Boy Scout Troop 270 celebrated its 60th anniversary with a dinner at Newtown Congregational Church on May 5. Throughout the event, speakers offered reflections on their own Scouting experiences and advice for current and future scouts.Reflections On Scouting

The troop is based out of Newtown Congregational Church, and the event was held in the church's Great Room.

After dinner and dessert were served, Scoutmaster Robert Cicarelli said, "Welcome to all Scouts, past and present."

A slideshow of pictures from various Scouting events played while people ate.

Near the start of the night's celebration, Mr Cicarelli recognized Scouts that will graduate high school this year. He urged them to keep the Scout Law with them in their hearts, and he gave each of them a Scout Oath Law Coin to honor their achievements.

Eagle Scouts share a common determination and qualities like loyalty, courage, and a positive attitude, no matter the circumstances, he reflected.

"As of this moment, Troop 270 has seen 103 boys achieve Eagle in the course of its history," said Mr Cicarelli, adding many of the Eagle Scouts were attending "in spirit."

The troop was formed in 1958, and it has had 12 scoutmasters in that time, according to a pamphlet from the event. Robert Kelchner is listed as serving as the troop's first Scoutmaster, and the first Eagle Scout is listed as David Hughes, in 1966.

Troop 270's second Eagle Scout, Gary Gollenberg, was invited to speak at the event to represent the troop's "past."

"Thank you for being involved in scouting. To the parents, it's some of the best times that you will ever spend. To you guys, it's time that you should enjoy for the rest of your lives," said Mr Gollenberg.

For those that are following their own "Eagle Scout trail," Mr Gollenberg urged the Scouts to "keep it up." Once an Eagle Scout, he said, "always an Eagle Scout."

Mr Gollenberg said he believes he joined in 1964. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 1967.

"It's a great system, and it builds character," said Mr Gollenberg.

Tents, he pointed out, have changed since he was a Scout. When it rained during a campout in the 1960s, Mr Gollenberg said, the naive scouts could touch their fingers to the inside walls of the tents, and "it would rain on the inside of the canvas as much as on the outside." Today's Scouts, he joked, did not invent rainy campouts.

Troop 270, Mr Gollenberg remembered, was part of a district that included Trumbull, east Monroe, and Newtown at the time.

"We had all of our district campouts over in Southbury... near where Southbury Training School was. It was a beautiful place on a hill," Mr Gollenberg recalled.

There would be three to four campouts a year, and the troop worked to "get someone there early" to claim a good spot on the grounds for each event, Mr Gollenberg recalled.

He also recalled the Scouts had a lightweight Klondike Derby sled. One of the adults wrapped aluminum around its runners, and the Scouts had to be careful not to "have it go so fast that it ran over you."

"Different from today - we only went to one place for our summer camp," Mr Gollenberg said.

Mr Gollenberg said he cherished his time as a Scout.

Later, Gabe Locke, a current scout and the troop's 101st Eagle Scout, shared what it means to be an Eagle Scout.

"Whenever there is a situation calling for leadership, the Eagle Scout will step up to give leadership to others," said Gabe. "Being an Eagle Scout does not just mean leading others, it also means teaching others how to lead. This is what it means to be an Eagle Scout."

Gabe said the Scout Oath begins with the words "On my honor."

"I say you have honor when you look back on your day, and you can see you have done your good turn, obeyed the Scout Law and [Scout Oath], and lived by the motto. That is when you have honor. Honor is evident when other people see what you have done and look up to you," Gabe said.

Being an Eagle Scout means living with honor and striving to be a good person, Gabe shared.

Current Troop 270 scout Connor Troy also spoke at the dinner to offer a look from the "future" of the troop. Connor joined Troop 270 three years ago when he was in fifth grade. He said he started Scouting when he was in kindergarten.

Connor reflected that he has attended "a lot of fun campouts" and he has learned a lot from his Scouting experiences.

"I think this is a really great troop, and the leadership is really great here," said Connor.

The evening event also included raffle prizes and other attendees being called up to speak.