Troop 131,
I hope everyone had an enjoyable Halloween and thank you to all the scouts who came out to help with the Church Pumpkin Clean up and the Scouting for Food Drop off. Next Saturday is pick-up! See note below from Mrs. Ramirez!
Please note that we are going to start our Monday Meeting this week at 7:00 PM (1/2 hour earlier) see below.
Next weekend is Veterans Day weekend, and originally, we were going to cancel the meeting on the 10th due to the Tuesday holiday. However, with the backing trip coming up the following weekend (November 14th) we would like to hold an abbreviated meeting for backpacking preparation (meal planning, pulling gear from the shed, review packs, etc). Therefore, I would like to ask all the scouts who signed up for the backing packing trip to Mud Hole Gap to please attend next week. You can wear Class B and it will be a shorter meeting than normal! Scouts who are not going on the trip are welcome to attend as well.
Please don’t forget about the wreath sales, see information below from Mr. Green. We are asking that each scout sell 3 wreaths this year!
See note below concerning our newest Eagle – Gabe Muldoon!
TROOP MEETING 7:00 PM
As I mentioned last week, since there was no Webelos Ree or joint Camporee this fall, we decided to dedicate one meeting to host the local Packs (133, 135, 301 and 801) so that they can visit the troop and see what we are all about.
One thing that I neglected to mention is that we are going to start ½ hour earlier and at 7:00.
It will be dark, please bring your head lamps, knives for instruction and lots of patience!
We are expecting close to 40 scouts and adults! Typically, at a camporee we provide dinner for the Arrow of Light Scouts & their Parents, and this troop meeting is no different! Thanks to the efforts of Mrs. Devlin (Chair), Mr. Byrnett (Membership) and Mrs. Ramirez (Service), the Troop will provide a special spaghetti dinner.
Here is the rough order of events for the meeting:
7:00-7:15 – Open meeting, introduction to the troop
7:15-7:55 – Scouts and AoLs go outside for knife and fire skills stations, switch every 10 minutes.
At around 7:45 some scouts go in to help set up and serve
7:55-8:00 – everyone inside
8:00-8:30 – everyone eats, two older scouts manage the fire
8:30-8:50 – skits
8:50-9:00 – closing
It will be a great meeting, and it is important that you all come, welcome our visitors and let them know how we work!
EAGLE- GABE MULDOON
We are very pleased to announce Troop 131’s newest Eagle Scout – Gabe Muldoon!! Gabe has been with Troop 131 since crossing the bridge back in 2019. One of our most steadfast and reliable scouts, served as SPL for two consecutive terms and led the way as the first T131 scout to be a counselor at Goshen, leading to 5 other current and past T131 scouts becoming counselors at Goshen. He capped his path to Eagle with a project at Oxon Hill, working with the National Park Service to restore a trail.
Many congratulations, Gabe!
Kathryn Farmer
Advancement Chair, Troop 131
BACKPACKING
Our next trip will be a backpacking trip! We already have 18 scouts signed up! While the Troop will camp together, there will be two options to hike in, see note below from Mr. Grocki!
Who: All Scouts
What: Backpacking!
When: Fri 14 Nov – Sun 16 Nov 2025
Where: MUDHOLE GAP – GW National Forest
Why: We’re a backpacking Troop
Cost: $10
Signups: https://forms.gle/DrD8cDQJiAHkTXa2A
We’ll leave from the church Friday afternoon and camp two nights.
This is a troop favorite with a new twist. If we have enough scouts and adult leaders we’ll be splitting into two crews, with one hike for scouts new to backpacking and one for more experienced scouts. We’ll camp Friday night together at Elizabeth Furnace Campground and then meet up again Saturday night at the Mudhole Gap campsite on the mountain. The beginner hike is around 4.5 miles with 750 feet of elevation gain. The advanced hike is 7 – 8 miles with 1,500 feet of elevation gain.
Remember there is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing and gear- so be prepared as late fall camping is no joke! We’ll be doing a mix of packaged backpacking meals like Mountain House, quick no cook meals for the trail, and backpacking meals put together with grocery store ingredients. This will be a great chance to test our capability before we head into a heavy backpacking schedule in 2026.
Easiest way to make payment for this or other Scout events is Zelle:
Name: TreasurerT131
Email: Treasurer@T131.Org
When making payment via Zelle, please be sure to add a note telling the Treasurer what the payment is for; alternatively, you can send a separate email.
Chris Grocki
Outings Coordinator
Boy Scout Troop 131
DUES
Parents: See note below from Mrs. Devlin– Committee Chair concerning the troop Dues. Please note that the Dues are now Separate from the National Registration with the Scouting America/National Capital Area Council.
Good morning, scouts and families!
Thanks to the 2024 change in BSA’s national registration system, this message is only regarding local Troop 131 dues! (National dues are paid directly to the BSA organization. The MAJORITY of our scouts/adults will renew at the end of January, so be on the lookout for that email.)
As you’ve seen with your own budgets, costs are going up for the gear we need to put on this program. T131’s 2026 dues will be $40 per scout FOR THE YEAR. We still supplement with events like the wreath sales and car washes, but dues constitute the majority of our funding.
· This money mostly goes to pay for things like rank patches, merit badges and troop camping gear, but it also includes unit registration, summer camp registration, scout camping food, annual picnic supplies, and our annual cub scout recruiting dinner.
· It DOES NOT pay for high adventure; HA participants have separate fundraising events.
· Continuing from last year, we will still waive adult camping fees (with the exception of events that come with secondary costs like climboree/camporee, skiing or rafting). Thank you to all who continue to support our boys’ outdoor experiences!
· Troop 131 dues are only for scouts—no dues for adults.
· Pay by NOV 15 via Zelle/cash/check to Mr. Baldwin (Zelle: treasurer@t131.org). This can also be covered with past wreath sales or other credits.
Finally, we never want dues to stand in the way of the Scouting experience. Scholarships are available; please contact me or the scoutmaster to discuss.
Anastasia Devlin
Chair, Troop 131
786.457.3043
WREATH SALE
We are on the home stretch for the fundraiser! The money raised from the sale of the wreaths helps pay for much of the activities, patches and gear that we need. We have a big group of new scouts, and I hope you all will help if you can. We are looking for 80% participation this year! Mr. Green has graciously volunteered to be our fundraising chair this year, please see the updated note below from him.
Hello T131!
Thank you to all those who’ve been receiving orders or donations and knocking on doors! All this effort pays off!
Keep up the great work and remember—we now have until Monday, November 10th. At that time, all order forms should be turned in to me, or Mr. Baldwin in my absence. We will place the group order shortly afterwards.
Some points of clarification:
Sales. Knocking on doors gives you the most bang for your buck (ha—I’ll stop here). You all receive the highest profit margins this way. Don’t forget to aim for three!
Money. Regarding profits, as well as donations received, 1/2 goes to the troop for all your excellent adventures, badges, gear, and related scouting items, and the other 1/2 goes to your scout account. For example, a $50 donation received would be split 1/2 to T131 and the other 1/2 to the scout. In the event of siblings, it would be 1/2 to the troop and 1/4 to each sibling.
Materials. Clipboards and laminated flyers are not yours to keep! We had approximately 20 of each, so I’m expecting to receive the same number returned to me on or before Nov. 10th.
Merit Badge. Earn your Salesmanship Merit Badge through this fundraiser! Visit https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/salesmanship to review requirements. Complete items #1, 3, and 7 on your own—we’ll cover the rest at a troop meeting.
I’m including one of my past emails, and another copy of the order form, just as a reminder to provide me with the right side of the form, so we can track orders (the customer keeps the left).
As always, please reach out to me or another troop leader if you have any questions.
Best Regards,
Mr. Green
SERVICE CORNER
Scouting for Food
See note below from Mrs. Ramirez (Service Coordinator).
Many, many thanks to our Scouts (and their able legs) who stepped up Saturday and our parent drivers! “Many hands make light work” summarizes our efforts really well – in just 2 hours, we managed to cover our assigned coverage region!
Scouts:
Alex Green
Andy Devlin
Greyson Hunt
John Wells
John Grocki
Owen Farmer
Ozzie Springer
Peter Jay
Quinn Ziemann
Rhys Devlin
Ryland McDonald
Simon Macek
Tadhg Devlin
Theo Ramirez
Thomas Grocki
Adults:
Chris Grocki
Daren Devlin
Kathryn Farmer
Nate Macek
Willy Jay
This Saturday, we will be picking up our donations. Our parent drivers highlighted the roads we covered so that we know which roads to trace for pickups. Sign-up still the same link – we still have a couple spots open for Scouts – and we look forward to seeing you this Saturday morning!
Thank you for supporting Scouting for Food!
ADVANCEMENT- MERIT BADGE CLASSES
See message below from our Advancement Chair, Mrs. Farmer.
Hello Troop,
Just a head’s up about merit badge classes offered by the Fairfax County Park Authority:
Registration is open for Fairfax County Park Authority winter merit badge programs, including: Animal Science, Archaeology, Archery, Art, Astronomy, Bird Study, Camping, Chemistry, Chess, Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, Citizenship in the World, Coin Collecting, Communication, Environmental Science, First Aid, Forestry, Genealogy, Indian Lore, Mammal Study, Soil & Water Conservation, Space Exploration, and Sustainability.
Register for badges at https://fairfax.usedirect.com/FairfaxFCPAWeb/ACTIVITIES/Search.aspx?category_name=SCOUTS
Best,
Kathryn Farmer
Advancement Chair, Troop 131
SCHEDULE: One Month(ish) Look Ahead
Monday, November 3rd – Troop Meeting, AOL Visit & Spaghetti Dinner – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Saturday, Nov.8th t – Scouting for Food Pickup- Alexandria Neighborhoods
Monday, November 10th – Abbreviated Troop Meeting – Back packing Prep!
Friday, Nov. 14th -16th – Camping Trip- Backpacking – Mud Hole Gap – Fort Valley, VA
Monday, November 17th – Troop Meeting (BoR)(PLC) – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Monday, November 24th – No Troop Meeting -Thanksgiving Week
Monday, December 1st – Troop Meeting – ELECTIONS – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Saturday, December 6th – Scottish Walk – Old Town Alexandria
Sunday, December 7th – Day Trip – Linden to Jim and Molly Denton Shelter – Linden VA
Monday, December 8th – Troop Meeting – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Monday, December 15th – Troop Meeting (BoR)(PLC) – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Monday, December 22nd – No Troop Meeting – Winter Break
Monday, December 29th – No Troop Meeting – Winter Break
