Wishing All A Happy New Year

On behalf of all of the leaders and scouts, we wish everyone a very happy and safe 2010.

This will be an exciting year for everyone.

Congratulations to Maj. Dan Cowhig (US Army)!

Congratulations to Maj. Dan Cowhig (US Army), one of our outstanding Asst. Scoutmasters.

Maj. Cowhig was presented with the Scouter Training Award at our last Court of Honor. If you have not had a chance to do so, take a moment to congratulate him!

To learn more about this award, click here.

The Tree Stand is Closed

Troop 466 would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who purchased a tree this year.

There were many repeat customers. Families and individuals who purchased their trees from us year after year. Some as long as 10 plus.

We had a nice selection of Frasier, Douglas and White Pines.

There were some pretty big and heavy trees this year. "Hernia Trees" as Mr. Barone liked to call them. Some of the Scouts even wanted to see who did a fresh cut on the largest trunk. And there were some pretty big ones. Maybe we can have that as a contest and keep the trunk slice in the troop archives next year.

It will be a year that many of us will remember. We lost one prime Saturday due to rain. It rained all of the first shift and into part of the second one. All were soaked to the skin after the shifts.

We also lost the Saturday before Christmas due to the Blizzard of 2009. Some of us will also remember that, after shoveling out our cars and driveways, we then went to shovel out the lot for another two or three hours.

It was nice to see former Scouts like Vince, Sasha and Simon King's son (with his wife and children) stop by, pick up a tree and chat with us a bit. We would also like to thank all of the former Scouts who assisted us, such as Ambrose and Tonku. There were also a number of adults who helped us, such as Bruce and Larry (our Unit Commissioner), even though they did not have to.

For those who have not picked up a tree, if there are any left, please feel free to stop by and take one. And, if you feel so inclined (and we hope you do), drop a couple of bucks in the shed's mail slot to at least help cover some of the cost.

We look forward to seeing each of you next year.

Last Chance to Get Your Christmas Trees

That's right folks, it is your last chance to get Christmas trees! They are beautiful and help a good organization.

Get out there this weekend and purchase one!

We will be open from 10am to 10pm on Saturday and Sunday (weather permitting).

From the Troop Archives: Hilltop House - 1967

On Feb. 17, 1967, the Troop decided to say overnight at Hilltop House in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia.

Of the 110 in attendance, 90 were Scouts. For a total of $1210, each person received dinner, overnight accommodations, breakfast and lunch. Taxes and gratuities were included.

For more information on Hilltop House, click here.

Christmas Tree Sales are Under Way!

Stop by to get your Christmas Tree this year.

We are open Monday thru Friday from 5pm - 9pm and on the weekends from 10am - 10pm.

Located in the St. John the Evangelist Church parking lot on Georgia Avenue, we are continuing a 40 plus year tradition.

We look forward to your business and thank you for your continued patronage and support.



View Larger Map

Christmas Tree Shed Set-Up 2009

This morning, we worked from 8:30am to 1:30pm to set up the shed and the site. Sales will begin next Saturday!

The Future Site of Boy Scout National Jamoree's

Click here to read about the new National Scout Center and future home of the National Jamboree's!

Catholic Retreat - 1974

We received the 1st Place Award, but we have no idea what it was for? Do you?


Do you know a former Troop 466 Scout or Leader? Let them know about the blog.

Boy's Life 1975

This seems to be the last year a certificate was issued. After this, ribbons would be issued to troops.

Scuba Diving Merit Badge - New on 12/01/09

SCUBA DIVING MERIT BADGE

The Boy Scouts of America is pleased to announce the release of the Scuba Diving merit badge. The official earn date of this merit badge is December 1, 2009. Pamphlets are in the NDC and available for local council service center and scoutstuff.org orders - just in time for Christmas!

The first new merit badge in over three years, Scuba Diving reflects the new direction of BSA to develop merit badges based on youth/Scout input to assure relevance and excitement around the merit badge offering. This merit badge, developed in association with PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), leverages our spirit of outdoor adventure and expands our aquatics offering. More than 84 percent of Scouts surveyed were interested in the merit badge and recommended that BSA adopt it.

Key facts you need to know about the merit badge are as follows:

* Completing the Scuba Diving merit badge will result in the boy achieving an open water certification enabling him to dive around the world with the appropriate supervision, based on his age.

* There are two important roles for this merit badge - the merit badge counselor and a certified dive instructor.

* Sometimes this may be the same person.

* More likely, the counselor will be an existing BSA adult member.

* Always the instructor will be one certified by one of a number of instructional agencies.

* The instructor does NOT have to be a BSA member.

* Earning the Scuba Diving merit badge is open to all Boy Scout-age youth. There are, however, limitations based on age with respect to how deep and with whom a boy can dive. These limitations vary by certifying organization.

* Completion of the Swimming merit badge is a requirement of the merit badge and must be completed prior to entering into scuba training portion of the requirements.

* Boys with a current open water certification will NOT have to recertify in order to earn the merit badge. They will, however, have to have completed the Swimming merit badge, present their certification to the merit badge counselor and complete all the other requirements.

* There are three important pieces of information which must be fully reviewed by the merit badge counselor prior to approving any Scout for the merit badge: the merit badge requirements, the notes to counselor and the scuba policy of the Guide to Safe Scouting.

From the Archives: Waterfront Olympics 1985

From the Archives: Rifle Shoot Award

Each week at Summer Camp, every troop sends the Scoutmaster (or someone he nominates) and the Senior Patrol Leader for a friendly shooting match.

It seems that we won once. However, we don't know the date. Do you know the date?

Scouting for Food 2009 & Parish Bazaar

Troop 466 and Cub Scout Pack 466 both participated in Scouting for Food. Fifty-seven (57) bags of food were delivered to the collection point. At apx. 5lbs per bag, that comes to almost 300lbs. of food.

Thanks to all who participated. Thanks to all who donated.

In addition, our Scouts set up a First Aid Station (a couple of minor cuts were treated) at the Parish Bazaar and assisted with the clean up at the end.

Msgr. John B. Brady to be honored on December 3rd

From the National Capital Area Council (NCAC):

Msgr. John B. Bray will be honored on December 3rd with the Robert M. Hanson "Good Scout" Award at the National Capital Area Council, Boy Scouts of America’s “Salute to Scouting” at Hyatt Regency Bethesda in Bethesda, MD.

As a boy, Brady was a member of Boy Scout Troop 4, chartered to St. Ann Catholic Church in Washington, D.C. He attained the rank of Eagle Scout in 1945 and served as Scoutmaster for his troop for 2 years. It was while attending the National Jamboree in 1950 that he felt the calling to serve God.

Monsignor Brady was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1955. His first assignment was as an associate pastor for Holy Redeemer (Kensington, MD) before becoming the first chaplain for Holy Cross Hospital (Silver Spring, MD). In the late 1960s he was an associate pastor for Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament (Washington, DC) and Saint John the Baptist (Silver Spring). In 1974 Brady became the pastor at Saint Joseph Pomfret (Charles County, MD). He went on to pastor at Saint John Vianney Catholic Church (Prince Frederick, MD) and Holy Angels Catholic Church (Avenue, MD).

Between 1960-1966 Brady served as the Scout chaplain for Philmont Scout Reservation (Cimarron, NM). When the National Capital Area Council opened Goshen Scout Reservation outside Lexington (VA) in 1967, Brady gave the invocation at the opening ceremony and has served as a camp chaplain during the past 43 years. His dedication to his faith, to Scouting and to Goshen Scout Reservation is legendary.

Monsignor John B. Brady retired from being a pastor in 2005. He is an avid canoeist, singer, songwriter and outdoorsman.


You may remember, Msgr. Brady was the Goshen Catholic Chaplain this past summer. We attended the Mass he celebrated (and our troop served as servers and lectors).

At our 50th Anniversary, he con-celebrated the Mass at St. John's.

Scouting for Food

Reminder, meet at the Kennedy Room at 8:30am for bag pick-up on Saturday, Nov. 7th.

The Year: 1963

The number of Scouts at the time of registration increased to 62.

Registration cost each Scout thrity-five (35) cents. Boy's Life was $1.35 for the year.

There were still a number of Eagle Scouts listed at this time:

• Donald Atwell (age 15)
• Norman Bishop (age 14) of Seminary Rd.
• Stephen Cole (age 15) of Brisbane St.
• Michael Dyer (age 15) of Bucknell Dr.
• Joseph Mescher (age 15) of Gardiner
• Joseph Nevin (age 15) of Georgia Ave.

A number of patrols were listed: Ranger, Flaming Arrows, Panther, Apache and Jellyfish(?).

Although most of the Scouts attended St. John the Evangelist for both school and church, Scouts did come from other schools: Oakland Terrace, Glen Haven, St. Andrew's, Sligo Jr. High School and Holy Redeemer.

The Scoutmaster was Gilbert Cole, Jr.

Do you know the whereabouts of any of these Scouts or Leaders? We would love to hear from them. Please share this blog with them.

The Year: 1962

The number of Scouts at time of registration dropped again. This year, there were 52.

However, there were a record number of Eagle Scouts registered:

• Wayne Athway (age 15)


• Donald Atwell (age 14)


• George Carnahan, Jr. (age 15)


• James Carnahan (age 14)


• Michael Dyer (age 14) of Bucknell Dr.


• Joseph Mescher (age 14)


• Joseph Nevin (age 14) of Georgia Ave.

Two patrols are mentioned in the archives: Flaming Arrows and Wolves.

The Scoutmaster is William Lester of Greeley Ave.

If anyone knows where any of these Scouts or Leaders are today, please let us know. Please feel free to share this site with them.

The Year: 1961

By 1964, the Troop had shrunk just a bit to 62 Scouts.

Wayne Attaway (Menlo Ave.) was listed as the only Eagle, but there were six Life Scouts at the time of registration.



Two patrols were listed: Panther and Flaming Arrows.

One of the Scouts listed was Frank Joseph Lopes (Crest Road), who was (and still is) active in the life of St. John the Evangelist.

The Scoutmaster was Jack Jardeleza.


If anyone knows where any of these Scouts and Leades are today, please let us know or share this blog site with them.

The Year: 1960

At the time of registration, there were 72 Scouts. Of those, George Carnahan, Jr. was an Eagle Scout. Robert Harvey (Harmon Road) held the rank of Life.

The Apachie Patrol was the only one on record.

The Scoutmaster was Francis Burke (August Dr.) and Jack Jardeleza was one of the Assitant Scoutmasters. (Note: Mr. Jardeleza was a Deacon at St. John's and passed away a number of years ago.)


If anyone knows where these Scouts and Leaders are today, we would love to hear from them.

Please share this blog site with them and all your friends.

Eagle Scout Project - Completed and A Success!

From Aiden Cowhig:

Yesterday's Eagle Project was a great success. We began work at 8:00 AM and worked until we were finished at about 3:30 PM, taking a short break in the middle of the day for lunch. The work was done quickly and efficiently. The fence looked professional, and the painting looked excellent. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who came and helped me do my Eagle Project. Again, thanks to all who gave me their time.

Troop 466 in the Big Apple

Sunday morning saw us head uptown by subway to St. Mark's Church on 2nd Ave. and 10th St. On our way up, we learned the difference between the IRT, BMT and IND Lines.



We headed down to the Village and made a VERY long pit stop at the site of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. From there, we headed under the Washington SQ Park Arch, thru the Village, into SoHo, and ventured thru Little Italy. (Did someone say CANNOLI?)


After a brief rest at Columbus Park in Chinatown, we quickly hiked thru Foley Square, City Hall, Ground Zero, and Wall St.

We jumped on the next Ferry and off to Camp Pouch. There we were met by the Schiavone brother's. They had hot dogs, burgers, cole slaw and other goodies waiting for us. We ran thru over almost 40 burgers, at least 24 hot dogs, chips, cookies, etc.

Before heading off to sleep, we told stories and jokes around the campfire.

Note: All photos used with permission and are copyrighted. For a complete set of photos, please visit Mr. Incognito's Smugmug page.

Troop 466 in the Big Apple

After arrival on Saturday, we headed into "The City" (is there any other?) to hike the final part of the trail.

After taking the Staten Island Ferry, we visited the Vietnam War Memorial, Frauncis Tavern, watched a movie being filmed, Wall Street, attended Mass at Our Lady of Victory (just off of Wall St.), had a rest stop at South St. Seaport, and then we met Mr. Barone's father (who told everyone about him). We capped off the night with dinner on Bayard St. in Chinatown.

For those who are interested, dinner consisted of: Beef Chow Fun, Roast Pork Lo-Mein, Sesame Chicken, Mixed Vegetables and Bok Choi w/ Garlic. Of course, a huge bowl of rice and hot tea.

For more photos, click here for Mr. Incognito's Smugmug Page.

All photos are reprinted with permission and are copyrighted.

Troop 466 in the Big Apple

Well folks, Troop 466 does some outstanding camping trips and this one was no exception: Visiting the Big Apple.

Over Columbus Day Weekend 2009, Troop 466 visited the Big Apple to hike the Old New York Historic Trail. This trail is sponsored by Man-A-Hattin Lodge.

We left Silver Spring on a cold and dreary morning and drove up to NYC in the rain. (What else is new.)

After a pit stop in New Jersey, we arrived at Camp Pouch at apx. 1:30pm and was met by Mr. Joseph Schiavone (a Scouter) and Ranger Gil. We were originally scheduled to stay in leantos but since another troop had cancelled their trip, they gave us their cabin.

To be continued...

Note: All photos are copyrighted and used with permission. To see the complete collection of photos, please click here.

Life to Eagle Conference - Update

This past Saturday, at St. Jane de Chantal, a meeting was held for Scouts, Leaders and others who may be interested in learning what it takes (policy/procedures/paperwork) to be an Eagle Scout in the National Capital Area Council, Montgomery District.

For complete information, click here.

Here are a couple of photos from the three hour event.

The Year: 1959

In 1959, the numbers crept up a bit more to 78 Scouts. There were ten Star Scouts, thirteen First Class Scouts and seventeen Second Class Scouts.

George Carnnahan earned the rank of Eagle Scout.

William Adams was the Troop Quartermaster.

Patrols: Ranger, Apache, Panther and Wolf.

Dues were $.75 per month.

Does anyone know where any of these Scouts are today?

The Year: 1958

By 1958, the number of Scouts shot up to 71.

There were three Star Scouts with John Masseo as one of them. He was also the oldest Scout in the Troop. There were also two First Class and seventeen Second Class Scouts. Joseph F. Nevin earned Life in 1960.

Patrol Leaders: Donald Atwell, Charles M. Foltyn, Jr., and Joseph F. Nevin.

Patrols: Apache, Cobra, and Wolf.

Most of the Scouts came from St. John’s, we also had others come from Oakland Terrance and Glen Haven. Does anyone know where these Scouts are today?

The Year: 1957

Based on the Troop Archives, the number of Scouts jumped to 48 in 1957! There was one Star Scout (John D. Masseo, Jr. of 1325 Dale Dr.), two First Class Scouts, and nine Second Class Scouts.

The oldest Scout in the Troop was Mr. Masseo, Jr.

Asst. Patrol Leader: Geo. J. Wehrstedt.

Patrols: Ranger (the only one listed).

Does anyone know where any of these Scouts are today?

The Year: 1956

The number of Scouts in the troop dropped to 29.

Of those at the time of registration, one earned the rank of Star (Ronald Robinson), two were First Class and thirteen were Second Class. At this time, the oldest Scout in the Troop was George Favre (age 14).

Does anyone know where they are today?

Camp Snyder - September 2009

For the second year in a row, Troop 466 has invited the Cubs of Pack 466 (as well as parents and siblings) to Camp Snyder for a weekend of fun and service. (Almost sounds like the OA.)

Here are a couple of photos* from that event taken by Scoutmaster Len Incognito. To see the complete set of photos, please go here.

Saturday night around the campfire.

Getting rid of a tree planted last year.

Cubs having fun on the open field in front of the dining hall.

Note: All photos are copyrighted and used with permission.

Camp Bowman - Goshen Scout Camp 2009 (Set 11)

After a fun but exhausting week, in which the Scouts learned some new skills, deepened friendships, made memories that will last a lifetime and learned a bit more about themselves, it is time to say goodbye to Camp Bowman.

Each of us have wonderful memories. For some, it was the very first time at Boy Scout Summer Camp. (And the first time away from home.) For others, it was a chance to relive the memories of their youth.

No matter if it was your first to tenth, each time is different and each time is memorable.

Camp Bowman - Goshen Scout Camp 2009 (Set 10)

Troop 466 also likes to do extra special things. This year, we celebrated a birthday (complete with cake and a gift) and had Cub Pack 466 join us for a Quesadilla dinner.

Camp Bowman - Goshen Scout Camp 2009 (Set 9)

Summer Camp is not Summer Camp without swimming.

Camp Bowman - Goshen Scout Camp 2009 (Set 8)

There are a variety of different additional activities that a troop can participate during their week at Scout Camp. One of these is the Pirate's Breakfast.


The troop goes to the Commissary and picks up breakfast. Then they head down to the Waterfront to pick up rowboats, head out on the lake and enjoy their feast.

The Old Man and the Sea?

Camp Bowman - Goshen Scout Camp 2009 (Set 7)

So, one of the questions that is periodically asked: What do the leaders do when the boys at at activites? Well, I can tell you that we don't sleep.

Each day there is a meeting of the leaders and key staff on issues in camp: food, the campfire, food, merit badges, food, trash, food, etc. You get the picture. Here we have some scenes from one of those meetings.

Although the meetings were pretty bland, the key thing was that there was COFFEE!!! Yes, it was not from Kenya, Peru or even Vietnam, but it was drinkable. And, no, it could strip the paint off a wooden door -- only bare metal, since it burned a hole right thru the door.

As you can tell, one leader does not seem happy that the coffee was not made one morning when he arrived for the meeting and he had to make it himself.

Camp Bowman - Goshen Scout Camp 2009 (Set 6)

As expected, there are merit badges that can and need to be earned in the outdoors. Here are some of our Scouts in the Scout Skill area working on the Pioneering Merit Badge.

Camp Bowman - Goshen Scout Camp 2009 (Set 5)

One of the skills every Scout is required to learn is First Aid. Here the Scouts are practicing the basics of CPR one evening after Taps.