Trail Talk – 8/24/26

Good afternoon 244!

WE HAVE A MEETING THIS TUESDAY! This will be our last summer meeting for the summer! Because school starts next week, we will also start our regular scout “year” next Tuesday as well. Our first official meeting for the scout year will start on September 1st! More information to come later this week!

We had a great planning meeting last week and talked a lot about the year ahead! I am going to work on organizing some of that information this week and getting it out to you in NEXT week’s trail talk!

I found out after last Tuesday’s meeting that we had a few other Order of the Arrow members attend the OA Induction weekend this month and sealed their membership in the order by doing their Brotherhood. Brotherhood is the second level in the Order of Arrow, after the Ordeal, where you fulfill certain requirements and “seal” your membership in the order. Congratulations to Mr. Matt Carr and Keely Carr on becoming Brotherhood OA members!

More Order of the Arrow! – At last week’s meeting of our area Order of the Arrow Chapter, new office elections were held. All of the office elections ended up being members of Troop 244! This hasn’t happened in a very long time! The new officers for our chapter are:

  • Chapter Chief – Eli
  • Vice Chief of Unit Relations – Romario Oliveira
  • Vice Chief of Finance – Mason Clapp
  • Vice Chief of Communications – Morgan

There are 3 key items I want to bring your attention to in this week’s Trail Talk. Please see the announcements below for more information on these 4 things:

  • EAGLE COURT OF HONOR – August 30th – THIS COMING SUNDAY!!
  • Eli Szekely – Eagle Project – THIS SATURDAY!
  • September Campout – Labor Day Bridge Walk – please sign up this week!
  • POPCORN! POPCORN! POPCORN!

IMPORTANT NOTES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THIS WEEK:

EAGLE COURT OF HONOR

  • Our next Eagle Court of Honor will be Sunday, August 30th at 2:00 p.m.
  • Honoring Sophie Schmidt, Ryan Jones, Yuna Sullins and Reilly Reinhart
  • Will need scouts to show up by 1:00 p.m. to be a part of the ceremony.
  • Please wear your Class A and neckerchief to this.
  • Please come out and help celebrate these NEW TROOP 244 EAGLE SCOUTS!
  • There will be cake!

ELI SZEKELY EAGLE PROJECT

  • I am doing my eagle project at Texas Drive Park (6603 Texas Dr, Kalamazoo, MI 49009) on August 28th from 4pm -8pm and August 29th at 9am. We will be building a dumpster enclosure, and making a planter to go around the slash pad sign.
  • Friday night we will do some hole digging and cementing for the enclosure so Saturday runs smoothly as possible. We will also be removing 3 wooden posts and a sign on Friday. Saturday we will build the rest of the enclosure and do all we need for the planter (remove sod, add wood border, plant plants, and spread mulch).
  • I will be providing gloves, safety glasses, and some tools. I recommend bringing your own water bottle, gloves, flat shovel, etc. There will be Jersey Giant subs for dinner on Friday and Erbelli’s pizza for lunch on Saturday. Also, bring along a swim suit and towel to cool off in the splash pad after the project.

POPCORN! POPCORN! POPCORN!

  • It is that time of year again! Time to sell Popcorn!
  • Our Popcorn sales actually started this last weekend with our first popcorn booths!
  • We have several weekends ahead where we have popcorn booths available that you can sign up for!
  • Attached to this email is an information sheet for Parents and Scouts about the Trail Ends app and selling popcorn this fall.
  • You can sign up for popcorn booths directly in the app!
  • 35% of all your sales go directly back into the scout account.
  • A portion of sales goes to Trails End
  • Another portion of sales goes to Michigan Crossroads Council.
  • Sales will go through October!
  • ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT POPCORN, PLEASE TALK TO BRANDON BEERY OR MIKE CLAPP

SEPTEMBER CAMPOUT – LABOR DAY BRIDGE WALK

  • Let’s have MORE scouts and leaders sign up for this campout!
  • September 5 – 7th
  • Cost is $45 per scout and $20 per adult leader.
  • SIGNUP BY THIS TUESDAY!
  • Scouts will need to bring extra money for sightseeing and lunch on the way.
  • Saturday – Monday. Leave Saturday morning at 10:00 am from Pathfinder
  • Arrive back home on Monday evening around 5:00 p.m. (time may vary)
  • Hang out in Northern Michigan Saturday evening and Sunday all day! Visit sites!
  • Walk the Mackinac Bridge on Labor Day Morning!
  • Most likely will walk halfway from Mackinac City and then double back to save on time and transportation issues.
  • After Labor Day Bridge walk, return to campsite, pack up and head home!

MINI HIGH ADVENTURE FOR NEXT SUMMER!

  • We are looking for feedback on some ideas! We had many great ideas talked about at our Planning meeting, now we need to know from YOU, what you would like to do. Please check out the ideas below. Send your feedback to myself, Christy or Abby Withers(abby.withers@gmail.com)
  • Hocking Hills State Park – Logan, Ohio
    • Cliffs, recess caves, waterfalls
    • Options for Neil Armstrong Museum or the Air Force Museum
    • https://ohiodnr.gov/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/hocking-hills-state-park
  • Garden of the Gods – Herod, Illinois
  • Devils Lake State Park/Sauk County – Baraboo, Wisconsin
  • Red River Gorge Geological Area & Natural Bridge State Park – Slade, KY

PHILMONT 2027 – REMINDERS

  • Cost: $2,200: $150 Deposit already Paid. $815 by SEPTEMBER 22nd.
  • $815 by last week of February. $420 by last week of May.
  • Tentatively: July 5 – July 22nd. Our actual arrival date at Philmont is July 8. HOWEVER, the past several treks, we have tried to arrive a day early, which would be July 7. I have to communicate with Philmont about that. Typically, we take two nights to drive out there, hence July 5. On the other end, our last full day at Philmont is July 19. In the past, we have taken 1 night to drive home. So, leave Philmont July 20. Could get home on July 21 or if we take 2 nights, July 22. All of this depends highly on transportation.
  • Transportation: We have a scout leader or 2 looking into Train options at this point in time.
  • Preparation Meetings: Mandatory. Even if you have been to Philmont before, it doesn’t matter. Preparation for Philmont starts with your commitment to attending preparation meetings.
  • TENTATIVE Preparation Meeting Dates:
    • Sunday, September 20 at 1:00 at Al Sabor Land Preserve(Training hike)
    • Sunday October 18th at 3:00 p.m. at Pathfinder(Expectations and Gear)
    • Sunday January 10th at 3:00 pm(Important!!, Itinerary Selection!) at Pathfinder
    • Sunday April 18th at 3:00 pm at Pathfinder(Final Information and readiness).
    • THESE DATES ARE ONLY TENTATIVE AT THIS POINT IN TIME BECAUSE I HAVE TO CONFIRM THESE DATES WITH PATHFINDER CHURCH! I will send out more firm dates once I have communicated with the church about whether spaces are available on the given dates. PENCIL them in for now but be ready for changes to be made.
  • COMMITMENT – Philmont is a commitment. That is the only way I can say it. To have a successful, MEANINGFUL, trek, you have to commit to be at everything.
  • Want to know more about Philmont – ASK THOSE THAT HAVE GONE! Best information source possible!

SUMMER TROOP MEETING MERIT BADGES

  • LAST WEEK FOR SUMMER MERIT BADGES!!
  • Make sure you wrap up your summer merit badges today!
  • Geocaching – Mrs. Bliss
  • Orienteering – Brian
  • Artificial Intelligence – Mr. Thurn
  • Gardening – Mrs. Knapp
  • Photography – Mr. Greene
  • If you want to work on continuing to finish up Eagle Required Partials you have, you may do that as well IF your counselors are present at the meetings.
  • T21 Scouts will continue to work on T21 requirements.

STEM NOVA Awards

  • Do you want to earn a Nova Award and get a unique patch?  Do you want to Do More, 244 Style?
  • You are in luck! The Michigan Crossroads Council is offering you an opportunity to complete a Scouts BSA STEM Nova Award that you can earn right here at Troop 244.
  • See the attached requirements and inquire with Michael Clapp for more details.
  • What are the STEM Nova Awards?
  • The STEM Nova Awards are designed to excite and expand a sense of wonder in Scouts. By working with an adult counselor or mentor, the various modules allow you to explore the basic principles of STEM and discover how fun and fascinating STEM can be.  If you are super ambitious, you can work to earn a Supernova award and go above and beyond by earning multiple STEM Nova Awards.  More Information on Nova and Supernova Awards on the Michigan Crossroads website: https://michiganscouting.org/stem/.
  • All of this will be worked outside of regular troop meetings unless we get a lot of interest in doing an activity at a meeting or a campout!
  • Contact Mr. Clapp for details.

THE WALL THAT HEALS – for your information!

  • The Wall That Heals arrives in Battle Creek tomorrow, August 20, and I want to encourage you to share this opportunity with your Scouts, families, and anyone in your Scouting community.
  • The Wall That Heals is a three-quarter-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. It bears the names of 58,281 service members who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam War. The exhibit also includes a Mobile Education Center sharing the stories and experiences of those who served.
  • This is a meaningful opportunity for Scouts and families to learn about American history, honor our veterans, and reflect on service and sacrifice.
  • The Wall That Heals
    August 20–23, 2026
    Harper Creek High School Soccer Field Complex
    7290 B Drive North, Battle Creek
  • The exhibit is free and open to the public. It will be open 24 hours a day Thursday through Saturday, making it easy to find a time that works for your family or unit.
  • You don’t need to attend as an organized unit. If you have Scouts, parents, grandparents, or friends who would benefit from this experience, please encourage them to visit.
  • For the full schedule and event information: https://thewallthathealsbattlecreek.com/

Scouting America PHYSICAL FORMS!

  • NEW 2026 Printing of the Medical Form
  • Use the New Printing from now on!
  • Only Good for 1 year! Will need a new one for next summer!
  • Rather than waiting until the last minute, start thinking about the medical form BEFORE next summer!
  • Parts A and B – required for all troop activities
  • Part C – required by doctor for all activities 72 hours or more.

Troop 244 Payment Portal – Zeffy. Our Zeffy page remains open for you to make payments or by troop merch! Wanna pay for the campout, Pictured Rocks, SwampBase, Registration, etc.
Scoutmaster Minute  – There is so much information in this week’s Trail Talk! I am giving you a break from a Scoutmaster Minute this week! See you Tuesday night!

“What Troop Does More!!” – 244!!!

Yours in Scouting,

Brian Poppen