Scouts: Download your donor sign up sheet here! Turn in to Mr. Hamilton when complete.

Hello,
We are getting close to our 3nd annual blood drive for Troop 405. I want to encourage all involved with Troop 405 to get as many people registered to donate as possible. The blood collected at our drive will serve our local hospitals!! There is a critical shortage so please ask EVERYONE to help and donate!!

How to sign donors up….

1) Go to this website: https://donateblood.centralbloodbank.org/itxm/bdc/bdc_login.php?cookies=1

2) Log in
Here is your mediware username: jhamilton5357 and your username is donor8442

3) Click on Schedules and sign up your donor

Scouts, keep in mind for every 5 people you have registered on your sign up sheet you will receive one hour of community service.

The Scout with the most number of donors will receive a gift card to Gamestop.

As always, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to give me a call or send me an email.

Troop 405 Blood Drive

February 25, 2012 –

10am to 4pm

Baden American Legion

Thanks,
Jason C. Hamilton
Chief Medical Officer

This is Camp Loleta 2011!

Are you ready for Loleta 2012?
July 8-15, 2012

Are you ready for one of the best camps of the year?

The Fern Hollow Fun Camp is January 20-22, 2012! We will be departing the Scout Garage Friday, Jan. 20 at 6PM.

Hello scouters,

I hope you had a terrific summer. We are coming up on another new scout year and I wanted to give you notice about our first scheduled event. On September 14th at 6:00 PM we will have our annual Family Picnic. As tradition, the picnic will be held at the Sportsmen’s Club Lake House. You and your family are invited to attend this gathering of scouts and friends. The troop will supply the fried chicken, hot sausage and soft drinks. We ask that you bring a covered dish or dessert to the picnic.

This is one of the larger attended activities each year because it is fun and relaxing not to mention all the good food. I am looking forward to seeing all my scouts and their families. So mark the date on your calendar, Wednesday, September 14th, 6:00 PM, Sportsmen’s Club Lake House.

You must contact Mr. John McCullough with the amount of people that will be attending and what covered dish you are bringing.

Yours in Scouting,

Randy J. Gleason       John P. Varhol, Jr.                          Kurt Larson
Scoutmaster                Troop Committee Chairman        Advancement Chairman
“Historic” Troop 405
Baden, PA

At Summer Camp this year, the Calling Out ceremony for our Troop’s Order of the Arrow candidates was conducted. Congratulations goes to the following Scouts for their OA candidacy:

Hayden Penn
Nick McClure
Dario Marasco
Nick Van Dyke
Eric Finkelstein
Grant Miller Jr.

Congratulations also goes to Mr. Mike Penn for his selection as our Order of the Arrow Troop Representative.

To complete induction into the Order of the Arrow, all candidates must attend an Ordeal Weekend. Dates for this year’s events are as follows:

Heritage Fall- Sept 23-25, 2011
Anawanna – Oct 21-23, 2011
Twin Echo – April 20-22, 2012
Heritage Spring-May 18-20, 2012

There is a $44.00 charge for the Ordeal Weekend. See Mr. Larson to sign up for the weekend of your choice.

Summer Camp 2011 was attended by 24 Boy Scouts and 15 registered adult leaders.

Total merit badges earned was 67

Number of rank advancements was 11

 
Also, congratulations to the following Scouts for their excellent work during Summer Camp 2011 @ Loleta!

 
Best Tent

Greg Miller

Nick VanDyke

Best KP

Connor Adrian

Eric Dunmyer

Eric Finkelstein

Troop 405 Camper

Nick McClure

Rookie Camper

Mike Beckett

Leadership

Nick VanDyke

Team MVP

Joshua Bosh

Most Rank Advancements

Mike Beckett

Pancake Eating Contest – Tie with 10 Pancakes Each!

Mike Beckett

Dario Marasco

Blue vs. Red

BLUE TEAM

Eric Finkelstein (Captain)

Eric Dunmyer

Hayden Penn

Greg Miller

Joshu Bosh

Trevor Rapchak

Michael Beckett

Christian VanDyke

Joe Palavros

Owen Tkatch

J.J. McCullough

Nathan Bosh

Hello, Scouters!

Thanks to Mr. Finkelstein, we now have an excellent list to help you with packing for Summer Camp!

Download the Packing List

Hello, citizens of Baden!

If you were unable to place your donation for Scouting for Food outside last Saturday, you can still make a donation to local families in need!

Please bring your donation to one of our weekly meetings, Wednesdays at 7:00PM at the Baden American Legion (271 State Street, Baden). If you have any further questions, feel free to email us with any questions you may have.

Thank you!

Congratulations to Justin Gleason and Dario Marasco for their induction into Ambridge Area High School’s National Honor Society Chapter.

Congratulations!

Hey parents/guardians in the Greater Pittsburgh Council!

There’s a new award available for your son – but you have to earn it! (this is the only award where you actually have to earn an award for your son, too. So it’s pretty special).

Want to know how to get it? Just go to WordsToLiveByGPC.com and complete the 12-question quiz on what the Scouting program is all about… that’s it!

Pretty easy, right?

Congratulations to the following 405 Scouts who made Honor Roll this semester:

High Honors (High School)
Eric Finkelstein
Justin Gleason

Honors (High School)
Dario Marasco
Nicholas McClure
Hayden Penn

High Honors (Junior High School)
Connor Adrian
Nathan Bosh

Honors (Junior High School)
Joshua Bosh

Good work guys!!

What: Fern Hollow Fun Camp

Where: Fern Hollow Nature Center, Sewickley

When: January 21,22,23

Time: Depart Scout Garage, Friday @ 6:00 PM, Sharp! (Will need help with drivers)

Cost: $15.00 – (transfer scout account money, or cash/check Wednesday, CASH on Friday)

Permission Slips: See Mr. Varhol or download a blank permission slip here

Return: Sunday between (9:00 – 11:00 AM), scouts will call home when they leave from Fern Hollow

Meals: Troop provides all the meals, bug juice, plates and napkins

Program: Map & Compass, Safety Training Course, Hiking, Ice Skating, Snowman contest, Arcade games, Electronic game free time.

Why: Troop tradition – Fun Camp

Uniform: Scouts travel in scout uniforms.

What you will need to Pack:

Sleeping pad and/or air mattress

Sleeping bag

One change of clothes

Warm outside coat, gloves & hat

Shoes – (inside) & Boots – (outside)

Toothbrush, toothpaste, washcloth

Fork, spoon, knife, drinking cup

Scout Book, pencil & paper

Snacks (if you wish)

Electronic games, etc.

Small spending money for Skating event – (admission fee, skate rental, refreshments – $15.00 should cover) If you don’t want to skate, there are other things to do, (indoor golf driving range, etc)

Bring your smiles

More Information at the Wednesday scout meeting.

Yours in scouting,

Randy J. Gleason John P. Varhol, Jr.

Scoutmaster Troop Committee Chairman

Connect with us on Facebook!

(Make sure you’re logged in to Facebook first)

All members of the Troop can (and should) join our Facebook group and strike up a conversation!

Wow, what a summer we’ve had! Now that this year’s Summer Camp is over, where our Troop earned a total of over 100 Merit Badges, you are probably gearing up for September, when we start our weekly meetings again.

Mr. Larson and I have picked what we think are four of the easiest Merit Badges to earn on your own, and provided links for the worksheets to help you complete them.

Get ready to start again this September… and complete a Merit Badge or two (…or three or four) on your own this summer! CONTINUE READING >>

Troop 405 Scouts Trevor and Philip will be racing in the Western PA Soap Box Derby this Saturday, June 12 at 9AM.

Good luck in the race!

From Scoutmaster Gleason:

Why are these scouts standing in line? Because they can’t get enough of Summer Camp in the beautiful forests surrounding Marienville, PA. Activities are so popular that there seems to be a large crowd waiting to experience the joys of Boy Scout Camp.

Swimming, Canoeing, BB Guns, Merit Badge Classes, Dutch Oven Cooking, Rowing, Pioneering, CONTINUE READING >>

Check out these pictures of Troop 405’s summer camp in Loleta… over 50 years ago!

Swimming area and dam at Loleta Forest Camp, Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania.
Date: August 8, 1958

Old Forest Ranger meeting Boy Scouts from Troop 405.
This picture was taken of course in the higher elevations of Loleta Camp. Mr. Varhol is in the front center.
Date: Circa 1953

Ice cutting at Loleta Forest Camp, Pennsylvania for storage in seedling refrigerator. Small trees to be planted in the reforestation program on Allegheny National Forest must be kept cool and moist during the period preparatory to planting.
Date: February, 1936

Please join us under the Borough of Baden flag, which will be at half-staff, for a moment of remembrance for those who have sacrificed so much for us and our nation.

A Memorial Day program will take place with Baden Mayor Samuel J. Gagliardi and other community speakers. Taps will be played followed by one minute of silence.

Please take this time to participate in the annual, traditional Memorial Day Parade on Monday May 31, 2010. Our Troop has the honor of raising and lowering the flag.

“Memorial Day represents one day of national awareness and reverence, honoring those Americans who died while defending our Nation and its values. While we should honor these heroes every day for the profound contribution they have made to secure our Nation’s freedom, we should honor them especially on Memorial Day.”

Join Troop 405 in the parade; assemble at 8:45 a.m. at the Byersdale Field, Duss Avenue in Harmony Township. The parade is scheduled to start at 10:15 a.m. The parade route will travel along State Street through Baden for a distance of approximately 1 mile.

“Go to sleep, peaceful sleep,
May the soldier or sailor,
God keep.
On the land or the deep,
Safe in sleep.”
Verse from Taps

Baden Scouters Committee
Boy Scouts of America
Troop 405
Baden, Pennsylvania

Adventure Base 100, the Boy Scouts of America’s touring camp, is coming to Pittsburgh June 5-6 at the Heinz History Center!

Adventure Base 100 is a traveling 10,000 square foot hands-on, traveling base camp, complete with a ropes course, hands-on exhibits, a multi-sensory IMAX-like Go Scouting! Dome, and more that showcases Scouting’s history and future.

Admission is free. Hours of operation are from 9AM-6PM.

For more information on Adventure Base 100, visit AdventureBase100.org

Download the new health form (PDF)

Hello to all parents or guardians,

We are asking that you please take care of some important business for us. As you know we are planning and making preparations for Summer Camp 2010. BSA National has made a major change in the Health and Medical Records this year. They are requiring the new form to be filled out (we need a completed form for every scout, even if your son does not plan on going to summer camp) and kept on record for their Insurance and Liability purposes. All past records including last years forms are no longer recognized.
CONTINUE READING >>

Congratulations to the following Troop 405 Scouts who attend Ambridge Senior High/West Allegheny High School for such great academic achievements! Scouts are listed below:

High Honors

Eric Finkelstein
Evan Finkelstein
Justin Gleason

Honors

Dario Marasco
Nick McClure

Congratulations to Kevin and Alexandra Larson, who recently wedded on April 17, 2010! Best wishes to the newly married couple!

Hello everyone!

We will be starting to work on my Eagle Scout Project this Saturday April 24th at the Legion in Baden at 8:00 AM.

The primary focus will be on restoration of the flagpole, but we will also have a group cleaning up the area around Ryan’s firepit and the parking lot at the Legion. CONTINUE READING >>

Our Troop Area is now up and running! There, you will find a Camping Essentials checklist, Troop 405 apparel catalog, list of Troop Committee members, Scout advancement roster, the sheet music to our Troop song “Scouts of Baden 405,” and resources to help you earn Merit Badges.

Make sure to check it out!

Congratulations to Michael Deschaine on earning his Eagle Scout award!

Michael passed his Eagle Scout Board of Review last night at our weekly Scout meeting and is now Troop 405’s most recent Eagle Scout.

Make sure you read the Post-Gazette article about Michael’s Eagle Scout project: coordinating with Operation Safety Net to help the homeless of Pittsburgh move from streets into apartments.

Have you ever wondered what Troop 405 was like in the 1950’s? Mr. Fred Kobsik, a Troop 405 Scout who received his Eagle Scout award from the Troop in 1961, has shared the following story with us. He tells us about his first overnight camp. Read it below!!

“When I was 11 years old, I went on my first overnight camp. I didn’t know what I was in for. The trip was a “survival camp” CONTINUE READING >>

Congratulations to Grant Miller on a scholarship award from a Troop 405 Eagle Scout from 1961: Mr. Fred Kobsik!

Thank you to Mr. Kobsik for your generous donation!!

It’s that time of year again where we help those in need by doing a huge Good Turn: Scouting for Food.

Scouting for Food will be on Saturday, April 10 and Saturday, April 17. We will meet at the Baden American Legion at 9:00AM. We will pass out bags on the 10th, and pick up food on the 17th.

Donations will benefit the Baden United Methodist Church’s We Care Food Cupboard.

Here is the start of a monthly question and answer series! This month’s question is: What is your favorite Scouting memory?

How do you answer? Just type a comment, post on our Facebook page, send a “tweet” on Twitter to @baden405, or email us at baden405[at]gmail.com (just replace the [at] with @)! CONTINUE READING >>

Congratulations, Scoutmaster Gleason! Mr. Gleason will be awarded the Scoutmaster of the Year Award for the second consecutive year today, March 18, at the Greater Pittsburgh Council’s 100th Anniversary Volunteer Celebration in Heinz Field!

CONGRATULATIONS, Scoutmaster Gleason, from the entire Troop!!

Introducing the NEW Baden405.com!

Our website has been updated with a new look, but that’s not all. We now have a blog, videos, photo slide show, and an updated Troop Area called ScoutLog (coming soon).
CONTINUE READING >>

Hello Scouters,

We will be camping at Brush Creek Park on the bridge for the weekend of March 19th – 21st. We will leave from the scout garage at 6:00 PM SHARP, returning on Sunday between 9AM-10AM. COST: free.
CONTINUE READING >>

Good morning scouts,

We have a special event that will be coming up in late September.  Back in the day when I was a young dinosaur, the 8th and 9th National Scout Jamboree was held in our own backyard.  Right in Moraine State Park! CONTINUE READING >>

When Michael Deschaine of Baden embarked on his Eagle Scout project, he picked a cause that would probably not occur to most middle-class teenagers. He decided to help the homeless.

Michael, 17, a junior at Ambridge Area High School, originally thought he would collect donations to buy and distribute sleeping bags to CONTINUE READING >>

The Boy Scouts of America was founded on February 8, 1910 by William D. Boyce. An unknown Scout had guided him through a London fog in late 1909, and he was so inspired by this one good deed that he decided to bring Boy Scouting to the United States. It all started one foggy day in London…

CONTINUE READING >>

Well, the requirements for the highly anticipated (at least by me) Geocaching Merit Badge have been released. The Merit Badge seems pretty detailed, and looks like it will involve quite a few orienteering skills, and a lot of GPS use. What’s great is that the Merit Badge is not just hunting for geocaches; the Merit Badge even includes first aid.
CONTINUE READING >>