Troop 28 Glencoe

What We Do

Troop 28 is a small, Scout-led troop. A typical year is meetings, a monthly outing, a week of summer camp, a few service projects, and two Courts of Honor.

Meetings

We meet alternate Monday and Wednesday evenings at St. Elisabeth’s Episcopal Church, 556 Vernon Ave, Glencoe (lower-level meeting room; entrance on Hawthorn Ave between Vernon and Greenwood). Dates are on the Calendar.

The Senior Patrol Leader and other youth leaders run the meeting. At least two adults are there. Parents are welcome.

Outings

One outing a month during the school year, usually a weekend campout or a day trip. Recent ones:

  • Biking and camping at Illinois Beach State Park
  • Curling at the Chicago Curling Club
  • Campouts at Camp Crown (Wisconsin), Camp Reinberg, The Forge (kayaking, archery, laser tag), and Indiana Dunes
  • Hiking at Starved Rock, a 15-mile hike around Evanston, and cold-weather tent camping
  • Rock climbing at Devil’s Lake, the high-ropes course at Boundless Adventures, and skiing at Wilmot
  • Merit-badge days: Law at the Lake County Courthouse, First Aid with a pediatric ER doctor, Engineering at the Harley-Davidson Museum
  • Council events: the Klondike Derby (a winter camping competition) and the First Aid Meet

Scouts pick the year’s outings at their planning session. Write-ups are in News. What to pack is on Camping.

Outings from earlier years
  • 2023–24: Boundless Adventures high ropes, Indiana Dunes, The Forge, curling, Ma-Ka-Ja-Wan
  • 2021–22: Starved Rock, Devil’s Lake climbing, Kettle Moraine, Boundless Adventures
  • 2020–21: Camp Oakarro, Devil’s Lake rappelling, Troop Klondike at Little House, snowshoeing in Evanston, Indiana Dunes, Boundary Waters canoeing
  • 2019–20: Wisconsin River canoeing and sandbar camping, Devil’s Lake, Kettle Moraine mountain biking, Camp Crown with Pack 28 Webelos, Coast Guard Station Wilmette, Cascade Mountain skiing, First Aid Meet (third place)
  • 2018–19: Van Buren State Park paddleboarding, overnight in a submarine at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, Cascade Mountain, Camp Crown, Starved Rock, Warren Dunes, Camp Napowan
  • 2017–18: Devil’s Lake, Blue Springs Cavern, Muskegon luge, Camporee at Camp Crown, Warren Dunes, Summit Bechtel and Lake Superior sailing
  • Earlier: Northern Tier canoe expedition (Manitoba), horseback riding in Michigan, Lincoln Museum, Rock Cut State Park, and many trips to Starved Rock, Warren Dunes, and Kettle Moraine

Summer camp and high adventure

Every July the Troop spends one week in July at Ma-Ka-Ja-Wan Scout Reservation in Pearson, Wisconsin: swimming, sailing, climbing, and merit badges that are hard to finish at home. It is optional, subsidized, and the highlight of the year for most Scouts. Scouts 13 and up can also join a week of high adventure. Packing, forms, and past trips are on Camping.

Community service

Each year the Troop leads the Fourth of July parade, takes part in the Memorial Day ceremony at Veterans Park, lays wreaths for Wreaths Across America, and clears buckthorn at Little House of Glencoe and the Skokie Lagoons. Service hours count toward rank.

Courts of Honor

Twice a year, a short Scout-led ceremony: new Scouts are welcomed, and ranks, merit badges, and awards are presented. Dinner with families follows. Plan on 30 minutes, longer when an Eagle is honored. Wear the Class A shirt, khakis or jeans, and the Troop neckerchief and slide. Everyone comes, whether or not they are receiving an award.

Advancement

Ranks and merit badges are part of Scouting, not the point of it. Scouts working toward Eagle get plenty of support — 18 Eagle Scouts since 2019 — and Scouts who just want to camp are equally welcome. See Advancement and the Merit Badge listing.