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Great Plains District
Serving the Northwest North Dakota counties of Burke, Mountrail, McKenzie, Williams and Divide. Also serving the Northeast Montana counties of Sheridan, Daniels and a portion of Roosevelt.
District 14 Leadership
| District Chairman | Tim Horab | (701) 774-3156 |
| District Commissioner | Kevin Hammer | (701) 572-6416 |
| District Executive | Carleton Borden | (701) 566-0231 |
| Asst. Director of Field Service | Rob Gilkerson | (701) 223-7204 |
News and Current Events
Roundtable Themes:
July: Enjoy Your Summer, No Roundtable
August: Fall Program Launch, Fall Recruiting 101, Committee Meetings 101, Scouts Popcorn Sales Training. The Scout Popcorn Sales Training will begin at 6:30 pm at the Williston Area Recreation Center (The ARC) with Scouts having pool time afterwards until 8:30 pm Roundtable for adults will follow after the Popcorn orientation.
Summer Camp Season is soon upon us!
With Summer Camp Season just a few months away it is a good time to remind you that right now we are currently in Getting Your Camp-Physical Season. If any Scouting event lasts for more than 72 hours your need to take the proper Annual Health and Medical Record form to your doctor. Print your copy at https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/ahmr/
Marie Kondo Your Scout Closet
Now that the school year is almost over, Lions have become Tigers, Tigers to Wolf, Wolf to Bear, Bear to Webelos, Webelos to Arrow of Light, Arrow of Light to Scouts BSA, and High School Seniors have graduated from youth membership to adult leaders, consider going through your Scout closet. Look for equipment and especially uniforms or uniform parts you or your scout has outgrown. Speak with your Cubmaster/Scoutmaster about donating to the unit hand-me-down uniform supply closet. We want to make sure every scout has a uniform. If your unit does not have any more room for uniform part donations speak with our District Executive about what to do.
Scout Leaders if you have ‘antique’ uniforms over 20 years old that you want to clear out of your closet or are you a looking to collect antique uniform parts speak with Great Plains DE Carleton Borden, he will help put you two in contact with each other.
Local Uniform Supply
Want to buy your new uniform/uniform parts and want to support local?
Our Northern Lights Council has a National Supply Division Scout Shop at the Fargo Scout Center, and the Northern Lights Council operates a smaller Scout Store at the Bismarck Scout Center. These are both great local places to get your uniform and uniform parts. If you are not going to Fargo or Bismarck anytime soon but want to see and feel the uniform before you purchase our district has a local Scout Distributor in Williston. For those who do not know in the Great Plains District “All Seasons Sport About” in Williston is our Local Scout Supply Distributor.
If your unit wants to have uniforms (on consignment) available on Fall Roundup night for new scouts to try on and perhaps purchase speak with Our District Executive Carleton Borden before July 15 to coordinate which Scout supplier source would be a best option for your unit.
Western Spring Camporee
The Western Spring Camporee at Heart Butte Scout Reservation was a great success with over 219 Scouts and Scout Leaders in attendance. Scouts BSA Troop for Boys 1316 & 1368 both of Williston were representing the Great Plains at this great event. Our Scouts had a great time and brought home many great memories. If you want to help with next Spring's Camporee talk to our Activities Chair Tim Bishop. He will be leading our side of the Camporee planning for 2020.
How do I make my Pack Stronger in September?
There are five ways to strengthen your Cub Scouts Pack program.
Scout Leaders New Additional Online Resources
TroopLeader.org provides useful information and practical ideas to help make it easier for youth and adult troop leaders to present Scout meetings that are fun with positive outcomes. Included on the webpage are links to: Program Features / Planning / Training / Outings / General Troop Information / Recruiting New Members
ProgramResources.org Program Resources are designed to serve as a planning tool for troop leaders. Its aim is to provide resources that contribute to making parts of the meeting more meaningful, engaging, and fun. Included on this webpage are links to: Scout Meeting Activities / Ceremonies / Leaders Minutes
Cub Scout Summer Day Camp
June 15, 2019 at Lewis & Clark State Park (South Shelter)
On June 15 th 52 of the 57 registered Scouts and 32 Adult leaders converged on Lewis & Clark State Park for our Annual Cub Scout Day Camp. Fun times were had by all and the weather was absolutely perfect for Camp until 2:45 pm. Many thanks to Troop 1357 Stanley and Kier Jackson for her tireless work putting the event together. Many parents and Scouts commented that they had such a great time and cannot wait to go to camp again.
Youth Protection Training
The Great Plains District Northern Lights Council will come out to conduct Youth Protection Training to units that do not have reliable internet service in their community. As previously announced, a NEW Youth Protection Training course is required for all registered leaders before they will be able to renew their BSA membership. The Youth Protection Training certificate is good for two years.
Download the Youth Protection Training Flyer for dates and times of upcoming training sessions for people that want to become certified to conduct the new Youth Protection Training or just to complete the training for yourself.
Cub Scout Fun Day (Fall 2019)
October 5, 2019
Location TBD
The deadline for early bird registration will be Sunday, September 22, 2019.
Schedule for the Fun Day
8:00 am - Check in opens 
9:00 am - Opening ceremony 
...Fun Stuff...
4:00 pm - Closing ceremony 
4:30 pm - departure 
Please let us know if you and your unit is interested in volunteering at the Fall Cub Fun Day for the Great Plains District
2020 Great Plains District Races?
Cub Scouts, would you be interested in participating in a District-wide Pinewood Derby Race? This would be around the Home & Garden Show April 2020 timeframe.
Scouts BSA members, do you miss the thrill of racing your family-built Pinewood Derby car? Would you like to see your car fly down the track? We are surveying interest in having a District Blast Car race for our Scouts BSA Troops during December/January. What is Blast Car? Blastcar is a CO2 powered race car for Scouts BSA Troop scouts. A Blast Car is different from a Cub Scout pinewood derby car because a Blastcar is powered by a CO2 cartridge that blasts the car out of the starting gate, while a pinewood derby car is gravity powered. Blastcars are available at https://www.scoutshop.org/events/scouts-bsa.html
Please let Great Plains District Program Chair Tim Bishop know if you will be volunteering to help run these events.
Summer Office Hours @ Camp Wilderness
The week of July 14 - 20 our District Executive will be attending Camp Wilderness with his elder son. Come and visit with him either at his Canvas Office or near the coffee pot. His inspiration for his meetings at camp come from Frank Fellows Gray’s poem "An Invitation". Frank “Uncle” Gray was recognized by Lord Baden Powell himself as the founder of the first Boy Scout Troop in America.
An Invitation
Come, sit a while with me, Up in the old cabin shade, If the day is hot, There’s a cool verandah, And if there’s a chill, There’s a wood fire on the hearth, And there’s a book to read, Or chance to write a letter home.
So come sit a while with me, And talk about the old times and new, In the cabin by the lake.
"Uncle" 1935
Great Plains 2019 Fall Camporee
Join in on a weekend of adventure in celebration of Scouting.
Hosted by Williston Scouts BSA Troop for Boys 1316.
The 2019 Fall Camporee is open to all registered Scouts BSA Scouts, Sea Scouts, Venturers, Explorers, Scout Leaders and Scout Parents
Arrow of Light Dens and their Den Leaders are invited register and to come on Saturday to experience the day at Camporee with the Great Plains Scouts BSA Troops.
When: September 13-15 2019
Where:Lewis & Clark State Park, 4904 119th Road NW, Epping, ND 58843
Cost: TBA
Registration will be available Online after July 20.
Don’t miss the fun and excitement of the 2019 Fall Camporee, which will be held September 13-15, 2019 at Lewis & Clark State Park in Epping ND. Our program will be jam-packed with challenging activities, camp fires and most of all, excellent adventures. Parents and visitors are welcome and encouraged to attend the Fall Camporee.
Questions: contact Rita Squillace, Fall Camporee Coordinator Chair (510) 672-7770 or Misty Falcon.
Cancellation policy: Refunds for registered individuals not attending the event ay be given if the Great Plains District is notified in writing two weeks before the event except for medical reasons. Refunds for cancellations due to medical reasons will require a doctor’s note and be transmitted to the Great Plains District through your Scoutmaster/Cubmaster.
Klondike 2020
Relive the Days of the Gold Rush at Klondike Derby in February 2020.
Now Recruiting the 2020 Klondike Governor (chair) and the City (station) Mayors (Station chairs)!
The Klondike Derby is the premiere outdoors winter event in the Great Plains District, Northern Lights Council for Scouts BSA Troops, Explorer Posts, and Arrow of Light Webelos. In this event, patrols go on a trek through the many cities of the Klondike to compete in a variety of Scouting Skills competitions.
To sign up or volunteer speak with Tim Bishop District Program Chair
Additional information including equipment lists, health information, and other rules and regulations will come out at the October Roundtable.
Update your BeAScout pin today, so future Scouting families can find your Units
BeAScout.Org is a powerful tool to help parents find your unit. But, it only works if they are able to get the right information about your Unit. First impressions are everything, so it is important to keep your BeAScout pin up-to date. Find out how to update your BeAScout pin here.
Most Up To Date News?
Do you want to be in the Know? Friend the Great Plains District on Facebook
| Internet Advancement 2.0 |
The new tool to quickly input advancement data, Internet Advancement 2.0 (previously known as Scoutbook Lite) is now live. This free solution replaces the previous Internet Advancement platform, which will be retired (for all programs except Exploring) on June 10, 2019. Internet Advancement 2.0 will feature a clean, new user interface and will be optimized to whatever device you use: desktop, tablet or smartphone. Internet Advancement 2.0 will offer optimized functions for everything found in the current Internet Advancement platform and can be accessed by Unit Key 3 users, Unit Key 3 delegate users and Unit Advancement Chairs. End users will access Internet Advancement 2.0 via one of the following locations using their my.Scouting credentials: • Scoutbook.scouting.org • From the Legacy Tools menu in my.Scouting.org • A link in Scoutbook.com • From the current Internet Advancement Platform After initial release, the BSA IT team will continue to add additional features on a regular basis. Updates and new features will be communicated as they are delivered. Visit http://help.scoutbook.com for answers to commonly asked questions. |
| Posted: 2019-05-24 |
| Amazon Smile Gives Back to Northern Lights Council |
Support the Northern Lights Council When You Shop on Amazon Smile.amazon.com is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization of your choice. Designate the Northern Lights Council as your charity, and your purchase will help the council with no cost to you! |
| Posted: 2019-03-18 |
