Troop 1 Katonah, New York

Katonah Troop 1 - Winter Court of Honor

The Katonah Troop 1 Winter Court of Honor will be held this Thursday, December 17 in the Cafeteria at Katonah Elementary School. Scouts should arrive at 7:30, we will start at 8:00pm. All Scouts, their friends, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and college-roommate's-brother's-cousin's-friend's-sister are invited. Many of our Scouts have earned rank advancement and merit badges, so please join us and share in our proud accomplishments!

The 2009 Kaaterskill Falls campout was great this year. The weather was perfect with November 7 weekend with sun and mid 50's on Saturday with low's in the high 20's at night. On Saturday, we drove straight to South Mountain and hiked approximately 5 miles around the "Rim Trail" to the site of the " Mountain House " that we visited to last year. We had lunch on the hike and all along the way were very dramatic views from the trail which at many times followed along the edge of an extremely high cliff! Even at the end of the hike, we enjoyed wonderful views of the Hudson Valley all the way to the Berkshires in Massachusetts. After the hike, we went straight to our campsite near Colgate Lake , set up camp, made dinner, and had our usual fun campfire. In the morning, we broke camp and drove to Kaaterskill Falls and made the .5 mile hike up to see them and were just as spellbound by their beauty as last year. And were then on our way home after a very fu...

On October 23, 24, and 25, Troop 1 Katonah attended the 2009 Combined Fall Camporee, consisting of both Manitoga and Muscoot districts. When arriving at Durland Scout Reservation Friday night, troops set up camp in a number of campsites, ranging from down in the 30's to way up in the 40's. Saturday morning, both districts assembled their troops at Campsite 37 for the opening ceremonies, where they were assigned their patrol numbers, and starting stations. After some opening remarks from Otto, patrols were dismissed and sent off to hit the trail and compete for the highest score. The skill stations included First Aid where patrols had to tend to a fallen patrol leader who suffered from a compound upper arm fracture; Signaling in which patrols had to decifer a Morse code message sent by wig-wag; Cooking which required patrols to make a meal from scratch using tinfoil techniques on a bed of coals; and Maps and Trail Signs where patrols had to follow a course of "blazes...

Just a few reminders about popcorn sales... As you know, the sale of Trail's End popcorn products is a fundraiser that not only benefits Westchester-Putnam Council, but also directly benefits Katonah Troop 1! POPCORN TAKE ORDER FORMS are due in at the November 12th, troop meeting. That is the deadline but that still leaves plenty of time to add some more sales to take order forms. UPCOMING SHOW & SELL DATES Monday, November 9th at the Katonah Railroad Station (4:45 to 6:45pm) We will be set up on both the Jay St. and Katonah Ave. side of the tracks, so please let us know if you can help out. Veteran's Day - Wednesday, November 11th - in the alley way between Wooden Nickel Deli and Sgaglio's Marketplace (2:00 to 4:30pm). Again please let us know if you are available to work either the early shift from 2:00 to 3:15 or the later shift from 3:15 to 4:30. Please remember to come out in full Scout uniform. Please contact John Albert if you have any questions: (914) 924-0170...

Our troop will be traveling to Kaaterskill Falls in the Catskills, near Hunter Mountain for a weekend camping trip. Please contact your patrol leader to confirm that you are attending. To see photos from last year's trip, click here ! We will be leaving from KES Saturday morning at 8:00am and returning to Katonah Sunday afternoon. Please come to Thursday's meeting with your pack fully packed, and your permission slip and your equipment list signed by your parents.

Dr. William H. Smith (known simply as “Doc” to his friends) was Scoutmaster of Katonah Troop 1 for more than fifty years, serving the youth of our community and providing endless life instruction with a good dose of humor. As we continue to sort through Doc’s vast collection accumulated over a lifetime of Scouting adventures, we have discovered this special report on the very first canoe trip to Maine in 1954! It sounds like the first trip was truly an adventure, and we learn where certain traditions came from (like going to the movies in North Conway). We present Doc’s report in the only way we can… in the colorful descriptive tone of his own words! –Otto Vondrak, ASM “Friday the 13th dawned bright and clear, perhaps if would be more correct to say, really dawned. This was an important day for Boy Scout members of Troop No. 1, Katonah, since it was the first time in the history of this troop that we have really tried a camping expedition. I had been toying with the idea during the wi...

Katonah Troop 1 particpated in the Combined Manitoga-Muscoot Fall Camporee held at Durland Scout Reservation at Clear Lake on October 23-25. The weather was rainy (heavy at times), but our three patrols managed to get through all five stations (First Aid, Map Reading, Cooking, Signal Flags, and Pioneering) with flying colors! Katonah shared top honors with Ossining Troop 49 from Manitoga District, who, coincidentally, were our neighbors for the weekend. More details to follow!

Please come to the October 8 meeting with your pack fully packed in preparation for our October 10 camping trip to Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. If you have questions about gear or are missing something, please talk to your Patrol Leader. RECCOMMENDED PERSONAL GEAR: Personal medications/allergy treatments (if required) Personal First Aid Kit Approved pocket knife or multi-tool Matches, approved fire starters – NO LIQUID FUELS! Compass, or GPS if you want to be fancy about it Flashlight or lantern with fresh batteries Raingear and weather appropriate clothing Canteen/Nalgene bottle of water (no bottles of soda) Mess Kit – plate, knife, fork, spoon, cup Sleeping bag, sleeping pad or air mattress Toilet Kit including soap, toothbrush and toothpaste Deep woods repellent for Deer Ticks 2 or 3 garbage bags for waterproofing and carrying trash Backpack for day activities Complete change of clothes including fresh socks and underwear Work gloves or gardening gloves Proper footgear – SNEAKERS A...

The new troop schedule for 2009-2010 can be found here . Our first meeting will be September 17 at Katonah Elementary School. Scouts should attend in full uniform, and bring their Scout Handbook to every meeting. All Scouts should arrive at the gym by 7:15pm. Our first activity will be a day trip to the Orange County Fair Speedway for a Demolition Derby night on September 19! We will need drivers for this event (not to enter in the Demolition Derby, but to bring our Scouts back and forth to Middletown!). Hope to see you there!

August 2009 - Camp Bucksin at Curtis S. Read Scout Reservation This past August Troop 1 Katonah spent a week at Curtis S. Read Scout Reservation where our troop earned more than 50 merit badges during our stay at Camp Buckskin! The troop stayed in our "traditional" location at Cimarron campsite. We carried out different activities within the campsite, including flag-raising ceremonies, and other camp duties such as latrine cleaning and cleaning up garbage along the trails. Throughout the week, the 15 scouts from the troop earned merit badges ranging from Rifle Shooting, to Archery, to Reptile and Amphibian Study, to Swimming, to Canoeing. Together, these total over 50 merit badges among 15 scouts. Our troop also took part in many camp-wide events. There was the "The Silver Bullet," which was a rifle shooting competition, and "Robinhood," which was an archery competition. "The Carboard Boat Race" consisted of troops trying to build the best boat m...

Well HELLO CAMPERS!! Yes, it is that time again. Time to start thinking about Boy Scout Summer Camp! Once again, Troop 1 Katonah will be enjoying an exciting week (Aug. 9-15) at Camp Buckskin , at the Curtis S. Read Scout reservation in the Adirondacks. Just a few reminders: -We will be leaving KES at 8:30 on Sunday, August 9 and returning approximately 2pm on Saturday, August 15. -We have 15 boys going and 6 fathers!. But if anyone knows of anyone else who would like to go, please let me know. There is still time to register. -PLEASE RE READ the SUMMER CAMP PARENT'S GUIDE !! VERY IMPORTANT. MUCH INFORMATION TO KNOW BEFORE DEPARTURE. - Medical forms are not a last-minute thing since they are so complicated this year - Doctors won't like them. When you have them, please keep them and give them to me when we leave. -Parents, please also sign the "out of camp" permission forms just in case we decide to do an out of camp activity. -Some activities we will do this ...

Chris Kristensen and his son recreate a classic pose while playing chess on Saturday night... Last weekend, Troop 1 Katonah went on their annual trip to Maine to go canoeing on the Saco river. We departed from Katonah Elementary School at 10:00am and arrived at Doc's cabin in Freyburg, Maine at around 5:00pm. Once there, the patrols moved into the second floor of the newly built barn where they lived for the weekend. Even though Doc passed away last year, he left his cabin to our Scouting family so that our troop could continue to enjoy it for years to come. Scoutmaster Hank Tschorn and his wife Mary have seen to that. The next morning we left the cabin with all of the canoes and headed to the launching point. Due to the non-stop downpours the water level was higher than normal, causing the authorities to close the upper part of the Saco River above Swans Falls. We could only be able to do part of the second half of the river, and therefore not camping out overnight. We launched o...

Our Troop celebrated 90 years of Scout service at our Spring Court of Honor on June 18. We had many, many awards to hand out that evening. There were 17 Tenderfoot, 1 Star, and 2 Life rank advancements handed out. We also handed out many merit badge awards, and one Scout described the Eagle project he is about to embark upon. There were a few "surprises" at the end, including an unexpected token of appreciation from the parents to the Scoutmasters, a special "honor" for Hank's 40 years of service to the Troop as Scoutmaster, and an early birthday celebration for Otto. Jen Tschorn provided these photos... News clippings, old photos, and other souvenirs of our ninety years of history were on display at our June Court of Honor. The yellow neckerchief is from a 1967 World Scout Conference in Kanderstag, Switzerland, where Doc Smith led 20 boys on a three-week tour of Europe. The merit badge sash is from Neal Pronay, and dates from the 1940s. Generations of Scou...

1910s American businessman W.D. Boyce brought the concept of Boy Scouting to our shores in 1910. Boyce was convinced that the ideals of Scouting would be a perfect fit for the youth of America. At that time, our village was still settling down into its new location. Only thirteen years prior, the village was picked up and moved to avoid being wiped off the map by the new Muscoot Reservoir . Life in “New Katonah” also included new technology, with electric and telephone service introduced around 1916. The last horse was sold at the local livery stable in 1917, and automobiles were becoming more common. As America was looking forward to the promise of the next decade, the world was becoming a very different place. America was recovering from its first global conflict, then known as the “War to End All Wars.” The Armistice treaty was signed in November 1918, officially ending the hostilities of World War I. The newly formed League of Nations was formed to promote peace and broker resol...

On June 18, Troop 1 made a special after-hours visit to Kelloggs & Lawrence hardware store to tour their new Outdoors Dept . The Scouts learned about all sorts of essential specialized equipment that could make their stay in the outdoors that much more comfortable. From clothing to packs to tools to tents, it was an enjoyable and informative evening.   Learning how proper fit is essential for a comfortable pack   Exploring the Outdoors Dept. for essential items, under the watchful eye of Scoutmaster Hank Tschorn   The patrol reports on their findings       Next, we went upstairs into the attic to try assembling various kinds of nylon tents    Assistant Scoutmasters Dennis Winthers and Chris Kristensen listen to the Scouts' presentations and questions   Katonah native and troop volunteer Alex Bacon with his father at Kelloggs & Lawrence