any who, after this incident, we were back on our feet. Okay, now we've got a nice, new, and above all, dry campsite. And so, it was on with the festivities. Much of our time was spent hiking/driving around the National Military Park, which was filled with monuments from several different states, honoring the service of their soldiers in the war. It also contained plaques along the way to show where important events took place, and where enemy lines were once drawn. On the second day, we moved on to a museum holding the actual ironclad Cairo that served as a gunship in the Civil War. This ship was rescued from the waters of the Mississippi River, and restored after 102 years of being sunk. It was a sight, with much of the original construction still intact. We then toured the museum, which contained many artifacts found in or around the ships remains. Finally, after a quick visit to the gift shop (quick being an hour), we were on our way to home sweet home, well, to the church, but close enough. And to Mr. Cureton, for arranging our visit, and planning the agenda, thanks. Those who attended the campout included: Adults going included Dick Cureton, Linda Mitchell, and Jeff Carter. Scouts were Ryan M., Michael C., Caleb B., Robert L., Morgan S., Joseph S., Michael L., and Tim G.

DATES TO REMEMBER -- April 29th, Eagle Boards of Review, Grapevine LDS Stake; April 30 -May 2 O.A. Ordeal; May 8th Philmont shakedown hike; May 6th Eagle BOR dcoument turn-in; May 27th Eagle Boards of Review, Grapevine LDS Stake, May 29th fishing campout.

O.A. UPDATE by Matthew F. --First off, I would like to thank all of our troop's O.A. members that came out to the April O.A. meeting. Our troop really stood out, having the most members from any one troop present. It went a bit long, but I guess the officers had lots of information to get out since 2 of the biggest events are right around the corner. The first event is the Spring Camporee where the candidate tapout will occur. The Comanche chapter would appreciate all the help/time our members can provide. There is a bunch of stuff to do and they will mainly need help during the afternoon hours. There will be an important meeting for all members at 12:00 to discuss events coming up in the afternoon/evening. The second large (very large) event will be the O.A. Spring Ordeal on Friday, April 30 - Sunday, May 2. This is a great opportunity for the O.A. members from previous years to seal their membership by obtaining Brotherhood. It is not too hard to accomplish and if you have been an ordeal member for more than 10 months, you are eligible to go for Brotherhood. One great way to get the service requirement for brotherhood is to be an elangomat at the ordeal. There really isn't any better time to do it than at the spring ordeal. The tribe is offering a special deal for anyone volunteering to do elangomat service, essentially making the ordeal free to anyone who will help. Two crazy but true Elangomat formulas: Brotherhood + elangomat = total cost of $12 (the price of the sash). Just attending + elangomat = total cost of FREE! Even if you don't want to be an elangomat, you can still obtain brotherhood and/or have a good time with other O.A. members. For more information on brotherhood, please let me know at a meeting. Hope to see all you O.A. members at 1 or both of the upcoming events!