Trail Talk – 9/21/26

Good Afternoon 244!

Well, that most certainly was an interesting weekend! Lots and lots of rain. It’s always a bit of a bummer when we have plans for the weekend and then have to postpone those. That happened with both Andrew Olson’s Eagle Project and with the Philmont Preparation Hike/Meeting. It is a good thing we can learn from these things and know that sometimes we just have to accept things the way they are and then adjust. That is always a good reminder for me because I am someone who doesn’t deal with that kind of thing very well. However, that is life!

IMPORTANT NOTES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THIS WEEK:

  • COURT OF HONOR
    • NEXT TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH!
    • 7:00 p.m.
    • Need Help to set up at 5:45 pm
    • Any rank advancements or merit badges that you wish to be awarded at this court of honor must be completed and turned in by TOMORROW NIGHT, Tuesday, September 22nd.
  • 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!
  • 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
    • MDOT does require that you be 12 years old or older to do this.
    • 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, hats, gloves and water bottles.
    • We NEED ADULTS 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!
    • This is a troop commitment and as such it is YOUR commitment!
  • ANDREW OLSON EAGLE PROJECT TENTATIVELY RESCHEDULED
    • I have not heard from Andrew a “for sure” date for the project but last I knew he was going to reschedule his project for next SUNDAY.
    • Sunday, September 27th at 1:30 pm.
    • Hey Troop 244! I am doing my Eagle Scout Project at St. Michael Lutheran Church (7211 Oakland Dr., Portage MI, 49024) starting at 1:30 p.m. We will be assembling benches and installing them in the church’s new worship area. If you plan on attending, you should plan on bringing gloves and a water bottle. If you have any questions, please contact: waterdrew@outlook.com  or  (269) 532-6327. If there is inclement weather or rain, the project will be moved to a later date.
  • PHILMONT 2027 – REMINDERS
    • Payment of $815 per person is due by September 22nd.  That is THIS WEEK!
    • If you still need to pay this, I sent you an email this weekend.
    • We have to make sure to collect these payments so that we can pay Philmont. They are the ones setting this deadline.
    • NEXT SCHEDULED PHILMONT MEETING: October 18, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. at Pathfinder Church in the Fellowship Hall.
    • I sent you some information over the weekend including the 2025 Guidebook to Adventure, 2026 Itinerary book and something I typed up to help you with preparation. Please review these things.
    • For Itineraries: We are doing a 12-Day Trek, NOT a 7- or 9-day trek.
    • Please let me know if you have questions. I am more than happy to answer them!
  • 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!
    • Over the weekend, we had several scouts selling popcorn. Altogether the scouts sold almost $2,700 in popcorn.
    • This brings the troop total to just shy of $11,000 right now!
    • 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
  • NATIONAL ORDER OF THE ARROW CONFERENCE(NOAC)
    • 244 scouts, Morgan and Mason Clapp are attending. Would love to have more 244 Order of the Arrow members join them!
    • Our Lodge, the Mishigami Lodge, will be sending a contingent
    • Open only to members of the Order of the Arrow who have done their Induction and Ordeal.
    • The National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC) is the flagship national Order of the Arrow event.
    • It is held every two years at a major university campus and is attended by as many as 8,000 Arrowmen from all 50 states.
    • NOAC 2027 will take place July 26th – 31st at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
    • Theme: “Catching the Vibe”
    • Depart Saturday, July 24th with the Mishigami Lodge Contingent
    • Youth Cost: $999.00 and Adult Cost $1,100.
    • For registration information: https://scoutingevent.com/272-2027NOAC
  • 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 unit leaders.
    • 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!
  • MINI-HIGH ADVENTURE FOR NEXT SUMMER!
    • We are looking for feedback on some ideas! Parents, please check the Troop Facebook page as Abby has started a “This or That” survey/poll to see what adventure people will decide upon without knowing which “place” it is that they are looking at. It is all based on pictures. Destinations will be revealed once the results are tallied! Please check out the ideas below. You can also send your feedback to myself, Christy or Abby Withers(abby.withers@gmail.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. 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 – “The only things we keep PERMANENTLY are those we GIVE AWAY” – Waite Phillips.

“What Troop Does More!!” – 244!!!

Yours in Scouting,

Brian Poppen