Merit badge opportunity: Fall Merit Badge Rally on October 24 in Winona, MN

Good morning,

I wanted to pass along another merit badge opportunity in October.

The Gamehaven Council is putting on a one-day Merit Badge Rally in Winona, MN, on Saturday, October 24.  They are offering a wide variety of 24 different badges to choose from.  It appears you could take 2, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  Note that most of these badges involve prerequisites (homework you'd do before the class) and showing your work in a workbook.  Materials and details are available on that website.

This is not a Troop 1 event, we are not managing sign-ups or providing transportation or supervision. You would need to sign up individually and provide your own transportation (or carpool with others). They also recommend that you bring a bag lunch, as they're not providing lunch as part of the event.

Registration opens tomorrow (September 29).

Learn more | Register

Reminder: Troop meeting tomorrow

Tomorrow night, we will meet as usual.  A few reminders about activities we have going on:

Troop Meeting: Physical fitness advancement | September 28, 6:30-8pm at MUMC

This is an opportunity to work on fitness requirements!  If you are working on Tenderfoot, Second Class, or First Class ranks, there are requirements to be physically active and log your exercise over 30 days.  We can use this time to complete the initial fitness tests, and we will re-test next month to see how much everyone has improved after their 30-day plan.

Jill will also be available to help scouts work on the Personal Fitness merit badge.

Scouts who are not working on either of these can help the others with the fitness tests, and help design the skills relay planned for next week.  You can also help each other with general advancement requirements.  Bring your scout handbooks!

Wreath and popcorn sales

How are the sales going?  It looks like we have a couple open shifts for popcorn sales at Cub Foods in Edina on October 10.

Camp Staff and CIT opportunities

Do you really like going to summer camp, and want to spend more time there?  Tomahawk Scout Camp is hiring camp staff and CIT's for 2027.  It was a big growth experience for our scouts who worked as CIT's last year.  Full-summer, paid staff positions are available for youth 15 years or older, and counselor-in-training (CIT) positions are available to 14 and 15 year olds.  If you're interested, let me know and I'll send you more information.

Scoutmaster Dispatch: Campouts, Troop meetings, and Wreath and Popcorn sales

Hello Troop 1!

I hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend and the beginning of the school year is treating you well.  Our newly installed leaders met last Monday at the PLC (Patrol Leader's Conference) to plan our fall activities.

Troop Meeting: Pack 1 street party, pre-camp meeting | September 14, 6:30-8pm at MUMC

• This coming Monday, Pack 1 is kicking off the school year with a street party in front of the church. Activities will include an inflatable archery range and inflatable axe throwing.  They have asked us to help run these games for the Cub Scouts, so let's help out!  The Pack event begins at 6 with a flag ceremony, so feel free to arrive early if that works for your schedule.
• Scouts are also welcome to use this as open time to work on advancement.
• Pack event will wind down at 7:30.  Those of us attending the September campout should meet for pre-camp planning.  Because food will be provided by our camp hosts, we don't need to do our usual menu planning, but we should talk through what to expect.  If this is the first time you've camped with Troop 1, please plan for both the scout and a parent to attend.
• There will also be a Troop 1 Committee meeting at 6:45.  All parents are welcome!

Wreath sales begin! | Week of September 14

• The wreath order forms and online sales will go live this week.
• Links and information here

American Indian Culture Campout | September 18-20

• We have an opportunity to earn the American Indian Culture Merit Badge, taught at the Mille Lacs Lake Indian Museum and Trading Post.  We will stay nearby at the Birch Bend campground, about a 20-minute drive away.
• Several spots are still open, so you can still sign up if you have not yet already.

Sign up | See who's going

Popcorn sales begin! | September 19

• You may stop in at Base Camp for the kickoff event between 5-8pm to learn some sales skills.
• You can start selling popcorn using the app to earn Cane's certificates and other prizes.
• Sign up through the app to sell popcorn in-person at Cub Foods stores during our assigned shifts on September 19, 20, 21, 24, and October 10.
• More links and information here

No Troop meeting on September 21, due to Yom Kippur

Troop Meeting: Physical fitness advancement | September 28, 6:30-8pm at MUMC

• This is an opportunity to work on fitness requirements!  If you are working on Tenderfoot, Second Class, or First Class ranks, there are requirements to be physically active and log your exercise over 30 days.  We can use this time to complete the initial fitness tests, and we will re-test next month to see how much everyone has improved after their 30-day plan.
• Jill will also be available to help scouts work on the Personal Fitness merit badge.

Troop Meeting: Scout Skills Power Hour | October 5, 6:30-8pm at MUMC

• Join us for a little competition between patrols!  Each patrol team will work through various scout skills such as knots, first aid, map and compass skills, in a relay format.  If you aren't familiar with these skills yet, this can be a fun way to learn.

Troop Meeting: 50th Street trash cleanup and camp planning | October 12, 6:30-8pm at MUMC

• Earn some conservation service hours by picking up trash along 50th Street.
• Representatives from each patrol planning to attend the October camp should stay back to plan our menu.  We'd like to try something new this trip: plan and purchase food as a troop but still cook as individual patrols (like we do at Tomahawk).  Everyone should bring meal ideas to this meeting so our menu planners have ideas to work with.
• Nicole will pick up wreath sales orders - make sure to bring the orders and payments.

Back to the Woods Campout | October 16-18 at Anderson Scout Camp

• This is a "Back-to-the-Woods" camp. We will be in tents, cooking and sleeping outdoors. We will work on outdoor skills, rank advancement, and have plenty of free time for fun and games.
• Pack 1 is camping a short hike away, and Arrow of Light scouts will join us to gain camping experience with the Troop.

Sign up | See who's going

Patrol Leader's Council (PLC) | October 19, 6:30-8pm at MUMC

• Senior patrol leaders, assistant senior patrol leaders, patrol leaders, the scribe, and anyone else interested will plan out the next month's activities.

In-person wreath sales due to Nicole | October 20

Online wreath sales due to Nicole | October 24

Save the date: Wreath pickup | Saturday, November 14 at Northrup Elementary School

• We need scouts to be there early at 9:00 am to help unload the truck and sort & build all the orders for the Troop and Pack. Orders are triple checked.  No order leaves the parking lot without Nicole’s approval.
• If you are not able to attend, please let us know ASAP.  You must arrange to pick up all of your items during our delivery window as we do not have storage.
• Customer delivery should be by Thanksgiving. 

Scoutmaster Transition and Family Troop

Hello Scouts and Scout families! Two pieces of news for those who were unable to attend the Court of Honor on August 24.

First, I (Scoutmaster Nixon) announced that I was stepping down after 4 years leading Troop 1. It has been a great run and I am thankful for everyone who made my time as Scoutmaster a success - working with youth in the Troop has been so rewarding! As my son nears his 18th birthday, I feel it is the right time to change to a less active leadership position in Troop 1. I will transition to a Committee Member role, and continue to serve as a Merit Badge counselor and as an Associate Advisor for Crew 1.

Second, Troop 1 is moving to a Family Troop model. With this change, all youth in our unit - boys and girls - will be part of a fully co-ed Troop, with one Scoutmaster. I am pleased to announce that Jill Towle will serve as the first Scoutmaster of our new co-ed unit. Please join me in congratulating Scoutmaster Towle!

For Scouts, the biggest change will be that all youth will work with Jill for Scoutmaster Conferences and to request signatures on blue cards. For our leadership, this change will allow us to better serve the youth in our Troop and their families.

Other than that, our Troop will continue to run as usual. The Troop is in good hands - Jill is an experienced, amazing leader and I look forward to seeing her set a positive example for our Scouts.

Scoutmaster Dispatch: Birds of prey, conservation projects, advancement opportunities, and more!

 Hello Troop 1!

Your Patrol Leader's Council (PLC) met Monday night to plan our activities for the remainder of the summer.  We have some fun outdoor and conservation activities, as well as meeting time to focus on advancement started at camp, and the Eagle-required Family Life merit badge.

July and August Merit Badge Opportunities | North Star Museum, North St. Paul, $20 fee

Several Eagle-required half-day merit badge classes are happening at the North Star Museum in North St. Paul, including all the Citizenship badges, Personal Management, Scouting Heritage, Communication, Sustainability, and Law.  You can sign up for these individually, please review the prerequisites carefully.

More details and signup

Troop meeting: Raptors with Troop 196 | July 27, 5:30pm at MUMC

Troop 196, from Diamond Lake Lutheran Church, invited us to join them for the evening.  They are having a speaker from the U of M Raptor Center show some birds of prey, maybe even an eagle!  We will meet at 5:30 at MUMC, and carpool to their church, which is about a 10-minute drive.  This sign-up form helps us estimate seats and riders, please fill it out if you plan to attend.

Note the time change: we're meeting an hour early at 5:30.  If you plan to drive directly to DLL Church, please be there and ready by 6pm.  We may wrap up early once we return to MUMC, given the early start time.

Sign up | See who's going

Troop meeting: Family Life and advancement | August 3, 6:30-8pm at MUMC

This is your time to work with Merit Badge counselors and other scouts to finish up rank advancement or Merit Badge requirements.  If you need a Scoutmaster conference or Board of Review with our committee to achieve the next rank before the court of honor at the end of the month, please let us know so we can schedule it for the next few weeks.

Apostle Islands sailing trip | August 5-10

A few scouts and adults will head up to the Apostle Islands to camp and sail a 60' ship around the islands!

Starry Trek | Saturday, August 8, 8:30-1pm, Central Park Pavilion in Eagan (map)

We will join other volunteers at locations across Minnesota for a day of searching for starry stonewort, mystery snails, and other aquatic invasive species!  We'll meet in Eagan for training and then split into small groups.  Each group will drive to up to 5 different lake access points to look for invasive species and will report back with results by 1pm.

Both scouts and drivers should sign up!

More information (please don't register on this page; we'll register the troop)

Sign up | See who's going

Advancement in the Park | Sunday, August 9

This is a great opportunity to spend time outside while working on outdoor rank or merit badge requirements.

Troop meeting: Family Life and advancement | August 10, 6:30-8pm at MUMC

This is your time to work with Merit Badge counselors and other scouts to finish up rank advancement or Merit Badge requirements, Scoutmaster conferences or Board of Reviews.

Troop meeting: Elections | August 17, 6:30-8pm at MUMC

Would you like to serve in any of our positions of responsibility this fall?  Think about how you would like to serve and why you would be a good fit for that role. You'll have an opportunity to give a short speech and then we'll vote.  This term will last from September through December.

Troop 1 and Crew 1 Court of Honor | August 17, 6:30-8pm at MUMC

Let's celebrate all our hard work and accomplishments this summer!  Scouts should arrive at 6:30 to help set up, the ceremony itself will begin around 7.  We'll award scouts their new ranks and merit badges earned this summer, as well as some advancement from our Venturing Crew 1 members.

American Indian Culture Campout | September 18-20

We have an opportunity to earn the American Indian Culture Merit Badge, taught at the Mille Lacs Lake Indian Museum and Trading Post.  We will stay nearby at the Birch Bend campground, about a 20-minute drive away.  

Sign up | See who's going

Looking forward to these fun activities together!

Scoutmasters Joshua Nixon and Jill Towle

Scoutmaster Dispatch: Swim day, merit badge opportunities, and Tomahawk camp prep

Hello Troop 1,

Your Patrol Leader's Council met this evening to plan out the next few weeks of activities.

Troop meeting: Swim day! | June 22, 6:30-8, at Lake Nokomis little beach

We had so much fun at the beach, let's have another swim day!  This one is just for fun (we aren't planning on holding more pre-camp swim tests).  We could also work on some swim-related rank requirements such as water rescues.

2026 Public Safety Merit Badge Event | June 27, 2026, 8am-4pm

Scouts have an opportunity to start on merit badges with the Cottage Grove Department of Public Safety (Police, Fire/EMS and Emergency Management).  Scouts can learn from police officers, firefighter/paramedics, and other public safety professionals.  Merit badge selection includes:

• Crime Prevention and Fingerprinting
• Fire Safety
• First Aid
• Emergency Preparedness
• Search and Rescue
• Rifle Shooting
• Cybersecurity
• Radio
• Health Care Professions
• Traffic Safety

Please sign up here by Saturday, June 20

Sign up | See who's going

Troop meeting: Camp advice and patrol box prep | June 29, 6:30-8, at MUMC

Our Tomahawk Scout Camp veterans have some tips and advice they'd like to share with scouts newer to camp.  We will also check our patrol boxes to ensure they are ready for camp.

Troop meeting: Camp planning | July 6, 6:30-8, at MUMC

We'll finish prepping the patrol boxes, replacing any missing items identified the previous week.   We can also split into patrols to start our duty rosters for camp.

Finally, we will cover wildlife safety, including bears and ticks.  Tomahawk requires us to complete this training annually with all campers (youth and adults) so please make a point of attending this one if you plan to be at camp.

We'll have plenty of time for questions as well!

Thank you,

Scoutmasters Nixon and Towle

Public safety merit badge opportunity on Saturday June 27

Hello Troop 1,

We have an opportunity to work on several different public safety-related merit badges with the professionals in the City of Cottage Grove.  This is a one-day event on Saturday, June 27, from 8am-4pm, with lunch provided.  The cost of the event is $50 per scout.

More details and merit badge class descriptions

Scouts can attend with their parent, OR we can attend as a troop if we have 2 (or more) adult leaders registered with Troop 1 who are willing to provide the necessary supervision.  If you are willing to attend in either capacity, please indicate this on our signup form.  Adults attending as leaders or chaperones must register, but there is no charge to attend.

I realize this is somewhat short notice.  If you register on our Google form by this Saturday, June 20, I can get the registration to the organizers by the deadline on the following day.

Description of the event:

2026 Public Safety Merit Badge Event
June 27, 2026, 8am-4pm

Located at the HERO Training Facility (Map)

The Cottage Grove Department of Public Safety (Police, Fire/EMS and Emergency Management) in partnership with Northern Star Scouting is excited to host a Public Safety Merit Badge Day. Scouts are welcomed to discover the world of public safety and learn from Police Officers, Firefighter/Paramedics and other Public Safety professionals.

Scouts will have the opportunity to choose from over eight Public Safety related merit badges including:

• Crime Prevention and Fingerprinting
• Fire Safety
• First Aid
• Emergency Preparedness
• Search and Rescue
• Rifle Shooting
• Cybersecurity
• Radio
• Health Care Professions
• Traffic Safety

At the end of the merit badge sessions, Scouts will have the opportunity to observe a simulated emergency. Cottage Grove Public Safety is excited to host Scouts to help them achieve their goal to Be Prepared and inspire Scouts to learn more about rewarding careers in Public Safety.

Please sign up here if you are interested in attending this event:

Sign up | See who's going

Thank you,

Scoutmasters Nixon and Towle