Boy Scouts

Boy Scout Troop 412 participated in a Veterans Day color guard presentation at Paramount Baptist Church in Hagerstown on Nov. 11. Troop 412 is a newly formed troop.

Sean and Ryan Maguire earned Boy Scout religious awards at Paramount Baptist Church on Aug. 12. Sean, of Pack 34, was awarded the God and Family award. Ryan, of Troop 10, was awarded the God and Church award.

Boy Scout Troop 23 in Funkstown will hold a spaghetti dinner Saturday, May 18, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Funkstown fire hall.  The menu includes all-you-can-eat spaghetti, garlic bread, salad and drink.  Ceasar salad with grilled chicken is available for an extra cost. Dessert will be available at a bake sale.  Advance tickets cost $5.50 per person. Those younger than 5 will be admitted free. Tickets at the door cost $8. Tickets can be purchased at Funkstown Town Hall Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. A silent auction will be held with items such as Baltimore Ravens home game tickets, NFL jerseys, NFL signed merchandise, Whitetail Resort passes and other items.

The Mason-Dixon Boy Scout Council provides programs for boys and some girls ages 7 (or in the first grade) to 21 in Washington County and in Franklin and Fulton counties in Pennsylvania. Members pay a $10 annual fee. Cub Scouts is for boys in the first through fifth grades, or ages 7-10. Boy Scouts is for boys in the sixth grade through their 18th birthdays. In both, boys participate in outdoor activities geared to their ages. Explorers is for boys and girls ages 14 to 21 who want to examine career and hobby interests.

The Shenandoah Area Council of Boy Scouts of America will hold its spring camporee May 18-20 at Sam Michaels Park near Harpers Ferry, W.Va. Registration forms are due by May 4. Send forms to Boy Scouts of America, c/o Shenandoah Area Council Inc., 107 Youth Development Court, Winchester VA 22602. For more information, call 540-662-2725 or send an email to letitia.summers@scouting.org.

Maurice Johnston and Brad Sell, representing God's Grace Fund and Community Foundation respectively, recently presented the Mason-Dixon Council of the Boy Scouts of America a check to assist in the construction and equipment costs of the new Mike Callas Memorial Dining Hall at Camp Sinoquipe. The support was made possible through the God's Grace Fund of the Community Foundation of Washington County. "The Community Foundation of Washington County was established to be a permanent and growing philanthropic vehicle for charitably-minded people and corporations to contribute financial resources that enrich the community's quality of life," said Sell, executive director of the Community Foundation.

Boy Scout Troop 66 visited the Hagerstown mayor and council meeting Feb. 27. The Scouts are working on their Citizenship in the Community merit badge. The troop is chartered by First Christian Church in Hagerstown. Front row, from left, Alex Bausman, Everest Shives, Nathaniel Lewis, Marlin Shoop and Camden Casey. Middle row, from left, Christopher Tich, Mark Shepheard, Roy Jenkins, Tanner Cole and Hagerstown Mayor Robert E. Bruchey II. Back row, Assistant Scoutmasters Brian Kenoyer and Patrick Casey.

U.S. Rep. John Delaney said he wants to work toward leveling the playing field to ensure all Americans have an equal opportunity to succeed. Delaney talked about equality, the economy, tensions with North Korea and several other issues Monday during the Friends of Scouting 2013 Community Campaign Breakfast at the Academy Theater in downtown Hagerstown. “The only way to preserve (equality) is to make sure there is an environment where people have opportunities,” the Democratic freshman congressman representing Maryland's 6th District said.

The Mason-Dixon Council of the Boy Scouts of America is in the "Victory Phase" of a $1.4 million capital campaign. The campaign was designed to bring the Michael G. Callas Memorial Dining Hall at Camp Sinoquipe to reality. "The new dining hall opened last summer and is an incredible improvement" said Mark Barbernitz, Scout executive of the Mason-Dixon Council. "Meeting the seating demands each week during the summer was not possible in the former 60-year-old structure. The Council's Executive Board took the bold step to move forward with construction to better serve the youth.

With the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America reviewing its membership standards with respect to sexual orientation, the Mason-Dixon Council has scheduled two meetings to provide a fact-based dialogue, the council said Friday in a news release. The first meeting will be held Monday, March 11, in the Northern Middle School auditorium, in Hagerstown, at 7 p.m. The second meeting will be held Monday, March 18, in Greencastle-Antrim High School auditorium, in Greencastle, Pa., at 7 p.m. Volunteer facilitators from the Mason-Dixon Council, along with Area 6 representatives and members of the council leadership team including the president, commissioner and scout executive will provide information on the national process to review membership standards which may result in a vote at the national annual meeting in May. “We encourage our parents, unit leaders, committee members, charter representatives and council and district volunteers to attend one of these meetings,” the news release says.

Business Person of the Year thanks friends, family To the editor: Hard-working, passionate people create success. I want to thank my family, friends and the Tuscarora Area Chamber of Commerce for awarding me the “Business Person of the Year.” I cannot individually accept this award, but as a representative of a group, I am honored to do so. My personal successes are the product of the efforts of many. These people are friends that many cannot find in a lifetime.

Boy Scout Troop 23 in Funkstown will hold a spaghetti dinner Saturday, May 18, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Funkstown fire hall.  The menu includes all-you-can-eat spaghetti, garlic bread, salad and drink.  Ceasar salad with grilled chicken is available for an extra cost. Dessert will be available at a bake sale.  Advance tickets cost $5.50 per person. Those younger than 5 will be admitted free. Tickets at the door cost $8. Tickets can be purchased at Funkstown Town Hall Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. A silent auction will be held with items such as Baltimore Ravens home game tickets, NFL jerseys, NFL signed merchandise, Whitetail Resort passes and other items.

Boy Scout Troop 23 in Funkstown more than doubled in size the first year. The troop started with six boys a year ago and now has 15 members. The Scouts have completed more than 200 hours of community service, and 10 boys have advanced in rank and earned 35 merit badges. The troop earned the title of honor unit at summer camp, the Gold Level Journey to Excellence award and the Founder Unit award, and the patrols earned the National Honor Patrol award. Scoutmaster Rich Gaver, an Eagle Scout, is proud of the unit and the things it has accomplished.

U.S. Rep. John Delaney said he wants to work toward leveling the playing field to ensure all Americans have an equal opportunity to succeed. Delaney talked about equality, the economy, tensions with North Korea and several other issues Monday during the Friends of Scouting 2013 Community Campaign Breakfast at the Academy Theater in downtown Hagerstown. “The only way to preserve (equality) is to make sure there is an environment where people have opportunities,” the Democratic freshman congressman representing Maryland's 6th District said.

With the Boy Scouts of America's longtime membership policy burning under the heat of the national spotlight, the debate about whether or not to allow openly gay people to participate in the organization took the local stage Monday night. Close to 50 people, including adult leaders and parents of Scouts in the local Mason-Dixon Council, or MDC, attended a Monday night meeting at Hagerstown's Northern Middle School to hear an update about what's taking place nationally, and to ask questions and express opinions about the potential change in national policy.

Five was a lucky number for Bertha “Bert” and Richard “Dick” Kunkel. They had five children, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren in their 66 years of marriage. They valued family and maintained close ties with both sides of the family. “For me personally, we had a great childhood. We had a lot of cousins,” said oldest son Gerard “Gerry” Kunkel of Darnestown, Md. “Mom and Dad were real family people. They were plugged into both sides and connected to them.” Whether the timing was a coincidence of health or the strength of their love and desire to be together, the couple died within four days of each other.

With the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America reviewing its membership standards with respect to sexual orientation, the Mason-Dixon Council has scheduled two meetings to provide a fact-based dialogue, the council said Friday in a news release. The first meeting will be held Monday, March 11, in the Northern Middle School auditorium, in Hagerstown, at 7 p.m. The second meeting will be held Monday, March 18, in Greencastle-Antrim High School auditorium, in Greencastle, Pa., at 7 p.m. Volunteer facilitators from the Mason-Dixon Council, along with Area 6 representatives and members of the council leadership team including the president, commissioner and scout executive will provide information on the national process to review membership standards which may result in a vote at the national annual meeting in May. “We encourage our parents, unit leaders, committee members, charter representatives and council and district volunteers to attend one of these meetings,” the news release says.

A local Scouting official said the organization will respect whatever decision is made when the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America votes this spring on whether to open membership to gays. On Feb. 6, the national group decided to postpone a vote on the matter until May. Mark Barbernitz, Scout executive of the Mason-Dixon Council of the Boy Scouts of America, said earlier this month in an email that his organization would follow membership guidelines in accordance with national BSA policy.

Scouts of Troop 412 and Pack 34 participated in a hike Jan. 19 at Antietam National Battlefield. The Scouts hiked to Georgians' Overlook, then hiked Snavely Ford and Final Attack Trail. It was a joint hike with Pack 34 so the Webelo Scouts could meet the requirement of participating in an activity with a Boy Scout troop. Troop 412 is sponsored by Paramount Baptist Church and Pack 34 is sponsored by Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church.