The Troop does not currently charge troop dues.

BSA registration is $66 per year, in addition to a $10 council fee, for a total of $76 per year in registration for a scout. Adult registration is $52 per year.

In addition, there is a completely optional monthly subscription cost to receive the Boy's Life magazine.

 

There is a modest "food fee" for each monthly camping trip.  Cost varies depending on outing.

Fund Raisers are held as needed to fund new equipment, more elaborate camping destinations, or to allow boys to fund their OWN "scout account".

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Monthly "camp fee" (food fee) - Each patrol creates their own menu for the monthly camping trip and can decide to raise or lower this fee to be aligned with their menu choices and cost of site.   TYPICALLY, this is $15-$25 each month. 

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Summer Camp Fee - Week-long Summer Camp is a great experience, and we encourage Scouts to attend every year.   The average fee is $200.   Please start saving for this NOW so that Camp is not a "financial burden" when payment is  due (usually April of each year).  Camperships are available.

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Fund Raising - held as needed to supplement the cost of running the Troop.  Covers new/replacement equipment (tents, stoves, cook gear, propane tanks, etc), or to cover the cost of more elaborate camping destinations.  A portion is usually designated for Scout Accounts.

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Scout Accounts - The Troop allocates a portion of dues and fund raising to each participating boy's own "Scout Account".  This encourages boys to actively participate in fund raising efforts.  The harder a Scout works, the more he will earn for himself.    Funds are held in escrow by the Troop Treasurer, and can be used to reimburse Scouts for Scouting-related expenses. 

The Boy Scouts Of America Program is a 100 year old professionally crafted program of education and character development.  By using the "Outdoor Method" (camping, fishing, rock climbing, etc)  boys work together to do "the things boys like to do".  In the process, they learn the value of teamwork, honesty, communication, mutual respect, and more as they work towards their goal and overcome any obstacles they encounter.

By employing the Methods of Scouting, we reinforce the AIMS of Scouting, which are reflected in our Oath and Law.  The goal is to see that they become permanant fixtures in the character of each Boy Scout as we teach them to be Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrift, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.
 

We certainly won't send the "Scout Police" out to find you if you don't show up, but you miss out on a big part of the BSA Program if you don't attend regularly.

Scouting is NOT just playtime, or "Billy's weekend fun" away from his kid sister.   Scouting is a carefully crafted character-development program.  Each boy is a member of a PATROL, and as such, is part of a smaller group (as compared to the whole Troop of boys) where he is given AMPLE opportunity to play an active and valuable "hands on" role in the patrol's success. 

A boy who shows up sporadically DEPRIVES himself of the chance to make key decisions within his patrol; choose trip ideas and destinations, make menu selections, divy out workload, and build close friendships.  Every meeting includes a period of valuable skill instruction and fun interpatrol competitions that relate to the upcoming camping trip. If a boys misses a meeting, he will find himself less prepared for the upcoming weekend in the outdoors.  The troop meetings are where we "learn", but the camping trip is where we reinforce the skills by putting them into practical use.

Scouts should make every effort to attend meetings on a regular basis.   Those who don't are missing out on the full experience of their limited Scouting years, and are causing their patrol members to do the same.

There is no limit to the number of merit badges a Scout can have "open" at one time.   He may start working on Merit Badges the day he signs his registration form and has until his 18th birthday to complete the work.

Some units impose their own limits, but that is NOT BSA policy, and therefore, we do not endorse such restrictions.

That being said, the idea is to LEARN about a particular topic through the Merit Badge Program.  A boy will be best-served if he strives to complete the work for a badge in a short enough time frame that ALL the information/lessons remain relevant.  Again, this is at the Scout's discretion.

If you mean "work with your son" like you did in Cub Scouts, the answer is NO.   There is little 1-on-1 work as a Boy Scout.

Make no mistake... You are welcome, but Boy Scouting is a new phase of his personal development. 

"Dads & Lads" was the Cub Scout model.  Your presense helped to guide him, keep him under control, and reinforce the importance of "family", but as a Boy Scout, he needs to focus more on himself, and on working with peers. 

He's becoming a young man and needs to start interacting with other adults like the Scout Master, Assistant Scout Masters, and various Merit Badge Councilors.  He also needs to become comfortable with working without adults hovering over him as he works with his patrol.

Yup... it probably would.  But why would we want that?

This is BOY SCOUTS... not "fathers getting away for the weekend" Scouts... nor is it "WEBELOS 3" where adults are in the leadership role as in the Cub Scout program.

This is where boys LEARN and DEVELOP their leadership skills so they can become capable young men.   We DON'T EXPECT them to be the most efficient and organized leaders (and neither should you). 

This is their learning ground.  Here is where we want the "mistakes" to happen, so they can learn from them.   This is how we TEACH leadership skills instead of getting adults to "step in" because we could be "more efficient".

Remember... the program is NOT DESIGNED to run perfectly.

They may elect their "best friend" instead of the "most qualified"... and they will experience the consequences of casting a "careless vote".  They may elect the Class Clown instead of the Class President... and NEED to "suffer" through a few months of a weaker or chaotic Program.

Remember, NOTHING happens here by accident.  Trust us. Trust the 100 year old program. Have faith.   Keep your boy coming ESPECIALLY if he comes home with a few "complaints" on how things are being done.  Ask him what he would do differently or what he did to try to correct what appears to be a "screwed up" situtation.  HERE is where the Program really shows its value.

NOW you know...  "bigger things" are happening here than meets the eye.    :-)