BSA Troop 127 has been active in Lincoln for over 75 years. Any boy between the ages of 11 and 18 is welcome to join us. We meet weekly when school is in session. We emphasize a strong program of camping and outdoor activities. An overview of our troop program can be downloaded here.
Leadership
- Scoutmaster Chris Bursaw
- Assistant Scoutmasters Mark Soukup
- Troop Committee _________
- Chartered Organization Representative John Solman
- Chartered Organization St. Julia Parish
- Local Council Boston Minuteman Council
Meetings
- Thursdays when school is in session
- Mason Lodge, Lincoln Road, Lincoln, MA
- 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Communication
We use three mailing lists for troop communication: troop127, troop127parents and troopcommittee, each @lincolnscouts.org. Posting to each list is restricted to members on that list to cut down on spam. There are also two special email addresses: scoutmaster and spl, both @lincolnscouts.org. Our website, www.lincolnscouts.org, has a calendar with dates, times, and events, a forms page with permission forms, directions, and other important information, and a resources page for links to useful sites. Please check the website first before emailing or calling. This will greatly cut down on administrative overhead for our leaders.
Activities
Each year we vary our program, organizing at least one camping trip a month, hot or cold, rain or shine. In recent years we have hiked Mt. Monadnock, camped on Nantucket, canoed down the Ipswich River, and visited an air museum in Connecticut. Some activities we do every year: a 3-day Columbus Day weekend trip, the Christmas Tree Lot in November and December, Marshall Pond camping on the ice in February, a ski trip in March, a canoe trip in the spring, and the July 4th Parade and Cafe.
Service
Troop 127 is very active in our town, pitching in for a variety of causes throughout the year. We help set up the Memorial Day service every year, run the 4th of July Cookout, run the Christmas Tree lot in the winter, and are planning to do many more things like this in the future.
July 4th Parade and Cafe
Scouts and parents design and build a float for the July 4th Parade, then get to ride on it up and down Lincoln Road. In years past we have built a massive canoe the size of the trailer, a campsite complete with a tent, and a giant rocket. While the parade is marching, other scouts and parents are busy setting up the Scout Cafe in front of the Pierce House to feed the parade-goers when it’s over. Scouts cook burgers and hot dogs, serve the crowds, and handle the money. This is not a fundraiser – it is a ‘funraiser’ for the town and the troop.
Christmas Tree Lot
In order for the Troop to purchase, replace and repair tents, stoves and other camping equipment, to subsidize the cost of many events, to provide funds for our Campership Program, and to cover scouts’ dues and registration fees, the Troop must generate funds. We operate a Christmas Tree Lot at the corner of Codman and Lincoln Roads from the weekend after Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve. We recognize that not all of our scouts celebrate Christmas, but have found that selling Christmas trees and wreaths is an effective way to raise funds. There are many hands needed to make this a success, including decorating wreaths, building the lot, working shifts, shoveling out after a storm and taking down the lot in January, as well as managing the financial and planning side of the operation. We expect that all scouts and parents will participate in this effort and do their best to support the Troop. One third of the profits from the treelot are donated to a charity chosen by the scouts.
Parent Participation
We can’t accomplish everything we do without significant help from each scout family. Please see our list of available positions (an Excel file) to see what might interest you. See Doug Elder to volunteer.
Expenses
Profits from the Christmas Tree Lot fund many of the expenses of running our troop, including all dues and scout magazine fees. Camping trips generally have a small fee for food or any incidental expenses. Patrols assign one member to shop for food, and he presents a receipt to the troop treasurer for reimbursement. Occasionally there is a trip that requires a larger fee, such as going to Nantucket by ferry. Troop 127 will find ways to assist any scout with a financial need.