Banana Bunch 2010 Video

Check out our Banana Bunch 2010 Video...This is only the start of the Danger Zone with the Banana Bunch! We've had a great time and every Scout works hard each week to complete the requirements.

Thanks for helping your son make Scouting a priority in his life!

~The Banana Bunch

Frontage Road Service Project

This week, for the 11 Year Old Scout Troop - "The Banana Bunch", we worked on Second Class Requirement # 5 - Participate in an approved (1 hour minimum) service project. With all of the wind and storms this past Winter, there has been a lot of debris that has been scattered along the frontage road South of the subdivision. From about 250 West down to about where the Disc Golf Course is, it looks great! There were even a few cars that honked and cheered as they drove by to show their appreciation. Nice job Banana Bunch!

The Banana Bunch

Hello!

As you can see, it has been quite a while since we have posted anything on the troop blog. We would like to take this time to introduce to you the 11 Year Old Scout Troop, "The Banana Bunch!" We have an ever growing troop that is tons of fun to be a part of as we work toward three main goals in Scouting:

Tenderfoot
Second Class
First Class

Be sure to check back as our activities are documented as the year goes on.

Campout Sept 25-26

We will be going on an overnight campout on September 25-26, 2009. We will plan on meeting at Brother Whiteheads house at about 4:00 pm on Friday, September 25. Attached is the camping checklist. We're working on getting it in an updated format that is a little easier to read.

We are planning on going up to the Uinta's, and then will camp somewhere that is about 1/4 to 1/2 mile off of the road. Then, we'll get up early the next morning and go on a 10 MILE HIKE! This particular 10 mile hike isn't too bad. So, we'd love to have any Dads come along and enjoy spending some quality time with your boy and the rest of the troop.

To see all the fun we had on a similar campout that we went on last year at about this time, click here.

Please let Brother Whitehead or Brother Shakespear know of any questions you may have. Looking forward to an excellent campout!!!

Court of Honor August 5, 2009

We are having a Court of Honor tomorrow, August 5, 2009 at the Dry Creek Park pavilion. It starts at 7:00 pm. It is sure to be a great court of honor. We'll have rank advancements ranging from Tenderfoot all the way to Woodbadge Beads being awarded. See you there!

~ Scout Troop 1041 (A.K.A. The Pink Panthers!)

For the past month or so, we've also been learning learning the Auto Mechanics merit badge. As you can see, its been a lot of fun! Your boy is sure to lend a helping hand next time you need to have the oil changed or have a flat tire.

A reminder for parents so your boys don’t miss out!

A reminder for parents so your boys don’t miss out.

It’s been a good year so far for the Pink Panther Patrol. We have been hard at work trying to pass off Merit Badges. We started the year off working on the Wood Carving Merit Badge. If your boys have not received the badge yet, it is probably because they have not finished their projects. If you can please follow up with them on these two carving projects, that would be great. They need to carve a snowman and they need to do “relief” carving on another project. I have extra blocks of wood in my garage if any of your boys need a new piece for their projects. We’ve also started the Auto Mechanics merit badge and Environmental Science merit badge which we will be working on at scouts each week for the next few months. Please help your boys to attend scouts as much as possible so they don’t miss out on passing off some of the requirements.

We have 2 important activities coming up the next few Saturdays so we will not be having scouts on Wednesday the next 2 weeks. On the 18th from 11:00 to 2:00, we have the second session of the Lehi Merit Badge Pow-Wow. Please help your boys finish the homework for classes they are taking. The following Fri-Sat. 24th-25th we have a campout. We are planning on going up AF Canyon on Saturday doing a 10 Mile Hike (if the snow has melted enough off the trail). Any Dad who would like to attend is welcome.

Included in this blog entry is an updated calendar for you to look over and/or print. If you can't read them very well, please reply to the email reminder and we'll email you the actual document in Excel.

Thanks!

***Scout Camp - June 22-27, 2009***

Hello! This is just a heads up to everyone that scout camp this summer will be at Camp Maple Dell on June 22-27, 2009. To check out the camp and general information about Camp Maple Dell, click here. If at all possible, please see that your scout can attend by making some adjustments to summer activities now before schedules are set in stone. We hope that by attending scout camp your scout can have some great experiences that will be meaningful, teach life lessons, be tons of fun and last a life time!

As you may know, on March 21, the scouts are doing their annual fund raiser of Lawn Aeration. Last year this was a huge success, but was a TON of work! Please see that your scout can be available to help in earning money to assist in covering the costs associated with the wonderful activities that we have the opportunity to do throughout the year. Through the scouting fundraisers, much of the costs associated with scout camp will be covered, but we do ask that each boy cover a portion of the cost. There will be more to come on exactly how much each boy will be asked to pay for, but we wanted to at least give you all a heads up of the dates that we'll be at camp.

Thanks!

The Klondike was Freezing Awesome!!!

Freezing Greetings Everyone!

This past weekend we went to the Klondike Derby held at the Camp Maple Dell up Payson Canyon. Brother Jessop and Brother Whitehead were just a little late getting off of work on Friday, so the scouts had to hang out for a bit before we could go. We got all packed up and off we went. We were excited to feature our NEW Klondike Sled - "Alfonso" or, was it "Alfonsa" or, was it "LaFonda" or, was it.......? It had a number of new names, all similar though. We would like to thank Brother Christensen for his many hours and hard work in creating one of the most solid and best looking Klondike Sleds up at the Derby. Do you like it? We'd love to have some comments posted.



Once we got up there, it was starting to get dark. And just like it is every year, the scouts are so excited to put their packs on a sled and get up the mountain to our camp spot. That translates into only the scout leaders and maybe a boy or two left to push and pull the Klondike up the mountain alone when its loaded up with troop gear, fire wood and two or three other scouts packs and stuff on it. Needless to say that it made it about 100 yards up the mountain and there it sat until we were able to meet up with the rest of the troop at our camp spot- Camp HOPI. Talk about your fix-r-upper! I think the sign needs a little adjusting.

Some of us stayed back to set up camp while the others marched back down the mountain to get "Alfonso". If you ever are looking for a good workout, just push and pull a Klondike Sled about a half mile up a mountain up hill in the snow (both ways) while your scouts run with the lead rope like sled dogs. They did a great job. That worked up a solid appetite for the nights main course - Brats cooked on a skillet. That was followed up by regular old hot dogs with Nacho Cheese Doritos , always a tasty dinner. That was nice to eat, but a little tricky- if you took off your snow gloves, your fingers almost froze off!

Then, we had a nice little camp fire program with one of the other wards in the stake. Their leaders were the ones that Brother Jessop met at Woodbadge last summer. Is there a "Bobwhite" in the house? Good times! Brother Jessop told of the story about the Purple Gorilla! Watch out, or you might be it! We polished off the night by sipping down some hot Stevens Gourmet Cocoa.

The next morning, after one of THE best nights of sleep ever (NOT), we eventually got rolling and had some tasty breakfast. Instant oatmeal with powder sugar donuts and probably something else, but I can't seem to remember right now. Just ask your scout, I'm sure he could fill you in. We took down camp, had a couple minutes to get ready for the Klondike Derby, so we practiced some knot tying. You should quiz your scout, they've all done a great job of learning and passing off their knots for some of their requirements.

We met down at the field of white snow. Those are the action shots that you see. The race this year was to run up with your Klondike, tie a bandage on an "injured person", put him in the Klondike, run to the next station, tie 6 or 7 unique knots, and then to the next station. You had to fold a flag "Military Style" which is basically folding it like a blanket. Then run back to the start. We're sorry to report that we did not have the fastest time. HOWEVER, we are glad to report that the troop that we shared our camp fire program with were from the Lehi East Stake, so we took a little pride in that.

That was pretty much it. I think its safe to say that each scout had a freezing good time! Until next year..."LaFonda" we'll see you then! For any of our troop that was unable to make it, we hope to see YOU on the next camp out.

Troop 1041

Klondike Camp out this Friday - Saturday Feb 20-21

Hello! This Friday is out annual Klondike Derby Camp out at Camp Maple Dell up Payson Canyon. It is sure to be a good cold time at night, but nice during the day. We will be meeting at Brother Whiteheads house at 4:00 pm on Friday to pack up and roll out.

For tips on staying WARM on a winter camp out, click here.

This isn't a complete list by any means, but please be sure your scout at least has:

WARM Sleeping Bag (and possibly a blanket inside for extra warmth)
Sleeping Pad (the snow can get pretty cold when you sleep on it)
Change of Socks
Snow Boots & Outside Winter Gear - gloves, hat, thermals or snow pants, etc.

For the weather forecast at Maple Dell, click here.

We'll try to keep the blog here updated as much as possible so that the parents of each scout can be kept in the loop about what our upcoming activities and plans are, and for you to see what a great time your boys are having at scouts. If you ever have any questions, please let us know. Our phone numbers are listed on the calendar in the post below.

We enjoy every boy that comes to scouts! Your efforts in getting them to scouts each week is always appreciated because they are truly missed when they are not in attendance. Thanks for allowing Brother Whitehead and Brother Jessop the opportunity to spend time with your scout and help him grow and progress through scouting. Its a lot of fun.

See you on Friday!

Brother Whitehead & Brother Jessop

2009 Troop Calendar...Updated

As we mentioned in our last posting, plans can change. That being said, it only took for a couple of meetings and now the calendar has to be updated. So, the calendar that is attached to this posting is the most recent, although it is still subject to change. If you have any questions at all, just let Brother Whitehead or Brother Jessop know. Thanks!

2009 Troop Calendar

Greetings blog visitors!

Here is our 2009 scout troop calendar. This is a "tentative" calendar, in that activities and dates are subject to change. But this is a pretty close guesstimate of how our year should roll out. As you can see, we've got a LOT of fun to be had this year. The next up and coming event is our annual Klondike Derby, winter campout. Last year it was nice because the next morning of our campout, we were all running around in short sleeve shirts because it was so warm at Camp Maple Dell. It was a little wet and muddy, but we all had a great time!

That's the latest at the moment. Oh, and don't forget, sponsored food drive for Saturday February 14, 2009. From the Utah Food Bank's website, they posted this:

Help Your Neighbor Day - February 14
Help Your Neighbor Day food drive is February 14, 2009. This one-day food is drive hosted by Alliance for Unity who encourages all Utahns to donate food/money to support Utah Food Bank Services which serves pantries and agencies statewide.

Look for the paper bag in your newspaper on Thursday 2/12/09. Drop-off your food donations at any Smith's Food & Drug location statewide, Utah Food Bank Services, or your local food pantry. Cash donations can be made online at www.utahfoodbank.org. Thanks for your support!

The scouts will be coming and picking up food donations at 9:00 am that morning. So please be sure to have your non-perishable donations ready and out on your front door steps before that time. Thank you!

Marko!

For our combined activity with the Young Women this month, we went to the Utah Food Bank again. Its always fun because it seems like we do something different each time we go. Plus, we come up with a new word that everyone shouts the entire time. The special word for this activity was "Marko!" As you can see from the pics, we had to sort out thousands of canned goods. Overall, in our short time there, we sorted over 2,000 pounds of food.

As we sorted, each item had to be put in to a special box. Once that type of food filled the box, we then had to weigh it, and write on the side how much it weighed. With all of the youth that attended this activity, boxes were being filled and weighed left and right. Once a box was filled, or weighed, a black magic marker was required. So, needless to say that the markers were being passed all over the place. Each time a marker was needed, we would shout out "Marko!" and then the marker was passed to you. Again, this was a lot of fun- helping out such a great organization and everyone there had a great time doing so.

Tapage!!! - Utah Food Bank

For our Citizenship in the Community Merit Badge we had to perform 6 hours of community service. What better place to complete those hours than the Utah Food Bank. Back in November, we helped fulfill this task. When we arrived, they had us watch a video presentation about the Food Bank and what needs in the community it serves. They said that while the donations for the year are up, over 10%, the need for food assistance within the state of Utah has increased over 25%!

It was a lot of fun helping out. We worked out of a back room where we sorted pallet after pallet of food that was donated by the big grocery stores. Whenever we came across a box that was torn or open (but the contents were still sealed), we had to tape it up. Hence the title "Tapage!!!" Whenever a box was discovered that needed to be taped, everyone would shout "Tapage!" We also had to count how many boxes we used to pack the food in. Each box weighed about 2 pounds, so it was important we subtracted the weight from a completed pallet so that they could make sure the proper amounts would go to where they were needed. It was really a lot of fun! Tapage!!!!!!!

2008 Activity Calendar

Here is our troop calendar of the activities that we've had over the past number of weeks. We'll be planning out our 2009 and will be sure to post them to make sure everyone is informed of all the fun we'll be having.

Annual Little Sahara Sand Dunes Campout

Oh boy, when you are a scout, where does the time go??? Last weekend we went on our annual scout campout in the sand dunes of Little Sahara. This has been a tradition of the Lehi 29th ward scouts since most of us have even been in the ward. It is always a great time. We met as a scout troop the week before and planned our menu. After much discussion (sometimes heated), the troop finally settled on hamburgers, little tiny hot dogs (I can't seem to think of what they are really called right now) marinated in Famous Daves BBQ sauce. Topped off by chips, grapes, lemonade and Stephens Hot Cocoa. For breakfast we had delicious instant pancakes, bacon and good'ol scout camping greace eggs. How can you go wrong with that?

A couple of the leaders slept in a really nice camp trailer. Rather than fellowship them as Pink Panther patrol leaders, they were called the "Pink Pansies!" The rest of us toughed it out by sleeping in tents. We all stayed up pretty late wondering around in the dunes until we found just the right spot to play midnight football on our hands and knees. You'd be amazed at how fast these boys can go on all fours! Despite the interruptions of other scout troops trying to distract us by spotlighting us, giving away where the ball was (the game is supposed to be played in the dark), we all had a great time. We spotlighted the interuptees back with our ten-million candle power rechargeable spotlight that we brought. We polished off the night by jumping off the steepest parts of dunes that we could find to see who could go the farthest. This was all done in pretty much the dark.

In the morning, we all had a good time cleaning up camp and jumping around in the sand. We also learned a new game called "1-2-3 Old Sal". You have one person in the middle of a circle with a walking stick. Then, you have 5 or 6 other people forming a circle, each with their own little hole about 6 inches around by about 3 or 4 inches deep. The person in the middle tries to get a smashed soda pop can (like a hockey puck) into the hole of one of the people making the circle. They also have walking sticks. The people in the circle can try to hit the can away, but they gotta be quick because the person in the middle can steal their hole if they get their stick back in before the other person. Then that person is in the middle. The person with the can goes around and if he can get the can into a hole and hold it there long enough to say "1-2-3 Old Sal" without it being hit away, then they get that spot. Make sense? If not, just ask anyone in the patrol, it was a ton of fun!

Other then that, we made a scenic loop to see Sand Mountain, and then we also stopped and take a pic of the sign that everyone looks for when they get to the sand dunes, just past the ranger fee station. We'll ad a pic of it here, hopefully before the end of the year. It states how many days it has been since the last serious accident! Fortunately, it said 5 when we left. Last year, we got there, and I think the sign said 5 or 6 when we got there, and when we left the next morning, it said 0. Good thing the scout troop doesn't have any atv's or dune buggies!

We all had a wonderful time.

Trial Lake Campout Pics from September

Sorry this is so late. The pics that were given to put on the blog were misplaced, and recently recovered. Here are the pics of the great time that we had while on our campout at Trial Lake at the first of September. As you can see, good times were had by all!