Troop 131,
Just a reminder the CoH picnic is on Monday, see below. I look forward to seeing you all there! Weather looks good and there is no rain in the forecast!
See below for additional information concerning the ASM/Philmont Planning Meeting on the 28th and the upcoming Patrol Activities.
CoH/PICNIC
In lieu of a Troop meeting we will have our annual Court of Honor and Picnic this Monday!!! This is a lot of fun, and I encourage everyone to attend. It is a great way to acknowledge all your accomplishments over the past few months, socialize with the other families in the troop and celebrate the end of summer!
For the new scouts, this is a family event, so parents, grandparents and siblings are welcome!
A few things to keep in mind:
· Scouts wear your full Class A including Merit Badge Sash and Neckerchief (no OA sashes) – scout shorts are acceptable, but you should wear scout socks with them.
· Families, please bring your camping chairs.
The picnic starts at 6:00 (earlier than previous years and so that we can maximize the daylight), however, we ask that Scouts participating (and any other scouts who want to help) arrive at least ½ hour earlier at 5:30 to help with set up!
The troop will supply burgers and hot dogs; however, the rest is potluck. See link below to sign up!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E084AA4AD22A75-57987350-troop
As always, the Court of Honor is Scout led, so please support the Scouts in their speaking parts. Here is the list of presenters/participants:
Andy Devlin — Master of Ceremonies
Thomas Grocki – Scout Presenter
George Pica — Tenderfoot Presenter
John Grocki — Second Class Presenter
Theo Ramirez — First Class Presenter
Josiah Baldwin – Star Presenter
Ricky Ward — Life Presenter & Eagle recognition
Arthur Dalton — Merit Badge Presenter
Tadgh Devlin — Outdoor Activity Presenter
Karsten Gross, Teddy Teixeira-Moffat, Simon Macek, Quinn Zeimann – Color Guard
Francis Gress — Chaplain’s Aide
PATROL OUTING
A big shout out to Tadhg, Andy, John and Teddy for putting together a plan for patrol outings this weekend. From what I heard, all went well, and you all had fun! I have seen the correspondence for the Pickles and Bananas for next weekend which also looks great. I am proud of you all for making the activities happen!
Here is what I have as the activity, date and organizing Scout. Please let me know if I have any of these incorrect.
· Mustachios 8/23 – Pizza and Movie – Tadhg
· Turtles 8/24 – Movie – Andy
· Goats 8/24 – Trampoline Park- John G
· Penguin Raiders 8/23 – Movie (Fantastic Four) Teddy
· Pickles 9/31 – Bowling- Owen and Finn
· Bananas 9/1 – Hike and Movie (maybe) – Beau
ASM Meeting- August 28th – Scoutmaster’s House -112 East Randolph Ave @ 7:00 PM
In support of training for Philmont, I am hosting a planning meeting at my house on August 28th. I ask that all the adults on the Philmont Crew please attend. In addition, ASMs, Committee Members or Unit Scouter Reserves who camp with the troop are also welcome to attend as there will be some areas where we overlap with typical troop outings.
RICKY WARD EAGLE PROJECT
See Email below from Ricky. Please sign up to help him out with his Eagle project. Remember, hours spent on Eagle projects count as Rank Service Hours!
Hello Troop 131,
I am reaching out to inform you about my Eagle Scout project happening on September 6th and September 7th. This is coming up in about three weeks, and if you have any spare time, I would greatly appreciate your help.
If you are able to help, please feel free to bring any rakes and shovels with you, as they would be very helpful with clearing out the project area during the first day. Please also bring water, closed-toed shoes, clothes to work in, and sunscreen if necessary. Donuts, pizza, and water will be provided to volunteers during the morning, and pizza will be available around midday to any volunteers. You can sign up for a morning shift from 9am-12:30pm, and/or an afternoon shift from 1-4pm on either day. Make sure to log any service hours you work in your scout book. Here is some more information about my project:
Dates: Saturday, September 6th, 2025, and Sunday, September 7th, 2025
Location: Winkler Botanical Preserve (5400 Roanoke Ave, Alexandria, VA 22311)
Description: This project will start with us clearing out and leveling a large area for our project using rakes and shovels, and then we will begin assembling a sand pit for children to play in. Assembly materials will need to be transported from the lodge/parking to the project site. Donuts and water will be provided to all volunteers, and pizza will be provided around midday. Separate morning and afternoon sessions will be offered (around 3-3.5 hours each), you are free to sign up for as many sessions as you can.
Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Richard Ward
CANOEING TRIP – 9/13-9/14 – FULL (waitlist only)
See email below from Mr. Grocki, who is taking over as our Outdoor Chair! This will be a great trip!
The size is capped at 25 total participants. So far, we have 21 scouts and 7 Adults signed up. If you still want to go, please sign up and we will put you on the waiting list in case anyone drops.
Who: Powerful Paddlers
What: Troop 131 Canoeing on the James River
When: Sat 13 Sep – Sun 14 Sep 2025
Where: Twin River Outfitters – Buchanan, VA (3+ hours from Alexandria)
Why: No better time to get on the water
Cost: $100
Signups: https://forms.gle/YXKU7T8qCfAtRhso7
We’ll leave from the church early Saturday morning aiming to be at the outfitters before noon. Here’s a description of the trip we’ve booked:
Our shortest overnight trip, only 10.5 miles over 2 days. This trip is ideal for fishermen wanting to take their time fishing each rapid. Day one paddle length is just 6 miles down to Arcadia (2-3 hours of paddling), day two paddle is about 4.5 miles down to the Alpine Take out (1 to 1 1/2 hours paddle). This trip includes an interesting section of water with plenty of rapids 5 rated class II, great mountain views, and a remote wilderness feel. The Arcadia to Alpine section has been known for citation smallmouth bass and is listed as a great section in many fishing guidebooks. The pickup time at Alpine will be 10:30 AM.
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
SCUBA MERIT BADGE CLASS- Sept 6th from 1:30-4:30 (note the new time)
Per Mr. Hunt’s announcement at the meeting on Monday, see information below concerning the Scuba Merit badge. Please let him know if you are interested in attending this session with Greyson. (huntdcp3@gmail.com)
You will need a blue card for this, so please let me know if you need one.
In order to earn the merit badge, you need to have completed requirement #2 (Swimming MB) and #4 (Earn Open Water Certification).
During the class you will work on:
#1 (First Aid), #3 (Diver’s Code),#5 (Discuss Ecosystems), and #6 SCUBA Careers.
In preparation please review:
#1a – Review the material from your open water course on SCUBA injuries and illnesses and pp 15-21 in the Merit badge book.
#1b – Be prepared to demonstrate CPR on our CPR dummy.
#3 – Review the Diver code (Page 14 of Merit Badge book) so we can discuss.
#5 – Ecosystems. Review pp 67-75 in the book. I would like to hear about the ecosystems that you have dove in,
#6 – Careers – Review pp 81-85 in the merit badge book. Happy to talk about any of the careers, but I expect to focus on becoming an instructor.
Things to bring
- PADI Cert card
- SCUBA Logbook
- Blue Card or have your Troop assign you to me in Scout Book – I prefer Scout Book.
PHILMONT – Payment due 9/22/2025
Philmont participants, the advance payment of $622.50 per person is due on October 1st, however, and so that we have time to process the check, we ask that you make payment to the troop by September 22nd!
The final payment of $622.50 is due to the troop on 2/22/2026
We have reserved spots for two crews, with each crew allowed a maximum of 12 people including a maximum of 4 adults. If you are interested in going, we have spots available for 3 additional scouts and 1 additional adult.
The trip is scheduled for August 1st-8th 2026. While this is a 7-day trek, we will likely spend a few days beforehand in Colorado doing training hikes and acclimating to the higher altitude and then a day or two on the back end for rest and travel. From a planning standpoint we are talking about a nearly two-week trip, roughly from 7/29-8/9.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdN4gfaMCcMhY5pKC53yJj7iaj_xf1rbGmptw73twFLusIKgw/viewform
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.
SCHEDULE: One Month(ish) Look Ahead
Monday, August 25th – Court of Honor- Family Picnic 6:00 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Thursday, August 28th – ASM and Philmont Planning Meeting – Scoutmasters house
Friday August 29th – 31st – Patrol Outing 2.0 (ACPS no school on Friday) – TBD
Monday, September 1st – No Troop Meeting Federal Holiday
Saturday & Sunday, September 6th & 7th – Ricky Ward Eagle Project – Winkler Botanical Preserve, 5400 Roanoke Ave
Sunday, September 7th – Philmont Training Hike- Local Loop
Monday, September 8th – Troop Meeting – 7:30 PM (PLC) – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Friday, Sept. 13th – 14th – Camping Trip – Canoeing, – James River, Buchanan VA
Monday, September 15th – Troop Meeting – 7:30 PM (BoR) – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Thursday, Sept 18th – Committee, ASM and Parents Meeting- 7:30 – Scoutmasters House (& Virtual)
Friday, Sept. 19th – 21st – OA Lodge Fellowship – Camp Olmsted – Goshen, VA
Saturday, Sept.20th – Fall BCOLS- Weekend 1 (7:30 AM – 4:00 PM) Classroom Session
Monday, September 22nd – Troop Meeting – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Monday, September 29th – Troop Meeting – 7:30 PM – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Saturday, October 4th – Pumpkin Drop off 1 – 8:30am to noon – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Sunday, October 5th – Philmont Training Hike
Monday, October 6th – Troop Meeting – 7:30 PM (PLC) – Immanuel Church on the Hill
Friday, October 10th – 13th – Camping – NCAC Climboree (long weekend) – Camp Mountaineer, WV
