Elizabethtown Troop 117

08/27/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out to the fair to see us. It was nice to talk to everyone who stopped by. We also appreciated the local businesses selling delicious treats.
It was great seeing the Scouts spend time with each other while we are off for the summer.
Looking forward to our next meeting and outings in September!

08/26/2026

We'll be at the fair until 7pm tonight! Stop by and say hi if you are here!

08/24/2026

Happy start of the 2026 Elizabethtown Fair!
Scouting America will be present this week during the fair.
We will be there Wednesday evening, but if you are interested or have questions about Scouting, please come by any evening and check out the booth! Our friends in Troop 1, Troop 51, Crew 162, and Packs 85 and 68 will be in through the week.

Looking forward to seeing and meeting some new friends and talking about the fun events we have coming up next year!

08/10/2026

We had a fun weekend. We unfortunately had to cancel our camping on Friday night due to the storms, but we picked up bright and early on Saturday. We completed the Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops (ILST) training and our Scouts are ready to assume leadership positions when we start meeting again in September.
The Scouts enjoyed some team building through playing at the park and spending time with each other.
Today we were honored to be invited to help out the Yellow Breeches Watershed Association with their annual Yellow Breeches Creek Clean-Up. We estimated that we removed 120 pounds of trash and garbage from the creek and the boys got to enjoy having fun on the water and helping out the environment.
Thank you very much to Mr. Eby and the Yellow Breeches Watershed Association for inviting and including us in this great event.
We aren't meeting again until after Labor Day, but it is looking like we have a lot of fun events in the works for next year!

06/27/2026

Just returned home from summer camp at Hawk Mountain Scout Reservation. We had a great week and were lucky with the weather. Happy to have spent time with our friends and make memories, but I know the Scouts and adults are happy to be home.
As a Troop, we earned 33 merit badges, completed 3 required adult trainings, earned 1 chainsaw certification, and 1 Best Shot award for archery. One of our Scouts were called out to join the Order of the Arrow (Scouting's Honor Society). We also spent time working on two different conservation projects to improve trails around the camp.
We were able to spend time with a friend that had moved, made some new friends, and tried new foods and experiences.
Several fish were caught and released, animals were observed (including newts, toads, frogs, chipmunks, and many different types of birds), Zip Lines were ridden, boats capsized (on purpose), numerous games of Uno were played, and a lot of time was spent in the pool.
Huge thank you to the staff at Hawk Mountain Scout Reservation. Without them, their patience, and their dedication our Scouts wouldn't have had a great week.
Thank you also to our adults for taking time to make this the best week possible for our Scouts. Thank you to Mr. Lee for providing hot dogs to cook over the fire and for Mr. Lee and Mr. Eby for picking up pizzas when dinner on Friday wasn't a fan favorite.
Looking forward to some quiet time before we get to our next adventure!

06/20/2026

We were able to help the Indiantown Gap National Cemetery Memorial Council with a flag retirement. We were joined by members of the council and Troop 594 in Middletown.
Every time we help out we learn something new about flags. We even got to see a 48-star flag!

05/29/2026

Tonight is a night of celebration! We would like to celebrate a number of Scouts and Scouters this evening.

We have some friends in our fellow Elizabethtown Troops in addition to one of our own graduating from high school this evening.
Congrats to Kolton Adams and Matt Kerin from Troop 51, Ryan Siler from Troop 1, and Trenton Kautz from Troop 117! These Scouts have done a lot for their Troops, their school, and the community. We are very proud of them and know they will rise to great achievements in the future.

We also need to congratulate our adult volunteers. Our friend, Mrs. Whitney, from Troop 51 earned the Donald T Barnhart Spirit in Scouting award and was recognized as a commissioner for the district.
Mr. and Mrs. Kern were also recognized for their dedication as commissioners in the district.
Mrs. Kautz was recognized for earning her doctorate in Scouting.
Mr. Dice was recognized as Scoutmaster of the year. His leadership shows through our Scouts.
Mr. Edwards was also recognized for his positive attitude and dedication to the Troop and Scouting.
Congrats to our graduates and our adults for all their accomplishments!

05/25/2026

A wet day, but we were happy to be able to participate in the Elizabethtown Memorial Day parade with our friends in Troop 1 and Pack 85.
After the parade, we had our annual family picnic.
Thank you to everyone able to attend!

05/19/2026

Tonight we were able to celebrate our Scouts and one adult at our Spring Court of Honor.
In the past 6 months we had six rank advancements.
Scouts earned a total of 24 merit badges.
Three Scouts earned their totin chips.
Three of our older Scouts took specialized training including den chief training, national leadership training, and scouting safely guide training.
We also had two Scouts earn the next rank in the Order of the Arrow one kept their vigil and the other sealed their brotherhood.

Since last court of honor our Scouts and adults earned a total of 66 camping nights, 193 service hours (with 52 of those being conservation), and hiked at total of 299.5 miles.

We also honored our former scoutmaster, George Dice, with the Unit Leader Award of Merit. Mr. Dice exceeded all the requirements for that award and we are so happy that he's been a part of our troop.

Looking forward to our next adventure which will be two parades this weekend as long as the weather holds out.

05/14/2026

Congrats to Mr. Dice for earning Scoutmaster of the Year! A huge accomplishment and we are extremely proud of him and the work he puts in to making our Troop successful. Congrats also to Mrs. Kautz and Mr. Edwards for their achievements as well!

The Iron Forge District Award Celebration is just two weeks away! Join us to celebrate Iron Forge District leadership and Scout accomplishments on May 28th!

Cost is $10 per person, the RSVP deadline is next week on May 22nd!

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