This year, instead of holding our end-of-year barbecue at the park next to the church, we gathered at Todd’s house. It was a fun change of scenery and a great way for everyone to relax, spend time together, and celebrate the end of another wonderful Scouting year. The highlight of the meal was an absolutely wonderful brisket, which everyone enjoyed!

For Megan’s Eagle Project, our Scout troop went to one of the cottages at St. John’s Nursing Home to improve the outdoor area. We removed and replaced the old bricks that had been there since the cottage was used as a hospice home. We also added fresh mulch to give the flower beds a clean, updated appearance. The Scouts worked together to pull weeds and tidy up the flower beds. By the end of the project, the area looked much nicer and more welcoming for the residents and visi

At Spring Camporee 2026, I led a cooking class where we made Blue Moon cheese pancakes. Scouts learned new outdoor cooking skills while preparing a fun, space-themed meal together. It was a great chance to practice leadership, teamwork, and cooking at camp. Throughout the weekend, the camp offered lots of space-themed Trail to First Class classes and service projects. Kylie also completed a Scoutmaster Challenge that involved reciting different Scout sayings and building a fi

On April 4, our Scout troop visited Norm’s Island to help clean up the area. We walked all the way around the island, picking up trash along the trail and filling several bags. It was a great opportunity to serve our community, spend time outdoors, and help keep the island clean and beautiful for everyone. During the trip, we also completed requirements for the Cooking merit badge by preparing a backpacking breakfast and snack. One of the coolest things we discovered was a hu

Lucky for us, we have a geologist for a Scoutmaster. Kylie teaches the geology merit badge at Merit Badge University, and she also took us out on a hike along the Yellowstone River to identify things like: cut bank, bar, delta, sediment, etc. We also learned how to identify the direction a stream or river was flowing at some point in time, even if the water is gone. There's a lot you can learn just by looking at how the rocks came to rest. Also, apparently some geologists li

We needed to get one more night of camping in for Xander's OA eligibility the next day. This somehow landed on the ONE night this whole winter that was actually cold. It got down to 10 degrees in Xander's backyard. At one point it was raining inside our tent from all the condensation, and by morning it had turned into heavy frost inside the tent. If you bumped the tent, it snowed inside. But we did it, and earned lots of frost points!

We made box costumes to help with recruitment, and then at the last minute my dad had the idea to put our canoe on his car as a float. We taped lights to it that said "Troop 23" on the hood and "Be A Scout" on both sides of the canoe. Then we used the oars as fun props. With the car speakers, my dad played "Can You Canoe?" and "Campin' Tent" by The Okee Dokee Brothers. The snow was perfectly Christmasy, and we had a lot of fun along the parade route. My little sister also hel

Two solid days of cooking for 40 people, and we did it all from scratch! Rolls, pumpkin pies using real pumpkins, apple pies, stuffing, roasted turkeys, salads, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and vegetables. It was a ton of work, a lot of learning, and a great experience overall!

Today Troop 23 cleaned about 50 gravestones at Mountview Cemetery that were all written in an old Chinese language that few people today...

Some of us are working on our Citizenship in the Community merit badge right now, so tonight we took a field trip to City Hall. The mayor...

Today instead of having our regular meeting, we decided to just have fun at the Oasis and ride the WaveRider! If you know any tweens or...

Holy moly, what an adventure! Melita Island will always be one of my most favorite places on Earth. Spending a week there is never enough. I asked the Scouts who went to tell about their experiences: Megan: I enjoyed Melita very much. I did the emergency preparedness, camping, and lifesaving merit badges. Overall my favorite was probably lifesaving. The water was so clear and refreshing to swim or boat around in during our free time. I definitely would go there again. Jak: I

Lots of rank-ups and a potluck to celebrate a great year!

Photo Gallery: Placing Memorial Day Flags 2025

Scouts in Billings faced a full-blown zombie outbreak at the Black Otter District’s Spring Camporee in May.

In May, we combined a campout with one of Kylie's Woodbadge projects: pulling a weed called mullein. In Montana, common mullein is...

Troop 23 helped Jaz make planter boxes for the community garden in the parking lot of Montana Rescue Mission.

Hello parents and Scouts. Here are some important upcoming dates: April 10 (this Thursday) - 6:15 p.m. Troop 23 crime prevention...

Participants: Jak, Xander, Rosemary Leaders: Arle, Alan, Todd Temperature: High of 14 degrees Our recent adventure at the winter sled...

A little video recap of our sledding/skiing overnight in Red Lodge. The snow was magical, and it was fun to walk out on Wild Bill Lake. -...

One of the district's Scout leaders injured his back and needed assistance with a project in his front yard. Troop 23 volunteered to help...

Our big-brained Scoutmaster Alan gave a presentation about the James Webb Space Telescope at the public library today, and it was...

On Saturday, November 2nd, Troop 23 and Troop 52 got together to help Keldon with his Eagle project! Here's what Keldon said: "My Eagle...

On October 25th, we went to the corn maze at Grandpa's Farm and had fun blowing giant bubbles, climbing through the spelunking cave, and...