Weekly Meetings, Campouts and other Activities
(meetings are held in the Carriage House at Jesse Lee unless noted)

Philmont Scout Ranch, New Mexico
Scouting High Adventure, Summer 2026

Troop 76 is looking into putting together a group for Philmont. This adventure is so popular, there's a lottery for available slots to Philmont in 2026. But the lottery for the summer of 2026 will close in a few days, October 16th. We need to know by this Tuesday, Oct. 15th if you are interested in going.

If your scout will be 14 years old or will have finished 8th grade and be 13, then please consider coming to Philmont. It's BSA's premier high adventure experience. You will backpack in the mountains of New Mexico and experience scouting on a different level. Scouts from Troop 76 have been going to Philmont for years. It's a unique experience of a lifetime.

We need to submit a request in the lottery and if selected, we're required to make non-refundable deposits this December. We don't have the dates yet, but it will likely be either early July or early August in 2026. The trip will likely take some 10 days. And participating scouts will train for Philmont before the trip to get acclimated to the altitude and carrying large, heavy packs. Air travel is from NY to Denver, then a bus trip to Philmont. In Colorado, we'll do something fun in Colorado Springs.

Sign up here if you can commit to this adventure.

Fall Court of Honor
Tuesday, Oct. 15th, 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
North Hall, St. Stephen's Church, 353 Main St.

The Court of Honor recognizes the achievements and advancement of Scouts. Families are invited and encouraged to attend.

Parents, the troop needs your help. Please sign up here to bring a refreshment or snack to make it a festive event for everyone. All items can be brought directly to the Court of Honor. Remember: No food with peanuts or tree nuts.

Contact Troop 76 Hospitality Chair Sarah Oh with any questions; 203-505-5722

October Backpacking and Camping Adventure
Saturday, Oct. 26th - Sunday, Oct 27th

We'll hike and camp on a section of the famous Appalachian Trail in upstate Connecticut. The fall colors should be spectacular. The trip will be split into two groups.

The first group consists of newer/younger scouts who will hike two miles on the trail, set up overnight camp, then hike two miles out on Sunday. Scouts must be able to carry their personal gear.

The second group of experienced/older scouts will hike 7–8 miles with full packs on Saturday, set up camp, then hike 2–4 miles back out on Sunday. Since we're carrying everything for the campout on our backs, your backpack should have 60 liter capacity. For scouts interested in the longer hike, please contact SM Pearl if you need a backpack. Fortunately, the troop has some extra packs.

For younger scouts, you don't necessarily need such a large backpack, as long as you can carry your personal gear. We can review your options at the upcoming meeting.

Download the equipment list here. Join your friends on this fun trip and sign up here.

Community Service Opportunities & Guidelines

Sunday, Oct. 13th: Jesse Lee Clothing Sale
Help set up the annual clothing sale held in Martin Hall at Jesse Lee from noon to 4:00 p.m. Project involves helping to move and set up clothing racks from the basement next to the troop's old QM to Martin Hall, and moving boxes of donated clothes to Martin Hall.

Saturday, Oct. 19th: Jesse Lee Clothing Sale
What goes up, must come down. This opportunity involves packing up unsold clothes into boxes, disassembling the clothing racks and moving them back to the church's basement. 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Meet at Martin Hall in Jesse Lee.

How to Submit Service Hours for all Projects
Our Troopmaster Administrator is Ms. Janine Olsen, a parent volunteer. (Troopmaster is the name of the database software that stores and tracks our troop's information.)

It's each scout's responsibility to submit their completed community service hours. The troop will not be following up with each scout about service hours. Please send your completed service hours to Ms. Olsen (janine.olsen@gmail.com) and copy at least one of your parents in the message. As a reminder, any community service project outside troop-sponsored events must first be approved by Scoutmaster Pearl. When submitting service hours, troop and non-troop, please provide the event name, date, time, and amount of hours.

Community Service Projects Requests
Our troop is known for helping Ridgefield. We've volunteered our work and time on a wide range of projects from helping residents in need shoveling snow, collecting ScoutsCAN, helping collect donations for the Food Pantry, maintaining parks, on and on. If you know of an organization that needs our help, please fill out this form, Community Service Request and email it to SM Pearl

We have provided easy access to all the signup sheets discussed in the weekly newsletters. Simply click here. This will take you to the TTSU main page. The main page will display all the upcoming events. You can click on the event you are interested in participating, it will then take you to the respective signup sheet.

Council Events
The Connecticut Yankee Council, the regional BSA office, offers exciting events and programs for cub and boy scouts under their umbrella. Here's Council's latest newsletter.  These events are not organized or staffed by Troop 76, however all scouts may sign up.

Financial Assistance
If a scout family is in need of financial assistance at any time, please contact Troop Committee Chair David Luhman.  All financial assistance requests are kept strictly confidential.

© Copyright 2024, Boy Scout Troop 76, Ridgefield, Connecticut.  All rights reserved.   For information, e-mail, webmaster@troop76.org or scoutmaster@troop76.org.  Troop 76 is a member of the Aquila District in the Connecticut Yankee Council, and hosted by St. Stephen's Church, 353 Main St., Ridgefield, CT 06877