Every spring the Troop gets together for a Troop Organization Workshop to decide on the activities and events that they want to pursue during the next scouting year. While some of the activities are tried and true Troop 200 traditions, the boys do like to try new and different things! In 2020-21 we have a lot of great adventures and activities planned, but remain flexible as things change due to COVID-19. Stay tuned for more info, but below are some of the things we’ve done in the recent past.
2020-21
- Hiking around NJ and PA as we prepare for Philmont 2021
- Orienteering at Round Valley
- Iron Chef cooking competition
- Winter camp-out at Ockanickon Scout Reservations
- We collected 8 tons of food for local food pantries
- Fall Court of Honor at the Polish Americans Citizens Club
- Rocket Launch with Pack 190 at the Lebanon Baptist Camp
- Clean-up at the 1750’s Gitlow Homestead in Clinton Township
- Hobo/Movie campout at Round Valley Youth Center
- Recruiting Events: Manhunt Monday, Minute-to-Win-it Night, etc.
- Court of Honor for our 91st Eagle Scout at Holjes-Sheppard Memorial Park
- Hiking, camping and time on the range (Hawk Mountain Scout Reservation and the Appalachian Trail)
- Hiking and camping on the Appalachian Trail (Hickory Run State Park)
Check out the list of activities that the Troop has participated in during the 2019-20 scouting year:
- We met regularly over the summer, getting outdoors as much as possible to hike, kayak, fish and more. We even held several ‘clean-up days’ in Clinton.
- Readjusted, flexed and adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic. We continued to meet regularly via Zoom. We’ve earned merit badges, advanced in rank and so much more. So many of our plans were canceled or postponed, including: our Spring trip to Seabase Florida, an Eagle Court of Honor, our Spring Court of Honor, hikes, camping trips, By Boot or By Boat, our annual flag retirement ceremony and summer camp…but that didn’t stop us, we continued to meet all summer long, and when it was permitted, we met in person.
- Welcomed six new scouts into the troop…who quickly named themselves the Soaring Llamas patrol.
- Volunteered at the annual KofC pancake breakfast at Immaculate Conception Church. We also participated in ‘scouting for food’ at Walmart in Clinton.
- The Council of Ricks hiked near the Delaware Water Gap, prepping for Philmont 2020. The troop camped at NoBeBosCo and hiked the Appalachian Trail.
- Held our Winter Court of Honor, recognizing scouts for their achievements…including Nate N. who broke a troop record for merit badges earned. When all was said and done, he earned 106!
- We nominated four scouts for the Order of the Arrow, scouting’s honor society.
- Participated in Scout Sunday at Immaculate Conception Church…we’re proud to support the organization that does so much for us.
- Survived Klondike 2020...the icy rain, wind and mud didn’t stop us. We took home third place when it was all said and done.
- Went on a 4-mile snowy hike at the Cushetunk Mountain Nature Preserve.
- Welcomed our 91st Eagle Scout – Nate Nemeth.
- Spread holiday cheer at the Clinton Holiday Parade (did you see our float…the giant pontoon boat?). We caroled at Country Arch in Pittstown and had a holiday pizza party at the Lebanon Reformed Church. We also went indoor rock climbing in Doylestown.
- Earned our Cyberchips, worked on some wood projects, held several recruiting events like our Reptile Night and Turkey Bowl as well as our annual Family Thanksgiving.
- At our October Court of Honor we celebrated the achievements of our scouts. Some highlights: 55 Merit Badges were earned, Rusty earned the Mile Swim Award, Nate earned his 99th Merit Badge and 11 Scouts earned the BSA Kayaking Badge.
- One of our traditions is our ‘Movie’ campout’ at Round Valley Youth Center. Each patrol made movies and local Webelos are invited to join us. As always, we had a great time!
- We held a Manhunt Monday meeting where we invited Webelos and Arrows of Lights to join us to learn more about the troop.
- During September we attended several ‘back to school’ events and Pack activities.
- We had perfect weather (a bit windy, but no rain!) for our first camping trip of the year when we headed to Wildwood for Beach Jam. The boardwalk, body surfing in the ocean, hanging on the beach playing King of the Mountain, and endless rides…a perfect weekend.
- Our PLC began meeting in August and we held our first meeting of the year at Valley Crest Farm. We had three guests join us to learn more about the troop.
- We headed south to Virginia to spend a week at Camp Powhatan. It was one of the best camps we’ve been to and came home with over 4 dozen merit badges and a lifetime of memories!
Check out the list of activities that the Troop has participated in during the 2018-19 scouting year:
- We marched in Lebanon’s annual 4th of July parade and volunteered to help the committee set up and cleanup.
- Our annual By Boot or By Boat camp-out was even better than last year. We had great weather and enjoyed the weekend swimming, boating, and having a great time.
- In June, at our Spring Court of Honor, we recognized troop members who earned rank advancements and merit badges. We also took time to recognize outgoing Scoutmaster, Mike Marosy, and outgoing Committee Chairman Ed Marjorossy for their many dedicated years of service to our troop. We also welcomed new Scoutmaster, Jeff Lutz.
- In June we planned out next year at our annual TOW meeting. We made a lot of decisions which helped us get a jump start on planning the upcoming year.
- Two scouts from the Council of Ricks patrol became members of the Order of the Arrow after attending their Ordeal weekend. (Congrats Justin and Andrew!)
- We retired dozens of flags at our Flag Retirement Ceremony.
- In late April we held our annual Iron Chef competition at Ockanickon. This year’s theme was ‘All American’ and the secret ingredient was Pringles!
- We headed out to an indoor trampoline park one afternoon after the Ricks’ patrol event (skiing) was cancelled b/c of the rain.
- The Venomous Cobras patrol went indoor rock climbing, earning the climbing merit badge.
- In March we camped in northern NJ and took at 10+ mile hike through historic Jockey Hollow and visited nearby Washington’s HQ in Morristown. A group of us earned the Jockey Hollow medal, too.
- We headed to NOBEBOSCO where we camped in cabins, hiked a portion of the Appalachian Trail and had a great time. Our grub masters are really stepping up their games!
- We attended a Blue and Gold banquet.
- We volunteered at our the Immaculate Conception Church’s annual pancake breakfast.
- In February we participated in the annual Hunterdon Arrowhead District Food Drive.
- We participated in Scout Sunday at Immaculate Conception Church.
- Our Winter Court of Honor was held in February and we recognized many accomplishments across all levels of the troop.
- We participated in the Klondike derby and had a great time…looking forward to next year’s competition.
- Our 90th Eagle Scout, Zack Majorossy passed his Eagle Board of Review – congrats!
- We went caroling at Veteran’s Haven North & had a pizza party!
- We went on an urban hike through lower Manhattan. We toured the 9/11 museum and memorial, walked through Zucotti Park, down to Wall Street and beyond.
- We held a number of Merit Badge Mondays throughout the year, giving us the opportunity to earn a lot of badges including: Family Life, Dog Care, Communications, Engineering, Photography, Citizenship of the Nation, Art, and more!
- Held our annual Troop 200 Thanksgiving dinner.
- We hosted three WWII veterans to a special Veteran’s Day meeting, opening up the meeting to the general public. It was an amazing night hearing from these local heroes.
- We participated in popcorn sales and held our annual Christmas tree wreath sale at Immaculate Conception.
- At our October Court of Honor we celebrated the achievements of our scouts.
- In the fall, we held an Open House and met some really great Webelos who are looking to join a troop in February/March.
- We held annual ‘Movie’ campout at Round Valley Youth Center. Each patrol made movies (ask us about the sequel to last year’s Shrekenator!). We invited local Webelos to join us and had a lot of fun getting to know them!
- We held one of our very first meetings of the year at Valley Crest Farm and had a special guest, a scout from Israel come and share his scouting experiences with us. While some things are the same, some are very different! It was cool to hear from him.
- We spent a week at summer camp at Resica Falls. Tons to do…our scouts went four wheeling, learned about electronics and welding, earned tons of merit badges and had a great time in the Pocono Mountains.
Check out the list of activities that the Troop has participated in during the 2017-18 scouting year:
- In June, our Spring Court of Honor was held at Echo Hill Park. We recognized troop members who earned rank advancements and merit badges. We also took time to recognize two of our Eagle Scouts and two of our ASMs.
- Our annual By Boot or By Boat camp-out was even better than last year. Some of us took time out to earn our kayaking merit badges while others mastered the fine art of outdoor cooking!
- In June we planned out next year at our annual TOW meeting. Lots of great ideas: Boston or DC, a football game or a basketball game, Gettysburg or Mount Vernon, hiking the Appalachian Trail or Washington Crossing State Park, archery or rock climbing….we made some tough decisions and cannot wait until next year!
- We headed out to an indoor trampoline park one afternoon.
- We partnered with Valley Crest Farm and Preserve to host a Merit Badge Fair in May. There were over 19 badges to choose from and over 80 Boy Scouts from NY, NJ and PA attended.
- Over 150 people came out to help us retire worn US flags at our Flag Retirement Ceremony. The Lebanon Borough Fired Department, veterans, Rolling Thunder and the Cub Scouts helped out, too!
- During the first weekend of May we headed to Ockanickon for the Iron Chef. This year’s theme was Cinco de Mayo and the secret ingredient was chocolate!
- During April we hosted a meeting where scouts and volunteers shared military memorabilia and we also heard from veterans and active military personnel.
- In April we headed down to Sandy Hook for a camp-out. We toured the Nike Air Missile Center and hiked through one of the country’s oldest holly forests.
- During early spring we had two scouts pass their Eagle Boards of Review and we also held three Eagle Court of Honors!
- We held a New Parent Orientation meeting.
- The Council of Ricks patrol went on a very early spring camp-out over Spring Break where they worked on their survival and cooking skills.
- In March we headed to Frost Valley in the Catskills where we went cross country skiing, had a snowball fight, went rock climbing, went snow tubing, and many other cool activities.
- We went rock climbing in Doylestown.
- Between February and March we attended three Blue and Gold banquets and welcomed six new scouts into the troop.
- We volunteered at our the Immaculate Conception Church’s annual pancake breakfast.
- In February we participated in the annual Hunterdon Arrowhead District Food Drive, collecting over 400 bags of food at WalMart.
- Our Winter Court of Honor was held in February and we recognized many accomplishments across all levels of the troop, including a few Eagle Scouts!
- We spent the day at Cisco Systems working towards our Digital Technology merit badge.
- We went caroling at Veteran’s Haven North & had a pizza party!
- Council of Ricks hosted a Laser Tag event for friends and Webelos.
- We went rock climbing and camped overnight at the Gravity Vault in Doylestown.
- We worked on our Family Life merit badge – a requirement for Eagle!
- We welcomed two new members into the troop – glad they found us after moving into the area!
- Held our annual Troop 200 Thanksgiving dinner.
- Participated in the Washington Crossing Council’s rifle competition at Ockanickon.
- Held the dedication of the memorial at NHHS (a troop 200 Eagle Scout project).
- We participated in popcorn sales and held our annual Christmas tree wreath sale at Immaculate Conception.
- We headed up to West Point for an Army football game. Great time at the game and camping out.
- At our October Court of Honor we unveiled our new banners. 89 merit badges were earned, 3 scouts earned their Eagle rank and 1 earned their Eagle Palm/gold!
- We volunteered the Hunterdon Arrowhead District awards dinner in Flemington, had a Klondike Derby display table and met an astronaut.
- We held an Open House in September and happy to meet some of the Webelos who are looking to join a troop this winter.
- We held annual ‘Hobo’ campout at Round Valley Youth Center in September. Each patrol made movies (ask us about the sequel to last year’s Shrekenator!). We invited local Webelos to join us and had a lot of fun getting to know them!
- A group of us headed down to Wildwood, NJ for Beach Jam in mid-September. Perfect weather for rides, the beach and the boardwalk.
Here are some activities that the Troop participated in during the 2016-2017 scouting year:
- Sea Base Sailing Adventure – some of our older Scouts traveled to the Bahamas for Sea Base in over the summer.
- Summer Camp at Resica Falls. This year the troop headed to Resica Falls in East Stroudsburg, PA for a week of camp. Tons of options for badges – from First Aid and Woodworking to Geocaching and beyond! Plus a pick-up game of basketball and Gaga were an added bonus!
- In June we held a Court of Honor where many scouts received merit badges and advancements.
- By Boot or By Boot – weekend camping trip to Round Valley. Pontoons, kayaks and canoes were the transportation for the weekend. Hiking, campfires, swimming, boating and perfect weather made this a great weekend!
- Troop 200 traveled down the shore to attend the NJ State Police Camporee in May.
- West Point Camporee – once again Troop 200 made the trek to West Point, NY for this great event.
- A Merit Badge Fair was held in Spring where Scouts had the opportunity to earn multiple badges including: photography, fishing, personal management, scholarship, safety, dog care, citizenship in the nation and family life.
- In order to earn the America Labor merit badge, members of Troop 200 visited the Hunterdon County Education Association.
- Iron Chef and Back To Basics camp out at Ockanickon Scout Reservation in Pipersville, PA. Here, older Scouts helped newer Scouts learn basic camping skills and all participated in an outdoor cooking competition. This year’s secret ingredient? Berries.
- A group of boys headed up to Frost Valley in the NY Catskill Mountains for a Wilderness Survival Weekend. Activities included: zip-lining, hiking, archery, rock climbing, lots of sports and craft projects.
- To earn a portion of the Crime Prevention Merit Badge, the Troop visited the NJ State Police barracks in Perryville, NJ.
- Food Collection – Troop 200 was one of 37 scouting unit to collect over 13 tons of food for 12 area food pantries in early 2017. This is an annual event that we participate in.
- To earn a portion of the Citizenship in the Community Merit Badge, the Troop visited a Clinton Township Council meeting.
- The troop wend sledding at Hoffman Park in February.
- In December we spent the night on the Intrepid in NYC.
- November was all about the Navy – we headed down to Annapolis, MD and went to a Navy football game.
- We held our first Court of Honor of the 2016-17 year in October.
- We kicked off the 2016-17 Scouting year with a hobo camp out at Round Valley Youth Center.