Published: April 01, 2008 08:59 am            

The youngest octogenarians ever

Athens Boy Scouts to celebrate 80th year, new lodge

Boy Scout Troop 343 and its longtime sponsor, the First United Methodist Church of Athens, will celebrate the troop’s 80th anniversary on April 12.

There will be an Anniversary Court of Honor for the troop and a dedication/consecration of the troop’s new Scout Lodge, followed by a barbecue dinner at the activities center of the church located at the corner of Lover’s Lane and East College Street in Athens.

Boy Scouts of America will celebrate its 100th anniversary in two years. Boy Scout Troop 2 was established in Athens in February 1928. That troop later became BSA Troop 343 and has been continuously chartered since that time. Seventy-four scouts from the troop have achieved the rank of Eagle, Boy Scout’s highest honor.

Scouting still offers boys between the ages of 11-18 many fun opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors while teaching boys how to become leaders of good character with strong ethics and morals.

All former scouts, Eagle Scouts and Scoutmasters formally associated with Troop 343 are invited to attend and if you or someone you know is interested in becoming a Boy Scout, or if you would just like to come out and support scouting, you are urged to attend on April 12.

An open house will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Scout Lodge, followed by Dedication/Consecration of the building at 5:50 p.m., followed by dinner at 6 p.m. Donations will be gratefully accepted at the door. Please RSVP by Friday, April 4, to Mark Carlson toll-free at 1-866-782-1283.

Also, Troop 343 is seeking Boy Scout memorabilia to retain on display in secure display cabinets at their new scout lodge. If you have anything that you would like to display, please contact Mark Carlson at the above number.

        

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