News
2019 Klondike Derby Results
All of the Scouts and patrol leaders should be proud of their showing in the 2019 Klondike Derby held at Watchung Reservation Sat., Jan. 26. The Patrol Leaders and Assistant Patrol Leaders did a great job showing that teamwork can help overcome obstacles, and a good leadership always shines.
The Senior Sled – The Golden Goose Patrol – had a total of 715 points, placing second and just one point behind the first-place sled. They worked hard, had fun and showed great scout spirit and had a great race.
Scout Division
Whippoorwill – Final score was 498 points. They came in 7th out of 12.
Lightning – Final score was 449 points. They came in 9th out of 12.
Thank you to the adults who made the day possible, especially: Michael Cummings and Todd Sheppard who hauled the sleds; and Bob and Annie Fromtling and Tim Avis, who corralled (and fed) all of the adults at Circle City.
‘Plainfield’s Forgotten History’ exhibit curated by Life Scout Justin Almendral
The Historical Society of Plainfield held an opening reception for two new exhibits at the Drake House Museum on Saturday, Feb. 2. in the second floor ballroom. One of the two was curated by Troop 73 Life Scout, Justin Almendral, as part of his Eagle project. Plainfield’s Forgotten History is an exhibit of fifteen photographs from the Historical Society of Plainfield’s archives collection.
Almendral is a life Scout of Troop 73, and for his Eagle Scout project, he and his assistants purchased a photograph scanner and scanned over 300 photographs in the Society’s collection. As a culmination of his project, he selected photographs that illustrate life in Plainfield spanning 100 years, from the 1870’s to the 1970’s. The photographs include: Muhlenberg Hospital, Plainfield High School, the Plainfield High School Band, St. Mary’s Commercial School, the railroad, trains, sports, and recreation.
The Historical Society received a grant from the Gannett Foundation that enabled Curator Leanne Manna to design and create professional exhibit panels. The panels will be available as a traveling exhibit to other venues, and in the future will be available online at the Drake House Museum website.
The Drake House Museum is located at 602 West Front St. in Plainfield.
Troop 73:
Believe it or not, we are not that far from starting Scouts again for the year.
The first Troop Meeting will be Monday, September 10, 7:30 – 9:00 in the Holy Trinity Cafeteria. Since this is the first meeting, we Assistant Scoutmasters, Instructors and Senior Scouts will NOT be available for signoffs. The following meetings, we will have availability for sign-offs starting at 7pm. Also, you can schedule directly with a leader to work on rank outside of Troop Meetings.
Mrs. Palia will be presenting on Popcorn, which allows the Scout to earn money for his own scout account to use towards trips, dues, uniforms and equipment.
Shortly, our new website will be up. Thank you, Mr. Fannick! All forms can be found on the website, and the Troop Calendar dates are there as well (Thank you, Mr. Fiorentino!)
Our first trip of the year is canoeing in the Erie Canal September 28 – 30. Please email Mr. Keating if you are interested dkeato@aol.com . Trip signup forms will be available at the first Troop meeting, and the Trip Form will be on the website shortly. The trip costs $60 and scouts must have passed the swim test to attend.
Additional Fall Trips:
- The Catholic Scouting Retreat October 19 – 21
- Fall Backpacking Trip November 3 -4
- Day Hike December 8
Deadline for Dues is October 1st. Current Dues breakdown for 2018 – 2019:
- New Scout (not previously registered or has been inactive from Scouting for year): $120 each
- Returning Scout: $100 each
- Returning Scout Sibling: $90 each
- Adult/Scouter: $65 each
Each Scout must read and sign a Spirit Contract, and each adult is asked to sign the Parent’s Code of Conduct. Please bring these with your dues, and turn them in when you turn in your dues.
Please pay by check or they can be paid by Scout Account. Juan Suris has all the current Scout Account balances. Cash will NOT be accepted. Please bring dues for your son(s) to the next scout meeting and see Mr. Tim Coleman & Mr. Chris Estevez at the Sign Up Table.
The current Troop Handbook is on the website for review.
All Scouts working on Scout rank and Star rank are required to have current Cyber Chips for their appropriate grade level. Troop 73 will hold its fall Cyber Chip classes on September 17, September 24, and October 1 at 7:00 pm, prior to the Troop meeting. Parents are encouraged to stay for the classes as Cyber Chip requires family as well as Troop participation. Each Scout must attend all three sessions to complete the Cyber Chip. If you will be participating, please email Christine O’Brien at tpachristine@gmail.com by September 13. Please include your name and grade in school. Remember to copy a parent on the email!
There will be interest sheets for Catholic Religious Awards on the Sign-Up Table. Please add your name if you are interested. The classes will start in October and will start at 6:30 on Monday Nights. Schedule to follow.
Most of the Scout Ranks require service hours. Our first scheduled opportunity as a Troop will be Scouting for Food in November. Bags need to be distributed to houses on November 3rd, and food will be collected on November 10. It is a great way to serve the community and earn service.
If you earn service hours at church, school or other volunteer opportunity, you need to turn your hours in to Mrs. O’Brien. She has forms to fill out, and the forms can be found on the website. We won’t know about your hours unless you fill out the form and turn it in to Mrs. O’Brien as soon as possible.
All Eagle Scout candidates who have worked on their projects over the summer should submit the service hours completed by Troop Scouts and adults by September 4. Please send completed forms to Mrs. O’Brien. Keep in mind that Scouts working on your projects may need those service hours to complete rank advancement requirements. Your prompt attention is appreciated.
When you require a Scoutmaster Conference and Board of Review, please see Mr. Lang at any Troop Meeting, or email Mr. Lang at soutmaster@troop73nj.org. Please remember that the weeks leading up to a Court of Honor are very busy, so do not wait until the last minute.
We have a Facebook page where trip photos and stories are posted. You need to request to join the Group.
Nominations are now open for the 2018 Scout Scholar Athlete Award. Any Scout interested in the award can find information and nomination requirements. The deadline for nominations is October 12, 2018.
Please email me if you have any questions or need anything at scoutmaster@troop73nj.org. I will help you the best I can, or I can direct you to the person that can best help you.
Yours in Scouting,
Mr. Lang, Scoutmaster
Troop 73 Wins Gateway Award at Winnebago
Fourteen Scouts from Troop 73 spent a week at Camp Winnebago in Rockaway, N.J., from July 7 to 13 where they worked on merit badges and competed in various competitions against other troops.
The award for the troop who builds the best gateway to their campsite, a wooden ax, was awarded to the troop at the closing campfire. This year’s theme was Knights of Winnebago and their gateway had elements of a castle including a “dungeon” and a climbable ladder.
Boy Scout Troop 73 celebrates Court of Honor
The Boy Scouts of Troop 73, Holy Trinity Church, Westfield, gathered on a beautiful summer evening this past Sunday to celebrate an end to this year’s activities with their annual dinner and Court of Honor.
The annual dinner was a potluck held at Holy Trinity School in Westfield with a variety of dishes reflecting the diverse backgrounds of the scouts and their families.
In the Court of Honor, the scouts celebrated their achievements over the past year and most especially the achievement of Eagle Scout by two members of the troop, Tim Stein and Justin Lang. Ben and Justin join well over 100 scouts who have achieved the rank of Eagle over Troop 73’s 82-year history.
The event also honored Seamus Cunningham who has completed three years serving as Scoutmaster. Rob Lang will take over as Scout Master for the troop.
In addition to recognition of various rank advancement and merit badge completions, the ceremony honored adult service to the troop through the Angel and Pryor Awards.
This year’s Angel Award was shared by Suzanne Wiegand and Karen Outten for at least 1 year of distinguished service to the troop. This year’s Pryor Award was given to Seamus Cunningham for at least 3 years of distinguished service to the troop.