Camping & Outdoor Programming
Summer Camp Promotion Season
We are entering summer camp promotion season. If your pack or troop is looking for creative ways to drum up excitement, please let District Commissioner Jeff Heck or District Executive Con Sullivan know.
District’s Order of the Arrow Chapter and Firecrafter Ember have scouts who can visit your scouting unit to help tell the story.
District wants to work with your unit to have your unit’s participation be as high as possible.
Winter Camporee: 16 Days and Counting to Ice Island
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From Winter Camporee Chair Curtis Shrote (Chair, Troop 804):
The last camporee meeting will be this coming Sunday, January 8, 2017 at 6:00 pm in St Lukes UMC’s Luke’s Lodge Lounge (Fireplace Room).Prior to Christmas, I visited Camp Redwing to review with the ranger what he needed us to be aware. We will be covering those concerns and other final items. I will be sending preliminary handouts Friday night or early Saturday morning that I would like the committee to review. Please come prepared with your copies and notes.Also, in order to ensure that the cooking team has adequate and fair warning of attendance counts, I am asking all troops to have final registrations in via the link by Close of Business (5PM) Friday, January 13, 2017, so that we can relay that information.Registration Link: https://scoutingevent.com/160-NSWC17
This information plus additional information will be sent later in the week.
Interest in Boy Scout Assistance in Webelos to Scout Cross Over Ceremonies?
In the BSA, there is a long tradition of members of the BSA’s national scouting honor 
society, the Order of the Arrow, sending ceremony teams to pack’s Blue and Gold Banquets. These ceremonies are run by teenagers to symbolize the movement of the Webelos from an adult-led program in Cub Scouts to a youth-led program in Boy Scouts.
For an example of these ceremonies can look, see some of these YouTube videos from around the country.
Packs are strongly encouraged to use the Order of the Arrow teams. OA teams’ involvement build excitement for adventures to come for all Cub Scouts, not just those Webelos crossing over. To that end, here is a communication from the incoming OA Chapter Advisor Mark Pishon to all Packs.
Dear Pack Leadership:
My name is Mark Pishon. I’m the new Order of the Arrow Lowaneu Allanque Chapter Adviser (LOA).
I’m reaching out to you to schedule a ceremonies team for each Pack’s Crossover event..
Please reply back the following or let me know you are working on it:
- Do you need a OA Ceremony Team this year? Y N
- The number of boys transitioning:
- Date of Crossover?
- Time of Event:
- Time of ceremony:
- Location of the Crossover event:
- Point of contact name, email, and telephone #:
- Yours in Brotherhood,
Mark Pishon
LOA Chapter Adviser
317.374.2262
For more information about Order of the Arrow, the Jaccos Towne Lodge in Crossroads of America Council and the Lowaneu Allanque Chapter in North Star District, click on each link.
Publicity Material for Winter Camporee 2017
Here are the materials to use for publicizing the Winter Camporee beginning Friday, January 20, 2017 at 6:00 pm. (Inauguration Day. Let the arguments begin!)
2017-wintercamporee flyer as PDF.
flyer in MS Word Format.
Camporee Committee Updates
From 2017 Winter Camporee Chair Curtis Shrote:
Please include the following topics in your preparation for this meeting:1) Patrol competition idea from your troop pertaining to the Shackleton based “Escape from Ice Island” theme.2) an indication concerning Fall Camporee date preference. Note Sept 22-24th conflicts with Firecrafter Frenzy so that weekend is not recommended.
3) Ideas for scoutmaster cookoff (theme based)4) Redwing logistics concerns that we can address early – I will be making a trip up to visit in early December.5) Signup for camp sites will be available starting at the meeting so please send your representative(s). For your consideration and planning, the following campsites are reserved for North Star Districta) Bears Denb) Butternut Hillc) Cricket Hollowd) Indian Jime) Lone Cherryf) Pheasant Nestg) Pinesh) Rabbit Runi) Riverviewj) Tepee RidgeWe also have reserved the following additional resources:Shelters –
a) Beverly Terhune
b) Cubc) Galliher FamilyMisc –a) Recreation Fieldb) Campfire Circlec) Chapeld) Eliades Shower housee) Kiwanis Dining, Kitchen, and 1st aid roomf) Kovel cabin and RIchard Burlison Bunkhouse (camporee & cook staff)
Regards/YIS,Curtis
Fall camporee review:
– thank you Brian!– general consensus was to remain at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired for 2017 assuming the school will continue with their support– feedback to consider waving the $5 fee for patches for webelos that attend– feedback that District should support one event that webelos could participate– very happy with outside district judges for Willy award – way to go Con!! We want to do it again this winter. Comments from committee that they would support other districts should they need judges
– 200 patches would be enough– feedback that awards of special rounders for patrols were well received– camporee committee chair is needed. Troops – please nominate– also suggested that camporee committee chair be backed by 3 others to specialize in Fall, Winter, and Spring – need a nomination for Fall 2017
Need feedback from all troops on the preferred date for Fall Camporee 2017. Please rank your top 3 and label 1 to 3
- Sept 22-24
- Sept 29th-Oct 1
- Oct 6-8
- Oct 13-15
Please send feedback by Nov 20th.Winter camporee:
Theme “Escape from Ice Island”Evening movie: True story A&E movie/mini series “Shackleton” (Edited starting from when Shackleton and crew leave Buenos Aires for Antarctica – 2 hour run time) – Witness Sir Ernest Shackleton and crew aboard the ship Endurance travel to Antarctica, overwinter with the intent of crossing the Antarctic continent by land only to be ship wrecked in the spring. Will they get off the ice alive?We will continue with the rounders for troop awards 1st-5th placeNext meeting:
Will confirm meeting time and location for Sunday November 20th (yes this is the alternate date – sorry – other date was scrubbed due to family obligation)Objectives:
1) scoutmaster cookoff (need ideas – survival foods? shipboard food?) – Sorry seal and penguin meat are not allowed.2) camp ground assignments @ Camp Redwing – stake your claim on an iceberg …3) each troop’s activity – themed appropriatelyReminders:
April 21-23 Spring Camporee @ Ransburg – The Honorable Mark Pishon, presiding
Camporee Planning Meeting 11/20
The Camporee planning meeting is Sunday, November 20, 2016 at 6:00 pm. It is scheduled for St Luke’s United Methodist Church again. Room is to be announced. (Trying for Luke’s Lodge.)
Winter camporee 2017 planning will be first topic.
Outline of spring camporee 2017 will be second topic.
Selecting dates and location for Fall Camporee 2017.
All scoutmasters are asked to make sure that their troop is represented. SPLs or their representative are especially welcome.
Shooting Sports in Scouts
Since the Spring Camporee is tentatively scheduled to focus on rifle shooting and archery, we should probably start boning up on the rules of shooting sports in scouts.
First, some basic rules. Cubs can only do BB Guns and archery in very strictly controlled circumstances, such as a Council campsite. No rifles. Ever. Scouts can do much more, but must follow the scouting rules carefully.
So how do we know the scouting rules?
This is scouts. Of course there is a manual for that. You can download the whole thing from the BSA website along with many other new resources.
Second, why are we so picky about the rules? Remember strict adherence to the Guide for Safe Scouting in shooting sports is the only way to guarantee that the BSA insurance will cover you as a unit leader and your chartered organization when you do shooting sports. This is extremely important, especially adhering to the stricter rules for Cub Scouts.
Our first duty is to protect the boys. Our next duty is safety for other participants. Our final duty is to keep the chartered organizations happy and continuing to support scouting.
If you have questions, contact the District Commissioner or the District Executive.
Upcoming events
Commissioners’ meeting: Thursday, October 6, 2016 at 6:00 pm at Second Presbyterian
District Committee: Also Thursday at 7:00 pm, same location
Wood Badge Association dinner: tonight at Belzer
District Camporee: this weekend at the Blind School. Webelos encouraged to visit and see most of our troops in one location.
- Youth Protection Training live: Friday at 8:30 pm at Camporee.
- Introduction to Outdoor Leadership Skills (for Scoutmasters and Asst Scoutmasters and all other volunteers who camp) and Outdoor Webelos Leaders’ Skills (for Cubmasters and Webelos Den Leaders): opening remarks Friday at 9:30 pm and training 8:30 am to 8:00 pm. Attendance at Saturday campfire required.
Roundtable: Thursday, October 13, 2016 at 6:30 pm at Luke’s Lodge at St Luke’s UMC.
Camporee Planning
As we all know the Fall Camporee is fast approaching Friday, October 7, 2016 to Sunday, October 9, 2016.
We will have a planning meeting this Sunday, September 18, 2016 at 6:00 pm at St Luke’s United Methodist Church, 100 West 86th, Room N103-104, Indianapolis, IN 46260. Enter by Entry #7, turn left down the first hallway, third door on left. (If Entry #7 is locked, go to Entry #6, and turn left in corridor, then right down last hallway).
This will be our final planning meeting for the Camporee. All units should send a representative and have their event planned with rules and scoring. Remember ideas should have already been submitted to Fall Camporee Chair Brian Crow via email. Priority will go to units having the earliest date stamp, for any duplicated ideas.
Our Winter Camporee is scheduled for January 20-22, 2017. (We will have a new president at noon that Friday. I will let you determine whether that is good or bad.)
Our Spring Camporee is scheduled for April 21-23, 2017 at Ransburg Scout Reservation. There will be a strong emphasis on shooting sports. We will have NRA Instructors onsite to manage rifles and pistol shooting. We will plan on offering archery. Our goal is to have more opportunities to aim at targets that scouts get at summer camp.
These upcoming camporees may be discussed at the Camporee Planning Meeting, but the emphasis will be on the Fall Camporee.
CAC North Star Unofficial Website 
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