On Saturday, August 21 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. there will be an “Advancement Day” at Stone Mountain. No, you are not wrong. We did originally note this would be at the Scout Hut. We needed to shift locations due to a scheduling conflict at the Scout Hut with the cub scouts.
Stone Mountain is a fairly big place, so you may be wondering exactly where we plan to meet. The Scouts should meet at the Yellow Daisy lot (see the parking zones on the map located [here] – I10 on the grid). We previously had looked at a different location, but after further review…this is a better spot for our group to meet. There is a picnic area near this parking lot, and that is where we will set things up for the day.
Parents are not required to stay for the entire event but must be back to pickup their Scout(s) by 3 pm. Additionally, parents should ensure that Scoutmaster Jarod (or their Scout) knows how to contact them prior to that time (if needed).
You also may be asking, “what is an Advancement Day?” Well, it’s a chance for the boys to knock out some of those hard to get rank requirements from Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class. It also is an opportunity to complete other merit badge requirements.
Any older boys who can attend the Advancement Day are requested to come and help. Even Scouts working on Life or Star ranks can mark off some requirements here. Everyone trying to earn those ranks should have requirements to “teach” a requirement to the younger Scout.
Right now, we are planning to go through…
- Citizenship. Scouts will work on the following items:
- Discuss rights and duties of citizenship.
- The City Attorney for the City of Tucker and a superior magistrate judge for Gwinnett will give a talk at 10 am. This is for First Class requirement 9a.
- [PREWORK] Scouts are encouraged to learn about environmental issues in the county they live in and report on them during the discussion. This is for First Class requirement 9b.
- First Aid requirements for Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class. There will be different classes based on the Scout’s rank.
- Knots and lashings.
- Geocaching. This will cover First Class requirement 4b, and we are planning to do this after lunch. This is the one time Scouts are asked to bring their phones; they can download a geocaching app to use during this event.
What should you bring to the Advancement Day? So glad you asked.
- Please note that a parking pass is required to enter Stone Mountain State Park. For parking pass details, please see the Stone Mountain website [here].
- Scouts/parents should bring folding chairs (and a folding table if you have one).
- Scout handbooks.
- Pen & paper.
- Phones (if Scout’s have one available) – for geocaching.
- Water bottle/water.
Lunch will be provided at this event. We are expecting to have supplies for sandwiches, chips and fruit for the boys. If there are any concerns around allergies, Scouts can bring a sack lunch instead.
If you get lost the morning of the event, see the latest weekly Troop email for Scoutmaster Jarod’s phone number.
