YMHA/JCC Troop 26

Scout Activities

Once a month the troop had a swim night where the scouts had the shower room and swimming pool to themselves. Members of the troop participated in scout rallies where they tested their scouting skills against other local scout troops. The activities usually included relay races requiring knot tying, first aid, Morse Code, compass and map reading, and other scouting skills. The rallies were sponsored and organized by the Dan Beard Scout Council.

When the weather was warm, we often held outdoor meetings at Hamlin Grove, across from the zoo at Nay Aug Park. I distinctly remember playing Capture the Flag as it started to get dark and the cicadae could be heard high in the surrounding white oak trees.

During the summer months, troop members (whose families could afford it) went to Goose Pond Scout Camp for one to four weeks. For many years, Troop 26 shared the Niagara campsite with Temple Israel's Troop 65 until they had enough boys to have their own camp site. As I recall, Michael Brown, Sammy Book, Bruce Wallerstein, Howie Fiebus, Arnie Goldnick, Donny Douglass, Robert Gelb and Howie Spizer served as summer camp scout leaders for Troop 65. In the early 60's, Richard Epstein served as summer camp leader for the Troop 26 Seneca camp site. When asked if he could use some help, the troop hired Irwin Friedman and Albert Teitelbaum to round out the leadership. Both were experienced boy scouts from Troop 65.

Back in the city, Joe Epstein led both day and overnight hikes in the mountains to the east of Scranton to teach the boys outdoor skills needed for rank advancement. He taught the boys fire making techniques, safe use of an axe and knife, map and compass, editable plants, the names and uses of local trees, birds, and he was always on the lookout for signs of wild life. Each of his hikes was memorable. We made our own fire and cooked our own food. Many of our hikes were in the dead of winter and more than onceduring the dry summers, we came upon a fledging forest fire and always helped out.

I also recall troop-sponsored overnight excursions to Goose Pond (a winter camping trip) where we were snowed in for several days, a bus trip to the Delaware Water Gap, and a trip to the West Point Military Academy.