Camping & Outdoor Programming
New Award at Camporee
Traditionally, the major competition at camporees has been the coveted Willy Award. This award focuses on the best troop campsite. We will continue this beloved tradition.
In addition, this camporee, the North Star District Commissioner Service will be sponsoring a new series of awards. The purpose of this series of awards is to focus our troops’ efforts at Camporee on the patrol method both in the particular camporee at hand and to encourage participation in successive camporees.
For more information, see the flyer.
Roundtable Plans Fall Camporee
Stu Bowes, Camporee Chair and Assistant District Commissioner, led a conversation at the September Roundtable to plan the Fall Camporee. He reports that the Fall Camporee will take place Friday, October 9, 2015 through Sunday morning, September 11, 2015 at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired at 7725 N. College Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46240.
The theme will be “Zombie Apocalypse.” The topic will be Emergency Preparedness. This will give us a wonderful chance to be able to mix the Halloween season’s goofiness with serious skills training and practice.
The cost will be $5 per person.
Security gates will be open most of the weekend. Using the 75th Street entrance is usually the easiest and least confusing approach.
Camp sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Needs
After the Roundtable meeting the following items still need to be completed. Troops are asked to contribute information about the following items to Stu:
- competition station plans (please ask your PLC to contribute ideas; senior scouts running stations is a wonderful way to intrigue senior scouts about camporees);
- Number of scouts and adults attending;
- Every troop to plan a campfire skit;
- You will be required to use a fire pan because only above-ground fires are allowed.
We also need volunteers to do the following:
- Troops or honorary society (i.e., Firecrafter Ember or OA Chapter) for flag raising and lowering;
- Troop or honorary society to lead campfire;
- Troop or honorary society to lead “Scouts Own”;
- Troop to perform bathroom cleanup on Sunday.
Also needed police officer or fireman with vehicle for Zombie Apocalypse skit at flag raising ceremony. Please contact Stu Bowes if you can help. Some of our IMPD officer-scouters will be otherwise occupied with professional or troop duties.
National Parks have free admission opportunities
Two major programs are starting to encourage more youth visits to National Parks. First is the Open Outdoors for Youth.
The National Park Foundation’s Open Outdoors for Kids Initiative introduces and exposes kids — all kids — to experiential, outdoor experiences that promote physical and emotional health, civic engagement and long-term appreciation for nature. Using the spectacular and unparalleled resources of our nation’s more than 400 national parks, the program’s goal is to connect more children to their culture and heritage, enhance hands-on learning opportunities and deepen connections to the natural world.
Through focused programming in and out of parks, Open Outdoors for Kids addresses:
- ACCESS: Providing transportation, programming and free entry to the parks for children and teachers to experience hands-on, immersive learning.
- RELEVANCY: Connecting kids and families to the parks through programs that make people’s lives better. We establish emotional relevancy of the parks through cultural programs and encourage active, healthy lifestyles through recreational and restoration activities.
- EDUCATION: Establish “in-park” opportunities for children to learn in our national parks, the world’s largest outdoor classrooms. Unmatched as learning environments and living laboratories, national parks offer children, families and teachers a unique gateway to experience nature, history and culture, to learn about biodiversity and the environment, and to engage with each other in the great outdoors.
Looking for Position of Responsibility? How about OA Rep?
One of the most common concerns that I hear is that a troop needs more positions of responsibility. What do those include?
The Boy Scout Eagle Requirements state,
4. While a Life Scout, serve actively in your unit for a period of six months in one or more of the following positions of responsibility. List only those positions served after your Life board of review date.
Boy Scout troop. Patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, senior patrol leader, Venture patrol leader, troop guide, Order of the Arrow troop representative, den chief, scribe, librarian, historian, quartermaster, junior assistant Scoutmaster, chaplain aide, instructor, webmaster, or Leave No Trace trainer.
Varsity Scout team. Captain, cocaptain, program manager, squad leader, team secretary, Order of the Arrow team representative, librarian, historian, quartermaster, chaplain aide, instructor, den chief, webmaster, or Leave No Trace trainer.
Venturing crew/ship. President, vice president, secretary, treasurer, quartermaster, historian, den chief, guide, boatswain, boatswain’s mate, yeoman, purser, storekeeper, webmaster, or Leave No Trace trainer.
Lone Scout. Leadership responsibility in his school, religious organization, club, or elsewhere in his community.
(Underlining added for emphasis.) So it would be reasonable to expect that each troop in North Star District should have an OA Representative attend our Chapter meetings on the first Sunday of each month. (See the District website for upcoming meeting times and locations.)
Sox Report: Final for 2015
Sox reported on the Firecrafter Facebook page that 195 Firecrafter candidates were eligible for ritual. Congratulations to the new candidates.
Grand Ritual is coming up Friday, August 14, 2015.
Back to School: 19 Days and Counting
Part of this year’s Back to School recruitment campaign is to have activities for the Cub Packs to participate in during the first 60 days of the school year. Essentially, these are “just add water” activities.
Pack Overnight Campout
One of these activities is the Fall Pack Overnight. Council has preplanned three different Pack Overnight weekends. All your Pack needs to do is sign up according to the information in the Council’s flyer then show up.
North Star District is encouraging all of its Packs to participate in the Pack Overnight at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from Friday, October 17, 2015 at 6 p.m. to Saturday, October 18, 2015 at 4:00 p.m.
There are many exciting activities already planned.
If your school, athletic team, or Pack has a conflicting event, there are alternative dates and locations.
While participation in these Pack Overnights, Cubs who camp out on a regular basis are more likely to remain active in scouting. This is what they think scouting is all about. (And they are not far off the mark.)
Sad News about “Uncle Mikey” Stalcup
Update 8/11/2015: a few pictures from yesterday’s funeral for !ike Stalcup.
Update 8/6/2015, 11:00 am: Mike’s funeral visitation is confirmed for Monday, August 10th from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Flanner & Buchanan Broad Ripple, 1305 Broad Ripple Avenue, Indianapolis 46220. Services at the same location at 3 p.m. A celebration of life at Camp Belzer at 4 p.m. (Indy Star obituary scheduled for Sunday.)
Scouts and Scouters attending should consider wearing Class “A” uniforms. Members of camp staff may choose to wear their camp uniforms.
To understand the magnitude of the loss to North Star District and the Crossroads of America Council, just review Uncle Mikey’s own autobiographical scouting resume. Just a few highlights, among many:
- Eagle Scout with Bronze Palms, Eagle Board of Review October 23, 1954 with Troop 82 in Indianapolis according to the National Eagle Scout Association database.
- Assistant Scoutmaster beginning in 1961 with Troop 82 of North Star District and many other adult leadership positions through 1978
- Silver Beaver Award (highest award for service to Council)
- Continuous tenure as member at large of the Crossroads of America Council since 1982 until his death
- Western Section of National Council Training staff for 32 courses
- Firecrafter Minisino and member of the Order of High Bark
- Order of the Arrow Brotherhood member
- Doctor of Scouting Science
- Master of Commissioner Science
- Wood Badge Staff
- Unofficial Council Historian since 2000
- North Star District Commissioner or Staff for 18 years
- North Star District Committee for approximately 25 years
Update 8/3/2015, 11:00 am: Mike Stalcup passed away Monday night at 8 p.m. May he rest in peace.
4:14 pm: Sandi Hobbs at Council office has spoken to Nancy Stalcup. Plans are not finalized yet, but Nancy hopes visitation and viewing will be Monday, August 10, 2015 at 1 pm at Flanner & Buchanan Broad Ripple with the service immediately thereafter. The wake will be at Camp Belzer.
Original post: Mike Stalcup, known to many of us as “Uncle Mikey”, blacked out and fell on Saturday, August 1st. He is in a coma at St. Vincent’s Hospital 86th Street. An aneurism is suspected. The family has been called to the hospital.
Mike, most recently of Troop 56 and Pack 830, has been a long time volunteer for North Star District and Crossroads of America Council volunteer.
CAC North Star Unofficial Website 
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