FAQs

YES! We do not have to pay for the facility or the Counselors - therefore, if the Scouts bring their own blue cards and worksheets, with very few exceptions this event is completely free. There will occasionally be a fee to cover certain expenses (like Red Cross Certification) for the attendee and the attendee may have to bring a kit or supplies for a desired Merit Badge, but that information will be shared in advance of the event.

A: No. We limit all clinics to the lower of the number of Scouts a Counselor is willing to take or 15. When there is a number larger than 15, that means we have multiple counselors on board to run clinics for that Merit Badge.

A: YES! Scouts are welcome to come and leave as they please. We do ask that once you start a clinic you stay until it's completion, otherwise you're welcome to attend as many of the clinics as you are able.

A: That depends. Some Merit Badges can be completed during the window scheduled for the clinic but as a general rule completing a Merit Badge on the day of the event will require the Scout to come with some work already done. Our goal is to help the Scout get a good running start at required and elective Merit Badges, not to have the Scout walk out with signed blue cards - this is not a Merit Badge mill.

A: No. You'll simply need to plan to complete the work after the event. You can then contact your counselor from the clinic, or another counselor for the Merit Badge and complete the review/sign-off process.

A: YES! Scouting is a world wide brotherhood and we warmly welcome all Scouts to participate. If you're willing to drive the distance to come we're happy to have you. In fact, we regularly have Scouts come from other Councils. We've had Scouts join us from New Jersey, Washington, DC, Texas, New York, Michigan, and several others.

A: Send an email to ScoutTeam485@gmail.com and we'll do what we can to help.

A: Send an email to ScoutTeam485@gmail.com and we'll help you determine who your counselor was and how to contact him/her.

A: We hold these events on a quarterly basis, but we take November off. Generally our events are held on the second Saturday in February, May, and August.

A: Unfortunately no. However, as clinics fill up we try to find additional counselors so as to allow more Scouts to attend a given clinic. If you are added to the wait list and more counselors are found or seats open up you will be given priority.

A: The Field Uniform (Class A) is always appropriate for all Scouting events. Scouts are also welcome to come in their Activity Uniforms (Class B) or even normal street clothes (Class C). We feel it is more important that the Scout is comfortable so he or she can make the most of the event than her\his level of attire.

Every effort is made to return blue cards to the Scouts on the day of the event. However, with only 15 minutes between clinics and the number of Scouts in each clinic it is sometimes difficult for the counselors to wrap up all of the initialing/signing in the small time window. The envelope is intended to provide us with an easy way to return blue cards to the Scouts should we be unable to do so on the day of the event.

A: We offer a fixed rotation of required MBs (Feb: Camping, Cooking & Personal Fitness), (May: All 3 Citizenship MBs & First Aid), (Aug: Communications, Emergency Preparedness, Family Life, & Personal Management). Other required MBs will occasionally be offered but they're not regularly scheduled. We also offer a number of elective MBs based on requests received and counselor availability.

A: Yes! Please check out our 'Typical Prereqs' page. This page is intended to help you prepare as soon as you can for a given Merit Badge. We don't have prerequisite information for all MBs, but we will add them as we can.

A: Yes! We strive to offer a clinic or two for Venturers to help them in their advancement. Additionally, all clinics are open to all Venturers (regardless of gender).