“The Scouter” – Simon Kenton Council Sept. 2004

Licking District Trailmarkers

From the last reports on School Night Round-Ups to the Fall Camporee/Apple Butter Days at Camp Falling Rock, there’s quite a bit to keep up with, so without any editorial blather, let’s start with:

Popcorn is Poppin’ Out All Over!

Oct. 1 to 28 is the Popcorn Sale window, but first are “Show & Deliver” sales from Sept. 20. If your unit didn’t get popcorn info at the Fall Program kickoff or Roundtable (first Tuesdays, 7:15 pm, Central Christian on Mt. Vernon Rd. in Newark!), call Mary Rose Lewis, our newest Popcorn Kernel with Tressa Kroll on the Popcorn Corps. Mary Rose can be reached at 345-1306 (home) or 345-4336 (work).

Pick-up for the “early” Show & Deliver sales is at the Alltel Building on Hopewell Drive (across from Park Lanes in Heath) Oct. 2 from 8 am to Noon. Unsold material – including broken cases this year! – can be returned Oct. 30 at Alltel from 9 to 11 am.

Orders for the Popcorn Sale in general need to be in by Oct. 28 (mark that date, Oct. 28!!), with pick-up Nov. 20 from 8 to Noon at – you guessed it! – Alltel, our good corporate partner. Bring checks to that location, dated to Dec. 6, to receive your unit’s order.

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Fall Round-Ups and School Nights

Most of you will see this after the bulk of Cub Scout registrations for the new program year are turned in; Sept. 20 is the date Bill Acklin, our Membership Chairman, and Tim Bubb, School Night Chairman, would like to have all results for units, especially Cub Packs.

Many Boy Scout units have an open house early in the school year, along with Venture Crews (Randy Crothers will be working with those 14 to 21 year old young men and women this year as they continue to grow across Licking County). Whatever your branch of Scouting, if you have new Fall registrations, we need to get them on Scouting rolls, with insurance, and receiving great membership bonuses like . . . this newspaper!

Call Bill at 344-1502 if you have results yet to report on getting “The Scouter.”

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From the Commish:

October 5 Roundtable will be devoted to Charter Renewal Training. Hopefully we’ll have all the information about the “new” on-line recharter process. I and my commissioners will be there “in force” to answer your questions. See you there.

Yours In Scouting, Mike Deeslie

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Boy Scout Leader Basic Training

If you have Boy Scout new leaders, or leaders needing training, contact Mike as noted above, or Jim Francis at 366-7677 about “BSLBT” (however you pronounce it).

Dates are held on Sept. 11 & 12, and the full weekend with outdoor experience Oct. 8, 9, & 10.

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Fall Camporee – Apple Butter Days

Nov. 5-7 is our Fall Camporee weekend, where with your registrations turned in, your popcorn sold, and your leaders trained, you and your Scouts can come and enjoy the real heart of Scouting, which is “Outing” out at Camp Falling Rock.

Saturday, Nov. 6 will offer a number of special Cub activities, and Friday through Sunday is open to Scouts and Venturers. Mike Dalton will be in touch as the District Activities Committee continues to offer great experiences for your unit program.

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Down the Trail -- A Closing Word

Some recent publications I had threatened to discuss in this space two months ago (July/August) will wait, as we have so much of immediate interest to share. But a note from the Round-Up Training: Bill Acklin and Trevor Gamble, our District Chairman, reminded all of us that, of youth eligible in Licking County for Cub Scouting, 1 in 5 or 20% are registered. Their goal this year is to get our “density” figure up to 1 in 4, or 25%.

Right along with that, may I offer that to reach that goal, we need to get as close as we can to 100% of eligible youth getting an invitation to a Scouting unit. We’ll never see anything close to 100% density, but each young person in Licking County deserves to hear about the opportunity to learn and grow through outdoor education, leadership development, and values training in the Scouting program.

Ask your local fast food joint to put on their sign for a week the date of your local “Round-Up,” send your info to your local correspondent in those free weeklies around the county, put up a sign in your place of worship or service group’s hall, and make sure to invite a child on your street and their parents to try out Scouting for themselves.

The personal invitation, in the end, is the one that matters the most.

And I invite you to share your Scouting news with me at disciple@voyager.net, or call 928-4066 and leave your info or call back contact numbers.

Jeff Gill, District PR guy and Chaplain