Trail Talk – 9/14/26

Good morning 244!

We had a couple of things happen over the weekend that I want to recognize!

First off, Will Thornton completed his ordeal becoming a full-fledged member of the Order of the Arrow! He is now an Ordeal Member in the OA!! Congratulations, Will!!

Secondly, we continue to have 4 specific scouts who are selling popcorn and they are selling it like crazy!  Will Thornton, Ella Beery, Mason Clapp and Morgan Clapp have sold over $6,600 in popcorn so far at popcorn booths the past several weekends. They have also received several hundred dollars in donations! This brings the total sales for 244 up to $7,225 by FOUR SCOUTS!! That is almost halfway to our troop goal of $15,000!! That is awesome! Way to go scouts! Now we just need the other 45 or so scouts to get out there and sell some popcorn. Imagine how much we could sell if everyone was doing this?!! You can sign up for popcorn booths by downloading the Trail’s End app and logging into our page! We have until the end of October to get the sales done! Let’s do this!

IMPORTANT NOTES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THIS WEEK:

  • TROOP OPEN HOUSE – RECRUITMENT!
    • Tuesday, September 15th
    • Starts at 6:30 p.m. (note the time)
    • Ends at 8:00 p.m. (note the time, parents please pick up scouts at 8:00 not 8:30 this week).
    • WEAR YOUR RED TROOP T-SHIRTS!! No Class A’s for this meeting!
    • We need more people to experience the scouting program!
    • Invite a Friend! Invite a Classmate! Invite a family member!
    • GET THE WORD OUT AND GET PEOPLE TO COME!
    • Let’s see how many new young people we can get into scouting this year!!
    • If we get even 1 new scout, it is worth it!
  • PHILMONT 2027 – REMINDERS
    • Payment of $815 per person due by September 22nd.  That is NEXT WEEK!
    • We have to make sure to collect these payments so that we can pay Philmont. They are the ones setting this deadline.
    • PHILMONT PREPARATION HIKE NEXT SUNDAY AFTERNOON AT AL SABO LAND PRESERVE AT 1:00 P.M.! Bring your backpack or a backpack loaded with at least 30 – 35 lbs and be ready to hike! You will find out your crews before we hike and you will hike with your crews!
  • ADOPT-A-HIGHWAY
    • September 26th
    • Car wash next to the Speedway gas station on the south side of Schoolcraft
    • 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. or whenever we are done
    • Sean Harrigan will be the leader in charge. T
    • To get this done quickly and efficiently though, we need scouts to show up. This typically only takes about 3 hours if we have enough scouts.
    • This counts as service hours towards your rank advancements!
    • Long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Boots and hats. Bring gloves and a water bottle.
    • We DO need ADULT help to drive and escort the scouts for safety reasons. If we don’t have enough help, it may take longer than 3 hours and spill over into the afternoon!
  • OCTOBER CAMPOUT – CHIPPEWA LANDING
    • October 2 – 4
    • Cost is $45 per scout and $20 per adult
    • Permission slip is attached.
    • PLEASE SIGN UP AT THE TROOP MEETING OR THROUGH ZEFFY
    • We will be rafting/floating down the Manistee River on this campout!
    • Come on the campout and check out the Manistee Forest in the Fall time!
    • It will be a nice float adventure down the river with some chances to really enjoy nature!
  • POPCORN! POPCORN! POPCORN!
    • It is that time of year again! Time to sell Popcorn!
    • 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 the end of October!
    • ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT POPCORN, PLEASE TALK TO BRANDON BEERY OR MIKE CLAPP – brandon.beery@yahoo.com or michael.r.clapp@gmail.com
  • DUTY TO GOD RELIGIOUS EMBLEM/AWARD
    • From Mr. Mike Clapp:
    • Scouts!  I’ve offered up several opportunities this year.
    • So far, Troop 244 has had the opportunity to earn the Pulp & Paper Merit Badge, Paul Bunyan Award, Outdoor Ethics Awareness Award, and a Nova Award.
    • Now, it’s time to move on to a very important program where you have the opportunity to earn the Religious Emblem Award.  One earned, this recogntiion will follow you through life and will always be recognized on your scout uniform.
    • You can earn this award for your specific faith by working with your own faith leader while reinforcing Scouting America values through the religious emblems program.
    • If you do not have ties to a church or faith leader of your own, you can still earn the award.  Brother Don at Pathfinder Global Methodist Church has volunteered to work with you on the religious emblems program.  This is Christian based.
    • There are four steps to get started with this program (Mike Clapp can help you navigate these steps, but the execution of these steps will be up to you):
      • Obtain the specific booklet for your religion.
      • Parents/Guardians must review the specific guidelines for your particular program. (Check the age/grade requirements and adhere to the eligibility guidelines.)
      • Families should talk to their religious leaders and show them the booklet before beginning any program.
      •  You need to complete the requirements, obtain the proper signatures, and follow the instructions to earn the emblem/award.
    • Religious emblems are created by individual faith groups to encourage their members to grow in their faith. Scouting America has approved of these programs and allows the emblems to be worn on the official uniform, but the emblems are administered by the various religious groups, not Scouting America.
    • Parents and religious leaders are the teachers, not the unit leader.
    • With that said, Mike Clapp would be proud to guide you through this program from start to finish.
    • Please contact Mike Clapp for more information and if you are interested in doing this program! You can email him at: michael.r.clapp@gmail.com or talk to him at a Troop meeting on Tuesday night!
  • MINI-HIGH ADVENTURE FOR NEXT SUMMER!
  • 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. Go to the following link: http://bit.ly/pay244, For troop Swag/Merch you can click on this link: http://bit.ly/244swag

Scoutmaster Quote of the Week – “Nothing worthwhile was ever accomplished without the will to start, the enthusiasm to continue and, regardless of temporary obstacles, the persistence to complete.” – Waite Phillips(the man who donated the land that is now Philmont Scout Ranch)

“What Troop Does More!!” – 244!!!

Yours in Scouting,

Brian Poppen